The Problem of Perspective in Internet Law

50 Pages Posted: 18 May 2002 Last revised: 13 Jul 2015

See all articles by Orin S. Kerr

Orin S. Kerr

University of California, Berkeley School of Law

Abstract

This article shows how many disputes within Internet law are rooted in a common problem, the problem of perspective. Whenever we apply law to the Internet, we must first choose a perspective from which to model the facts of the Internet. Do we follow reality or virtual reality? We can adopt a user's internal perspective, and view the Internet as the virtual world of cyberspace, or else we can adopt an external perspective and view the Internet as a physical network. The article explains how the problem of perspective pervades the law of the Internet, and offers several strategies that courts can use to select a perspective in a given case.

Keywords: Internet, cyberspace, cyberlaw, Fourth Amendment

JEL Classification: k14, k30

Suggested Citation

Kerr, Orin S., The Problem of Perspective in Internet Law. 91 Georgetown Law Journal 357 (2003)., Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=310020 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.310020

Orin S. Kerr (Contact Author)

University of California, Berkeley School of Law ( email )

Berkeley, CA 94720-7200
United States

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