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1、20/06/2013Theconsensusmachine
2、TheEconomistTheconsensusmachineTheInternethasmaturedtothepointwherepeopleareincreasinglyasking:whorunsit,andonwhosebehalf?Jun8th2000
3、SANFRANCISCO
4、FromtheprinteditionTHEREisnothinglikeanabsenceofregulationforstimulatinginnovation.Suchwast
5、hecreedofearlyInternetenthusiasts.AsJohnGilmore,anotedonlineactivist,hasputit:“TheNetinterpretscensorshipasdamageandroutesaroundit.”ThemyththattheInternethasthrivedonlybecauseitisanarchicisnowfirmlyentrenched.Yetmythiswhatitis.Infact,cyberspaceishighlyorganisedandeve
6、nregulated,andnotjustfortechnicalstandards.WhatisuniqueabouttheInternetisnotthatitisungoverned;itisthatitsregulationhasemergedfromthebottomupandnotthetopdown.“TheInternet'struestrengthisthat,asaninstitution,itexhibitscharacteristicsofpolicyformationthatappealtoone'ss
7、enseofliberty,”arguesJosephReagle,apolicyanalystattheWorldWideWebConsortium(W3C),anInternetstandardsbody.TheprocessofpolicyformationontheInternetisnotwellknowntothegeneralpublic,oreventomanyavidInternetusers.BesidestheW3C,thereistheInternetEngineeringTaskForce(IETF),
8、whichdevelopsagreedtechnicalstandards,suchascommunicationsprotocols,anditssteeringgroup,theIESG,whichco-ordinatesandapprovesthem;andtheInternetCorporationforAssignedNamesandNumbers(ICANN),whichoverseesthesystemofdomain-namessuchas.comand.org.Thesebodieshavecertaincha
9、racteristicsincommon.Theyarelargelyself-createdandself-governing.Theyareopeninbothmembershipandarguments,pridingthemselvesongivingallvoicesahearing.Theyarelargelyconsensus-basedintheirdecision-taking.And,sofaratleast,theyhaveworkedsurprisinglysmoothly,evensurvivingth
10、ewholesalecommercialisationofthenet.YettheexpansionandinternationalisationoftheInternetarelikelynowtoputnewstrainsonitsentirebottom-upsystemofregulation.Noneofthiswasonthemindsofthesmallgroupofgraduatestudentswho,inthelate1960s,startedtodevelopanewtypeofdatanetworkfo
11、rthePentagon'sAdvancedResearchProjectsAgency.Onthecontrary,theyworriedmainlyaboutoffendingtheseniorengineerswhoweresupposedtotakeov
