Internet law and policy from a Canadian perspective

Every new technology is both a burden and a blessing, and this is especially true with respect to the Internet. This global communications infrastructure has been in a state of constant flux for the past several decades due to freewheeling human innovation. While this has provided us with new institutions, fresh ideas, and a keen awareness of creativity and intellectual freedom, something quite alarming has also taken place. Cybercrime is now severe, pervasive, aggressive, and increasingly sophisticated, and this poses a significant threat to the Internet's viability as an essential element of our critical infrastructure. This might come as a surprise to many given that the Internet flourished for decades with scarcely any regulation whatsoever. The fact that it was such a successful engine of innovation and economic growth meant that regulation could largely be ignored in debates about Internet policy in Canada. However, the days of the Net as unregulated-or even as 'unregulable'-must come to an end.