In her book, “Internet Architecture and Innovation,” Professor Barbara van Schewick states that the Internet’s remarkable growth has been fueled by innovation; and she argues that this explosion of innovation is not an accident, but a consequence of the Internet’s architecture. The technical choices regarding the Internet’s inner structure were made early in its history. Professor van Schewick goes on to point out that network providers are changing the Internet’s architecture in ways that deviate from the Internet’s original design principles, and she cautions that these changes threaten the Internet’s ability to spur economic growth, to improve democratic discourse, and to provide a decentralized environment for social and cultural interaction in which anyone can participate.
The Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School is a leader in the study of the law and policy around the Internet and other emerging technologies.