Customer Reviews

National Governments and Control of the Internet: A Digital Challenge (Routledge Research in Information Technology and Society)

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Giacomello studies the extent to which governments can try to control access and usage of the Internet. While many users consider the Internet and the Web to give unfettered world wide access to any resource on the net, the reality may sometimes differ.

The book has case studies of the policies of several countries - United States, Italy and Germany. Reinforced by further analysis of Canada, India, Brazil and Switzerland. All these are democracies. Yet it is interesting how even between democracies, national policies can still make a difference. To some readers, the most interesting comparisons may be between the US and India. Between the largest industrial democracy and the most populous democracy. For India, enabling affordable access, especially to its lower income groups, is a key driver of its policies. By contrast, the US has been relatively successful in propagating access to most of its communities. In India, this is just starting. With all the current to-do about offshoring, especially to India, imagine if they could fully educate their people and put most of them on the web.