Governance of Technology & the Internet

The AGTech Forum provides opportunities for collaborative engagement among state attorneys general, technology companies, academics, and other stakeholders about innovation,… More

In a world challenged by growing domestic and international inequalities, policymakers face hard problems and difficult choices when dealing with AI systems. More

A multitude of technical, legal, policy, and economic issues around digital currencies and blockchain technologies have emerged in recent years. More

The Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society is in the third year of a research, policy analysis, and network building effort devoted to the study of harmful speech, in close… More

A multi-disciplinary, collaborative, and extended investigation into the multi-layered system that defines the function, structure, and operation of the Internet.  More

In early June 2012, Urs Gasser and John Palfrey released Interoperability: The Promise and Perils of Highly Interconnected Systems. The book is inspired by their 2005 study and… More

Lumen collects and studies online content removal requests, providing transparency and supporting analysis of the Web’s takedown “ecology." More

ProjectVRM seeks to improve markets by equipping customers with tools for both independence from vendors and better engagement with vendors. More

A collaborative initiative focused on interdisciplinary research on the development, social impact, policy implications, and legal issues concerning the Internet. More

Led by Executive Director and Harvard Law School Professor of Practice, Urs Gasser, the Berkman Center's cloud computing initiative seeks to identify and evaluate the challenges… More

This project aims to achieve a better understanding of interoperability—that is, the ability of entities such as software, devices, or components to exchange information—in the… More

The Berkman Center conducted an independent, exploratory study analyzing ICANN’s decision-making processes and communications with stakeholders. More

The Internet Safety Technical Task Force (ISTTF) is a group of Internet businesses, non-profit organizations, academics, and technology companies that have joined together to… More

The Net Dialogue project strives to encourage greater public access to Net-related rulemaking by intergovernmental organizations, and to engage technologists and policymakers in… More

We formed the Open ePolicy Group in February 2005 with members from every region of the world to share insights from governments, companies and organizations at the forefront of… More

The centerpiece of the Berkman Center's early research on Internet governance was the Center's work with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers... More

​AI-based systems are “black boxes,” resulting in massive information asymmetries between the developers of such systems and consumers and policymakers. More

This open letter — signed by Harvard and MIT-based faculty, staff, and researchers— is directed to the Massachusetts Legislature to inform its consideration of risk assessment… More

This collection of short essays and opinion pieces on harmful speech online covers a broad spectrum of thought and ideas from the Berkman Klein community. More

An introduction to the relatively nascent, but quickly evolving children’s digital rights discourse More

A collection of case studies and organizational models for those who manage and participate in open source development initiatives. More

This essay seeks to review some of the various attempts to define hate speech, and pull from them a series of traits that can be used to frame hate speech with a higher degree of… More

Through interviews with leaders of civil society organizations (CSOs) and a review of existing literature, this study discusses efforts and interventions that CSOs have employed… More

This briefing paper outlines preliminary issues that we noted while conducting a detailed study of hate speech laws in India. It teases out some of the major concerns that arise… More

This paper offers reflections and observations on the state of research related to harmful speech online. More

In this paper, Michel Reymond explores the extraterritorial effects of the Google Spain decision rendered in May 2014 by the European Court of Justice. Through a methodology… More

The Transparency Reporting Toolkit is a project by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and New America’s Open Technology Institute (OTI). Using… More

This paper describes how the fractal complexity of cloud computing’s physical geography has fractured the system of Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) that arose during the… More

The idea of an “Internet Bill of Rights” is by no means a new one: in fact, serious efforts to draft such a document can be traced at least as far back as the mid-1990s. In this… More

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society, together with the Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers (NoC), is pleased to announce the release of a new publication… More

The Berkman Center is pleased to announce the publication of a new paper, "Interoperability in the Digital Ecosystem." The paper builds upon our previous interoperability work,… More

This project examines the rapidly changing landscape of online intermediary liability at the intersection of law, technology, norms, and markets, and is aimed at informing and… More

The project explores existing multistakeholder governance groups with the goal of informing the future evolution of the Internet governance ecosystem. The research effort… More

In this paper, Urs Gasser and David O'Brien synthesize findings from a multi-year cloud computing research initiative led by the Berkman Center in close collaboration with the… More

“Cloud Innovation and the Law: Issues, Approaches, and Interplay,” authored by Berkman Center Executive Director and Harvard Law School Professor of Practice Urs Gasser, draws… More

Following the four primary applications of interoperability theory laid out by Palfrey and Gasser, this paper is organized into five Parts: (1) Part One introduces the topic; (2)… More

