Chapter 16-4i provides an extensive discussion about the role of government in regulating online content. Some of these regulatory attempts have included copyright suits against Napster and Kazaa (file sharing sites), aggressive legal action against the Pirate Bay (online site for illegal goods and services), and confusing and complex classifications of ISPs referred to as Net Neutrality. The challenge, as presented in your text, is finding the balance between personal liberty and safety.

Regulation is also paradoxical in relation to the internet. The technology is dependent upon free and open access, but when access is controlled by an oligopoly of a few large service providers, the question becomes who is better at regulating access: The government or the free market. In other words, which approach would create a more effective internet: government regulation dictating how information online can be accessed and provided, or the absence of regulation where a few large corporations create a free market?

For your first post take a position on the issue. Which is better? Government regulation or free market? Defend your choice using content from the text or sources found online.