Giovanni De Gregorio publishes article: How big tech is changing who’s in charge of our rights and freedoms
The article also explores the constitutional questions that are raised by the power of big technology firms - who has legitimacy, who should have power, and how can democracy best function in the digital age?
Since the end of the 20th century, daily life for most of us has increasingly moved into the digital sphere. This has led to the rise of the so-called “onlife” dimension, which represents the intimate intertwining of our online and offline lives. One day we may see the creation of the so-called metaverse, a perpetual online environment providing new digital spaces where people can interact, work and play as avatars.
The result is that people’s rights and freedoms are increasingly shaped by the rules set by big technology firms. Twitter’s decision to silence the former US president Donald Trump in the aftermath of the violence at Capitol Hill, Facebook’s banning of Australian publishers and users from sharing or viewing news content, and the decision of YouTube to block anti-vaccine content from spreading misinformation, are just some examples of how tech firms have expanded their role not only as global gatekeepers of information but also as private powers.
You can read the full article in The Conversation.