BETWEEN ALGORITHMS AND PRIVATE CENSORSHIP: CHALLENGES OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
The advance of artificial intelligence has redefined the modes of production, circulation and control of information in the digital ecosystem. In this context, the use of algorithmic systems for content moderation on digital platforms raises central questions about the limits of private action in regulating public discourse and its impacts on freedom of expression within the Democratic Rule of Law.
This symposium proposes to critically analyze the role of artificial intelligence in shaping new forms of communicational control, focusing on the risks of so-called “algorithmic private censorship.” It starts from the premise that Big Tech companies, although private entities, perform an infrastructural function within the contemporary public sphere, directly influencing the formation of public opinion. The automation of decisions regarding the visibility and removal of content, often marked by opacity and susceptible to bias, can compromise informational plurality and the free flow of ideas.
The proposal seeks to explore the tension between technological innovation, corporate economic interests and the safeguarding of fundamental rights. Topics addressed will include algorithmic governance, accountability, power asymmetry and the limitations of mechanisms for users to contest decisions. From an interdisciplinary perspective, the symposium brings together contributions from Law, Communication and Science, Technology and Society (STS) Studies, incorporating analyses of emerging regulatory frameworks, such as the AI Act, and normative debates in the national context. Research employing empirical approaches, comparative studies and geographic diversity is encouraged.
As a contribution, the symposium aims to advance the formulation of theoretical and practical parameters capable of reconciling technological development with the protection of constitutional guarantees, especially through the definition of standards of transparency, proportionality and technological due process in algorithmic moderation. The symposium is fully aligned with the thematic area “Communication, technologies and artificial intelligence,” addressing one of the relevant debates of contemporary digital society.
