University of Twente Student Theses
Ambiguity, Autonomy & Arbitrariness : The European Vision of Freedom of Expression in the Digital Sphere
Samol, Julian Alexander (2024) Ambiguity, Autonomy & Arbitrariness : The European Vision of Freedom of Expression in the Digital Sphere.
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| Abstract: | The regulation of the digital sphere saw a turning of the tides with the passing of the Digital Services Act, which tasked service providers with realising the European Union's vision of the digital sphere. By laying out several obligations which ought to be met, the European Union determined what content is deemed permissible in the digital sphere. With this incision on the part of the European Union, a question arises of what strategy to combat abusive expressions is provided. Moreover, it begs the question of how issues such as disinformation and hate speech are interpreted, as well as where the European Union draws the boundaries to the right of freedom of expression. In order to answer these questions, an interpretive content analysis was conducted. Documents published by various institutions under the umbrella of the European Union addressing dynamics related to freedom of expression in the digital sphere have been analysed. As a prerequisite for this approach, a theoretical framework was established that investigated different conceptions of freedom of expression and looked at different dynamics which scholars raise in regard to freedom of expression in the digital sphere. The analysis found that the European Union’s vision appears incomplete. While it was expected to gain findings that allow the painting of a picture of what the European vision entails, it was found that due to a combination of ambiguity, autonomy, and arbitrariness in both what actually ought to be tackled and how it ought to be tackled, service providers are able to arbitrarily interpret what the European vision entails. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 88 social and public administration |
| Programme: | Public Administration MSc (60020) |
| Awards: | Master of Science |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/100671 |
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