Academic research
**See my book The Closing of the Net **
My academic research is interested in how we deal with the Internet at a political level in Europe. I am interested in how communications policy is made in the UK and EU, and how the policy-making process is or is not adapting to a new media environment. In the course of my research, I have analysed the policy-making process in the EU legislature and in certain Member States such as Britain, France and Spain. The corporate effort to shape policy forms the backdrop for all my books.
My book The Closing of the Net deals with the power politics and lobbying of the Internet corporations. I have written two other books. My first book, The Copyright Enforcement Enigma: Internet Politics and the 'Telecoms Package' was published by Palgrave Macmillan. The book tells you the full story of the Telecoms Package with exclusive information on the Third Reading. I believe it is the only comprehensive academic account of the 2009 Telecoms Package and it remains relevant as the back story for today's policy dilemmas. My second book A Copyright Masquerade: How Corporate Lobbying Threatens Online Freedoms, draws on policy developments that followed.
My doctoral research began by investigating European policy for the Internet and online content. In very simple terms, it concerned the content - news, pictures, TV programmes, movies, music - that we get over the Internet - or indeed, that we put there ourselves. And how companies and governments are arguing over what we are - and are not - allowed to do with it. That led me to examine the European Commission's Creative Content Online consultation, which addressed the hot debate over copyright enforcement measures known as graduated response or 3-strikes - and downloading of music and film. And from there, I discovered the copyright amendments in the Telecoms Package.
The title of my doctoral thesis was 'The Political Battle for Online Content in the European Union' which analysed the travaux preparatoire of the Telecoms Package for copyright issues. In the course of my research, I spoke to policy-makers and industry stakeholders who lobbied in Brussels. I spoke to interests on both sides of this highly polarised debate. I carried out my PhD research as a self-funded student, under the auspices of the University of Westminster.
I completed an MA with distinction in 2006, also at the University of Westminster. My Masters dissertation discussed the politics of the EU Data Retention directive (2006/24/EC). I will be drawing on this research for a chapter in my new book to be published in 2016.
Here are my research papers, published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at conferences:
Political Quarterly (2008) File-sharing, Filtering and the Spectre of the Automated Censor
American University College of Law: Where Copyright Enforcement and Net Neutrality Collide
IPtegrity politics
- EU at loggerheads over chat control
- Why the Online Safety Act is not fit for purpose
- Fixing the human rights failings in the Online Safety Act
- Whatever happened to the AI Bill?
- Hidden effects of the UK Online Safety Act
- EU puts chat control on back burner
- Why did X lock my account for not providing my birthday?
- Creation of deep fakes to be criminal offence under new law
- AI and tech: Asks for the new government
- How WhatsApp holds structural power
- Meta rolls out encryption as political headwinds ease
- EU law set for new course on child online safety
- Online Safety Act: Ofcom’s 1700-pages of tech platform rules
- MEPs reach political agreement to protect children and privacy
- Online Safety - a non-consensual Act
- Not a blank cheque: European Parliament consents to EU-UK Agreement
- UK border safety alert - mind the capability gap
About Iptegrity
Iptegrity.com is the website of Dr Monica Horten, independent policy advisor: online safety, technology and human rights. Advocating to protect the rights of the majority of law abiding citizens online. Independent expert on the Council of Europe Committee of Experts on online safety and empowerment of content creators and users. Published author, and post-doctoral scholar, with a PhD from the University of Westminster, and a DipM from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Former telecoms journalist, experienced panelist and Chair, cited in the media eg BBC, iNews, Times, Guardian and Politico.
Online Safety
- Why the Online Safety Act is not fit for purpose
- Fixing the human rights failings in the Online Safety Act
- Hidden effects of the UK Online Safety Act
- Why did X lock my account for not providing my birthday?
- Online Safety Act: Ofcom’s 1700-pages of tech platform rules
- Online Safety - a non-consensual Act
- Online Safety Bill passes as US court blocks age-checks law
- Online Safety Bill: ray of hope for free speech
- National Crime Agency to run new small boats social media centre
- Online Safety Bill: does government want to snoop on your WhatsApps?
- What is content of democratic importance?
- Online Safety Bill: One rule for them and another for us
- Online Safety Bill - Freedom to interfere?
- Copyright-style website blocking orders slipped into Online Safety Bill
- 2 billion cost to British businesses for Online Safety Bill