Shattered Boundaries: Whither the Cyber Future

Under strain exerted by the internet boom of the early 2000s, the legal framework of boundaries applied to commerce, communications, law enforcement and even some aspects of armed conflict began to groan and fracture. Obsolescence was temporarily postponed by buttressing; one key reform of the USA PATRIOT Act was that it characterized internet service companies as communications providers. Police access to voicemail was directed through wiretap warrants rather than physical searches. Old communications-related statutes were adapted and "duct-taped." Over the past couple of years, however, these fractures have grown to such magnitude that the old framework may no longer be adjusted to keep pace; it finally may be shattering. Adapted from the source document.