The reconfiguration of freedom of expression in the algorithmic era

from content to infrastructure as a field of dispute

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63451/dti.v3i24.334

Keywords:

Freedom of Expression, Algorithmic Governance, Digital Adultification, Data Protection, Informational Justice

Abstract

This article examines the reconfiguration of freedom of expression and the public sphere under the governance of algorithmic infrastructures. The study adopts a qualitative, critical, and documentary approach, combining the political economy of information, critical technology studies, and the analysis of regulatory frameworks. The findings indicate that digital platforms have assumed regulatory functions through recommendation, moderation, and ranking systems that reshape the visibility and circulation of discourse. The analysis highlights impacts on vulnerable groups, particularly children and adolescents, contributing to processes of digital adultification. It concludes that protecting freedom of expression requires transparency, auditing, and informational justice within digital infrastructures.

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Author Biographies

Tiago Negrão Andrade, Universidade Estadual Paulista

Doutor pelo Programa de Pós-Graduação em Mídia e Tecnologia da FAAC – Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Bacharel em Comunicação Social, com habilitação em Relações Públicas, pela Universidade de Sorocaba (Uniso). Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/6885654276116955

Maria Cristina Gobbi, Universidade Estadual Paulista

CNPq Research Productivity Scholarship. Associate Professor in History of Communication and Media Culture in Latin America (2014). He completed his Post-doctorate (2008) in the Graduate Program in Integration of Latin America at the University of São Paulo – (PROLAM / USP), a PhD in Social Communication from the Methodist University of São Paulo (2002). Head of the Social Communication Department of FAAC-Unesp (2017-2019). He was a Fellow of the Institute of Applied Research (IPEA) - year 2010-2013. Professor of the Graduate Program in Communication, professor and was vice-coordinator (2009-2017) of the Postgraduate Program in Media and Technology, both of the Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Administrative Director (2013-2016 management) of SOCICOM (Brazilian Federation of Scientific and Academic Communication Associations). She was Director-secretary of the Folkcom Network. In the 2008-2011 period she was Director of Documentation for INTERCOM (Brazilian Society of Interdisciplinary Communication Studies) and currently is part of the management (2017-2019) in the Fiscal Council. Ad-hoc Consultant (Institutional and Communication Courses) of the National Institute of Educational Studies and Research of the Ministry of Education (INEP / MEC). Coordinator of the Research Group on Latin American Communications Thinking (PCLA) of CNPq. She was Alternate Director of the Unesco Chair of Communication (1998-2010). Assistant Editor - Latin American Association of Communication Researchers - ALAIC. Winner of the Luiz Beltrão Award - Category: Academic Maturity of the Brazilian Society of Interdisciplinary Communication Studies (2014). He works in the area of Communication, with an emphasis on History of Communication and Media Culture, History and Memory (Communication), Latin American Communication, Youth Cultures, Popular Culture, Cultural Diversity, Media-cultural Profiles (Institutions and Personalities), Theories of Communication and Culture in Latin America, Journalism and its social and technological nuances and Digital Technologies in Latin America, Gender and Human and Social Development E-mail: mcgobbi@terra.com.br; cristina.gobbi@unesp.br

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Published

2026-07-24

How to Cite

ANDRADE, Tiago Negrão; GOBBI, Maria Cristina. The reconfiguration of freedom of expression in the algorithmic era: from content to infrastructure as a field of dispute. Direito & TI, [S. l.], v. 3, n. 24, p. 72–98, 2026. DOI: 10.63451/dti.v3i24.334. Disponível em: https://direitoeti.com.br/direitoeti/article/view/334. Acesso em: 24 jul. 2026.

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 24 (2026): Dossiê Temático: Adultização e Cibersegurança

Section

Artigo Dossiê Temático: Adultização e Cibersegurança

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Tiago Negrão Andrade, Maria Cristina Gobbi

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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