Egyptian Internet Censorship Public Policy

Egyptian Internet Censorship Public Policy

I. Introduction

The Internet. These two words have vast meanings and implications. According to the Webster’s dictionary, the internet is defined as a matrix of networks that connects different kinds of computers around the world. Julian Dibbell and John Perry Barlow, proclaimed as the Great Explorers of the cyberspace, describe the Internet as a new frontier where people lived in peace, under their own rules, liberated from the constraints of an oppressive society and free from government meddling. A scholar will see the internet as a vast resource of quick and organized information. A business man sees the internet as a new outlet to conduct business outside the traditional brick and mortar business, expanding their market exponentially around the world. Teenagers and young adults may see the internet as a vehicle to express thoughts and ideas with blogs and interact with others through social networking.

Almost all will agree that the internet affects almost all aspects of life; this new territory suffers from the same issues faced in the real world, issues that have historically been dealt with through the infiltration of rules and regulations. The internet is no exception. The problem we now face in regards to the internet is deciding which rules to follow and how to enforce them. Several governments have different rules and methods that they claim works best, and as a special advisor to the Arab Republic of Egypt, I am going to break down these methods and explain why some are better than others. Because the internet has a characteristic of being naturally resistant to regulation , allowing for some chaos and corruption, it is important for governments to exert control and power to ensure their people that their internet still the safe environment the early creators envisioned.

II. Review of popular/plausible public policies

As the internet grew into a global phenomenon, that almost anyone could get their hands on, a growing debate stirred arguing either for government regulation of the internet or against it. But the argument does not stop here, for those who would like intervention from the government must then argue how much regulation is enough, who creates this regulation, is it applied to the entire internet, who enforces the regulation, etc. Too many questions arise from this argument because of the immense entity of the internet; originally designed borderless, we have discovered how to set boundaries. The question now is to what extend should these boundaries matter?

According to China, a bordered internet is essential. As of November of last year, the number of internet users in China surpassed the half a billion mark reaching five hundred and five million users. Despite the vast number of users, China is one of the world’s top filtering countries. They