Internet Governance: Territorializing Cyberspace?

Internet governance evolved in an ad hoc manner and produced a decentralized, regulatory environment that has been shaped by a myriad of public and private organizations. The decentralized nature of this form of Internet governance is now being challenged. New technical, security, and privacy issues have raised political questions concerning whether such loose regulatory coordination can adapt quickly enough to twenty-first-century challenges. Such doubts go well beyond the technical; they reflect profound questions about who should control the Internet. This article examines the issue of Internet governance in light of recent challenges. Discussion is centered on assessing efforts to replace the current decentralized, multistakeholder governance model with a centralized, multilateral model. Trends are examined with reference to efforts by some member states of the International Telecommunication Union to strengthen the role of governments in Internet regulation, especially during negotiations at the 2012 World Conference on International Telecommunications. Related Articles Walsh, James I. 2008. “Persuasion in International Politics: A Rationalist Account.” Politics & Policy 33 (4): 642-670. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2005.tb00217.x/abstract Turner, Scott. 1997. “Transnational Corporations and the Question of Sovereignty: An Alternative Theoretical Framework for the Information Age.” Southeastern Political Review 25 (2): 303-324. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.1997.tb00841.x/abstract Fisher, Bonnie, Michael Margolis, and David Resnick. 1996. “Surveying the Internet: Democratic Theory and Civic Life in Cyberspace.” Southeastern Political Review 24 (3): 399-429. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.1996.tb00088.x/abstract Related Media Film Clips: E.U. Registry. 2010. What is Internet Governance? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veqNnfknxbI Diplofoundation. 2008. Evolution of Internet Governance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EawWtV32ZLA ISOCDC Panel Discussion. 2014. Internet Governance 2020: Geopolitics and the Future of the Internet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdzM0KCIJpY La gobernanza de la internet se desarrollo de manera especifica y produjo un entorno regulatorio descentralizado que ha sido moldeado por una miriada de organizaciones publicas y privadas. La naturaleza descentralizada de esta forma de gobernanza esta siendo cuestionada. Nuevos asuntos tanto tecnicos como de seguridad y privacidad han provocado inquietud politica sobre que tanto el entorno regulatorio descentralizado podria adaptarse oportunamente a los desafios del siglo 21. Las inquietudes van mas alla de lo tecnico; reflejan preguntas serias sobre quien deberia controlar la internet. Este articulo examina el asunto de la gobernanza de la internet a la luz de desafios recientes. La discusion se centra en la evaluacion de los esfuerzos para remplazar el actual modelo de gobernanza descentralizado y de multiples entidades involucradas en su regulacion, a un modelo de gobernanza centralizada y multilateral. Tomo en cuenta las tendencias con referencia a los esfuerzos de estados miembros de la Union Internacional de Telecomunicaciones de reforzar el papel de los gobiernos en la regulacion de la internet, especialmente durante las negociaciones de la conferencia mundial de Telecomunicaciones Internacionales de 2012.