Is It Time for a Platform Magna Carta?

14 Pages Posted: 27 Apr 2022

See all articles by Kai Zhu

Kai Zhu

Bocconi University

Dylan Walker

Chapman University

Marshall W. Van Alstyne

Boston University – Questrom School of Business; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School

Date Written: March 3, 2022

Abstract

Modern platforms have reached such a scale that they have effectively become private owners of public infrastructure. These platforms have taken on regulatory functions for speech, competition, intellectual property, and other policies with trans-national scope. Governance of and by platforms presents a novel challenge that requires new principles and different designs. How can science inform policy-making to regulate platform ecosystems so that we can preserve the value that platforms and their participants co-create while upholding and promoting the principles of social justice? We propose a Magna Carta composed of seven principles that balance the rights of individuals and duties of core platforms.

Keywords: digital platforms, privately-owned public infrastructure, social justice, magna carta

JEL Classification: Z28, P20, M10

Suggested Citation

Zhu, Kai and Walker, Dylan and Van Alstyne, Marshall W., Is It Time for a Platform Magna Carta? (March 3, 2022). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4083494 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4083494

Kai Zhu (Contact Author)

Bocconi University ( email )

Milano
Italy

Dylan Walker

Chapman University ( email )

333 N. Glassell
Orange, CA 92866
United States

HOME PAGE: http://https://dylantwalker.com

Marshall W. Van Alstyne

Boston University – Questrom School of Business ( email )

595 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
United States
617-358-3571 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://questromapps.bu.edu/mgmt_new/Profiles/VanAlstyneMarshall.html

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School ( email )

Initiative on the Digital Economy
245 First St, Room E94-1521
Cambridge, MA 02142
United States
617-253-0768 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://web.mit.edu/marshall/www/home.html

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