Internet & Society: The Technologies and Politics of Control (Spring 2019)

Taught by Jonathan Zittrain and Jordi Weinstock

  • John Bowers (Harvard Law School, Berkman Klein Center)

This course offers a rigorous introduction to the field of cyberlaw. We will investigate the evolving nature of online architecture and activities, and the ways in which law has been, and will be, leveraged to influence them.

Course themes include the complex interaction between Internet governance organizations and sovereign states, the search for balance between the ease of disseminating information online and the interest of copyright holders, privacy advocates, and others in controlling that dissemination, and the roles of intermediaries and platforms in shaping what people can and cannot do online.

3 The Procrastination Principle: Solving the Internet’s Problems (READINGS TO COME) 3 The Procrastination Principle: Solving the Internet’s Problems (READINGS TO COME)

3.1 Blockchain 3.1 Blockchain

Despite being touted as a promising means of addressing issues relating to accountability and distributed control, does blockchain actually introduce problems of its own?

3.2 Cybersecurity, Cyberwarfare, and the Internet of Things 3.2 Cybersecurity, Cyberwarfare, and the Internet of Things

How should governments and other cybersecurity practitioners respond to growing threats posed by insecure IoT devices?

3.3 Cyberbullying and Online Hate Speech 3.3 Cyberbullying and Online Hate Speech

Where should platforms draw the line on potentially harmful speech, and what responsibilities do they have to their users?

3.4 Social Media and Disinformation 3.4 Social Media and Disinformation

How should platforms address a rising tide of threats to information quality on the internet?