Can IOs Mobilize Support for Regulating "Big Tech"?

• In Event: International Actors and Public Attitudes Toward Cooperation

Abstract

Can international actors influence attitudes about regulating big tech firms? As these firms become dominant players in commerce, media, and communications, rules and principles for appropriate and socially responsible practices have lagged, especially the realm of digital privacy. International actors, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) increasingly frame the problem as a fundamental human rights issue, while discussions of regulation within the U.S. tend to focus more on the anti-competitive nature the sector. Our study asks two questions. First, can international actors influence support for increasing regulations on big tech firms? Second, is a human rights framing more effective at mobilizing support for regulation than messaging that focuses on antitrust issues? We answer these questions using a pre-registered survey experiment with a 3x2 factorial design, varying both the source of information about threats posed by large tech firms and the framing of the issue. Specifically, we randomly assign whether respondents see a message that frames regulation as addressing human rights or as one that casts regulation as a response to lack of competition in the sector. We also randomly assign whether respondents are told the source of the message is the UN Special Rapporteur for Digital Privacy, the London-based NGO Privacy International, or a Congressional committee. Our expectation is that a rights-based framing is more effective at mobilizing support for increased regulation and that international organizations can be important influences on public opinion in this area. Our findings speak to debates about the demand for digital privacy regulation and the efficacy of international campaigns to shape “best practices” in the tech sector.

Authors

• Terrence Chapman, University of Texas, Austin

• Huimin Li, University of Texas at Austin