Borders Matter On The Internet

Geography is being imposed on the Internet. What does this mean for cities?

1 minute read

August 23, 2001, 12:00 PM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"The Internet was a parallel universe of pure data, an exciting new frontier where a lawless freedom prevailed. But it now seems that this was simply a glorious illusion. For it turns out that governments do, in fact, have a great deal of sovereignty over cyberspace. The Internet is often perceived as being everywhere yet nowhere, as free-floating as a cloud—but in fact it is subject to geography after all, and therefore to law."

Thanks to Chris Steins

Thursday, August 23, 2001 in The Economist

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