The legal, social, and economic implications of the information society permeate every fiber of public life in the real world, influencing politics and policies and testing the limits of traditional notions of law, concepts of regulations, and systems of governance. Uniting an impressive array of authors, this book broaches the challenges of internet governance in the information society. Renowned scholars and practitioners - from, among others, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the United Nations Internet Governance Forum, academia, and business - shed light on both the global perspectives and the European dimensions of internet governance. The book brings together presentations delivered at two workshops organized at the University of Graz as part of a project studying the role of multi-stakeholder participation for the implementation of human rights approaches in a connected world. It identifies 2010 as the year where fundamental decisions on the future of the internet as we know it will be reached. The contributions describe the challenges ahead and the road to travel by. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the future of internet governance.

How institutions for Internet governance are emerging from the tension between the territorially bound nation-state and a transnational network society. When the prevailing system of governing divides the planet into mutually exclusive territorial monopolies of force, what institutions can govern the Internet, with its transnational scope, boundless scale, and distributed control? Given filtering/censorship by states and concerns over national cybersecurity, it is often assumed that the Internet will inevitably be subordinated to the traditional system of nation-states. In Networks and States, Milton Mueller counters this, showing how Internet governance poses novel and fascinating governance issues that give rise to a global politics and new transnational institutions. Drawing on theories of networked governance, Mueller provides a broad overview of Internet governance from the formation of ICANN to the clash at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the formation of the Internet Governance Forum, the global assault on peer-to-peer file sharing, and the rise of national-level Internet control and security concerns. Internet governance has become a source of conflict in international relations. Networks and States explores the important role that emerging transnational institutions could play in fostering global governance of communication-information policy.

Power and Authority in Internet Governance investigates the hotly contested role of the state in today's digital society. The book asks: Is the state "back" in internet regulation? If so, what forms are state involvement taking, and with what consequences for the future? The volume includes case studies from across the world and addresses a wide range of issues regarding internet infrastructure, data and content. The book pushes the debate beyond a simplistic dichotomy between liberalism and authoritarianism in order to consider also greater state involvement based on values of democracy and human rights. Seeing internet governance as a complex arena where power is contested among diverse non-state and state actors across local, national, regional and global scales, the book offers a critical and nuanced discussion of how the internet is governed – and how it should be governed. Power and Authority in Internet Governance provides an important resource for researchers across international relations, global governance, science and technology studies and law as well as policymakers and analysts concerned with regulating the global internet.

Scholars from a range of disciplines discuss research methods, theories, and conceptual approaches in the study of internet governance. The design and governance of the internet has become one of the most pressing geopolitical issues of our era. The stability of the economy, democracy, and the public sphere are wholly dependent on the stability and security of the internet. Revelations about election hacking, facial recognition technology, and government surveillance have gotten the public's attention and made clear the need for scholarly research that examines internet governance both empirically and conceptually. In this volume, scholars from a range of disciplines consider research methods, theories, and conceptual approaches in the study of internet governance.

The significance of the governance of the Internet is increasing and the issue has become the subject of growing public and media interest. This book takes a detailed, systematic, and non-polemical look at the issue.

Information Technology Law is the ideal companion for a course of study on IT law and the ways in which it is evolving in response to rapid technological and social change. The third edition of this ground-breaking textbook develops its unique examination of the legal processes and their relationship to the modern 'information society'. Charting the development of the rapid digitization of society and its impact on established legal principles, Murray examines the challenges faced with enthusiasm and clarity. Following a clearly-defined part structure, the text begins by defining the infomation society and discussing how it may be regulated, before moving on to explore issues of internet governance, privacy and surveillance, intellectual property and rights, and commerce within the digital sphere. Comprehensive and engaging, Information Technology Law takes an original and thought-provoking approach to examining this fast-moving area of law in context. Online Resource Centre The third edition is supported by a range of online resources, including: - An additional chapter on Virtual Environments - Audio podcasts suitable for revision - Updates to the law post-publication - A flashcard glossary of key terms and concepts - Outline answers to end of chapter questions - A link to the author's blog, The IT Lawyer - Web links