Cyber Policy and Economics in an Internet Age

As the Internet has more and more influence on our economic, social, and private lives, regulating its development poses complex and increasingly urgent challenges. The collapse of traditional boundaries between nations, industries, and private versus public sectors in cyberspace has vast political, economic, and cultural implications. What must we take into account to promote Internet-aware national and international policies that stimulate the Internet's potential to enrich human life, without jeopardizing hard-earned offline rights, freedoms, and security? This book offers a collection of essays. It provides an accessible introduction to critical issues that policymakers, businesspeople, and the public will need to confront in coming years: universal access, appropriate content (pornography, free speech, cultural values), Internet broadcasting, intellectual property, Internet taxation, consumer protection, privacy, fair E-business competition, regulation of the Internet infrastructure, and more.