How to Improve Smart Contracts in the European Union Data Act

We examine the Italian election law as a case study to illustrate how the algorithmic thinking can productively interoperate with the legal language to increase the transparency of the legal text, and to enable better reasoning about the procedural content of the law. The effort to rephrase the text of the law in algorithmic terms revealed that the election procedure is under-specified, so that the allocation of seats between constituencies may differ depending on the actual sequence of ballot operations performed by the scrutineers. This may lead to legal uncertainty in a critical section of the election law that one would expect to be fully determined. We then discuss the difference between algorithm and software in the legal context, illustrating how the algorithmic language acts as an interface between the textual description of a legal procedure and its mathematical or computational formalization. Hence we put forward the concept of algorithmic normativity, that is the power of the algorithmic language (different from software’s code) to legally express procedures at an appropriate abstraction level, balancing transparency with scientific precision.

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Public Perception of Technologies in Society: Mapping Laypeople’s Mental Models in Terms of Risk and Valence

Brauner,

Glawe,

Vervier

et al. 2024

DISO

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Technological advancements profoundly shape individuals, society, and the planet. As we continue to innovate, it is essential to assess how the public perceives both the benefits and risks of new technologies. This study explores the mental models of N = 111 laypeople from a convenient sample mainly from Germany and Bulgaria regarding a wide range of technologies and technology-driven trends, focusing on valence, familiarity, perceived risk, and the desire for societal debate. The article presents: (1) a ranking of various technologies and trends based on their valence (or perceived value), risk, familiarity, and societal debate demand; (2) a detailed analysis and visual mapping of the strong correlation between risk and valence (r2 = 89%) and the moderate association between familiarity and the desire for societal debate (r2 = 33%); and (3) an examination of the limited impact of user diversity on these perceptions. These findings underscore the importance of understanding public perceptions to guide responsible technological development and policy-making, highlighting key areas for fostering public acceptance and guiding governance of technology. Based on this, we derive actionable policy recommendations.

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How to Improve Smart Contracts in the European Union Data Act

Cited by 4 publications

References 10 publications

In Search for a Role: The African Union and Digital Policies in Africa

In Search for a Role: The African Union and Digital Policies in Africa

Algorithmic Thinking for the Legal Writing: The Case of Italian Election Law

Public Perception of Technologies in Society: Mapping Laypeople’s Mental Models in Terms of Risk and Valence

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