As Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix, Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent influence grows, they are increasingly replacing the open, common protocols of the Internet with their own technical standards, a trend often referred to as “the platformization of the Internet”.

The Internet and its governance are changing. As digital platforms aggregate and distribute media and cultural content, existing media groups are also becoming more platform-dependent, jeopardizing their own autonomy for uncertain benefits.

Changes over the last 50 years have led to redefinitions of the conditions that shape who gets to say and do what to whom on what terms, who benefits from access to the Internet, data, and privacy protection, and who will innovate, succeed, or fail–all with outcomes with profound effects on our daily life, economy, society and democracy.

Scrutiny by scholars and policymakers alike of perceived “digital dominance”–effects on media and culture; “fake news”; privacy and data protection; among others–are driving calls for a whole new era of Internet and media regulation. Governments around the world are grappling with the repercussions of these developments.