Foundations of Internet Governance

The growth of the Internet has created a number of new legal, political and technical problems. This book examines the structures and processes that might be used to resolve them. In it, the core questions of any legal system are applied to the Internet. Who has the right to make rules? What processes are used? Who is bound by the rules? Where does the authority to make the rules come from? Is an exercise of power legitimate? The answers to these questions form the basis for an understanding of the governance of the Internet. The book is fundamentally concerned with an examination of the ways in which the organization (such as it is) of the Internet is affected by various institutions and rules. In particular, it concentrates on the interaction of the various different sources and types of regulation, and assesses their legitimacy and authority.