Standard Research Grant: Deep Packet Inspection and the Governance of the Internet

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The research investigates the governance and deployment of a new technology for monitoring and controlling Internet communications. Deep packet inspection (DPI) is a technology that allows network operators to scan Internet communications in real time and make automated decisions about whether to block, slow down, speed up or otherwise manipulate traffic streams. Developed initially to enable network operators to detect and intercept viruses and other malware, it is now being applied to a broader range of Internet governance problems, such as managing bandwidth, detecting file sharing, blocking unwanted content, or exploiting information about users to generate targeted advertising. With the dual potential to improve the operation and governance of the Internet and to be used in ways which restrict or regulate it, DPI use is being actively contested politically. By systematically investigating the political interactions around the use and deployment of DPI, the research will test and improve theories about the co-production of technology and social institutions. The project develops a new conceptual framework for analyzing the interaction of technological capabilities and the process of public policy development. It breaks down the deployment of DPI into five distinct applications or use cases in an attempt to discover whether the governance regime that emerges varies across both institutional settings and types of use. Each use case provides the basis for two detailed case studies in different countries. The method of executing the case studies leverages complementarities between actor-network theory in Science, Technology and Society studies and actor-centered institutionalism in political science. To better understand the deployment patterns, the research will also compile and make usable network performance data made available by the Measurement Lab.