Algorithmic regulation and the global default: Shifting norms in Internet technology

Abstract

The world we inhabit is surrounded by 'coded objects', from credit cards to airplanes to telephones (Kitchin & Dodge, 2011). Sadly, the governance mechanisms of many of these technologies are only poorly understood, leading to the common premise that such technologies are 'neutral' (Brey, 2005; Winner, 1980), thereby obscuring normative and power-related consequences of their design (Bauman et al., 2014; Denardis, 2012). In order to unpack supposedly neutral technologies, the following paper will look at one key question around the technologies used on the global Internet: how are the algorithms embedded in software governed? The paper will look in detail at the question of algorithmic governance before turning to one specific example: content regulatory regimes. Finally, it will focus on drawing conclusions in understanding the normative frameworks embedded in technological systems.