Governance and Sovereignty: North American Perspectives

1
Governance and SovereigntyNorth American
Perspectives

• Prepared by Michael Mac Neil
• For International Dimensions of Internet
• and e-Commerce Regulation,
• 25-26/10/2002

2
Dimensions of Sovereignty

• Ability of states to exert control over their
  territory
• Ability of states to exclude other states from
  exerting control
• Sovereignty exerted through
• Legislative acts
• Executive acts
• Courts

3
The Future of Sovereignty?

• Sovereignty undermined?
• Pressures towards common denominators eg. Data
  havens / long-arm regulation
• Sovereignty Enhanced?
• Increased opportunities for monitoring and
  surveillance
• Sovereignty Transformed?
• Rise of supranational institutions
• Privatization of regulation

4
Factors Affecting Sovereignty

• Internationalization of economy
• Borderless communication
• Technologies insulating from or enhancing law
  enforcement
• Values and ideologies

5
Some Practical Issues

• Canada
• Privacy
• Encryption
• Content Regulation
• Interception of Communications
• United States
• Yahoo! France

6
Canada Privacy

• Personal Information Protection and Electronic
  Documents Act (PIPED) came into force in 2001
• OECD influence on privacy principles - Policy
  convergence
• Important stage of self-regulation through
  private development of privacy codes
• In part a response to EC Directive on Transborder
  Data Flow
• Internationalization of economic relations

7
Canada Encryption Policy

• Limited regulation of internal use, international
  coordination of export controls
• Deferral to marketplace
• Encourage private, self-help mechanisms to
  address privacy and online security concerns
• Technology as a limit on the exercise of
  sovereignty
• Continuing international coordination through
  Wassenaar Agreement

8
Canada Content Regulation

• CRTC refused to extend Broadcasting Act
  regulation to Internet
• Culture and sovereignty important nexus?
• Technology shaping the regulatory environment -
  convergence
• Desire for private solutions industry and
  individual responsibility for content
• Efficacy of licensing schemes in a globalized
  environment

9
Canada Interception of Communications

• New discussion paper available at
  http//www.canada.justice.gc.ca/en/cons/la_al/
• An assertion of sovereignty?
• Compliance with COE Convention on Cybercrime
• Adapt law enforcement strategies to new
  technologies
• Structuring architecture to enable regulation

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U.S. Yahoo! France

• Resisting the Yahoo! France decision
• Whose law will govern Internet activity
• Enforceability of French Court order in US
• US constitutional values as a limit on
  regulability
• The limited application of comity of nations
• Declaration of unenforceability granted