Law and Society in a Digital World
This cluster brings together academics, students, policymakers and practitioners to study contemporary issues in in global media law and policy.
It has a particular focus on societies that are transitioning or are in the global south and on the dramatic changes in communications technology that are transforming the way societies are governed, how people participate and how power is distributed.
Researchers are working on rapidly evolving areas around the shifting modes of censorship and internet regulation, technology and migration, disinformation and hate speech, the emergence of AI and the regulation of algorithms. This cluster builds on the work of the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy (PCMLP), which was established over twenty-five years ago. PCMLP has a large community of alumni and friends that remain associated with the programme. The Oxford Media Policy Summer Institute is a leading annual event on the media law and policy calendar and continues to serve as a central event bringing together Cluster members and associates. This is complemented by regular seminars and workshops that often seeks to bridge the epistemic distance between the global north and the global south. Other researchers in this cluster are also interested in the field of online dispute resolution and virtual legal worlds. Research in this cluster is supported by a range of grants, including from the European Research Council, EU Horizon 2020, and the University of Oxford OxBer fund. This cluster is led by Nicole Stremlau.
