Self-Regulation: Regulatory Fad or Market Forces?

Publication Date: May 1999

Publisher: Cato Institute

Author(s): Solveig Singleton

Research Area: Media, telecommunications, and information; Science and technology

Type: Report

Abstract:

Self-regulation of the Internet has emerged in a number of contexts, including privacy. Internet filtering technology is also a species of "self-regulation." And then there is self-regulation of kind less trumpeted by pundits, but important and interesting none-the-less, such as the blacklisting of Internet Service Providers suspected of being spammer havens. In "real" space, self-regulation of a number of different types has grown up. These include:

* Regulation of electrical appliances and equipment through the Underwriters Laboratories.

* Green Seal, which develops standards for environmentally sound products.

* Certifications for kosher and halal food.

* Financial rating services, such as Dun & Bradstreet and Moody's.

* The MPAA motions picture ratings, the Comics Code, and the Recreational Software Advisory Council.

Some of these systems of self-regulation arrived in response to varying degrees of government pressure, including the MPAA ratings and proposals for self-regulation on privacy. The blacklisting of spammer Internet Service Providers by anti-spam groups like the Open Relay Blocking System and the MAPS Realtime Blackhole list, is a good example of purely private, market driven conduct.