The DOI matches its Crossref record; 37 of the 41 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
HIDDEN LEVERS OF INTERNET CONTROL: An infrastructure-based theory of Internet governance
Abstract
Battles over the control of information online are often fought at the level of Internet infrastructure. Forces of globalization and technological change have diminished the capacity of sovereign nation states and media content producers to directly control information flows. This loss of control over content and the failure of laws and markets to regain this control have redirected political and economic battles into the realm of infrastructure and, in particular, technologies of Internet governance. These arrangements of technical architecture are also arrangements of power. This shift of power to infrastructure is drawing renewed attention to the politics of Internet architecture and the legitimacy of the coordinating institutions and private ordering that create and administer these infrastructures. It also raises questions related to freedom of expression in the context of this increasing turn to infrastructure to control information. This article explores the relationship between governance and infrastructure, focusing on three specific examples of how battles over content have shifted into the realm of this Internet governance infrastructure: the use of the Internet's domain name system for intellectual property rights enforcement; the use of ‘kill-switch’ approaches to restrict the flow of information; and the termination of infrastructure services to WikiLeaks. The article concludes with some thoughts about the implications of this infrastructure-mediated governance for economic and expressive liberties.
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“Maintaining vital state functions, notably the provision of public goods and national security, is increasingly difficult without a stable and secure telecommunica tions infrastructure in today's highly interconnected world. 26”
From Authoritarian collaboration and repression in the digital age: balancing foreign direct investment and control in internet infrastructure (2026) · cites this paper as [26]
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Metadata
- Authors
- DeNardis, L.
- Affiliations
- American University (US)
- Corresponding author
- DeNardis, Laura
- Venue
- Information, Communication & Society
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2012-02-16
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 720-738
- ISSN
- 1369-118X (ISSN-L)
- 1468-4462
- OpenAlex
- W1602366767
- Cited by
- 190
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 26 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 54.65
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Information Communication & Society (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Cybersecurity and Cyber Warfare Studies
- Social Sciences › Law › Freedom of Expression and Defamation
- Social Sciences › Law › Digitalization, Law, and Regulation
- Keywords
- internet governance, internet infrastructure, technology and politics, domain name system, intellectual property enforcement, kill switch, WikiLeaks, freedom of expression, private ordering, information control
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