Reclaiming digital democracy: A need for inauguration of regulated digital sovereignty

摘要

The commentary argues that self-regulatory mechanisms for dealing with the gravity and severity of current dangers from enormous and wealthy online platforms and offers are not sufficient and instead offers a view on functionally merging various initiatives, such as the Audiovisual Media Services Directive and the proposed Digital Services Act, outlining a proposal for allowing their constructive vertical and horizontal operationalism, having in mind the transnational nature of online services. It argues that the institute of National Digital Services Coordinators should be established in the form of national digital forums headed by media regulatory authorities, with competition, election and data-protection national authorities, vertically supported and consulted with the media/fact-checkers and academia. The proposed structure should be there not to protect any singular interest, but everyone's collective interests, and the proposed functioning scheme recognizes the regulatory and advisory system with vertical and horizontal integration of the identified players. In place of naivete in expecting dramatic and revolutionary response to addressing the problems and dangers in the online media environment, this commentary attempted to offer practical solutions to retaining the basic premise of democracy, while maintaining the vital importance of the right to freedom of expression.