Independence of Cyberspace

In class tomorrow we will discuss who, if anyone, should govern the internet. According to John Perry Barlow in the Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace, no one should govern the internet. Barlow believes that where there are “real conflicts” in cyberspace, those who reside in it will identify and address those conflicts through their means. Thus, cyberspace has its own Social Contract. The issue remains, however, as to how the Governments of the Industrial World should interact with and behave in cyberspace insofar as the internet is concerned. Should governments be allowed to gather data from cyberspace about their citizens? To what extent should governments be able to access such data? Internal rules do not need to be created to regulate cyberspace; rather, rules need to be created to protect the independence of cyberspace and to determine who has access to its information.

For example, according to one of my classmates, who is doing his senior essay on privacy in the technological age, the US Government is allowed to access all emails after 30 or 60 days after they are received. Should this be allowed? What are the implications of allowing this to occur? This violation of privacy needs to be acknowledged and addressed. If it is not, people may continue to lose more and more privacy until it is gone which is a situation that no one wants to occur.