The commercialized public sphere

Empirically, the project provides new knowledge on a topic that has become increasingly controversial as still larger portions of public and private life unfold within commercial platforms.

Theoretically, it contributes to the debates on commercialized public life, contemporary forms of censorship and control, and, more broadly, to discussions of the protection of human rights on the internet.

One major challenge relates to the fact that public life on the internet depends on infrastructure and platforms provided for by private companies. While the internet as a public sphere is widely studied, not much of this research focuses on the nature of the companies that set the conditions for public and private life in the online realm. Moreover, little research demonstrates and relates company perceptions and practices to the broader human rights implications of these. Presuming that internet companies play a key role for human right protection on the internet, it becomes paramount to understand these actors in more detail. Responding to this need, the present research project asks: How do these actors influence the conditions for public and private life and what are the human rights implications of this?

Funding

The Danish Council for Independent Research: Sapere Aude-program