A discussion on Internet Governance

Abstract

The Internet has created a universal medium wherein peoples of the world engage in dialogue and participate in a myriad of activities, despite the medium lacking universally enforceable rules of conduct. This absence, or perceived weakness, of Governance in and of the Internet, has aided the creation of a sphere of existence wherein issues such as censorship, violation of the end-to-end principle, Intellectual Rights protection, cannot be debated adequately due to the lack of a suitable framework, nor can decisions by a stakeholder be enforced universally. Drawing on the literature in the field of Information Systems dealing with Governance of the Internet and Philosophy of Ontology, we question the implicit assumption that the Internet can be governed. We also investigate whether the Internet within the field of Information Sciences is ontologically defined. In stating our arguments, we utilize philosophical hyperbolic doubt as a guiding methodology.