Wild West 2.0: How to Protect and Restore Your Online Reputation on the Untamed Social Frontier

66 Wild West 2.0

There is no central authority that monitors or controls connec-

tions; as a matter of technology, connecting to the Internet is en-

tirely a private affair. A few governments—in places like China and

North Korea—have attempted to outlaw or monitor private con-

nections, with rather limited success. The practical result is that

home users can simply call up a local Internet Service Provider

(“ISP”)—often their cable TV provider or a phone company—and

connect to the Internet. Nobody other than the ISP will know the

identity of the new subscriber. The government won’t know the

identity of any users unless it invokes its law enforcement power to

subpoena the ISP; websites won’t know unless the subscriber re-

veals her own identity; and other ...