The Protocol Debate

After attending Wednesday nights lecture I have been pondering many different ideas about the issue of governance and who is actually in control of our media usage habits. There is such a gap between the whole purpose of the Internet (non-hierarchical network) and the nature of Protocol (hierarchical).

Who believes that the Internet is used by young children for purposes that are illegal, to view pornographic material, chat to strangers or to seek out 18+ material? I think that most children use the Internet for educational purposes and to chat with friends they already have a promate relationship with. However I do know that there are a sample of young children that would use this tool to do such things and there are people online for the wrong reasons so I do believe the Internet needs to be regulated in more ways than one.

What I am concerned about is the power and control of the United States or ICANN on these types of issues. Who is to say that their Presidential system has the same values and beliefs as our Australian Government? They don't and they can not possibly, so how is it that they can regulate our usage or an individual from India for example. So what is next for the Internet and it's governance?

"The founding principal of the Net is control, not freedom. Control has existed from the beginning." (Galloway 142)