US laws to clamp down on online gaming show that the internet can be controlled, argues Bill Thompson.
The myth of the borderless internet, never very credible to those who had any real understanding of the interplay between politics and technology that underpins the network, took another hit last week when the US Congress voted to ban bank and credit card payments to gambling firms.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5412980.stm
I've posted about this topic before and I'll post again...and again... and again....
The USA needs to wake up to itself that they cannot impose their will on the internet anymore. This has outgrown the original darpa experiemental network that it was 20+ years ago.
Whats not mentioned in the article and outside of the scope of this post is that whilst the USA could hold the rest of the world at gunpoint in the past, there are now a number of alternatives that countries can/will be able to choose in the future.
The initiatives that Europe and especially the Chinese governments are taking around IPv6 may see the USA left behind.
So America, if you want to throw your weight around and control how people in other countries live their lives you'll have to do it the old fashion way and invade with an army.
Cheers,
Dean
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