U.S. technology powers the internet and disseminates American culture on an unprecedented scale. U.S. law and policy dominates the way we understand the regulatory challenges posed by the technology. Especially for those who are not U.S. citizens, there are important and complex political, economic, social and cultural questions that need to be asked. How is American influence wielded through the internet and its technologies? How is this influence being negotiated? Where and why is it being resisted? This study of cultural and economic issues informs a comparison of U.S., Australian and non western regulatory approaches.