The geopolitics of internet control: censorship, sovereignty, and cyberspace
What is the impact of the internet on state sovereignty, and in particular on states' ability to control information flows across their borders? Whereas once the internet was presumed to be a borderless world of free flowing information, today countries and corporations alike are carving it up in a bewildering array of filtered segments, often with major unintended consequences. The motivations for these practices range widely, from concerns over national security, cultural sensitivities, and protection of social values, to rent seeking and the protection of economic monopolies. Whereas once it was conventional wisdom to believe that the internet's technological infrastructure was immune to control, today states and corporations are applying an ever increasing level of skill and technological sophistication to precisely that mission. The result is that rather than being a single seamless environment, the internet a user connects to and experiences in Canada is far different than an internet a user experiences in Iran, China, or Belarus. This chapter provides an overview of the geopolitics of internet control, and in particular state efforts to control information flows across borders, with comparative data from over 22 countries.