Ruling the Root: Internet Governance and the Taming of Cyberspace [Paperback]

Milton L. Mueller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 30, 2004

In Ruling the Root, Milton Mueller uses the theoretical framework of institutional economics to analyze the global policy and governance problems created by the assignment of Internet domain names and addresses. "The root" is the top of the domain name hierarchy and the Internet address space. It is the only point of centralized control in what is otherwise a distributed and voluntaristic network of networks. Both domain names and IP numbers are valuable resources, and their assignment on a coordinated basis is essential to the technical operation of the Internet. Mueller explains how control of the root is being leveraged to control the Internet itself in such key areas as trademark and copyright protection, surveillance of users, content regulation, and regulation of the domain name supply industry.Control of the root originally resided in an informally organized technical elite comprised mostly of American computer scientists. As the Internet became commercialized and domain name registration became a profitable business, a six-year struggle over property rights and the control of the root broke out among Internet technologists, business and intellectual property interests, international organizations, national governments, and advocates of individual rights. By the late 1990s, it was apparent that only a new international institution could resolve conflicts among the factions in the domain name wars. Mueller recounts the fascinating process that led to the formation of a new international regime around ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. In the process, he shows how the vaunted freedom and openness of the Internet is being diminished by the institutionalization of the root.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you care about the prospect of losing your rights...this book's for you - perhaps even on a beach." Anick Jesdanun LA Times

"If you care about the prospect of losing your rights...this book's for you." Anick Jesdanun LA Times

"The Internet is in the midst of a kind of 'constitutional crisis,' with contending parties struggling, largely out of public view, for control of the 'root,' the one central point of authority on which the functioning of the Internet depends. It is a complicated story, but Mueller tells it well, demystifying the complex web of technical and policy questions at the very heart of this struggle; anyone interested in whether, and how, the Internet might continue its remarkable growth into the future would be well advised to start here."--David Post, Temple University Law School

About the Author

Milton L. Mueller is Professor at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies and XS4All Professor at Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. He is the author of Ruling the Root: Internet Governance and the Taming of Cyberspace (MIT Press, 2002) and other books.

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press (January 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262632985
• ISBN-13: 978-0262632980
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,202,391 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Milton Mueller is Professor at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies. A passionate advocate of Internet freedom and transnational governance for the Internet, his research focuses on property rights, institutions and global governance in communication and information industries.

As one of the founders of the Internet Governance Project, Mueller helped create an alliance of scholars in action around global Internet policy issues. His book Ruling the Root: Internet Governance and the Taming of Cyberspace (MIT Press, 2002) was the first book-length analysis of the political and economic forces leading to the creation of ICANN. His new book about Internet governance, Networks and States: The Global Politics of Internet Governance (MIT Press, 2010), examines the Internet as a site of institutional innovation that transcends the nation state but also serves as the situs of conflict between national and global forms of regulation and control. Currently, he is doing research on the ISP intermediary responsibility, IP addressing policy, the policy implications of Deep Packet Inspection technology and the security governance practices of ISPs.

Mueller has played a leading role in organizing and mobilizing civil society in ICANN and in the Internet Governance Forum. He was a founder of the Noncommercial Users Constituency in ICANN and served as its chair for several terms. He has served as an elected member of ICANN's GNSO Council and has worked on various task forces related to new top level domains, Whois/privacy, and the .org reassignment. Mueller is on the Advisory Council of Public Interest Registry (.org).

Mueller received the Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1989. He did his undergraduate work at various institutions in Chicago, specializing in Animation, Filmmaking and so-called "new media" technologies in the mid-1970s, ultimately receiving the B.A. from Columbia College in 1976.From January 2008 to December 2010 he held the XS4All Chair devoted to the "security and privacy of Internet users" at the Technology University of Delft, Netherlands.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Work!, October 29, 2002

By 

Robert Cannon "Cybertelecom" (Arlington, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ruling the Root: Internet Governance and the Taming of Cyberspace (Hardcover)

Mueller's work, recounting the Internet's Domain Name Wars, is entirely "interesting." Little is widely known about the history and origins of the Internet; what many think they know constitutes little more than mythology. Here is an excellent recount of the history of the Internet's development, and how conflicts with the naming space came to be. This is required reading for those interested and concerned with the potential success or failure of the Internet governance experiment. This is a continuation of a long history of excellent work by Mueller and is well recommended.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accurate, July 24, 2003

By 

[e-mail] (Redmond, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ruling the Root: Internet Governance and the Taming of Cyberspace (Hardcover)

As one who was there for this entire timeline, I can attest to the accuracy of Mueller's book (and the suggestion to read Crocker's account is misguided, as his account is about the most biased treatment available. Be warned on that as well).

What this book, and no other treatment to date has been able to do is capture the flavor of the events. Notwithstanding that, however, Mueller explains what happened and why, and as an academic accounting, is spot on, and his analysis is just as accurate.

5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful book, April 7, 2008

By 

Tim Wu (New York City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ruling the Root: Internet Governance and the Taming of Cyberspace (Hardcover)

Mueller is an excellent and very careful researcher, and this book reflects that. This book was a crucial research tool for my own book, Who Controls the Internet?