Technological neutrality in law is, roughly, the idea that law should neither help nor hinder particular types of technological artefacts. It has been adopted as a fundamental principle by courts, legislatures, governmental and inter-governmental organizations around the world. Its guiding premises have been instantiated in important related debates, some of which have captured the global Internet policy mind-set, ranging from network neutrality to the neutrality of search engine operators, mobile application ecosystems and Internet platforms in general. This book offers a systematic examination of this principle, rigorously questioning whether technological neutrality is a sound principle for law and policy making in the information age.
Introduction
Origins and Contours of Technological Neutrality
Law, Vagueness and Technological Change
Technology and Political Neutrality: The Bracketing Strategy
Politics and the Information Environment: Articulation, Stratification and
Recognition
The Neutralization of Otherness
Autonomy, Harmony and Personhood
Conclusion
Marcelo Thompson is an Assistant Professor of Law and Deputy Director of the Law and Technology Centre at the Faculty of Law, The University of Hong Kong
