Legislators in both countries have imposed Internet-specific regulation that limits
their citizens’ access to Internet content. In addition, lawmakers have empowered private entities to press Internet intermediaries, including ISPs, for content removal or to
carry out filtering. Although the laws are subject to legislative and judicial debate, these
private actions may be less transparent. Governments in both countries, however, have
experienced significant resistance to their content restriction policies, and, as a result,
the extreme measures carried out in some of the more repressive countries of the world
have not taken hold in North America.
Notes
1. Derek E. Bambauer, ‘‘Cybersieves,’’ Duke Law Journal, vol. 59 (2009), http://papers.ssrn.com/
sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1143582&rec=1&srcabs=1026597#.
2. John Palfrey and Robert Rogoyski, ‘‘The Move to the Middle: The Enduring Threat of Harmful
Speech to the End-to-End Principle,’’ Washington University Journal of Law and Policy, vol. 21
(2006): 31–65.
3. International Telecommunication Union (ITU), ‘‘Internet Indicators: Subscribers, Users, and
Broadband Subscribers,’’ 2007, http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/icteye/Reporting/ShowReportFrame.aspx
?ReportName=/WTI/InformationTechnologyPublic&RP_intYear=2007&RP_intLanguageID=1.
4. Ibid.
5. 47 U.S.C.A. §§223(a), §223(d) (Supp. 1997).
6. Solveig Bernstein, ‘‘Beyond the Communications Decency Act: Constitutional Lessons of the
Internet,’’ Cato Institute, Cato Policy Analysis No. 262, November 4, 1996, http://www.cato.org/
pubs/pas/pa-262.html.
7. ACLU v. Reno, 929 F. Supp. (E.D. Pa. 1996) at 854–865.
8. ACLU v. Reno, 929 F. Supp. (E.D. Pa. 1996) at 883.
9. Reno v. ACLU, 521 U.S. 844 (1997).
10. Ibid.
11. 47 U.S.C. §230.
12. Citizen Media Law Project, ‘‘Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act,’’ http://
www.citmedialaw.org/section-230.
13. Adam Thierer and John Palfrey, ‘‘Dialogue: The Future of Online Obscenity and Social Networks,’’ ArsTechnica, March 5, 2009, http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/03/a-friendly
-exchange-about-the-future-of-online-liability.ars.
14. 47 U.S.C. §231.
382
United States and Canada Overview
their citizens’ access to Internet content. In addition, lawmakers have empowered private entities to press Internet intermediaries, including ISPs, for content removal or to
carry out filtering. Although the laws are subject to legislative and judicial debate, these
private actions may be less transparent. Governments in both countries, however, have
experienced significant resistance to their content restriction policies, and, as a result,
the extreme measures carried out in some of the more repressive countries of the world
have not taken hold in North America.
Notes
1. Derek E. Bambauer, ‘‘Cybersieves,’’ Duke Law Journal, vol. 59 (2009), http://papers.ssrn.com/
sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1143582&rec=1&srcabs=1026597#.
2. John Palfrey and Robert Rogoyski, ‘‘The Move to the Middle: The Enduring Threat of Harmful
Speech to the End-to-End Principle,’’ Washington University Journal of Law and Policy, vol. 21
(2006): 31–65.
3. International Telecommunication Union (ITU), ‘‘Internet Indicators: Subscribers, Users, and
Broadband Subscribers,’’ 2007, http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/icteye/Reporting/ShowReportFrame.aspx
?ReportName=/WTI/InformationTechnologyPublic&RP_intYear=2007&RP_intLanguageID=1.
4. Ibid.
5. 47 U.S.C.A. §§223(a), §223(d) (Supp. 1997).
6. Solveig Bernstein, ‘‘Beyond the Communications Decency Act: Constitutional Lessons of the
Internet,’’ Cato Institute, Cato Policy Analysis No. 262, November 4, 1996, http://www.cato.org/
pubs/pas/pa-262.html.
7. ACLU v. Reno, 929 F. Supp. (E.D. Pa. 1996) at 854–865.
8. ACLU v. Reno, 929 F. Supp. (E.D. Pa. 1996) at 883.
9. Reno v. ACLU, 521 U.S. 844 (1997).
10. Ibid.
11. 47 U.S.C. §230.
12. Citizen Media Law Project, ‘‘Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act,’’ http://
www.citmedialaw.org/section-230.
13. Adam Thierer and John Palfrey, ‘‘Dialogue: The Future of Online Obscenity and Social Networks,’’ ArsTechnica, March 5, 2009, http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/03/a-friendly
-exchange-about-the-future-of-online-liability.ars.
14. 47 U.S.C. §231.
382
United States and Canada Overview