This case study is part of an ongoing series developed in support of a larger text on interoperability by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly… More

This case study is part of an ongoing series developed in support of a larger text on interoperability by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly… More

This case study is part of an ongoing series developed in support of a larger text on interoperability by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly… More

This case study is part of an ongoing series developed in support of a larger text on interoperability by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser - Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly… More

This case study is part of an ongoing series developed in support of a larger text on interoperability by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly… More

This case study is part of an ongoing series developed in support of a larger text on interoperability by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly… More

In Interop, technology experts John Palfrey and Urs Gasser explore the immense importance of interoperability—the standardization and integration of technology—and show how this… More

Urs Gasser and John Palfrey have continued to contribute to the World Trade Institute’s NCCR Trade Policy project with a particular focus on the interoperability as an enabler of… More

Urs Gasser and John Palfrey have continued to contribute to the World Trade Institute’s NCCR Trade Policy project with a particular focus on the interoperability as an enabler of… More

Urs Gasser and John Palfrey have continued to contribute to the World Trade Institute’s NCCR Trade Policy project with a particular focus on the interoperability as an enabler of… More

This case study is part of an ongoing series developed in support of a larger text on interoperability by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly… More

This case study is part of an ongoing series developed in support of a larger text on interoperability by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly… More

Building upon a process- and context-oriented information quality framework, this paper seeks to map and explore what we know about the ways in which young users of age 18 and… More

In August 2010, selected faculty and researchers at the Berkman Center initiated an independent, exploratory study analyzing ICANN’s decision-making processes and communications… More

This document addresses legal and practical issues related to the practice colloquially known as sexting. It was created by Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Clinic, based at the… More

This paper's main objectives are: to raise awareness about issues related to digital safety for youth in developing nations; to provide a tentative map of these issues and give… More

Statement by danah boyd, Urs Gasser, and John Palfrey, urging consideration of the gap between the intentions of COPPA and how children and their parents perceive its… More

The scope of this literature review is to map out what is currently understood about the intersections of youth, reputation, and privacy online, focusing on youth attitudes and… More

The response synthesizes current research and data on the media practices of youth, focusing on three main areas -- 1) Risky Behaviors and Online Safety, 2) Privacy, Publicity and… More

The FCC announced that the Berkman Center would conduct an independent expert review of existing literature and studies about broadband deployment and usage throughout the world… More

This paper maps out multiple dimensions of interoperability in the emerging digital identity management infrastructure, with a view to promoting openness in this infrastructure… More

How are we helping young people engage with new technologies? More

A long time ago, in the bad old days of the 2000s, debates about the internet were dominated by two great tribes: the Optimists and the Pessimists... More

Seeking technologists with diverse skill sets to confront the concrete and constantly emerging problems related to artificial intelligence and governance. Applications are due… More

A look at lessons we’ve learned in our work as part of the Ethics and Governance of AI Initiative, More

Leverage the aggregate insights of its own users to root out false or deceptive news, and then, remove the profit motive by charging publishers who try to promote it. More

This week marks the 12th annual meeting of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), a multistakeholder forum for policy dialogue on issues of Internet governance. More

As we integrate artificial intelligence deeper into our daily technologies, it becomes important to ask “why” not just of people, but of systems. More

The Berkman Klein Center community explores broader research questions and topics related to the challenges of keeping tabs on the daily social media interactions of hundreds of… More

Prof. Chris Bavitz notes how a recent Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling might impact the use of algorithms in criminal justice. More

With the Berkman Klein Center and  MIT Media Lab as academic anchor institutions, the Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Fund announced today funding for nine… More

The Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and the MIT Media Lab seek technologists with diverse skill sets to confront the concrete and constantly… More

Urs Gasser asks: Is the emerging field of AI ethics and governance ready for empirical research? More

Several foundations and funders today announced the Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Fund, which will support interdisciplinary research to ensure that AI develops… More

This collection of publications includes an assessment of the efforts of civil society organizations to address racist speech in Brazil and Colombia; a study of the legal… More

The Berkman Center was asked by National Telecommunications & Information Administration of the United States Department of Commerce (NTIA) to serve on an independent expert panel… More

A summary of the second “Computers Gone Wild: Impact and Implications of Developments in Artificial Intelligence on Society” workshop, which took place on February 19, 2016 at… More

On April 1st, the Copyright Office closed the initial comment period for a public study undertaken to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act… More

The winning contributions reflected a diversity of insights, ideas, and perspectives about unique examples of multistakeholder governance. Essays examined a wide range of… More

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multistakeholder forum for policy dialogue on issues of Internet governance. The Berkman Center and our colleagues from the Network of… More

