The Transformation of the Idea of Internet Freedom in the XXIst Century

The article analyzes the theoretical approaches that have developed in relation to the issues of control and freedom of the Internet space, including copyright regulation and its gradual transformation as the digital environment develops and changes. Special attention is given to the values underpinning the principles of regulation are determined. If initially the dominant notion was that the Internet would ensure humanity a new free world, then later the discourse shifted to much less optimistic views and topics the issue of network regulation, technical and legal restrictions, censorship and data protection. Most recent academic literature is devoted to the practical side of the issue, and the issue of values has faded into the background. As a result, the discussion has lost significant context: issues of freedom and human rights in the Internet environment, discussion of what is really important for society - security or the absence of restrictions, the problem of users trust in the state and platforms.

THE INTERNET AS A COMMUNICATIVE TECHNOLOGY AND ITS POLITICAL VALUE

The work presents some results obtained in the process of implementing two sociological studies of the consciousness of students in the South of Russia, conducted by the research team of the Southern Federal University in the period of 2014-2016 and 2018-2019. Methodologically, both studies included a series of free group interviews, questionnaires and focus groups. Analysis of the data obtained shows a significant shift in the sentiments of student youth towards greater opposition to the current government: if in 2015 less than two-thirds of the respondents (60.6%) believed that radical changes in Russia were impossible, then in 2019 more than two-thirds of respondents expected serious shocks (72.4%). Among the key reasons for the growing tension in Russian society, students name socio-economic (42.2%) and internal politics (50.0%). But the greatest resonance in the student mind is caused by the attempts of the Russian authorities to control the Internet. Thus, according to a survey conducted in 2019, 37.4% of respondents consider the Internet the most important source of information, and another third (29.5%) point to the anti-constitutional nature of these laws. Therefore, Internet restrictions may well become an annoying factor: 39.7% of those surveyed declared their readiness to take part in protests, if there are any. The analysis shows that the communicative value of the Internet is at a much deeper level of the cognitive structures of student consciousness than traditional political values. The value of Internet freedom turns out to be one of the most basic values for today's youth, comparable to fundamental values such as social connections, recognition, identity, etc.

INTERNET GOVERNANCE FOR WHOM? CIVIL SOCIETY, REPRESENTATION, AND DIGITAL RIGHTS

Internet governance institutions embrace a multistakeholder approach, which calls for civil society organizations (CSOs) to represent community interests. How well do digital rights CSOs fulfill these expectations of “community representation”? Through a case study of the Internet Freedom Foundation, an Indian digital rights organization, this paper evaluates community engagement mechanisms through the lens of equity and democratization, and identifies a gap between expectations and observed practices. It concludes that evaluating representation in digital-native CSOs should account for both socioeconomic and technological dynamics in both transnational and national contexts. This paper offers a contribution to an emergent understanding of civil society’s role in internet governance, grounded in a postcolonial critique of representation and legitimacy, in order to understand whose voices are heard, and whose are still excluded, from internet governance processes.

Access to Internet and Internet Shutdown: A Rights Perspective

Access to the internet is fast becoming a basic right given the plethora of information available on the net these days. In the current scenario, the issue of internet shutdown has become an important concern in India. Internet shutdown affects people socially, psychologically and economically. On one hand, many democratic countries of the world are discussing about digital freedom and human rights, while on the other hand, some countries including India are continuously practicing Internet shutdowns in different parts of their countries. India has become the top country of the world in terms of the numbers of Internet shutdowns. The Internet has become such a prominent source of information for all of us that when Internet connectivity is suspended, many people are affected as they depend on the Internet services for various purposes. Internet shutdown is not only harmful to democracy and governance but also to the economy of the country. Internet shutdowns are direct violations of digital freedom and human rights. The main objective of this paper is to argue that access to internet is a basic right and highlight the problem of Internet shutdown in India and its adverse impact on the lives of Indians. In addition, this paper attempts to highlight a brief history of Internet shutdowns in India. The paper shows how frequent clampdowns on internet affects the economy, as has been the case of Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir thereby highlighting the case for internet freedom for the survival of the economy especially in Digital India.

The Mature Internet

The uses and abuses of the Internet are discussed in some detail. Hilary Clinton is quoted saying that the US is committed to help promote Internet freedom. The top ten uses of the Internet (a subjective list) is enumerated. The list of abuses includes the Democratic Convention hacking in 2016, that of a French broadcasting corporation, and threatening emails in the UK to political opponents. Fraud and blackmail are widespread. Cybercrime is mentioned in a more general context and the statistic showing that in the year 2018 about 91,000 cybercrimes were committed in the UK is given. Techniques of encryption are described. Censorship of the Internet in Russia is reviewed.

Government regulation of the Internet as instrument of digital protectionism in case of developing countries

The research is devoted to the study of digital protectionism technologies, in particular, Internet censorship as a non-tariff barrier to digital trade and the determination of the strategic motives of states to use them. The reports ‘Freedom on the Net’ and ‘The network readiness index 2020’ acted as a basic data source for the study of modern instruments of government regulation of interactions in the digital environment. Internet censorship technologies have been considered in six countries with varying levels of Internet freedom: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Armenia and Estonia. The key instruments of digital protectionism as a non-tariff barrier of the digital economy have been identified, such as: localisation requirements; restrictions on cross-border data flow; system of national protection of intellectual property rights; discriminatory, unique standards or burdensome testing; filtering or blocking; restrictions on electronic payment systems or the use of encryption; cybersecurity threats and forced technology transfer. Internet censorship technologies have been demonstrated and their influence on the strategic development of trade relations between economies in cyberspace has been determined. The scientific value of the article lies in substantiating the understanding of Internet censorship as a natural tool for regulating the development of a digital society and international trade relations. Each state at one time goes through a technological stage of development, which leads to the emergence of different levels of digital isolation and integration; and Internet censorship is a natural element in the system of building a national platform economy and consolidating the country’s internal technological and innovative advantages in digital realities.

Breaking botnets: A quantitative analysis of individual, technical, isolationist, and multilateral approaches to cybersecurity

Malicious networks of botnets continue to grow in strength as millions of new users and devices connect to the internet each day, many becoming unsuspectingly complicit in cyber-attacks or unwitting accomplices to cybercrimes. Both states and nonstate actors use botnets to surreptitiously control the combined computing power of infected devices to engage in espionage, hacking, and to carry out distributed denial of service attacks to disable internet-connected targets from businesses and banks to power grids and electronic voting systems. Although cybersecurity professionals have established a variety of best practices to fight botnets, many important questions remain concerning why levels of botnet infections differ sharply from country to country, as relatively little empirical testing has been done to establish which policies and approaches to cybersecurity are actually the most effective. Using newly available time-series data on botnets, this article outlines and tests the conventionally held beliefs and cybersecurity strategies at every level—individual, technical, isolationist, and multilateral. This study finds that wealthier countries are more vulnerable than less wealthy countries; that technical solutions, including patching software, preventing spoofing, and securing servers, consistently outperform attempts to educate citizens about cybersecurity; and that countries which favor digital isolation and restrictions on internet freedom are not actually better protected than those who embrace digital freedom and multilateral approaches to cybersecurity. This latter finding is of particular importance as China’s attempts to fundamentally reshape the internet via the “Digital Silk Road” component of the Belt and Road Initiative will actually end up making both China and the world less secure. Due to the interconnected nature of threats in cyberspace, states should instead embrace multilateral, technical solutions to better govern this global common and increase cybersecurity around the world.