From Kant to Cyberlibertarianism: Defining the Evolution of Digital Regulation

Denitza Toptchiyska

From the very beginning, the digital space, based on Internet, has been viewed as a public forum where individuals enjoy the widest freedom to effectively exercise their right to freedom of expression and access to information. Despite the initial optimism about the positive role of digital networks in empowering individuals, significant challenges have emerged in the 21st century, including the spread of illegal and harmful content, disinformation, and fake news—issues that now pose serious threats to modern democracies. As a result, an increasing number of countries and international organizations, including the European Union, have been driven to explore and implement legal measures to regulate the digital environment, which appears to be moving further away from its original vision as a free and open space.

This talk will explore the interaction between philosophical concepts of freedom, which shape cultural and value systems within societies, and their influence on specific regulatory approaches to governing the digital space. It will look deeper into the evolving regulatory models and the challenges they pose to established legal traditions.