The Proliferation of Technical Internet Filtering Practices: Tracking Policy and Its Implementation Through a Systemic Perspective

Abstract

Nation‐states’ desire to control the Internet is reflected in an increasing number of countries that employ ongoing, policy‐backed technical Internet filtering practices. This qualitative study investigated the mechanisms that operate at the international level of analysis, driving the growth, and spread of such Internet filtering activities across the globe. With an innovative combination of methods, two consecutive steps mark a valid point of departure in addressing this wide research gap. First, a Delphi study surveyed scholars of Internet governance and diffusion studies in political science and sociology about potential causes that drive states to implement technical Internet filtering practices. The second step tested the potential cause that the experts deemed to be most relevant with a comparative case study between South Korea, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. On the basis of the OpenNet Initiative’s empirical tests for technical Internet filtering, the study established a robust relationship between the implementation of state‐mandated technical Internet filtering practices and similar problems of role‐equivalent states as a predictor of international policy diffusion.