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This book addresses self-regulation of content on the Internet. Although Internet selfregulation involves many issues, such as e-commerce, technical protocols and domain names management, on-line content controls have initiated most public concern and debate. Throughout this book, emphasis is placed on the operational aspects and design of self-regulation. In this chapter we examine how self-regulatory entities relate to other quasi-legal and state institutions, how it is decided what powers the self-regulatory institutions wield, and how the use of selfregulation can contribute to the more effective and more efficient realisation of both economic and societal goals.

Self-regulation of the Internet has its special qualities, a product of the architecture of the industry, that extraordinary web of computers, servers, telecommunications devices responsible, in large part, for the flexibility, openness and convenience of communication. Self-regulation not only supports the open and decentralised network architecture of the Internet; self-regulation also forms a flexible response to the dynamic and on-going evolution of the sector and the emerging technologies. The development of these Internet technologies has led to outsourcing of operations to private entities and to encouraging third-party or" community" handling of a range of issues including content control.