Internet et démocratie : accès, contrôle et liberté d'expression.

Abstract

This thesis consists in a presentation of results from an in-depth analysis of recent literature in the field of the relationship between the internet and democracy. Dominating themes are access and freedom of expression. However, how is it possible to control access and freedom of expression in a free and democratic society? If nothing is absolute in a free society, how then should control of the internet be achieved? This thesis proposes to study two possible answers: state control as seen through the 1996 Telecommunications Act (TA) in the United States or, the fostering of a form of legal pluralism already prevalent in cyberspace. Through the study of the 1996 TA, it was possible to discover a major division on the issue of control. Applying legal pluralism on the issue of controlling the internet manages to solidify a daily practice on the internet and attempts to provoke further debate.