The Internet was developed in the early 1960s by a think-tank commissioned by the U.S. military to conceive of a means of communication subsequent to a nuclear holocaust. The U.S. military eventually abandoned the project, but it was picked up by a group of four U.S. universities in the late 1960s as a method of sharing information. Europe had an early hand in Internet technology advancement through the development by British researcher of the Hypertext Markup Language, which is the basis for the World Wide Web. Internet usage grew in the U.S. during the 1970s and 1980s and has continued to grow rapidly during the 1990s.
The Internet is dominated by the English language because Internet technology developed and spread most rapidly in the U.S. This English language dominance, coupled with higher telecommunications costs collateral to Internet usage across Europe, has led to comparatively lower European usage. Nonetheless, the European growth rate has been strong and consistent. In 1996 there were 8.9 million Europeans connected to the Internet. By the year 2000, industry sources predict that 35 million European will be “wired”. The Internet has experienced such rapid growth because its potential for information exchange and economic gain is unparalleled. In illustration, the Internet is expected to produce nearly 80 billion dollars in yearly revenue by the year 2000.
While some commentators downplay the extent to which the Internet creates criminal opportunities, early Internet usage has led to the identification of specific areas of Internet commerce that are of legal concern:
Financial service system--- Because much of the commerce of the Internet will be conducted across geographic distances and national borders, a secure and private framework for electronic payment must be developed to safeguard against fraud.
Unlicensed physicians and lawyers --- Concern has been mounting over the use of the Internet by unlicensed physicians and lawyers who use the medium as a method to advertise and sell both services and products.
Securities Fraud--- As unsophisticated consumers invest across International borders, with brokers that cannot be easily tracked and regulated, securities fraud is a potential problem.
Copyright and trademark violations---Because of the anonymity of the Internet, copyright and trademark violations have already producted legal conflict in the EU.
Dissemination of illegal information--- The posting of instructions for the manufacture of weapons, including bombs and nerve gas , has been a cause of concern.
Contracts---An enforcement mechanism is needed for legal promises made over the Internet.
Taxation---Questions of how to tax and how much to tax Internet usage and commerce , as evidenced by the Europeans’ acceptance and investigation of proposals concerning a taxation system, is an area of concern.
Defamation---Another ancillary result of the inherent anonymity of the Internet may be the use of the medium for the promulgation of defamatory material.