How long you got? And what specifically is the report supposed to cover? The most interesting aspect of the book, at least to my mind, is how it simply demonstrates that the odd fantasy that somehow the Net would make all previous systems obsolete was no more than that: a fantasy.

Governments aren’t going to accept that the Internet exists in some special world and is untouchable. What is really interesting though is that the Internet is changing government itself, just as it is revolutionising all other aspects of our societies. Look at the e-gov plans going ahead. Why? Because the Internet can make governing simpler, cheaper, faster.

It’s all because of the ability to share information.

Kieren

Kieren

Looks like an excellent book: Who controls the Internet? A book review at kierenmccarthy.co.uk……

What I would be interested in reading about however is Germany’s .de story. Second biggest TLD in existence with 10 million domains - there’s undeniably some lessons in there. I also think that Nominet here in the UK has some unique and interesting elements of control, particular its domain resolution service and its member model.

And then the whole issue of government control over the Internet has its most colourful spectrum in ccTLDs - everything from the African states’ strange approach to the Tuvalus selling their TLDs. There’s a book in that (there was an interesting book in 1993 that covered the stories behind some ccTLDs called Addressing the World by Erica Schlesinger Wass).

But then any book on the Internet is going to be incredibly difficult and I think yours is the best of the bunch so far. I really enjoyed reading it.

Kieren

A response to the claims of US-centrism or bias. I guess I think those claims are fair — but I also think the story of the first decade of the internet’s history is mainly a US story, and that your answer to the question of “Who Controls the INternet” was, mostly right.

But the US-centric point misses our big picture argument — that, as of 2006, the US is slowly losing its grip, and needs to fight to retain power over what was once obviously its creature. As the conclusion suggested, we see more and more issues that were once issues of domestic US law are becoming international power struggles — the future of the IANA and root zone file among them.

It is true that, were re-writing the book or a sequel, I might put in more about ccTLDs.. and perhaps chapters about how the internet grew up in Europe, Japan, India or other places. In this book we were interested in the heart of the story of the last ten years — internet utopianism, US control, and the slow beginnings of the erosion of that world.

But anyhow, the comments and criticisms are appreciated,

Tim Wu