Introduction to Contracts, Sales, Product Liability, and Bankruptcy

Regulation of the Internet

Use of the internet has exploded over the past decade. Recent estimates suggest that more than half of the world's population use the web to purchase goods and services, book travel plans, conduct banking and pay bills, stream original content, read the latest news and sports information, look up facts and figures, and keep up with friends, family, and business associates via Skype, FaceTime, Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms.

Internet access and regulation continue to be a concern for many interest groups, including privacy advocates, internet providers, private citizens, technology companies, and the government, to name a few. In 2017, President Trump signed legislation overturning the internet privacy protections originally put in place by the Obama administration. Under the new legislation, internet providers will now be able to collect, store, share, and sell certain types of customer information without their consent. Under previous legislation, sharing this type of data would have required consumers' permission. With this new law, companies such as Verizon and Comcast will be able to mine user data and use that information to compete in the $83 billion digital advertising market with companies such as Google and Facebook. The internet environment is extremely dynamic, so consumers and other interest groups should monitor how regulations and other policies will continue to change the ground rules for internet use.