Foundations of Information Policy
Internet governance gets examined from the ground up in this MIT OpenCourseWare course, tracing how law, policy, and technical architecture interact to shape control of the internet. The course covers the history of internet policy, the relationship between code and law, privacy, cybersecurity, freedom of expression, intellectual property, electronic surveillance, trade policy, and international affairs. Materials include readings, assignments, and case studies drawn from real policy controversies, aimed at building the technical, legal, and rhetorical skills needed to analyze and participate in debates over how the internet should be governed. Offered through MIT's Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department in its Science, Technology, and Society track, the course treats the internet as a contested policy space rather than a fixed technical system. All course materials are free to access under MIT OpenCourseWare's open license.