PART 1
Essential Internet Knowledge
Chapter 1
The Origins of the Digital Revolution
Page 6 - What is the Internet?
Judicial Findings of Fact about the Internet
JUDICIAL FINDINGS OF FACT ABOUT THE INTERNET
Found below is Justice Reed's opinion [excerpted] in the case of ACLU v. Reno, 31 F. Supp. 2d 473 (E.D. Pa. 1999). Material in brackets [sample] is not original and has been added here for better overview. This case not only contains essential internet definitions, judicially fixed, but it was also a significant opinion in its own right.
[What is the Internet?]...
The Internet is a giant network that interconnects innumerable smaller groups of linked computer networks: a network of networks....
[How Big is the Internet?]...
The nature of the Internet is such that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to determine its size at a given moment. However, it is indisputable that the Internet has experienced extraordinary growth in the past few years....
[Who takes part in the Internet?]...
Some of the computers and computer networks that make up the Internet are owned by governmental and public institutions; some are owned by non-profit organizations; and some are privately owned. The resulting whole is a decentralized, global medium of communications -- or "cyberspace" -- that links individuals, institutions, corporations, and governments around the world. The Internet is an international system. This communications medium allows any of the literally tens of millions of people with access to the Internet to exchange information. These communications can occur almost instantaneously, and can be directed either to specific individuals, to a broader group of individuals interested in a particular subject, or to the world as a whole....
[What is the content of the internet?]...
The content on the Internet is as diverse as human thought. The Internet provides an easy and inexpensive way for a speaker to reach a large audience, potentially of millions. The start-up and operating costs entailed by communication on the Internet often are significantly lower than those associated with use of other forms of mass communication, such as television, radio, newspapers, and magazines. Creation of a Web site can range in cost from a thousand to tens of thousands of dollars, with monthly operating costs depending on one's goals and the Web site's traffic. Commercial online services such as America Online allow subscribers to create a limited number of Web pages as a part of their subscription to AOL services. Any Internet user can communicate by posting a message to one of the thousands of available newsgroups and bulletin boards or by creating one of their own or by engaging in an on-line "chat", and thereby potentially reach an audience worldwide that shares an interest in a particular topic....
