The Internet and the Justice System :: Government Judicial Web Cyberspace Essays

The Internet and the Justice SystemI. Introduction. The American legal system has faced many challenges in the past century, in the first place due to population growth throughout the nation. The American way-of-life has also changed importantly as a result. The legislative and judicial systems need to adapt to these developments. These imply advances in information technology, particularly the Internet. This expanding communication network has created different behavioural patterns within our society. This paper will examine some of these changes and try to come across if indeed changes are in order. Issues will be indicateed from the public managers perspective and the position of the referee system, relative to their affect upon citizens. Is it needful to institute some form of desirable control or mandate over the Internet? If so, will an inordinate amount of public granting immunity be sacrificed in the process? These questions will be addressed, along with analyzing pr esent policy and possible directions for future legislation. II. The Internet Defined. Public Managers Perspective. The introduction of the Internet as an additional mass communication media has created bare-ass alternatives for information transmission. The ensuing popularity of the Internet has created many challenges that the public sector must(prenominal) deal with. Estimates in 1999 found that there are approximately 171 billion Internet users worldwide (Group Computing, Jan/Feb 2000, p. 56). Change in the societal environment has do the Internet an integral part of the American economy. Privatization. An interesting historical riddle is that, although the Internet has U.S. Defense Department origins, it is scarcely perceived as a public utility by most users anymore. (Abrahamson, JMQC vol 75, no 1, p. 16) Public reaction to the specific and continuing privatization of the Internet has been anything but an organized protest. Greater portions of it have, in name as well as effect, become privatized by large corporations. This includes Microsoft, the largest player in the nations information technology marketplace. This roll up is widely recognized as a commercial enterprise with well-documented monopolistic tendencies. Justice Systems Perspective. The justice system must affect the legal comebacks. New technology has led to a societal issue that must be interpreted in its relevance to the First Amendment. The justice system is supposed to guarantee the rights of every citizen, yet has instead choose to offer more protection to private entities first. These include private companies much(prenominal) as newspaper publishers or, in this instance, the private enterprises found on the Internet.