Exploring power, digital technology and global politics through a study of disputes between the United Kingdom and technology companies

最近的事件，比如决定从澳大利亚的Facebook上删除新闻项目，或者特朗普总统在各种社交媒体网络上的账户被暂停，都突显了科技公司在社会中的角色在权力基础上的竞争日益激烈。这种对权力的担忧反映在竞争和市场管理局和联邦贸易委员会等行为者越来越多的监管调查和行动中。然而，随着科技公司影响言论自由和其他数字权利、数字可获得性和无数其他领域，科技公司的力量也在非经济领域得到观察。迄今为止，国际关系(IR)忽视了对科技公司在全球政治中的影响力和权威的彻底概念化。为了挑战这一疏漏，我采用了技术的社会建构(SCOT)方法，将科技公司作为国际参与者，将数字技术作为机构的力量进行理论化。我研究了英国和科技公司之间围绕数字技术的三起纠纷，以考察科技公司和国家权力之间的关系。

Recent events such as the decision to remove news items from Facebook in Australia or the suspension of President Trump's accounts from various social media networks have highlighted how the role of technology companies in society is increasingly contested on the basis of power. This concern over power is reflected in the increasing numbers of regulatory investigations and actions by actors like the Competition and Markets Authority and the Federal Trade Commission. However, the power of technology companies is also observed in non-economic fields as technology companies impact freedom of expression and other digital rights, digital accessibility and countless other areas.International Relations (IR) has so far neglected a thorough conceptualisation of technology companies' influence and authority in global politics. To challenge this omission, I adopt a social construction of technology (SCOT) approach to theorize the power of technology companies as international actors and digital technologies as institutions. I study three disputes around digital technology between the United Kingdom and technology companies to examine the relationship between technology companies and state power.