<s>
In	O
internet	O
governance	O
,	O
network	B-Application
sovereignty	I-Application
,	O
also	O
called	O
'	O
digital	B-Application
sovereignty	I-Application
 '	O
or	O
'	O
cyber	B-Application
sovereignty	I-Application
 '	O
,	O
is	O
the	O
effort	O
of	O
a	O
governing	O
entity	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
state	O
,	O
to	O
create	O
boundaries	O
on	O
a	O
network	O
and	O
then	O
exert	O
a	O
form	O
of	O
control	O
,	O
often	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
law	O
enforcement	O
over	O
such	O
boundaries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Much	O
like	O
states	O
invoke	O
sole	O
power	O
over	O
their	O
physical	O
territorial	O
boundaries	O
,	O
state	O
sovereignty	O
,	O
such	O
governing	O
bodies	O
also	O
invoke	O
sole	O
power	O
within	O
the	O
network	O
boundaries	O
they	O
set	O
and	O
claim	O
network	B-Application
sovereignty	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
concept	O
stems	O
from	O
questions	O
of	O
how	O
states	O
can	O
maintain	O
law	O
over	O
an	O
entity	O
such	O
like	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
whose	O
infrastructure	O
exists	O
in	O
real	O
space	O
,	O
but	O
its	O
entity	O
itself	O
exists	O
in	O
the	O
intangible	O
cyberspace	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Network	B-Application
sovereignty	I-Application
has	O
implications	O
for	O
state	O
security	O
,	O
Internet	O
governance	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
users	O
of	O
the	O
Internet	O
's	O
national	O
and	O
international	O
networks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sassen	O
argues	O
that	O
the	O
state	O
's	O
power	O
is	O
limited	O
in	O
cyberspace	B-General_Concept
and	O
that	O
networks	O
,	O
particularly	O
the	O
numerous	O
private	O
tunnels	O
for	O
institutions	O
such	O
as	O
banks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
examples	O
include	O
the	O
SOPA-PIPA	O
debates	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
the	O
Golden	O
Shield	O
Project	O
in	O
China	O
,	O
and	O
new	O
laws	O
that	O
grant	O
greater	O
power	O
to	O
the	O
Roskomnadzor	O
in	O
Russia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
failed	O
Stop	B-Application
Online	I-Application
Piracy	I-Application
Act	I-Application
,	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
would	O
have	O
allowed	O
law	O
enforcement	O
agencies	O
to	O
prevent	O
online	O
piracy	O
by	O
blocking	O
access	O
to	O
websites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
several	O
protests	B-Application
against	I-Application
SOPA	I-Application
and	I-Application
PIPA	I-Application
,	O
including	O
a	O
Wikipedia	B-Application
blackout	I-Application
in	O
response	O
to	O
statements	O
by	O
Senator	O
Patrick	O
Leahy	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
responsible	O
for	O
introducing	O
the	O
PROTECT	O
IP	O
Act	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Golden	O
Shield	O
Project	O
,	O
sometimes	O
known	O
as	O
Great	B-Application
Firewall	I-Application
of	I-Application
China	I-Application
,	O
prevents	O
those	O
with	O
a	O
Chinese	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
from	O
accessing	O
certain	O
banned	O
websites	O
inside	O
the	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Even	O
with	O
staunch	O
pressure	O
from	O
those	O
who	O
promote	O
"	O
free	O
flow	O
of	O
information	O
,	O
"	O
President	O
Vladimir	O
Putin	O
and	O
the	O
Kremlin	O
remain	O
stolid	O
in	O
assertions	O
of	O
network	B-Application
sovereignty	I-Application
to	O
protect	O
Russian	O
citizens	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
example	O
was	O
the	O
Internet	O
censorship	O
in	O
the	O
Arab	O
Spring	O
,	O
when	O
the	O
Egyptian	O
government	O
in	O
particular	O
tried	O
to	O
block	O
access	O
to	O
Facebook	B-Application
and	O
Twitter	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
during	O
the	O
2011	O
England	O
riots	O
,	O
the	O
British	O
government	O
tried	O
to	O
block	O
Blackberry	B-Application
Messenger	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
essay	O
A	O
Declaration	O
of	O
the	O
Independence	O
of	O
Cyberspace	B-General_Concept
,	O
he	O
advocated	O
that	O
governments	O
should	O
stay	O
out	O
of	O
the	O
internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Network	B-Application
Sovereignty	I-Application
can	O
affect	O
state	O
security	O
,	O
law	O
enforcement	O
on	O
the	O
internet	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ways	O
that	O
private	O
citizens	O
use	O
the	O
internet	O
,	O
as	O
many	O
people	O
attempt	O
to	O
circumvent	O
the	O
protections	O
and	O
legal	O
devices	O
,	O
placed	O
by	O
many	O
governments	O
on	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
by	O
using	O
tools	O
such	O
as	O
VPNs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Virtual	B-Application
Private	I-Application
Networks	I-Application
(	O
VPNs	B-Application
)	O
are	O
a	O
significant	O
tool	O
to	O
allow	O
private	O
citizens	O
to	O
get	O
around	O
network	B-Application
sovereignty	I-Application
and	O
any	O
restrictions	O
their	O
government	O
may	O
place	O
on	O
their	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
VPNs	B-Application
allow	O
a	O
computer	O
to	O
route	O
its	O
Internet	O
connection	O
from	O
one	O
location	O
to	O
another	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
in	O
China	O
,	O
VPNs	B-Application
are	O
used	O
to	O
access	O
