In an Election Month
By Amit Asaravala
This November is an especially important month—not only for American politics, but also for the future of the Internet. As voters in the United States head to the polls to elect a new president, they hold the power to affect the course of Internet policy during the network's most impressionable stages. Although the elected president will be in office only four to eight years, decisions made now will reverberate well into the next decade. A well-planned strategy will help the network grow, whereas a brash evaluation could stunt an economy that has so far advanced at a fast—but volatile—rate.
It may seem arrogant to place so much weight on the U.S. political system. But despite claims that the Internet is ubiquitous and borderless, it's no secret that the U.S. still holds political and commercial control over the majority of the network. And while many countries are working overtime to level the playing field, there will hardly be any change in this status by the time the elected candidate and his administration begin to shape policies next year.
In essence, the candidate who wins this election will greatly influence the direction of technology (and the economy) in the world. This is especially frightening because the popular choices this year leave much to be desired. We have one candidate who claims he invented the Internet, and another who wouldn't know better if you told him that Tim Berners-Lee was the leader of a large European nation. Knowing who to vote for (or who to hope for, if you're not a voting U.S. citizen) can be tricky at best.<>
