Issues in Cyberspace

This book explores the problems facing society in the rapidly changing online environment, including the technical, social, and legal factors shaping the Internet today. Issues in Cyberspace provides an overview of the evolution of the Internet, the media interests that are driving its development, and the boundaries that are being established for online behavior in a variety of contexts. Issues discussed throughout the text include the influence of concentrated ownership, the First Amendment, commercialism, spam, privacy, encryption, hacking, copyright, libel, hate speech, indecency, obscenity, education, and global implications.

Table of Contents:
Most Chapters begin with “Introduction” and end with “Conclusion” and “Notes.” Preface. The Approach of the Book. Acknowledgments. 1. Communication, Society, Regulation, and the Internet Frontier. America's Love Affair with Cyberspace. The Internet as a New Frontier. Fads, Hype and the Internet Express. The Internet and the Communications Industry. Approaching the Issues in Cyberspace. Cyberspace and the Politics of Control. The Power of Internet Surveillance. Government Regulation of Expression. Private Interests and the Regulation of Expression. The Bias of Technology. The Regulation of Cyberspace. Government by Litigation. Law, the Courts and Issues in Cyberspace. Society, Activism, Communications Theory and the Law. 2. New Media Technology, Society, and the Rise of the Internet. Patterns From the Past: Society Enters the Internet Age. External Forces and the Shaping of the Internet. Computer Code, Technology, and Society. The Internet in Theoretical and Social Context. 3. Law, Policy, and the First Amendment in Cyberspace. The First Amendment and Free Expression in Cyberspace. Principles of Communications Law and Policy. Regulation and the Internet. Governing the Internet. 4. Media, Monopoly, and the Internet. Monopoly in an Historical Perspective. The Regulation of Monopolies. Media, Power, and Society. From Newsprint to Computer Bits and Bytes. Synergies, Mergers, and the Internet Age. The Evolving Cyber-Monopoly. 5. E-Commerce, Spam, and the Perils of Commercialism. The Rise of E-Commerce. The Internet Gold Rush. A New Set of Problems for a New Marketplace. The Rise of Spam on the Internet. The Commercialization of Internet Navigation. Internet Navigation: Commercial Opportunity or Social Curse. 6. Privacy, Surveillance, and Anonymity in Cyberspace. A Privacy Backlash Takes Shape. Privacy, Electronic Mail, and the Web. Tracking and Targeting: Marketing Necessity or Choice? Anonymity and Citizen Reaction to the Loss of Privacy. 7. Encryption and Hacking. The Evolution of Encryption Policy. Hacking, Cracking, and the Internet Age. 8. Copyright and Piracy. An International Twist to Copyright. Framing the Copyright Debate: Balancing Different Interests. Communications Technology and the Evolution of U.S. Copyright Law. Outlaws on the Digital Frontier. 9. Libel and Hate Speech. Libel and the Internet. The Evolution of the Law of Defamation. Defamation in the Modern Era. Hate Speech and the Internet. 10. Indecency and Obscenity. Pornography and Technology. Legislating Morality in the Modern Era. Obscenity and the Courts. The Government and Indecency Regulation. The Beginnings of Indecency Regulation. Distinguishing Between Different Interests. Failed Attempts to Create a “Safe Harbor” for Indecency. The End of Scarcity. The Beginnings of Content Regulation on the Internet. CDA I: Anti-Indecency Legislation Becomes Law. The Supreme Court Appeal of the CDA. The Door to Internet Regulation Not Closed Completely. The Child Online Protection Act. Mainstream Loudoun: Limiting Library Access to the Internet. 11. The Internet, Children, and Education. Children and the Internet. The Internet, Children, and Education: Technology Enters the Classroom. The Internet and Higher Education. Computers Across the Curriculum. The Internet and Online Research. The Boom in Distance Education. Effectiveness of Distance Education. Criticism of Distance Learning. Questions About Quality. An Unstoppable Trend? 12. Reflections in Cyberspace. Community and the Internet Frontier. Observations in Cyberspace. Solutions in Cyberspace: Government Regulation of the Internet. International Considerations in Internet Regulation. Terms of Empowerment. The Future of Cyberspace. Glossary. Index.