Will The Internet Fragment? - Sovereignty, Globalization And Cyberspace

The Internet has united the world as never before. But is it in danger of breaking apart? Cybersecurity, geopolitical tensions, and calls for data sovereignty have made many believe that the Internet is fragmenting.

In this incisive new book, Milton Mueller argues that the ?fragmentation? diagnosis misses the mark. The network effects and economic benefits of global compatibility are so powerful that they have consistently defeated, and will continue to defeat, any structural fracturing of the Net. The rhetoric of ?fragmentation? camouflages the real issue: the attempt by governments to align information flows with their jurisdictional boundaries. The fragmentation debate is really a power struggle over the future of national sovereignty. It pits global governance and open access against the traditional territorial institutions of government. This conflict, the book argues, can only be resolved through radical institutional innovations. We need to move away from national sovereignty and towards popular sovereignty in cyberspace.

Will the Internet Fragment? is essential reading for students and scholars of media and communications, international relations, political science and STS, as well as anyone concerned about the quality of Internet governance.

Milton Mueller is an internationally prominent scholar specializing in the political economy of information and communication. He is the co-founder and co-director of the Internet Governance Project (IGP), a policy analysis center for global Internet governance. Since its founding in 2004, IGP has played a prominent role in shaping global Internet policies and institutions such as ICANN and the Internet Governance Forum.