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do the benefits of an ungoverned internet outweigh the harms

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do the benefits of an ungoverned internet outweigh the harms
Would the benefits of an ungoverned internet outweigh the harms?
The internet is one of, if not the greatest technological advancement of modern times. It has unmistakeably become intricately woven with our day to day lives. While there has been a lot of debate as to whether the invention of the internet itself has been good or bad, my personal stance is that the internet, much like any other technology, is double edged with both good and bad features. However, while I acknowledge this double edged nature of the internet, this essays seeks to argue for the governance of the internet because I disagree with the notion that the benefits of an ungoverned internet outweigh its harms.
According to the free dictionary, the internet is considered as the network of networks and as such makes it really hard to discuss governance in regards to its different aspects. Personally, I am an avid supporter for the openness of technology in itself. It is through this openness of technology that we can obtain improvements and innovations, however, it becomes an issue when the content of the technology is left ungoverned and thus for the purpose of this essay, I will discuss internet governance in relation to the activity on or content of the internet. Erickson and Giacomello (2009) argue that the surveillance and governance of this type is the most controversial as its main concern is about how people use the internet and what they do on it. One the one hand, people want their freedom of speech, privacy and right to the internet and thus call for an ungoverned internet however, while we look to the breakdown of physical boundaries as one of the advantages of the internet, it is important to note that in the realm of reality, geographical boundaries still very much exist and thus it makes sense for what is deemed illegal in a particular locality to be illegal in the cyberspace of that locality. This essay is not to argue that there are no benefits to an ungoverned internet



Bibliography: 1. Council on Foreign Relations. 2014. Are ungoverned spaces a threat. [online] Available at: http://www.cfr.org [Accessed: 20 Feb 2014]. 2.  Eaton, L. 1996. Let the Cyberinvestor Beware: A Tale of Stock Promotion, Regulation and the lnternet. 3. Ericksson, J. and Giacomello, G. eds. 2009. Who Controls the Internet? Beyond the Obstinacy or Obsolescence of the State. 4. Homeland security policy institute. 2013. Countering Use of the Internet for Terrorist Purposes. [press release]. 5. Law.cornell.edu. 2014. U.S. Constitution | Constitution | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute. [online] Available at: http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution [Accessed: 21 Feb 2014]. 6.  Liang, B. and Lu, H. 2010. Internet development, censorship, and cyber crimes in China. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 26 (1), pp. 103--120. 7.  Raine, L. P. and Cillufo, F. J. 1994. Global organized crime. Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies 8 TheFreeDictionary.com. 2014. Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. [online] Available at: http://www.thefreedictionary.com [Accessed: 20 Feb 2014].  Yang, C. 1996. LAW CREEPS ONTO THE LAWLESS NET. Business Week, Washington.

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