NoC Online Intermediaries Research Project: Case Studies
These case studies are part of a globally coordinated, independent academic research project by the Global Network of Interdisciplinary Internet & Society Research Centers (NoC). Facilitated by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, the project is the first output of a larger policy-oriented research initiative that examines the rapidly changing landscape of online intermediary governance at the intersection of law, technology, norms, and markets. In concert with other research projects, it seeks to develop criteria, comparative methods, and a shared data repository, and to compile insights and lessons learned across diverse communities of knowledge aimed at informing and improving Internet policy-making globally.
The initial research output consists of a case study series exploring online intermediary liability frameworks and issues in Brazil, the European Union, India, South Korea, the United States, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam, and a synthesis paper that seeks to distill key observations and provide a high-level analysis of some of the structural elements that characterize varying governance frameworks, with a focus on intermediary liability regimes and their evolution.
The authors of these case studies have participated in a multi-step process of in-person consultations and remote collaborations among a global team of researchers from the Network of Centers. Additionally, the case studies are based on a set of broader questions regarding the role of online intermediaries in the digital age.[1]
The research effort is grounded in a diversity of global perspectives and collaborative research techniques, committed to objective and independent academic standards, and aspires to be useful, actionable, and timely for policymakers and stakeholders. More broadly, the Network of Centers seeks to contribute to a more generalized vision and longer-term strategy regarding the role of academic research, facilitation and convening, and education and communication in the Internet age. For additional information on the initiative, please contact Urs Gasser, Berkman Center for Internet & Society, at ugasser@cyber.law.harvard.edu
[1] The process is documented at: “Online Intermediaries: Functions, Values, and Governance Options”, The Global Network of Internet & Society Research Centers, 2014 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_ToTBKP5ITVWTl0UzV0U3B2RlU/view?usp=sharing
Online Intermediaries in India
This case study by the National Law University, Delhi maps and analyzes online intermediary liability in India by describing the landscape, highlighting intermediaries...
Roles and Liabilities of Online Intermediaries in Vietnam – Regulations in the Mixture of Hope and Fear
This essay studies the policy and regulatory framework affecting the liability of online intermediaries in Vietnam by exploring how the liability of online intermediar...
Online Intermediary Liability in Thailand
This paper discusses the instability of the Thai government and society, and how this affects the implementation and creation of laws and policies relevant to Internet...
Intermediary Liability – Not Just Backward but Going Back
This paper provides an analysis of the Korean “Act Regarding Promotion of Use of Information Communication Networks and Protection of Information” that governs interme...
Brazilian Courts and the Internet – Rulings Before and After the Marco Civil on Intermediary Liability
This report focus on the current state of the discussion in Brazil, analyzing solutions created by a decade of judicial decisions on the topic of online intermediaries...
Turkey (eBay Case)
This paper provides an analysis and evaluation of the situation for online intermediaries in Turkey, with a focus on the problems faced by eBay after it acquired www.g...
European Union and Google Spain
This paper provides an overview of the legal framework governing the liability of Internet intermediaries in the European Union (EU) with a focus on the E-Commerce Dir...
Intermediary Liability in the United States
This paper describes and assesses the intermediary liability landscape in the United States, providing an overview of major US legal regimes that protect online interm...