The economic and public policy impacts of Internet blocking by state actors has been well studied. Receiving less study to date are the economic and public policy impacts of Internet policing by third party non-state actors. The systemic impossibility of a common definition of “due process” or a common policy framework has led to occasional collateral damage that undermines the security and stability of the Internet. This is a form of “digital culture clash”

This workshop will explore the state of play in third party Internet blockades and boycotts by non-state actors such as Internet reputation systems, whether commercially motivated or not. Examples of collateral damage will be drawn from the record, including the impact of SPAMHAUS’s blockade of Sweden in early 2014. We will engage leading experts from both the technology and policy arenas to debate and discuss questions like “at what limit does a blockade or boycott do more harm than good to the organizer’s own values, due to foreseeable collateral damage, lack of care, or lack of investigatory resources?”

The panel hopes to reach a common understanding and brief set of recommendations for those who might organize Internet blockades and boycotts, for those who might participate in such events – perhaps by subscribing to an Internet reputation system, for those who might be targeted by such moves, and also for policy makers and shapers who need to know the powers and risks of collective third party action in Cyberspace.