Research articles on GOVERNANCE

Beyond the individual: governing AI’s societal harm

Nathalie A. Smuha, KU Leuven
PUBLISHED ON: 30 Sep 2021 DOI: 10.14763/2021.3.1574

In this article, I propose a distinction between individual harm, collective harm and societal harm caused by artificial intelligence (AI), and focus particularly on the latter. By listing examples and identifying concerns, I provide a conceptualisation of AI’s societal harm so as to better enable its identification and mitigation. Drawing on an analogy with environmental law, which also aims to protect an interest affecting society at large, I propose governance mechanisms that EU policymakers should consider to counter AI’s societal harm.

Safeguarding European values with digital sovereignty: an analysis of statements and policies

Huw Roberts, University of Oxford
Josh Cowls, University of Oxford
Federico Casolari, University of Bologna
Jessica Morley, University of Oxford
Mariarosaria Taddeo, University of Oxford
Luciano Floridi, University of Oxford
PUBLISHED ON: 30 Sep 2021 DOI: 10.14763/2021.3.1575

This paper is part of Governing “European values” inside data flows, a special issue of Internet Policy Review guest-edited by Kristina Irion, Mira Burri, Ans Kolk, Stefania Milan. Introduction Governments’ interest in the “datafied society” (Hintz et al., 2018) as an object of policy and regulation is nothing new, with a long-held recognition that governance protocols (policies, ethics frameworks, and regulations) can be used to reshape the technological infrastructure underpinning society and hence its nature (Floridi, 2018; van Dijck & Poell, 2016). However, the widespread adoption of the term “sovereignty”—a concept loaded with legal and political connotations—to describe authority over …

This paper process-traces how European policymakers have delegated regulatory responsibilities to private certification and monitoring bodies acting as regulatory intermediaries. It explores how regulators can constrain or incentivise self-regulation that exists in their shadow via intermediaries, instead of using direct modes of regulation.

Governing “European values” inside data flows: interdisciplinary perspectives

Kristina Irion, University of Amsterdam
Mira Burri, University of Lucerne
Ans Kolk, University of Amsterdam
Stefania Milan, University of Amsterdam
PUBLISHED ON: 30 Sep 2021 DOI: 10.14763/2021.3.1582

This editorial introduces ten research articles, which form part of this special issue, exploring the governance of “European values” inside data flows.

Personal data ordering in context: the interaction of meso-level data governance regimes with macro frameworks

Balázs Bodó, University of Amsterdam
Kristina Irion, University of Amsterdam
Heleen Janssen, University of Amsterdam
Alexandra Giannopoulou, University of Amsterdam
PUBLISHED ON: 30 Sep 2021 DOI: 10.14763/2021.3.1581

This article assesses the bidirectional interaction between meso- and macro-level data governance frameworks.

This paper is part of Governing “European values” inside data flows, a special issue of Internet Policy Review guest-edited by Kristina Irion, Mira Burri, Ans Kolk, Stefania Milan. Introduction The entrenchment and establishment of particular rights has from the outset been part of the advancement of the European project and how the European Union (EU) has defined itself. References to ‘European values’ are often rooted in an understanding of this commitment to rights seen to uphold certain principles about democracy and the relationship between market, state and citizens. Although the notion that Europe is premised on a set of exceptional values is contentious, Foret and Calligaro argue …

Pandemic platform governance: Mapping the global ecosystem of COVID-19 response apps

Michael Dieter, University of Warwick
Anne Helmond, University of Amsterdam
Nathaniel Tkacz, University of Warwick
Fernando van der Vlist, University of Siegen
Esther Weltevrede, University of Amsterdam
PUBLISHED ON: 6 Aug 2021 DOI: 10.14763/2021.3.1568

How have app stores governed the global app response to the coronavirus pandemic? An exploratory systematic mapping of COVID-19 pandemic response apps.

Information interventions and social media

Giovanni De Gregorio, University of Oxford
Nicole Stremlau, University of Oxford; University of Johannesburg
PUBLISHED ON: 30 Jun 2021 DOI: 10.14763/2021.2.1567

The spread of hate speech and disinformation on social media has contributed to inflaming conflicts and mass atrocities as seen in Myanmar. Is the doctrine of information intervention a solution to escalations of violence?