Internet and Democracy: The Sequel

April 10

A decade ago, the Internet was widely seen as a means to diminish the power of countries to regulate the flow of ideas and information. However, we have witnessed the resurgence of national sovereignty in cyberspace, with many countries now resorting to a combination of technology, law and intimidation to reign in the spread of free speech via the Net. Often aided by the technological support of the private sector in the United States, for this class, we will debate the ethics, practicality and implications of Internet censorship.

Readings

• Roberts et al. Evolving Landscape of Internet Control
• Read John Palfrey and Jonathan Zittrain: Reluctant Gatekeepers: Corporate Ethics on a Filtered Internet
• Jill York, Policing Content in the Quasi-public Sphere
• Take a look at the ONI blog

Class Discussion

April 10: Internet and Democracy: The Sequel Just Johnny 17:12, 15 February 2012 (UTC)