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+--- Thread: Should the Internet Be Considered a Sovereign Entity? (/showthread.php?tid=26055)
Should the Internet Be Considered a Sovereign Entity? - Milelke - 2010-05-26
This is and odd question, but, as I've been hearing lawmakers think about regulations to put on the internet, I think about it more and more.
[Sorry if this is a jumble of thoughts, I'm trying to be consistent][Typos will be many]
How can you place restrictions on something that exists in all corners of the world? Does any one country have such a power? Universal laws may apply to the web, but, local laws simply can not, due to it's vastness and ambiguity.
The Internet is a world wide thing, which has people from all over the world on it. There are thousands upon thousands (upon thousands) of websites out there, which simply cannot be regulated by the real world. Then, there is the matter of the Internet being self-governed. The Internet has no single, unifying, government. However, many forums and websites that exist have a form of gov't. Even Southperry.
You could call this a mini government. Almost all online forums and communities are dictatorships, if you haven't noticed.
A forum has a self-elected Admin, who then chooses his Military (Moderators) and Cabinet (Other Admins). There usually is no senate or legislature of anykind. Admins (and sometimes Mods) rule with a fist, but in most cases, they listen carefully to their community, because without the community, this forum, or 'country' would fall apart or immigrate somewhere else.
A great example of this is the breaking of SP from SW. This much like a small group of rebels breaking off from their oppressive gov't and forming a new one, or a new country. SP basically broke off from SW. (This has happened many times in the History of the Real World)
The more I think about this, the more the Internet seems like another world.
This world cannot be governed by another world, even if they co-exist, its simply not possible because both are much too large. The Internet has many, many countries existing in it, although they have no physical form, they do exist. Their called websites. Some are simple, others are complex. A website like Facebook is one of these. Although you don't see it, facebook has the same 'government'. It is ruled by a 'dictator' or authoritative group in some sense, but is heavily influenced by the real world, and thus, it's 'dictator' has little power. In a sense, facebook is a country so big, that it cannot even regulate itself (Anarchy). Facebook is authoritative in that it rarely ever listens to it's 'population', no examples needed for this.
Then there are many smaller countries, like SP and SW. These countries have a population, a government, and relate with other 'Countries'. Believe it or not, this 3 out of 4 requirements to be defined as a sovereign state. One requirement is owning land, something the internet does not. However. Does that really matter?
In reality. No. Much of the Internet is Independent. This forum could contain thousands of images of porn, and no warning of it, but would most likely never be found out (This is illegal). Why? Because the internet is so large, and our site is so small, much like the real world.
Although we live in the real world, and our governed in/by it. I think what has made the Internet so popular, is that so little rules are placed on it (relatively). The Internet has its own problems, its own people, even it's own economy, which cannot be governed by the outside world, but more by itself. The Internet self-corrects itself, like the world does (Through one way or another). The Internet could not exist without the real world, however, one country cannot say or regulate the internet, because the internet is, as said before, independent, because of it's sheer size, it's simply impossible to govern everywhere.
The largest websites could be thought more as embassies, being regulated by the outside world. But, everywhere else is in on it's own. Southperry is in on it's own. We've established ourselves somewhere in the huge world of the internet. We are an example of independence of the internet. Because we are in the corners, we are never seen, and almost never regulated. Most sites aren't regulated, not even Pirate Bay (Illegal).
What I'm trying to say is, we are Internet 'countries', if that is what you must call it. We are independent of the real world and the internet itself. The Internet is a virtual world, and we our a small dot on a huge (virtual) world. In order to be a country, you have to be on a world. An independent world. We may be getting foreign-aid from Earth, but, we cannot be regulated by Earth. (This is true within the real world to).
Conclusion (NOT a tl;dr): The internet is sovereign. It exists because of the real world, but, it has become so huge that it cannot be regulated/governed by the real world. Much like England and America in 1776.
Side Note: The Internet has no single unifying gov't. The Internet as a whole basically runs on Anarchy.
Should the Internet Be Considered a Sovereign Entity? - Link - 2010-05-26
Pretty much. The governments of the world can do what they want to put limits on it, but no matter what happens, things are going to go on on the internet that the government can't control. For instance, 4Chan. They've had how many government attacks already? Yet none of them has had any real effect. Things on the internet will last forever. It literally has become a completely uncontrollable being. That being said, the internet is more or less a sovereign, virtual country in itself.
Should the Internet Be Considered a Sovereign Entity? - Solarboy - 2010-05-26
Yes t cant be governed, no one can even attempt to do so. you could say that the internet is an alternate earth where anarchy rules.
Should the Internet Be Considered a Sovereign Entity? - Tay - 2010-05-28
The only limiting factor that I can see existing are:
A User's current government, like N.Korea and China censoring specific things.
A User's current ISP, like AT&T blocking 4chan
and, A forum or website's own server host.
There is a limit onto getting to the internet, but actually controlling it is almost impossible in a sense.