The IIA recently launched its "manifesto on internet policy and regulation, with principles and recommendations to guide decision making".
A PDF copy of the guide is available at
http://iia.net.au/images/resources/pdf/manifesto-2010.pdf
"We'll be requesting political parties to respond to its recommendations over the coming weeks," IIA chief executive, Peter Coroneos, said.
"It asks the question, under what circumstances can the Internet in Australia be advanced or hobbled by politicians today."
The report argues that the speed of technological change
outstrips the ability of legislation and legislators to keep up.
"Should or can they, regulate the internet to tackle social
policy challenges arising in the wake of rapid technological
change without damaging our capacity to innovate and compete?
If laws are passed, can they be enforced?
Is technology to blame or are we really dealing with age old
human problems that neither laws nor technology can regulate?
These are questions implicit in this document," Coroneos said.
The document offers a reality check to the internet policy debate by urging a return to first principles such as where Australia stands against our western counterparts. It argues we tend to over-regulated in content matters for often symbolic political reasons.
"We lack a local research base to support proposals notably in areas of cyber crime and cyber safety," he said.
