Algorithmic trust, risk and governance
I am a political scientist and postdoctoral researcher at the Institute for Information Law (IViR), University of Amsterdam (UvA). My research focuses on the political economy of digital trust and risk. That is why I am part of UvA's Trust Research Priority Area, which studies the evolution of trust in response to algorithmic technologies, notably Web3 and online platforms, and explores the potential disruptions to existing trust relationships, and emerging risks that come with it. Moreover, I am teaching in the 'Transformation of law and technology governance' and 'Complexity and risk' courses in UvA's Advcaned LLM Technology Governance program. Next to my research and teaching activities Amsterdam, I am also academic editor at the Internet Policy Review, a journal on information technology and Internet governance published by the Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society in Berlin. You can have a look at my CV here.
The person behind
When I am not sitting at my desk, one of my favorite activities is running (away from my problems). Beyond the tracks, I love immersing myself in the philosophy of creativity, fashion and design. Discussing trends, self-expression, and different personal styles is something I am always down for. Writing is also a great passion of mine, and I love to express myself through prose and poetry.
Publications
Here you'll find a selection of my latest research publications and articles. (A full list of publications can be found here).
In Brussels We Trust? Exploring Corporate Resistance in Platform Regulation
Law, Innovation and Technology
Can European regulators be trusted with the enforcement of the new Digital Services Act package? Recent developments show that designated companies are increasingly pursuing legal action against EU institutions. In a comparative analysis of litigation in the context of the GDPR, the DMA and the DSA, we find that the accumulation of digital legislation over time provides some explanatory potential for this legal obstructionism. Moreover, compared to the GDPR, the DMA and the DSA have a stronger impact on platforms' business models. While GDPR provisions impose rules on obtaining a lawful basis for data processing on all data processing entities, they do not fundamentally alter how a subset of designated platforms generate profit. Although the Commission stands steadfast in its enforcement actions, the rise in legal disputes could be seen as a warning sign, questioning the platforms' true willingness to adhere and requiring the Commission to be particularly vigilant. Read more
When Public Values and User-Centricity in e-
Government Collide – A Systematic Review
Government Information Quarterly
User-centricity in e-government is a double-edged sword. While it helps governments design digital services tailored to the needs of citizens, it may also increase the burden on users and deepen the digital divide. From an institutional perspective, these fundamental conflicts are inevitable. To better understand the role and effect of user-centricity in e-government, this paper analyses academic literature on user-centricity and public values. The analysis leads to three main insights: First, there is a conflict in citizen representation that may result from the normative dominance of decision-makers. Second, we identify an accountability conflict that can prevent user-centric innovation from thriving in a highly institutionalized environment. Third, we identify a pluralism conflict that emerges from a clash between the reality of a diverse society and the assumed homogeneity of actors. The need to address these conflicts increases with rapid technological innovation, such as distributed ledger technologies, artificial intelligence, and trust infrastructures. These technologies put the user at the center stage and permeate aspects of social life beyond government. In response to these insights, we outline suggestions for further research and practice. Read more
The Frameworks of Trust and Trustlessness around Algorithmic Control Technologies - A lost Sense of Community
Forthcoming
By now we have more than a decade worth of experience trying to build autonomous, code-driven, private ordering infrastructures, designed to complement, disrupt, or replace both private and public institutions. The revolution of these 'trustless' digital technologies is still yet to happen, raising concerns about their promises to address the existing trust challenges of centralized institutions, their capacity to eliminate the societal reliance on trust, and the potential consequences thereof. For this reason, in this chapter, we will pose the following questions: How does trustlessness through the elimination of more-or-less trusted middlemen impact our values and our sense of belonging? How does the decision to end trust maintenance through trustless technologies impact the cultivation of a sense of community within a society? This chapter will address these questions by critically reviewing the claims surrounding the trustlessness of automated, code-as-law-based governance systems in the field of digital identity management - an area that continues to command the attention of various organizations and institutions in its implementation. Read more
The Construction of Self-Sovereign Identity: Extending the Interpretive Flexibility of Technology Towards Institutions
Government Information Quarterly
Ever-growing concerns over ‘Big Brother’ continue driving individuals towards user-centric identity management systems. Nascent innovations are framed as offering Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI). Because of the association with value-laden ideals and technical components like blockchain, SSI is caught up with both hype and idiosyncrasy. Competing interpretations of SSI damage the public discourse and risk misrepresenting affordances these systems might offer. Based on a qualitative inductive interview study and document analysis, this article extrapolates a constructivist theoretical frame – the Extended Model of Interpretive Flexibility – which combines insights from the Social Construction of Technology and the Structurational Model of Technology. The Extended Model of Interpretive Flexibility highlights malleability in the technical implementations and social representations, which in turn is affected by and influences institutional properties around SSI. This research further offers implications for practice around the implementation of SSI, in particular regarding policy, management, and design. For theory on public sector information systems, the proposed model has generalizable potential for the analysis of socio-technical systems and offers future research directions. Read more
Leading the Charge on Digital Regulation: The More, the Better, or Policy Bubble?
