This so-called Netiquette addressed the form, but usually not the content, of communications permitted over the Internet. That cultural guidelines were largely successful in shaping behavior on the Internet was due, in part, to the homogeneous nature of the early user community, which was dominated by adult techies from the worlds of research and academia. Peer pressure along with a self-imposed sense of ethics provided sufficient stabi lity for the Internet to flourish. While Internet users accepted the mores of the network, they bridled at the possibility of outside interference, particularly from lawmakers and regulators. Today, with the number of Internet users increasing at an estimated rate of 15 to 20 percent a month, the culture of the Internet is changing irrevocably.
Users communicate from all over the world.
They are no longer necessarily affiliated with a university or research institution. The diversity of the user population has helped to erode acceptance of the traditional Internet constraints on behavior and the customary laissez faire attitude toward content. Canter and Siegel sparked no greater reaction than the response of Arnt Gulbrandsen in Norway. It shows also that the opportunity for financial gain is a powerful incentive for flaunting voluntary ethical guidelines. As commerce increases on international information networks, voluntary standards will no longer be sufficient to provide the predictability essential in a business environment.