@StevenJCrowley: A Taxonomy of Information Technology Policy [from ITIF] bit.ly
A Snippet (of which, YMMV):
Laissez-Faire vs. Government Regulation
The groups divide along this line over the degree to which the government should impose formal rules on IT and the Internet.
Cyber-libertarians, and to a lesser degree free marketers, believe the Internet should be governed by its users. These groups lie on the laissez-faire side of the dividing line. They consider the Internet unique and capable of creating spontaneous order, a model for how the rest of society should be organized. Free marketers believe the Internet is what allows Coase’s vision of a society with low transaction costs and ubiquitous markets to become a reality. (Economist Ronald Coase postulated that high transaction costs engendered large organizations.)
At the other extreme are groups on the government regulation side of the line, who see the Internet as a new “Wild West” calling for a man with a badge to protect vulnerable citizens against intrusive governments and profit-hungry corporations. Moral conservatives, social engineers, and old economy regulators tend to hold this view, arguing for an array of government actions to limit what companies can do. So do bricks-and-mortars, although less as a matter of principle than as a way of clinging to their ever-weakening economic position.
Moderates and tech companies occupy the middle ground. They believe the Internet is unique and generally requires a light regulatory touch if IT innovation is to thrive. But in some key areas such as cybersecurity and copyright protection, they believe that the Internet needs stronger rules, especially to enable law enforcement to go after bad actors. In still other areas, such as the privacy of non-sensitive data and net neutrality, they believe that self-regulating government-business partnerships are the best way to protect consumers while giving companies needed flexibility.
ITIF was formed to advance a set of pragmatic solutions to the growing number of technology-related policy problems. We believe the growth of the digital economy and society depends on a synthesis of these views: the correct position will tend to lie at the intersection of the two axes. The dichotomy between individual empowerment and institutional efficiency is not a zero-sum game. Individuals benefit both socially and economically when governments and corporations work more efficiently and effectively, and institutions benefit when individuals are informed and able to make choices. A light touch on regulation is important to maintain the flexibility required to operate in this high-speed economy, but government action is also necessary to give businesses and consumers confidence that the Internet is not a den of thieves or a market tilted against fair competition, and to help speed digital transformation (e.g., the ubiquitous use of IT throughout the economy and society).
/snip
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