MAPPING PARADIGMS OF EUROPEAN INTERNET REGULATION: THE EXAMPLE OF INTERNET CONTENT CONTROL

Abstract

The article introduces three of the paradigms used to analyze internet regulation and applies them to the history of internet content control in Europe. It builds on Thomas Kuhn's notion of paradigms and previous works on regulatory theory, defining regulatory paradigms as a "shared understanding of the purpose of regulation, of the way of thinking about how regulation works, and of the set of institutional arrangements and instruments through which regulation is conducted." Building on this definition, the prevalent concepts of the paradigms of internet regulation refer to the intention, mechanisms, and the intensity of regulation. The article discusses these concepts with regard to the regulation of internet content control in Europe and analyzes three paradigm shifts that have taken place since the early days of the internet. These paradigm shifts concern the responsiveness, differentiation, and intensity of regulation.