( CNN ) -- As 2010 draws to a close , we who report on the ever-evolving digital space have been given the perfect backdrop for looking back at the year that was and the year ahead . In a year full of gray -- think of the debate over whether Facebook and WikiLeaks are forces for good or evil -- two high-profile attempts to make things black and white bubbled to the surface in the past few weeks : the federal government 's rules on access to internet service and its proposed `` do not track '' registry for online advertising . Both represent a significant shift in thinking about the internet , even if the results for the average American are n't immediately obvious . For starters , an internet version of the `` do not call list '' for telemarketers would seem to destroy the holy grail that online publishers and advertisers have sought since the early days of the Web : advertising directly targeted to individual consumers ' behavior . Although marketers have long used cookies to track your Web surfing , recent innovations have given them a whole new level of precision . Facebook 's `` like '' button -- derided this year as a major privacy infraction because it exposes you and your preferences not just to friends but to advertisers -- has been installed on more than 2 million Web sites , with tens of thousands more adding it daily . Geolocation services like Foursquare , in their infancy a year ago , now track the whereabouts of millions of users . With smartphones growing ubiquitous and location-aware applications of all kinds becoming commonplace , advertising that knows both where you are and what you like is very much a reality . Most advertisers and publishers do allow users to opt out of such targeting , but the Federal Trade Commission believes that simpler , more transparent options are needed . The devil is in the details here : Opt-outs on obscure Web pages or hidden browser menus wo n't help consumers much , but in-your-face requirements that encourage more users to take their privacy more seriously may pose a huge problem to some of the Web 's most promising companies . Information and how it travels are also central to `` net neutrality , '' the buzzword for unrestricted access to internet services and content . Rules passed this month by the Federal Communications Commission probably wo n't much alter the way you use the internet , but they pose interesting questions . For starters , as an internet regulator , would the FCC have the authority -- through its new relationship with internet service providers -- to block a site like WikiLeaks , which posts information potentially harmful to government interests ? Thus far , we 've seen the private sector self-regulate by cutting off services to WikiLeaks , but the new FCC-ISP dynamic could create intriguing ( frightening ? ) scenarios down the road as WikiLeaks intensifies its document dumps , which seems likely . Other internet issues that seized our attention in 2010 are at least tangentially related to this debate . A largely unregulated internet has created knowledge and wealth , but it 's also long provided a medium for predatory , abusive and bullying behavior . Concern over this came to a head this year , with social networking services taking heat for their role in cyberbullying . Perhaps the most prominent example of internet harassment came in September , when Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi committed suicide after a video stream set up without his knowledge showed his sexual encounter with a man in his dorm room . Although prosecution of cyberbullies falls out of the FCC 's jurisdiction , provisions in the net neutrality rules , such as the ability for businesses that provide internet access ( like coffee shops and bookstores ) to block content as they see fit , have the potential to cut off a readily available source of the anonymity that bullying thrives on . Of course , blocking access to the likes of Facebook and Twitter has negative repercussions too , especially as more consumers turn to these services both for communication and to share news and information . But like much of what went on in 2010 , that 's still a gray area , too . The reality of the year ahead probably falls somewhere between doomsday scenarios and an internet that continues to evolve for both consumers and big business . Information is coming of age , and the stage has now been set for some interesting all-but-inevitable conflicts that will probably be right there on the surface when we take a look again , roughly 365 days from now . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Adam Ostrow .
Adam Ostrow says 2010 brought gray areas such as WikiLeaks and privacy issues . He proposed new rules on internet privacy and how ` ` do not track '' registry loom . These raise issues for new year of who gains , cedes control on the Internet , he says . 2010 : Consumer , business control , competition , bullying are key in evolving Internet age .