In the latest podcast, we interview Jeffrey "Lyte" Lin, a neuroscientist and a game designer for Riot Games about how to tackle hate speech in online gaming. More

The Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers (NoC) and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University are pleased to announce the release of a new… More

The Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers (NoC) and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University are pleased to announce the release of a new… More

The Berkman Center is pleased to announce two new publications on cloud computing, “Governments and Cloud Computing: Role, Approaches, and Policy Considerations” and “Cloud… More

Friends of the show John Palfrey and Urs Gasser speak with David Weinberger about how Interoperability works, and how interoperable systems can lead to greater innovation, greater… More

Last Wednesday, we were proud to host the launch of John Palfrey and Urs Gasser's latest publication, Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly Interconnected Systems, along with… More

Two major digital library networks have reached an agreement to collaborate in ways that will make a large part of the world’s cultural heritage available to a large part of the… More

Faculty associate Matthew Hindman provoked an energetic email exchange among members of the extended Berkman Center community today, in anticipation of Secretary Clinton's … More

This week the Berkman Center has published the research materials, resources, and other inputs that were gathered in the course of the production of its independent, exploratory… More

The Berkman Center is pleased to announce that the final draft of its independent review of accountability and transparency at ICANN has been posted by the ICANN Accountability… More

The Berkman Center has recently organized all of its research efforts relating to young people and technology – including new work on youth in developing countries – under a… More

The Berkman Center will conduct an independent, exploratory study analyzing ICANN’s decision-making processes and communications with stakeholders. The study will develop a… More

What is known about online youth safety? danah boyd releases the Youth and Media Policy Working Group Initiative's DRAFT literature review on the topic -- for public comment and… More

The Berkman Center is pleased to share our Youth and Media Policy Working Group Initiative's latest document, which addresses legal and practical issues related to the practice… More

From danah boyd's blog: "...John Palfrey, Urs Gasser, and I have been co-directing the Youth and Media Policy Working Group Initiative to investigate the role that policy can play… More

Seven different pieces of writing and research from the Berkman Center community have appeared over the last seven days, from Ethan Zuckerman's essay in the latest issue of… More

The Berkman Center is pleased to share our Youth and Media Policy Working Group Initiative's extensive literature review mapping out "what is currently understood about the… More

The Berkman Center is pleased to share the Youth and Media Policy Working Group Initiative's response to the FCC's Notice of Inquiry on "Empowering Parents and Protecting Children… More

The first meeting of the Berkman Center's new Youth and Media Policy Working Group Initiative is being held today; experts from various fields are gathered to discuss privacy and… More

Doc Searls for the ProjectVRM blog: "So I’m a guest on the latest TWiL (This Week in Law) podcast. Lots of VRM links at that link, below the topic, 'How modernization of health… More

This week on Radio Berkman: Doc Searls discusses Vendor Relationship Management (VRM)... More

An exchange between John Palfrey and Adam Thierer concerning tweaking Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act was published today in Ars Technica... More

As the spring semester begins, we are delighted to officially welcome Professor of Law at the University of St. Gallen Dr. Urs Gasser into his new role as Berkman’s Executive… More

Our friends over at the Public Radio Exchange are making it easier for you to access public radio everywhere you go. More

Berkman is pleased to announce the launch of the Global Network Initiative, a dynamic effort developed in partnership with leading human rights groups, academics, socially… More

The UC Berkeley School of Law is seeking a clinical professor to serve as the director of the Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic. And Stanford Law School has… More

Doc Searls reports on Monday and Tuesday's first-ever VRM workshop... More

Last week, Berkman Fellow Doc Searls delivered the keynote -- virtually -- at the VRM 2008 conference in Munich. And ProjectVRM won a special prize... More

On Jan. More

This week the Berkman Center and the Research Center for Information Law, St. More

From Berkman Fellow Urs Gasser...[Earlier this week], I had the pleasure to co-moderate with my colleagues and friends Prof. More

Last week, as part of the project on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Interoperability, a field of experts gathered in Weissbaden, Switzerland for a workshop hosted… More

Berkman fellow Urs Gasser spoke at today's Federal Trade Commission's hearings on Protecting Consumers in the Next Tech-ade. Speaking as the event's "European voice," Urs… More

At the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), a UN conference on future internet public policy taking place in Athens this week, a diverse group of stakeholders has agreed to launch a… More

Referring to the DADVSI bill amending the French copyright act, BBC reports that “Apple gets French iTunes reprieve.” One of many previous versions of the bill had ruled that… More

