I am feeling my first direct effect of governmental internet regulation. My favorite website to check the point spreads for sports games has been seized by the federal government. Bodog.com was an internet gambling site for sports and some other cool stuff like: what kind of dog will the president get for the White House?
Check out Bodog.com and view the crackdown.
"The message from the case is clear: all dot-com, dot-net, and dot-org domain names are subject to U.S. jurisdiction regardless of where they operate or where they were registered. This grants the U.S. a form of “super-jurisdiction” over Internet activities since most other countries are limited to jurisdiction with a real and substantial connection."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thestar.com/business/article/1140589--bodog-com-case-sends-warning-to-all-canadian-websites
It's only just begun...
ReplyDeleteThere is one betting site that has a good track record of predicting things like who will win the presidential elections. I think it is intrade.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing a show on CNBC about this issue. I think the issue was or is going to be brought before the world trade organization.
I don't know much about this topic but on the larger issue of the internet and government regulation, the internet is one of the last bastion of free speech and this is why it is under attack by the government through the FCC with net neturality and other means. http://robinsontalkingpoints.blogspot.com/2010/12/government-now-has-power-to-regulate_21.html
I also read that the UN is trying to have some global internet regulations.
Government regulation of the internet is in part being spurred by the very real national security threat of other governments hacking into the department of defense and contractors that supply the military with hardware and public utlitites. The government has the power to shut the internet down during an emergency. I think that the powers being created to deal with a very real national security threat will eventually be used in an emergency to basically take over the internet. Although this is not necessarily the designs of some cabal, but will be the conclusion of events that are happening by circumstances. Sadly when this happens most people, including me, probably won't care and think that it is necessary.