Policy & Regulation

Policy & Regulation / Most Commented

Governing Through Liability: Cox v. Sony and the Fragmentation of the Internet

Cox v. Sony narrows intermediary liability, insisting on intent over knowledge. In doing so, it preserves infrastructure neutrality, resists privatized enforcement, and sharpens a growing divide between American and European models of Internet governance. more

Sovereignty Inversion: How RIRs Reduced National Sovereignty to a US$100 Liability Cap

Regional internet registries, once coordinators of technical scarcity, now effectively cap liability at $100 while retaining control over national numbering systems, shifting risk to states and entrenching a governance model critics argue today inverts sovereignty. more

U.S. Blocks Foreign-Made Routers Over Cybersecurity Fears

America has barred imports of new foreign-made routers, citing cybersecurity risks tied to espionage and infrastructure disruption, signalling a broader push to reduce reliance on Chinese technology in critical network systems. more

When the Internet Doesn’t Recognize You: Universal Acceptance and India’s Welfare Crisis

India's digital welfare systems, built without universal acceptance, have excluded millions from vaccines, wages and food, revealing how technical design choices can entrench inequality and reshape access to basic rights across rural regions today in India. more

Regional Internet Registries’ Thick Governance Turns Uniqueness Into Double Extraction

Regional Internet registries, built for coordination, now sit atop scarce IPv4 assets while bearing little liability, suppressing capitalization and imposing "double extraction" that weakens operators, distorts markets and threatens the stability of global internet uniqueness. more

China, AFRINIC, and the Dangerous Precedent That Could Destabilize the Global Internet

A dispute over 6.2m IPv4 addresses at AFRINIC exposes how litigation and market incentives could erode regional stewardship, setting a precedent that risks turning the Internet's allocation system into a vehicle for global arbitrage. more

Internet Number Resources Are Not Political Property

Internet number resources, once clerical entries, now underpin real economic value, exposing a mismatch between registry power and accountability, while misplaced political narratives obscure the case for decentralised, operator-led control. more

Africa Is Not a Digital Quarry

Africa's internet registry crisis reflects not abstract design flaws but sustained legal and market pressure, as scarce address resources are drawn into global arbitrage, challenging stewardship and exposing the fragility of regional digital governance. more

FCC Alert on Cybersecurity Risks

The FCC warns telecom companies of rising ransomware threats after attacks quadrupled since 2022. The agency urges stronger defenses including patching, multifactor authentication, network segmentation, and closer oversight of vendors and incident response planning. more

Iran’s Digital Arsenal: When Invisible Fences Rise in the Conflict

Iran's near-total internet blackout during airstrikes reveals how cyberattacks, sanctions and platform power can isolate a nation. The conflict shows digital infrastructure, satellites and cloud services becoming decisive weapons in modern geopolitical competition worldwide today. more

Building Trust in Digital Travel: Interoperability, Privacy, and the Future of Global Mobility

Digital travel credentials promise to streamline air travel by enabling privacy-preserving identity sharing across borders. Their success will depend on interoperable standards, trusted governance and gradual adoption alongside passports worldwide as governments airlines cooperate. more

Why DNS-Level Piracy Enforcement Is a Trap

Efforts to combat online piracy are pushing courts to weaponise the Internet's naming system. Turning DNS operators into enforcement agents may deliver quick takedowns, but risks collateral damage, jurisdictional conflict and long-term fragmentation of the Internet. more

AI: The Squandered Opportunity in India

India's AI summit promised a Global South rethink of digital governance. Instead, a weak declaration and Delhi's accession to America's Pax Silica exposed widening power asymmetries, leaving countries like Brazil outside the real circuitry of control. more

Munich Cybersecurity Conference 2026: Moving Into the Twilight Zone

At Munich's twin security gatherings, leaders warned that cyber conflict, transatlantic rifts and weaponised AI are pushing the rules-based order into a perilous transition, where deterrence falters, norms erode and digital sovereignty trumps multistakeholder ideals. more

The Sovereignty Paradox: What Iran’s 2026 Shutdown Reveals About the Fragmenting Internet

Iran's 2026 internet shutdown was not a glitch but a trial of digital sovereignty, revealing how easily connectivity can be weaponised to silence society, concentrate state power, and fracture the promise of a global internet. more