Luca Belli

Author: Luca Belli In the context of platform governance, a user warning is a message directed to specific users by the platform operator, usually in the form of a notice or other format, aimed at alerting users that there will be an upcoming event that warrants the attention of the user. Such changing situation may… Continue reading User Warning

Author: Luca Belli A platform user is any individual or entity utilizing the services provided by a specific platform. The Recommendations on Terms of Service and Human Rights developed by the IGF Coalition on Platform Responsibility provide a broad definition of a Platform User as any natural or legal person entering into a contractual relationship… Continue reading User

Author: Luca Belli Internet intermediaries, in general, and platforms, in particular, use to regulate the services they provide through standard contracts, commonly referred to as terms of service or terms of use. Terms of Service are standardized contracts, defined unilaterally and offered indiscriminately on equal terms to any user or to specific categories of users… Continue reading Terms of Service

Author: Luca Belli The concept of ‘spam’ refers to any kind of unsolicited digital communication that is usually dispatched in bulk. Hence spam is any messages sent to multiple recipients who did not ask for them. As pointed out by the Internet Society (2018), the main problems caused by spam are due to the combination… Continue reading Spam

Author: Luca Belli The concept of ‘Repeat infringement’ has been established by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), passed by the US in 1998. This piece of legislation originally aimed at protecting digital innovators while preserving the ability of copyright holders to prevent activities that may infringe upon their rights. Most relevantly, DMCA, §512 grants… Continue reading Repeat Infringer

Author: Luca Belli According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the concept of platform generally refers to a plan or design. The Historical Larousse dictionary suggests that the term first appeared in the French language in 1434, to define a “horizontal surface acting as a support”. This original meaning helps to construct a general characterization of the… Continue reading Platform

Author: Luca Belli Fact-checking has gained prominence as a concept, in light of the global proportions gained by the divulgation of fabricated and misleading content, frequently categorized as ‘fake news’ or misinformation/disinformation. The term ‘fact-checking’ however can refer to two different types of activities depending on whether it is performed as parts of editorial responsibility, before… Continue reading Fact-checking

Author: Luca Belli In several legal fields, both in international law and in domestic legislation, the concept of due diligence corresponds to what a responsible entity – be it a state or a business enterprise – ought to do under normal conditions in a situation with its best practicable and available means, with a view… Continue reading Due Dilligence

Authors: Vittorio Bertola, Nicolo Zingales and Luca Belli The current debate on (data) portability finds its predecessor in the discussions on Mobile Number Portability (MNP), which emerged towards the end of the 1990s. MNP requires that, when switching from one provider to another, mobile telephone users must be able to keep their telephone number(s). The world’s… Continue reading Data Portability