When governments began to stake out their Internet policy positions in the mid-1990s, there was general agreement among countries such as Canada, the United States, Australia, as well as the European Union, on the wisdom of adopting a self-regulatory approach led by the private sector.
Columns Archive
Court Cases Taming Wild West Web
Businesses engaged in e-commerce activity and consumers venturing online are frequently concerned with the legal uncertainty created by online contracting and jurisdiction issues.
Tax Holiday Expiring, Regulators Aspiring on the Web
The Internet in the summer of 1997 enjoyed a sense of seemingly unlimited potential and limited controls. While businesses and individuals flocked online, government ran away from regulating the Internet, adhering to a self-regulatory philosophy that dictated a hands-off approach.
Reforming Copyright is a Concern for Everyone
Supporters and opponents of copyright reform paint very different pictures of the impact of the Internet and new technologies on copyright. Advocates, typically categorized as creators, seek new rules to stop both unauthorized copying and attempts to break encryption technologies that protect copyrighted works. They point to the seemingly unstoppable growth of peer-to-peer file sharing services such as Kazaa as evidence that the Internet currently represents the single greatest threat to copyright owners.
U.S. Extends Its Hegemony over the Internet
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman last week wrote an intriguing column titled "The Theory of Everything," in which he sought to explain the escalating global resentment toward the United States. Friedman suggested that throughout the 1990s the U.S. became exponentially more powerful economically, militarily, and technologically than the rest of the world.
Recent Posts
When the Drumbeat of Intolerance Becomes Too Loud to Ignore: Reflections on Campus Antisemitism, Academic Freedom and My Global Technology Law Exchange Course 
Solomon’s Choice: Charting the Future of AI Policy in Canada 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 232: What Will Canadian Digital Policy Look Like Under the New Liberal Carney Government? 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 231: Sara Bannerman on How Canadian Political Parties Maximize Voter Data Collection and Minimize Privacy Safeguards 
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 230: Aengus Bridgman on the 2025 Federal Election, Social Media Platforms, and Misinformation
