jus internet; wikipedia and the future of law of the internet

Wikipedia and the future of law of the Internet

Joanna Kulesza

presented at Wikimania 2010, Gdańsk, July 9th, 2010

Jus Internet

Problem with law and the Internet

„Shape” of law

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„Shape” of the Internet

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Law and the Internet?

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How to rule the cyberspace?

alternative solutions

„civic virtue”

1998

David G. PostUCLA Online Institute for Cyberspace Law and Policy

Law and Borders - the Rise of Law in Cyberspace, Stanford

Law Review 1996, no. 48

The New ‘Civic Virtue’ of the Internet, The Emerging

Internet - 1998 Annual Review of the Institute for Information

Studies, Washington 1998

In Search of Jefferson’s Moose – Notes on State in

Cyberspace, Oxford, 2009

Autonomous law of cyberspace

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• system based on territorial boarders doesn’t work in cyberspace• democracy has devaluated

a need to create special rules for on-line actions a set of

basic rules, common to all „cybernauts”

the carriers of „statehood” (~nationality) in cyberspace are its

groups, „cyber-communities”

„netizenship” would result from membership to one of the

cyber-communities, based on the choice of the „cybernaut”autonomy of cyber-communities

Autonomous law of cyberspace

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development of a scheme for „civic virtue”, as basis for a legal

regime of cyberspace

a decentralized, diversified and complex model, just as the

Internet itself

rules common to all cyber-communities would form the

contents of „civic virtue”

neccesary:

o internalisation

o legitimisation

Autonomous law of cyberspace

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„hybryd economy”

2009

Hybryd economy

new economic model,

located between:

• commercial economies

and

• sharing economies

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Lawrence Lessig

Remix: Making Art and

Commerce Thrive in the

Hybrid Economy, 2009

Yochai BenklerThe Wealth of

Networks, 2009

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Commercial economy

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Sharing economy

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Difference?

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I’ll give you $20 if you make it all the way!

Can you teach me how to

skate?

Sure! But it will cost you $5.

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Hybryd economiesarose with the increase of popularity of the Internet not based on money, however it plays an important

role therein (Ch. Anderson, Free: The Future of a Radical Price, 2009)

„LEGO mechanism”

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Wikinomics

D. Tapscott, A. D. Williams, Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration

Changes Everything, 2008.

four principles of Wikinomics: openness peering sharing acting globally

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FreeconomyCh. Anderson, Free: The Future of a Radical Price, 2009

„There's no such thing as a free lunch.” M. Friedman

new role of money? new evaluation criteria?

motivation for „free” labour?

neccesity to search for new ways of making profit

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How does hybryd economy work?

Wikipedia principles

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Robustness principle (Postel's Law): Be conservative in what you do; be liberal in what you accept

Three original principles:

1. minimum of rules: ignore all rules if they hinder creating a good encyclopaedia no „wardens” no copyright infringement NPoV

2. discussion (a discussion page)

3. people

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Five Wikipedia pillars

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Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. Wikipedia has a neutral point of view. Wikipedia is free content that anyone can edit and distribute. Wikipedians should interact in a respectful and civil manner. Wikipedia does not have firm rules besides the five general

principles presented here

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Wikipedia – problem solving

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discussion (common ground reached through compromise not through

a majority vote)

mediation

„locks” on controversial entries

blocking vandals

sharing of responsibilites among users (editors)

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Wikipedia – a symbol of success

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over 15 million articles (over 3.3 million in English)

up-to-date information (entries on latest news)

in-depth research behind controversial entries

Nature 2005 report: equal number of mistakes found on

Wikipedia and Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Wikipedia – a summary

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Wikipedia – a social structure?

„netizenship”

common goals and interests

subsidiarity

Creative Commons licenses

semiotic democracy QUALITY over QUANTITY

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Law of cyber-communities

Law of cyberspace

Cyber-communities

J. Kulesza, Ius Internet

Community is a group of individuals with a common goal and interests, where social ties and relations form a complete and ordered scheme

Cyber-community is a community based on a particular form of

communication (Internet) with a common rules, the breach of which may cause restriction of member rights or elimination from the group

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Law of cyber-communities?

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How to identify rules common to all cyber-communities?

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Law of the nations – jus gentium

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Jus gentium – in Roman Empire a customary regulation,

used to shape the relations among the non-citizens

based on two pilars:

o mutual trust (fides)

o equity (aeguitas)

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Law of the nations – jus gentium

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contents of the jus gentium norms were shaped by

two sets of rules:

o law of nature (rules common to all humans) and

o religious law

the custom allowed for the creation of positive law:

international law

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Law of cyber-communities – jus Internet

J. Kulesza, Ius Internet

rules common to all cyber-communities

contents: ethical norms common to all cyber-

communities (D. Post: „civic virtue”)

form: custom, eventually evolving into statutory law

way of implementation: computer code (L. Lessig: „on

the Internet code is law”)

source of power: common interest, eventually: force

of law (Internet Framework Convention)34

Thank you for your attention

Jus Internet Wikipedia

and the future of law of the Internet

Joanna Kuleszajoannakulesza@gmail.com