Governing the internet in the privacy arena

Abstract

The surveillance disclosures triggered by Snowden have fueled the public renegotiation of privacy. To follow resulting controversies we present a methodology that links social worlds theory to approaches asking for the democratic governance character of issuecentred arenas. After having outlined this approach it is put to the test. We analyse and compare two cases: The Schengen/National Routing, and the Parliamentary Committee investigating the NSA surveillance disclosures. The analysis reveals two oscillating governance modes at work in the privacy arena; their interplay results in an obstruction. Based on this observation we finally provide a diagnosis of possible future arena trajectories.