otherwise-blocked	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yang	O
gives	O
the	O
example	O
of	O
pornography	O
stating	O
that	O
with	O
VPN	B-Application
,	O
"	O
smut	O
that	O
's	O
banned	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
can	O
wind	O
its	O
way	O
into	O
American	O
homes	O
through	O
electrical	O
impulses	O
in	O
,	O
say	O
,	O
Amsterdam.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
that	O
example	O
,	O
by	O
using	O
VPNs	B-Application
,	O
an	O
Internet	O
user	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
could	O
access	O
banned	O
material	O
that	O
is	O
hosted	O
in	O
Amsterdam	O
by	O
accessing	O
through	O
a	O
server	O
,	O
hosted	O
in	O
Amsterdam	O
,	O
to	O
make	O
it	O
appear	O
that	O
the	O
user	O
is	O
in	O
Amsterdam	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
IP	B-Protocol
address	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Therefore	O
,	O
citizens	O
have	O
a	O
way	O
around	O
network	B-Application
sovereignty	I-Application
,	O
simply	O
by	O
accessing	O
a	O
different	O
server	O
through	O
a	O
VPN	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
That	O
greatly	O
limits	O
how	O
governments	O
can	O
enforce	O
network	B-Application
sovereignty	I-Application
and	O
protect	O
their	O
cyberspace	B-General_Concept
borders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Essentially	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
no	O
way	O
that	O
a	O
government	O
could	O
prevent	O
every	O
citizen	O
from	O
accessing	O
banned	O
content	O
by	O
means	O
such	O
as	O
VPNs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
significant	O
reasons	O
for	O
enforcing	O
network	B-Application
sovereignty	I-Application
is	O
to	O
prevent	O
the	O
scanning	O
of	O
information	O
that	O
travels	O
through	O
other	O
countries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Governments	O
may	O
want	O
to	O
enact	O
network	B-Application
sovereignty	I-Application
to	O
protect	O
copyright	O
within	O
their	O
borders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
purpose	O
of	O
SOPA-PIPA	O
was	O
to	O
prevent	O
what	O
was	O
effectively	O
deemed	O
theft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
opposing	O
argument	O
to	O
regulating	O
the	O
internet	O
by	O
network	B-Application
sovereignty	I-Application
to	O
allow	O
e-commerce	O
is	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
break	O
the	O
Internet	O
's	O
egalitarian	O
and	O
open	O
values	O
because	O
it	O
would	O
force	O
governments	O
and	O
ISPs	O
to	O
regulate	O
not	O
only	O
the	O
Internet	O
's	O
content	O
but	O
also	O
how	O
the	O
content	O
is	O
consumed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
up	O
to	O
states	O
to	O
enforce	O
their	O
own	O
network	B-Application
sovereignty	I-Application
over	O
these	O
patents	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
global	O
standards	O
it	O
is	O
easier	O
to	O
enforce	O
network	B-Application
sovereignty	I-Application
because	O
it	O
builds	O
respect	O
for	O
intellectual	O
property	O
and	O
maintains	O
the	O
rights	O
of	O
content	O
creators	O
and	O
providers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
alternative	O
proposed	O
was	O
the	O
implementation	O
of	O
the	O
digital	O
signature	O
,	O
which	O
could	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
protect	O
network	B-Application
sovereignty	I-Application
by	O
having	O
content	O
providers	O
and	O
governments	O
sign	O
off	O
the	O
content	O
,	O
like	O
for	O
a	O
digital	O
envelope	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
his	O
2015	O
book	O
Data	O
and	O
Goliath	O
,	O
American	O
security	O
expert	O
Bruce	O
Schneier	O
says	O
the	O
cyber	B-Application
sovereignty	I-Application
movement	O
,	O
in	O
countries	O
such	O
as	O
Russia	O
,	O
China	O
,	O
France	O
and	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
,	O
was	O
given	O
an	O
enormous	O
boost	O
by	O
the	O
2013	O
revelations	O
of	O
widespread	O
international	O
NSA	O
surveillance	O
,	O
which	O
those	O
countries	O
pointed	O
to	O
as	O
justification	O
for	O
their	O
activities	O
and	O
evidence	O
of	O
U.S.	O
hypocrisy	O
on	O
Internet	O
freedom	O
issues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Application
Great	I-Application
Firewall	I-Application
is	O
the	O
combination	O
of	O
legislative	O
actions	O
and	O
technologies	O
enforced	O
by	O
the	O
People	O
's	O
Republic	O
of	O
China	O
to	O
regulate	O
the	O
Internet	O
domestically	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Chinese	O
government	O
and	O
ruling	O
Communist	O
Party	O
asserts	O
cyber	B-Application
sovereignty	I-Application
,	O
or	O
control	O
over	O
all	O
of	O
China	O
's	O
digital	O
resources	O
,	O
including	O
servers	O
,	O
user	O
data	O
,	O
technical	O
infrastructure	O
,	O
and	O
tech	O
firms	O
operating	O
in	O
China	O
,	O
both	O
within	O
the	O
country	O
and	O
overseas	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Sovereign	B-Application
Internet	I-Application
Law	O
is	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
2019	O
amendments	O
to	O
existing	O
Russian	O
legislation	O
that	O
mandate	O
Internet	O
surveillance	O
and	O
grants	O
the	O
Russian	O
government	O
powers	O
to	O
partition	O
Russia	O
from	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
a	O
national	B-Protocol
fork	I-Protocol
of	O
the	O
Domain	B-Protocol
Name	I-Protocol
System	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
