Abstract
While the Internet has become the dominant platform for individuals and organizations to exchange information with other parties, the regulation of the Internet in which laws and technology come to play have never reached an international common ground. Nations, due to their root theories, legal perspectives and cultural differences, tend to regulate the Internet in their own way. This article first surveys the models for Internet regulation, then examines some social, cultural, political and economical differences in perspectives between the European Union and the United States that impact Internet regulation. Important regulatory issues such as electronic commerce, privacy and data protection, intellectual property rights and content regulation are discussed. The insight provided in this work could help policy makers of the leading nations in the cyberspace to improve their mutual understanding in the quest for establishing a global legal environment for the Internet.