Institutionalization or Contestation? Battles over Expression and Privacy

Abstract

Free expression and privacy are key aspects of Internet governance. Both, however, vary tremendously across countries and are contested internationally. Regarding free expression, since the advent of the Internet, governments around the world have sought to control speech using political, social, moral, and other rationales. Regarding privacy, governments increasingly use sophisticated surveillance technologies and techniques to monitor activities on the Internet. In both of these areas, however, human rights NGOs and advocacy networks have challenged restriction and repression.