Hacking the Planet, the Dalai Lama, and You: Managing Technical Vulnerabilities in the Internet Through Polycentric Governance

This Article analyzes key vulnerabilities in the Internet's infrastructure, protocols, and code, and how they may be better managed through interventions at multiple levels. In particular, this Article examines the concept of polycentric governance and its applicability to technical vulnerabilities in the Internet. This theory has been championed by proponents such as Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom and promotes self-organization and networking regulations at multiple levels to address an array of global issues, from urban crime, to climate change and cyber attacks. However, there has not yet been a consideration of the applicability of this framework to technical Internet vulnerabilities explicitly, which is a conversation this Article seeks to jumpstart.