6 - Domestic Regulation of Cyberspace

Summary

Chapter 6 explores in detail the attempts by governments to regulate cyberspace. National governments are increasingly assertive and exert control over security, privacy, and content. This is an important departure especially in democratic-capitalist countries that have been largely laissez-faire with respect to cyberspace. The chapter considers these moves at the domestic regulatory level and examines how corporations, civil society, and citizens are responding. Fundamentally, the chapter addresses the role governments play in cybersecurity and foretells the beginning of more governmental intervention in cyberspace, such as mandatory data compromise reporting. Further, as certain countries promote their telecommunication companies globally, cyberspace becomes the means to increase global surveillance, which raises new policy and security issues.