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Who Controls the Internet?: Illusions of a Borderless World 1st Edition

by Jack Goldsmith (Author),
Tim Wu (Author)
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Tim Wu (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars 27 customer reviews
ISBN-13: 978-0195152661
ISBN-10: 0195152662
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 238 pages
  • Publisher: Oxford University Press; 1 edition (March 17, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0195152662
  • ISBN-13: 978-0195152661
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 1.1 x 6.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #731,840 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsWhy the bordered Internet is necessary
By Malvin VINE VOICE on June 23, 2006
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
"Who Controls the Internet?" by Jack Goldsmith and Tim Wu offers a clear-eyed assessment of the struggle to control the Internet. Starting with a discussion of the early vision of a borderless global community, the authors present some of the most prominent individuals, ideas and movements that have played key roles in developing the Internet as we know it today. As Law Professors at Harvard and Columbia, respectively, Mr. Goldsmith and Mr. Wu adroitly assert the important role of government in maintaining Internet law and order while skillfully debunking the claims of techno-utopianism that have been espoused by popular but misinformed theorists such as Thomas Friedman.

The book has three sections. Part One is "The Internet Revolution". The authors discuss the early days of the Internet through the 1990s, when Julian Dibbell and John Perry Barlow articulated a libertarian vision that gained wide currency in the public imagination. The Electronic Frontier Foundation worked to protect the Internet from regulation in the belief that a free online community might unite people and melt government away. However, Jon Postel's attempt to assert control over the root naming and numbering system in 1998 was short-lived, as the U.S. government flexed its power in order to protect its national defense and business interests.

Part Two is "Government Strikes Back". Users in different places with widely varying cultures and preferences want information presented in their local language and context, the authors explain. Governments use a number of techniques to pressure or control local intermediaries to restrict Internet content that a majority of its citizens find unacceptable, such as the sale of Nazi paraphenelia in France.Read more ›
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1.0 out of 5 starsPoorly reasoned apology for government control/surveillance of the Internet
By Jesse Taylor on January 20, 2010
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I was very disappointed with this book after seeing all of the high reviews here, and reading the description for the book. I thought I was going to be reading an in-depth analysis of the technical, legal, and political means by which governments control, censor, and surveil the Internet, what the sociopolitical effects of this are, and how people around the world are resisting invasion of privacy and deprivation of autonomy.

Instead, I discovered that it was actually a poorly reasoned apology for government surveillance, censorship, and control of the Internet. Bringing out those trusty old substitutes for rational analysis and debate -- child porn, Nazi hate speech, and computer fraudsters -- Wu and Goldsmith repeatedly attempt to show us how grateful we should be for our governments "protecting" us from "villains", and how we were all so "naive" for thinking that we wanted to be able to have a democratic, uncensored electronic communications medium, and how silly we were for thinking that we would actually be allowed to have one.

They discuss issues within inane framings such as "uninhibited debate vs. order", and talk about how it's great that governments are censoring and monitoring the public, because that's what people need to keep them safe from all of those Nazis and child pornographers. They of course, superficially touch upon the Chinese surveillance state, and how in *extreme* and *rare* situations like China, government surveillance, censorship, and control might *possibly* lead to political repression -- but other than that, they keep on the velvet gloves, hardly discussing government violations of liberty and privacy, and not touching at all upon the extensive surveillance apparatus in the United States or Great Britain.Read more ›
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4.0 out of 5 starsBORDER IS NOTHING WITHOUT CONTROL
By VAL ODUENYI on May 1, 2006
Format: Hardcover
This well-written, smooth-flowing text has the capacity of keeping even the laziest reader reading without pause. Please, note that its essence does not include IT technologies like HTML, CSS, JAVA, and so on. Rather, the business of this book is based entirely on attempts (by both individuals and organisations) to bring sanity to the 'world-wild-net'!
Each argument seemed logical regardless of which side it is inclined to. At the moment, signs of change could be seen at the online horizon; yet, it may still take years (if not decades) for the holes to be completely plugged and monitored. But until when the future arrives, the Internet will remain a borderless world occupied by a flock of fly-free birds, many of which will continue to evade caging.
The chapters of this book did a good job in determining and weighing the pros and cons of effecting Internet controls. And, the most gruesome aspect is that the world wide web runs the risk of being balkanized into 'territorial waters'. And judging by Google's experience in China, this sort of control would cause professionalism to be compromised with the view of gaining market-shares.
In conclusion, there is no doubt that some measure of Internet sanity would be nice. However, absolute or high-handed governmental controls may serve to rob the Net of its flavors. Traditional online businesses would be the biggest gainer if this ever happens, whereas the biggest losers would include internet entertainment and leisure-oriented industries.
Most of the issues raised in this book are real-world. They constitute very good guiding principles. But as the Internet continues to grow and evolve, the validity of these principles may not be all that future-proof. Only time will tell. But until then, border will continue to mean nothing when control is non-existent.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Interesting read about privacy and countries warring over rules of the internet.

Published 11 months ago by Ashley
5.0 out of 5 starsI found this book very intriguing and informative. It ...

I found this book very intriguing and informative. It provides the history of the internet, how it was developed and progressed into what it is today. Read more

Published 17 months ago by JKABARTELS
5.0 out of 5 starsAn excellent book

This a very good and thought provoking book which has led me to take up others such as Tim Wu's "The Master Switc.h"

Published on June 13, 2014 by Patricia L. Hossenlopp
3.0 out of 5 starsmeh

Granted I did a research project on the subject, but I didn't find the book terrible insightful or new. Read more

Published on May 7, 2014 by jonny chimpdoe
4.0 out of 5 starsInteresting

Although this book was published in 2006 its content is still relevant. A must read for those interested in the new challenges of internet governance.

Published on March 30, 2014 by Jorge Carrera
5.0 out of 5 starsInternet archeology at its best

Fantastic read for anyone interested in how the internet has shaped, and has been shaped by government, commerce, and the beliefs and ideology of the early internet engineers. Read more

Published on November 17, 2012 by Ilya Grigorik
5.0 out of 5 starsgreat internet book

explains internet economics and idealogy of interwined web of knowledge to all , up there with classic wired articles get it loaned

Published on October 25, 2012 by baker
5.0 out of 5 starsInformative and Compelling

This wasn't the kind of book I picked up expecting a riveting page turner, but it came damn close. The thorough and fairly objective look at this legal issue was illustrated with... Read more

Published on April 24, 2011 by Law Geek
4.0 out of 5 starsWCI?

Who Controls the Internet? Illusions of a Borderless World by Jack Goldsmith and Tim Wu depicts problems posed by a truly borderless Internet. Read more

Published on March 17, 2011 by Elizabeth Rupp
4.0 out of 5 starsReview of Who Controls the Internet

The book "Who Controls the Internet? Illusions of a Borderless World" written by Jack Goldsmith and Tim Wu is a book that explains the history and problems we've come across in the... Read more

Published on March 1, 2011 by Casey

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