By: Johanna Weaver & Tanvi Nair (Observer Research Foundation)
Governments all over the world are grappling with how to regulate technology. As reflected in the Australian National University’s Tech Policy Atlas, tech policy, legislation, regulation, and strategy have proliferated in recent years. The increased focus by government is welcome and needed.
When governments regulate technology, they shape the future of their societies. Tech regulation is not just technical, it involves fundamental questions about economic growth, security, equality, human rights, and agency. It is particularly important for governments to think carefully about the burden of responsibility they carry when regulating Digital Public Goods (DPGs). Like electricity and water, DPGs are public infrastructure upon which society increasingly depends…
