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Technology, autonomy, and manipulation

Author

Listed:
  • Susser, Daniel
  • Roessler, Beate
  • Nissenbaum, Helen

Abstract

Since 2016, when the Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal began to emerge, public concern has grown around the threat of "online manipulation". While these worries are familiar to privacy researchers, this paper aims to make them more salient to policymakers—first, by defining "online manipulation", thus enabling identification of manipulative practices; and second, by drawing attention to the specific harms online manipulation threatens. We argue that online manipulation is the use of information technology to covertly influence another person's decision-making, by targeting and exploiting their decision-making vulnerabilities. Engaging in such practices can harm individuals by diminishing their economic interests, but its deeper, more insidious harm is its challenge to individual autonomy. We explore this autonomy harm, emphasising its implications for both individuals and society, and we briefly outline some strategies for combating online manipulation and strengthening autonomy in an increasingly digital world.

Suggested Citation

  • Susser, Daniel & Roessler, Beate & Nissenbaum, Helen, 2019. "Technology, autonomy, and manipulation," Internet Policy Review: Journal on Internet Regulation, Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG), Berlin, vol. 8(2), pages 1-22.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:iprjir:214077
    DOI: 10.14763/2019.2.1410
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    Cited by:

    1. Lena Bjørlo & Øystein Moen & Mark Pasquine, 2021. "The Role of Consumer Autonomy in Developing Sustainable AI: A Conceptual Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-18, February.
    2. Dobber, Tom & Ó Fathaigh, Ronan & Zuiderveen Borgesius, Frederik J., 2019. "The regulation of online political micro-targeting in Europe," Internet Policy Review: Journal on Internet Regulation, Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG), Berlin, vol. 8(4), pages 1-20.
    3. Fabiana Di Porto & Marialuisa Zuppetta, 2021. "Co-regulating algorithmic disclosure for digital platforms [Theorizing regulatory intermediaries]," Policy and Society, Darryl S. Jarvis and M. Ramesh, vol. 40(2), pages 272-293.
    4. Burkell, Jacquelyn & Regan, Priscilla M., 2019. "Voter preferences, voter manipulation, voter analytics: policy options for less surveillance and more autonomy," Internet Policy Review: Journal on Internet Regulation, Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG), Berlin, vol. 8(4), pages 1-24.
    5. Pollmann, Kathrin & Loh, Wulf & Fronemann, Nora & Ziegler, Daniel, 2023. "Entertainment vs. manipulation: Personalized human-robot interaction between user experience and ethical design," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).

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