The Information Age

VOYA

The effects of the Internet on society and the economy, the role of the government in regulation, and concerns for unresolved practices are presented here through balanced, contrasting viewpoints. This easy-to-use handbook offers new research topics on issues such as whether a consumer should be able to sue an Internet provider through the courts in the country in which the consumer, not the provider, lives. It demystifies illusions, for example the fact that barcodes on items actually make censorship easier instead of the other way around; or that the Internet Tax Freedom Act eliminated tax for e-commerce. The reader is prompted to look at the Internet in probing ways beyond generalities. For example, would online voting lead to disaster or would it strengthen democracy? The extensive use of statistical information dates many of the articles. The absence of references to September 11 or to the collapse of companies such as WorldCom and Enron cause the discussions on the affect of the Internet on e-commerce to be inaccurate. The pieces on regulating the Internet were written before the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the Children's Internet Protection Act, making the arguments on Internet filters seem irrelevant. The subject matter serves best as a resource for tracing historical evolvement and explaining positions. Occasional references to practices in other countries, such as French censorship and Chinese restrictions, provide a global perspective. This book is recommended for larger secondary collections to support research, especially in the areas of technology and economics. It serves as a print source to balance nonprint resources, Patterson