Who Controls the internet?

In "Who Controls the Internet?: Illusions of a Borderless World" (2006) Jack L. Goldman (Harvard Law Sch.; The Limits of International Law) and Tim Wu (Columbia Law ... mere » Sch.) show how different nation-states and international organizations have shaped a local Internet experience based on their own prevailing societal values. Multinational corporations trying to sell online, such as Yahoo!, Ebay, and Dow Jones, have discovered quickly and painfully that they must abide by local standards. Otherwise, their online operations will be halted by governments and competitors using a variety of often far-reaching legal maneuvers and/or high-level technology filters. China, for instance, has a countrywide firewall, and many countries and regions employ geo-ID technologies that not only enable Internet companies to personalize content for local users but also assist in targeting and blocking unwanted content emanating from specific geographic areas. Perhaps the Internet will not connect the world as quickly as Thomas L. Friedman proposes in The World Is Flat.