Digital Society
For about a decade, the concept of ‘digital sovereignty’ has been prominent in the European policy discourse. In the quest for digital sovereignty, the European Union has adopted a constitutional approach to protect fundamental rights and democratic values, and to ensure fair and competitive digital markets. Thus, ‘digital constitutionalism’ emerged as a twin discourse. A corollary of these discourses is a third phenomenon resulting from a regulatory externalisation of European law beyond the bloc’s borders, the so-called ‘Brussels Effect’. The dynamics arising from Europe’s digital policy and regulatory activism imply increasing legal complexities. This paper argues that this phenomenon in policy-making is a case of a positive ‘policy bubble’ characterised by an oversupply of policies and legislative acts. The phenomenon can be explained by the amplification of values in the framing of digital policy issues. To unpack the policy frames and values at stake, this paper provides an overview of the digital policy landscape, followed by a critical assessment to showcase the practical implications of positive policy bubbles. Read more
Blog
Musings from a researcher off-duty.
There are no published blog posts yet.Reading list
My goal is to read one book per month, from novel to non-fiction. Happy to share my list here!
The righteous mind
January 2024,
Jonathan Haidt digs into why we humans have such different takes on things like fairness, morals and freedom. He argues that it's because our brains are wired to be judgy about what's right and wrong. Our moral judgments are guided by our gut feelings because humans are wired to be intuitive, not purely rational.
Never let me go
February 2024,
Never Let Me Go takes place in a dystopian world where students are raised in a peculiar boarding school called Hailsham. The students at this school are clones that exist for the sole purpose of donating organs. It is beautifully written novel, but also pretty sad and heartbreaking. While personally, the pacing may feel slow at times, I like how the individual characters in this book develop.
The fault in our stars
March 2024,
"Some infinities are bigger than other infinities... I cannot tell you how grateful I am for our little infinity.” It is an excerpt of the progranist's eulogy to her boyfriend. Let's ignore the mathemtical incorrectness for a second, I think the book is really moving and a nice change to someone who usually reads non-fiction books.
Siddhartha
April 2024,
In this book, the protagonist (Siddharta) passes through various stages in life. Especially because he believes that he cannot attain wisdom through teachings, but only through experience. He meets various people, lives through different lifestyles. Sometimes I was a bit lost in the story line, and faced more questions than answers... but perhaps that was the point ot the book?
Outliers
May 2024,
Malcom Gladwell lays out how societal systems and practical intelligence alone make individuals succesfull. In my opinion, this deterministic view completely robs individuals of their success reached through talent, merit, or growth. Success is a wild mix of multiple factors. It is definitely a product of deep systemic characteristics, but reducing achievements to only that really discredits those who succeed against all odds.
The Bell Jar
June 2024,
The Bell Jar: A novel written by Sylvia Plath.
Contact
For any inquiries please email me at I.weigl[at]uva.nl. 💌