Internet architecture poses measurable risks to democratic institutions, European Commission report finds
By
Stephan Lewandowsky
Summary
The article examines how the architecture of the internet poses risks to democracy, drawing on naturalistic quasi-experiments and evidence from broadband rollout studies. It uses variation in state "right-of-way" laws in the US as an independent variable to show how broadband availability impacted democratic outcomes. The analysis is part of a broader report for the European Commission that paints a concerning picture about the relationship between internet infrastructure, surveillance capitalism, and democratic institutions.
Source
bskyInternet architecture poses measurable risks to democratic institutions, European Commission report findsscience.orgKey quotes
· 3 pulledThe first line of evidence comes from naturalistic quasi-experiments from which we can infer the causal impact of the rollout of internet hardware on relevant outcome measures.
Some states imposed far more onerous conditions than others before digging could commence.
When considered together, the evidence gives rise to a concerning picture, as summarized in a recent report for the European Commission that I co-led.
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