Development of the Law in the Digital Age

Abstract

Information and communication technologies have become an integral element of modern life. The author of this article has set a goal to investigate the impact of digitalization on law. The legal regulation of public relations in the digital environment is considered from the standpoint of a scientifically based concept of integrative legal understanding. The methodological basis of the research was formed a variety of methods of learning digital legal reality (dialectical, systemic, logical, formal legal, methods of analysis and synthesis, generalization and classification). It is proved that digitalization in the legal sphere is a process of development of law, which once again convincingly proves the historically changeable nature of law, its dependence on the nature of emerging social ties. Consideration of digitalization as a result of the scientific and technological revolution made it possible to highlight the features of digital legal relations, to propose various criteria for their classification (by content, subject composition, target orientation, nature of the digital shell). It is established that the regulation of public relations in the digital environment is provided by a whole set of principles and norms. In addition to technical norms defining the rules for working with computers and other technical means, software and technical norms are highlighted as the result of a unique synthesis of technical and social norms, indicating the convergence of legal and technical regulation. The expansion of the object and subject of legal regulation in the era of digitalization does not entail the erasure of industry boundaries. The systemic interaction of public and private law, international and national law is ensured by the principles of law as the foundations of universal communication. The necessity of distinguishing the categories of “digitalization in law” and “digitalization of law” is substantiated.