The Emergence of Contention in Global Internet Governance

Abstract

Contention in global Internet governance systems has arisen in the context of a series of global Internet controversies that have made visible the connection between Internet governance and a number of public interest concerns such as infrastructure availability, security, and individual civil liberties such as freedom of expression and privacy. Throughout the course of only a few years, the world witnessed several high profile controversies including the state-induced Egyptian Internet outage, WikiLeaks’ release of sensitive diplomatic cables, complex cybersecurity attacks such as GhostNet and Stuxnet, the growing sophistication of the Great Firewall of China, an online boycott over the Stop Online Piracy Act in the U.S., global tension over an arcane United Nations international treaty conference known as the International Telecommunications Regulations (ITRs), and disclosures about the NSA’s expansive surveillance programs.

Keywords: GigaNet