Cyberspace

The term cyberspace coined by science fiction author William Gibson in a short story “Burning Chrome,” and later user in his novel Neuromancer (1984) to refer to the virtual world created within a computer and the network to which it is attached (also called a “computer-generated reality”). It includes the internal computer memory and wiring, and the networks to which the computer is connected. The prefix “cyber” is derived from the Greek word kybernan, which means to steer or control.

As stated by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Conner, in her concurring and dissenting opinion in Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union, 521 U.S. 844, 889-90 (1997)


 * “Because it is no more than the interconnection of electronic pathways, cyberspace allows speakers and listeners to mask their identities. Cyberspace undeniably reflects some form of geography; chat rooms and Web sites, for example, exist at fixed “locations” on the Internet. Since users can transmit and receive messages on the Internet without revealing anything about their identities or ages . . ., however, it is not currently possible to exclude persons from accessing certain messages on the basis of their identity. Cyberspace differs from the physical world in another basic way: Cyberspace is malleable. Thus, it is possible to construct barriers in cyberspace and use them to screen for identity, making cyberspace more like the physical world and, consequently, more amenable to zoning laws. This transformation of cyberspace is already underway. * * * Internet speakers (users who post material on the Internet) have begun to zone cyberspace itself through the use of ‘gateway’ technology.”