>>102760960 (OP)
The key issue is that internet is no longer just a place to watch silly cat videos on youtube or to visit a few sparsely populated forums.
International public forum via social media, banking, online stores, porn, private and public databases, national security concerns, etc.
The internet in recent decades has become an irreplaceable pillar of societal infrastructure and as such it will either be regulated more due to its increased significance or it it will be rolled back, but de-digitalization would be such a massive and costly undertaking that the former is much more convenient for national and international authorities to attempt.
The problem with increased regulation is that the decision makers might implement it in a sub-optimal way, either accidentally or deliberately, but I don't really see how increased regulations themselves can be realistically avoided.
Protesting poor regulation models will help but even if they listen they will still attempt some different type of regulation next.
