Internet regulation: The need for more transparent Internet filtering systems and improved measurement of public opinion on Internet filtering

Authors

  • Nikolaos Koumartzis Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
  • Andreas Veglis Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v16i10.3266

Keywords:

Internet governance, Internet filtering, web filtering, censhorship, censorship system, filtering system,

Abstract

All around the world, the phenomenon of Internet regulation is on the rise as more and more countries implement such policies, from Asian authoritarian regimes to Western democracies. At the same time, the great majority of Internet users are not aware that they access a filtered version of World Wide Web due to the “non–transparent” policy of many governments, something that results to a very dangerous precedent for the future of the Internet. In this paper, the authors promote and encourage the participation of Internet users in the designing procedure of Internet Regulation Systems (IRSs), as a way to develop effective and ethically correct systems. This can be done via well–formatted surveys conducted in national level in order to measure public opinion and point out user’s needs. To justify their approach, the authors discuss the results of the available related surveys conducted around the globe. Last, in order to attract researchers in the field, they launched a portal for the International project WebObserver.net (http://webobserver.net/) via which they provide all the needed tools for researchers to conduct such surveys with ease and with the minimum time needed.

Author Biographies

Nikolaos Koumartzis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

PhD Researcher, Computer Lab, Department of Journalism and Mass Media Communication, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Andreas Veglis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

Associate professor in the Computer Lab of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Downloads

Published

2011-10-02

How to Cite

Koumartzis, N., & Veglis, A. (2011). Internet regulation: The need for more transparent Internet filtering systems and improved measurement of public opinion on Internet filtering. First Monday, 16(10). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v16i10.3266