Discussing internet platform policy and regulation in Latin America

Abstract

This article discusses policy and regulation of internet platforms in Latin America. It first addresses how internet platformization brings back to the political agenda the centrality of communication public policy and communication governance at a global scale. The article presents some global policy concerns on internet governance, while also analysing the regional specificities. It offers an overview of the tradition of communication policies in Latin America, to show continuities and shifts in the debates on internet governance highlighting key aspects, including the peripheral positioning and recognition of power asymmetries, and the role of states and the participation of society in the discussions. The presentation also portrays some of the current regulatory debates in the region and identifies at least three different approaches (and their pitfalls): taxation perspective; platform funding initiatives and content moderation regulatory projects under debate which, in many cases, jeopardize human right principles. Finally, an overview of the six articles comprised in this Special Issue is presented.