Yesterday, the Berkman Center for Internet & Society hosted a two-hour discussion session on Open Standards and Interoperability.  Our discussion was meant to be an extension of… More

Cambridge, MA – Today, the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School will release “The Roadmap for Open Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)… More

Why has the Internet had such a powerful impact? What are the challenges that may cause the Internet of tomorrow to be significantly less revolutionary than the Internet to date? More

Academics and civil society representatives from across the Global South will discuss emerging legal challenges to human rights in digitally networked spaces, from hate speech to… More

When data from all aspects of our lives can be relevant to our health - from our habits at the grocery store and our Google searches to our FitBit data and our medical records -… More

A symposium that brings together scientists, engineers, lawmakers, and car manufacturers to discuss ethical considerations and trust in autonomous vehicles. More

Blockchain technology is ultimately a dual-edge technology that can be used to either support or supplant the law. This talk looks at the impact of blockchain technology of a… More

COMPAS is a software used across the country to predict who will commit future crimes. It doesn’t perform any better than untrained people who responded to an online survey. More

Join us for a stimulating conversation highlighting different perspectives of the question, "Will Wikipedia exist in 20 years?" More

This is a talk in the monthly Digital Health @ Harvard  More

As society figures out what is acceptable and what is harmful, can technology play a role in improving online debate? More

Please join us for a timely discussion of the role of data science in public life. All are welcome at this free event open to the public! More

Global Access in Action: Conversations in Global Health, Innovation, & the Digital World More

Event Description US market regulators offer… More

The goals of the symposium include furthering cooperation among various players in the world of podcast creation and distribution and consideration of recommendations on standards… More

To apply to Futurecorp, please submit your resume, list of references, and a genetic profile. Once hired, we'll make an appointment for you to receive a sub-dermal tracking… More

Can digital technology lead to the extinction of criminal rehabilitation? How should policymakers strike a balance between protecting civil rights and public safety while ensuring… More

Join the Berkman Klein Center and the HLS Canadian Law Student Association as Mr. Blais speaks about broadband, internet, and the future of connectivity in Canada and around the… More

This is a talk in the monthly Digital Health @ Harvard  More

Join some of the worker-owners of the Loomio co-op for an inside look at some of the more mature experiments under the “Platform Cooperativism” umbrella. More

Hate shopping? The next generation of e-commerce will be conducted by digital agents, based on algorithms that will not only make purchase recommendations, but will also predict… More

The changing market reality is already shifting power into the hands of the few. Join us to explore the resulting risks to competition, our democratic ideals, and our economic and… More

What really happened in the Y2K crisis and did it matter? With a growing consensus that the United States is in a state of infrastructural crisis, the Y2K bug and its aftermath… More

Those responsible for technical design of the Internet are… More

Can we observe the emergence of a new fundamental right that is protecting the Internet? Can such a constitutionalisation process originate from civil society? More

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society hosts a conference to explore the dynamics of hate speech targeted toward Afro-descendent populations in Latin America, and the existing… More

On December 6-8, 2012, the Berkman Center for Internet & Society hosted an international Symposium on Internet-Driven Developments: Structural Changes and Tipping Points (SCTP),… More

Whether your interest is in preserving Internet freedom and opportunity, changing the economic power structure, new challenges for cyberlaw, or just turning the tables on privacy… More

John Palfrey and Urs Gasser discussed their new book on Interoperability book and its themes. More

On May 16-17, 2011, the Berkman Center together with Open Knowledge Commons and the Institute for Information Law at the University of Amsterdam convened a group of technical and… More

The first VRM+CRM workshop will take place on 26-27 August, at Harvard Law School. It’s free. The purpose is to get VRM and CRM developers and other interested parties (such as… More

As with earlier Vendor Relationship Management (VRM) workshops, this is a free unconference, organized on the open space model. Participants choose the topics, move those topics… More

ProjectVRM, an initiative lead by Berkman Fellow Doc Searls, will host its first West Coast Meeting in Palo Alto. More

In these dawn years of the Information Age, when individuals have more choice than ever about what they can do with their time and money, big companies still talk about "capturing… More

Day 2 of ProjectVRM's first workshop is underway... More

This joint report followed the Roadmap to Open ICT Ecosystems released in 2005, as it navigates the nuanced territory of consumer, corporate, and governmental interests in the… More

Wendy Seltzer, founder of Chilling Effects, discussed "Sacked by Copyright: DMCA Takedowns and Free Expression." More

General Counsel of Microsoft, Brad Smith, discussed ", Interoperability, and IP" More

Berkman Luncheon Series: 12/4/03 - Colin Maclay on ICT and Education in Panama More