Government policies may point to more restrictive Internet

In his regular Law Bytes column in the Toronto Star, University of Ottawa professor Michael Geist argues that the days of the Internet as a realm of unlimited access and unlimited possibility are under threat from a number of potential policy developments. The article is republished on Geist's web site.

Among the threats Geist identifies are the federal government's lawful access initiative that would allow for easier interception of private communications, ISP "packet preferencing" (Internet service providers blocking or slowing data coming from competing sites or services), and the idea of an "extended license" that would require schools to pay millions of dollars for content that is now free on the Internet.

Geist's column on the intersection of law, technology and citizens' rights always makes for interesting reading. He is also the author of a daily e-mail newsletter on technology law, BNA's Internet Law News, as well as the editor of a regular updating service covering Canadian privacy decisions.