Klaudia Majcher (European University Institute - Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (RSCAS)) has posted Epistemic Power and EU Digital Law on SSRN. Here is the abstract:
The media are a highly impactful institution in any democratic system and a core knowledge infrastructure that empowers citizens. However, the unprecedented influence of large online platforms over information production and distribution has in recent years caused severe disruptions to the knowledge market, threatening the sustainability of traditional publishing and citizens' epistemic well-being. Given that information is a fundamental social good, its control and governance warrant rigorous scrutiny. Cast in the language of epistemology and power, this article provides reflections on how to rethink the approach to platforms' influence on the modern knowledge regime, making a twofold contribution. First, it introduces the concept of 'epistemic power', which refers to the influence online platforms exert over the production, distribution, and validation of information and the formation of public opinion. As is argued, this new concept can not only help us deepen our understanding of the ongoing platform-driven transformations within the information ecosystems, but it is also essential to chart a course for policy and legal responses. Second, the article examines EU digital law – digital competition law and selected digital regulations, in particular the Digital Markets Act, the Digital Services Act, and the European Media Freedom Act – for its potential to address distortions caused by epistemic power.
