When the Internet was a private network serving an exclusive
> community, few rules were needed.
Actually, the Internet was under very strict regulation; all traffic had to "be, or be in support of, official US government business". That was stretched a lot; but it was sternly enforced when stretched too hard.
When the (more or less benevolent) military dictatorship was overthrown, there was an attempt at establishing acceptable use policies (AUP). There was a huge hue and cry about how evil it was to have AUPs and how the network should be an anarchy. The anarchists won.
-- Mark --
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does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate. Si vis pacem, para bellum.