The Internet, Security, and Governance

Catalog description

This course examines how the Internet and associated communication technologies have created new means for people to organize, both within their local communities and across great distances, changing the nature of the relationship between society and the institutions of government. The Internet has allowed people to communicate often without detection, resulting in both positive and negative effects; e.g., Internet- based communications have been a significant factor in the growth of transnational terrorism and popular uprisings, such as the Arab Spring. In response, governments have often attempted to control the Internet, in some cases to aid legitimate law enforcement, in others to repress restless populations seeking change. State institutions can also use these technologies to create more effective governance and better responses to humanitarian crises.