Some decades ago, before the internet became words in everyone’s mouth, we all thought law and the internet were two parallel lines that could never meet. However, today, due to various internet activities occurring daily, it is pellucid that law and the internet are intertwined and cannot do without each other if we want to achieve a better and lawful society.
As the internet is continuously evolving, the laws and regulations governing its use cannot be determined only by common law. As such, the things acceptable according to internet law are still controversial and need to be carefully considered. Many times, judges are nudged to adapt other legal systems as much as possible to settle disputes that pertain to the internet.
Internet law or Cyberlaw entails how the use of the internet in every ramification is governed by legal standards and regulations. It is worthy of note that internet law is not a stable and specific area of expertise, like other fields of law. Instead, it integrates and implements concepts from other generic fields, like contract law and privacy law.
You are a click away from affecting lots of lives via the internet. Considering the intricacies and dexterity of the internet, internet laws need to sufficiently needs to cater to all aspects of the internet. The laws which predate the internet and those that pertain to only a particular geographical location or state cannot succinctly tackle the complex nature of the internet. As a result, many people believe it will be impossible to regulate the internet with national policies.
Various facets of internet law include data protection and privacy, cybersecurity, e-commerce, communication, and so on.