Digital Platform Governance after the Pandemic and Other Crises: From a Japanese Perspective

Co-sponsored with the Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies

In today’s society, digital platforms play critical roles. Global digital platforms such as Google, Facebook, and TikTok especially play crucial roles and raise legal concerns such as the spread of disinformation and exploitation of personal data. Furthermore, with the advancement of the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence, the new governors of digital platforms have influenced our communication and activities both in the real world and in the virtual world by designing the architecture of their platforms.

This talk tries to explore a new model of digital platform governance after the pandemic and other crises, including heightened international and domestic political conflicts. First, I present the characteristics and problems of digital platform governance in Japan, comparing that with the United States, the European Union, and other Asian countries. Next, I illustrate how the digital platform governance in Japan has been challenged and changed after the pandemic and other crises, focusing on the governance of data collection and analysis to combat COVID-19 by the government and platform businesses, digital contact tracing, and moderation of the infodemic. Finally, I propose a blueprint for a future model of digital platform governance to realize the integrated governance of the real and virtual worlds.