Source Directed Access Control on the Internet
Scott O. Bradner · 1996
This memo was developed from a deposition that I submitted as part of a challenge to the Communications Decency Act of 1996, part of the Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996.The Telecommunications Reform Act is a U.S. federal law substantially changing the regulatory structure in the United States in the telecommunications arena.The Communications Decency Act (CDA) part of this law has as its aim the desire to protect minors from some of the material carried over telecommunications networks.In particular the law requires that the sender of potentially offensive material take "effective action" to ensure that it is not presented to minors.A number of people have requested that I publish the deposition as an informational RFC since some of the information in it may be useful where descriptions of the way the Internet and its applications work could help clear up confusion in the technical feasibility of proposed content control regulations. Control and oversight over the InternetNo organization or entity operates or controls the Internet.The Internet consists of tens of thousands of local networks linking millions of computers, owned by governments, public institutions, non-profit organizations, and private companies around the world.These local networks are linked together by thousands of Internet service providers which interconnect at dozens of points throughout the world.None of these entities, however, controls the Internet; each entity only controls its own computers and computer networks, and the links allowed into those computers and computer networks.Although no organizations control the Internet, a limited number of organizations are responsible for the development of communications and operational standards and protocols used on the Internet.These standards and protocols are what allow the millions of different (and sometimes incompatible) computers worldwide to communicate with each Bradner Informational [Page 1]