Expert calls on lawmakers to avoid "breaking the internet"

Government policy-makers must be wary of imposing regulations and laws that would damage the integrity of the internet, according to the Global Commission on Internet Governance (GCIG).

The commission has published a paper by Leslie Daigle, who has been involved in shaping the internet’s evolution for more than 20 years as a member and chair of the Internet Architecture Board and as the Internet Society’s first chief internet technology officer.

The paper warns that policies seeking to address data governance and locally enforced laws covering online behaviour must be carefully handled to ensure the fundamental principles of the internet are protected.

“The internet’s technical community ... have increasingly found themselves in heated discussion over how to address policy issues without ‘breaking’ the internet,” Daigle said.

“To make steps toward the ideal outcome (policy issue addressed and internet’s growth unimpeded), a broader understanding of the nature of the internet is needed, without requiring policy-makers to be ready to argue technical points or vice versa.”

Daigle said some proposed policies - and some that have already been implemented - threaten to negatively impact the internet’s growth, operation and value as a platform for innovation.

For example, any policy seeking to put national borders on the internet - by ensuring governments can enforce local laws and that local citizens are not exposed to foreign laws for domestic activities - would make it harder to ensure that the internet remains accessible and open.

A better approach would be to work cooperatively with foreign governments to produce effective and enforced laws on appropriate behaviour on both sides of the border, Daigle said.

Policies seeking to prevent the exposure of citizens’ private information to companies operating under another country’s laws should likewise avoid requiring localised data for large services, as this could fragment the internet.

Daigle instead recommends that policy-makers look at the issue of data privacy beyond the narrow scope of eavesdropping to develop policies for the appropriate handling of data.

“When there have been issues with the internet or its use, changes have followed to address the problem. When the source of the issue is behaviour that is external to the internet itself, forcing change on the internet typically leads to fragmentation and damage,” she said.

“Therefore, focusing on what the problem is - difficult though it may be - is the best path to follow in order not to undermine the internet. This often requires stepping back and focusing again on the actual outcome or behaviour that is in question, not the internet technology that may be involved.”

Image courtesy Backbone Campaign under CC