Providing essential critical perspective, Codifying Cyberspace presents a thorough exploration of the issues involved in self-regulation of the internet. Following recent European directives - including the 2007 Audiovisual Media Services Directive - self-regulation is being promoted as the means for regulating the range of 'harms' and conflicts associated with the new media, from gambling to pornography, but does it really work?

Presenting the results of a three year Oxford University study funded by the European Commission, Codifying Cyberspace looks at self-regulation in practice, in a variety of countries across Europe, North America and elsewhere, getting beyond the normal discussions of codes to analyze their implications for fundamental rights of freedom of expression, and their position in particular political and cultural contexts. It also examines the problems of balancing private censorship against fundamental rights to freedom of expression and privacy for media users.

This book is the first full-scale study of self-regulation and codes of conduct in these fast-moving new media sectors and will be an indispensable guide to all those with a general interest in media policy and regulation at a time where regulation is being replaced with industry and user level self-regulation.

Can the Internet regulate itself? Faced with a range of 'harms' and conflicts associated with the new media a " from gambling to pornography a " many governments have resisted the temptation to regulate, opting instead to encourage media providers to develop codes of conduct and technical measures to regulate themselves.

Codifying Cyberspace looks at media self-regulation in practice, in a variety of countries. It also examines the problems of balancing private censorship against fundamental rights to freedom of expression and privacy for media users. This book is the first full-scale study of self-regulation and codes of conduct in these fast-moving new media sectors and is the result of a three-year Oxford University study funded by the European Commission.