THE RULE OF LAW, THE SEPARATION OF POWERS, AND BIG TECH

  • Maja Sahadzic Utrecht University, School of Law
Ključne reči: Rule of Law, Separation of Powers, Technology, Big Tech, Public and Private Power

Sažetak


The growing influence of Big Tech, backed by technological advancement and platformization, poses significant challenges to traditional concepts of the rule of law and the separation of powers. By privately accumulating functions typically reserved for the state, Big Tech now assumes functions traditionally assigned to the state. In light of this, this paper explores the limitations imposed on the rule of law and the separation of powers. It first revisits the classical understanding of these constitutional principles and then assesses the contemporary challenges posed by Big Tech. The analysis then shifts to the rising private (technological) power of Big Tech as a fourth pillar in the separation of powers. Finally, the paper argues for cooperation and coordinated governance between the state and Big Tech, ultimately concluding with final insights on the adaptiveness of the traditional concepts of the rule of law and the separation of powers.

Reference

Bibliography

Adewumi, T. A., 2025, Rule of Law, Corporate Governance and AI Humanoid Robots: Charting the Course for a Global Regulatory Framework, Mizan Law Review, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 93–116.

Allan, T. R. S., The Rule of Law: Philosophical Foundations of Constitutional Law, in: Dyzenhaus, D., Thorburn, M., (eds.), 2016, Oxford Constitutional Theory, Oxford, Oxford University Press, pp. 201–220.

Barberis, M., Sardo, A., The Separation of Powers: Old, New, and Newest, in: Załuski, W., Bourgeois-Gironde, S., Dyrda, A., (eds.), 2024, Research Handbook on Legal Evolution, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 263–275.

Bayamlioglu, E., Peenes, R., 2018, The Rule of Law Implications of Data-Driven Decision-Making: A Techno-Regulatory Perspective, Law, Innovation and Technology, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 295–313.

Bedner, A., 2010, An Elementary Approach to the Rule of Law, Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 48–74.

Bedner, A., The Promise of a Thick View, in: May, C., Winchester, A., (eds.), 2018, Handbook on the Rule of Law, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, pp. 34–47.

Bellamy, R., The Political Form of the Constitution: The Separation of Powers, Rights and Representative Democracy, in: Bellamy, R., (ed.), 2005, The Rule of Law and the Separation of Powers, Abingdon, Ashgate Publishing, pp. 253–273.

Bingham, L., 2007, The Rule of Law, The Cambridge Law Journal, Vol. 66, No. 1, pp. 67–85.

Boom, C. D., 2015, The Importance of the Thin Conception of the Rule of Law for International Development: A Decision-Theoretic Account, Law and Development Review, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 293–332.

Brownsword, R., 2020, Law 3.0: Rules, Regulation, and Technology, Abingdon, Taylor & Francis Group.

Coroado, S., 2023, Leviathan vs Goliath or States vs Big Tech and What the Digital Services Act Can Do About It, Forum Transregionale Studien, Working Papers, No. 25/2023, pp. 1–26.

Crofts, P., Rijswijk, H. van, 2021, Technology New Trajectories in Law, Abingdon, Routledge.

Dahrendorf, R., 1977, A Confusion of Powers: Politics and the Rule of Law, Mod- ern Law Review, Vol. 40, No. 1, pp. 1–15.

Gregorio, G. De, 2019, From Constitutional Freedoms to the Power of the Plat- forms: Protecting Fundamental Rights Online in the Algorithmic Society, Euro- pean Journal of Legal Studies, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 65–103.

Dicey, A. V., Michener, R., 1982, Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution, Indianapolis, Liberty Fund.

Dijck, J. Van, 2021, Seeing the Forest for the Trees: Visualizing Platformization and Its Governance, New Media & Society, Vol. 23, No. 9, pp. 2801–2819.

Dworkin, R., 1985, A Matter of Principle, Cambridge, Harvard University Press.

Foer, F., 2017, World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech, New York, Penguin Press.

Greenstein, S., 2022, Preserving the Rule of Law in the Era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Artificial Intelligence and Law, Vol. 30, pp. 291–323.

Haber, E., Reichman, A., 2020, The User, the Superuser, and the Regulator: Func- tional Separation of Powers and the Plurality of the State in Cyber, Berkeley Technology Law Journal, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 431–500.

Krygier, M., The Rule of Law: Legality, Teleology, Sociology, in: Palombella, G., Walker, N., (eds.), 2009, Relocating the Rule of Law, pp. 45–60.

Locke, J., (1690) 1988, Second Treatise of Government, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

McKeown, M. M., 2023, The Future of Democracy and the Rule of Law, Virginia Journal of International Law Online, Vol. 64, pp. 1–22.

Moller, J., Skaaning, S.-E., 2012, Systematizing Thin and Thick Conceptions of the Rule of Law, Justice System Journal, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 136–153.

Moller, J., The Advantages of a Thin View, in: May, C., Winchester, A., (eds.), 2018, Handbook on the Rule of Law, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, pp. 21–33.

Möllers, C., 2013, The Three Branches: A Comparative Model of Separation of Powers, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Pinelli, C., 2023, Separation of Powers: Past, Present and Future, Rivista di Diritti Comparati, Vol. 2023, No. 1, pp. 310–317.

Postema, G. J., 2022, Law’s Rule: The Nature, Value, and Viability of the Rule of Law, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Rosengrün, S., 2022, Why AI is a Threat to the Rule of Law, Digital Society, Vol. 1, pp. 10–15.

Sahadžić, M., 2020, Asymmetry, Multinationalism and Constitutional Law: Managing Legitimacy and Stability in Federalist States, Abingdon, Routledge.

Scheppele, K. L., 2024, The Life of the Rule of Law, Annual Review of Law and Social Science, Vol. 20, No. 1, pp. 17–33.

Seymour, B. T., 2022, Corporate Purpose and the Separation of Powers, Brigham Young University Journal of Public Law, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 112–156.

Shaffer, G., Sandholtz, W., The Rule of Law under Pressure: The Enmeshment of National and International Trends, in: Shaffer, G., Sandholtz, W., (eds.), 2025, The Rule of Law under Pressure: Transnational Challenge, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, pp. 3–86.

Sun, X., Xiao, Y., 2024, How Digital Power Shapes the Rule of Law: The Logic and Mission of Digital Rule of Law, International Journal of Digital Law and Governance, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 1–37.

Tamanaha, B. Z., 2011, The Rule of Law and Legal Pluralism in Development, Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 1–17.

Tamanaha, B. Z., 2012, The History and Elements of the Rule of Law, Singapore Journal of Legal Studies, pp. 232–247.

Uvarova, O., 2025, The Rule of Law and Corporate Actors: Measuring Influence, Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 1–29.

Vile, M. J. C., 1967, Constitutionalism and the Separation of Powers, Oxford, Clarendon Press.

Legislative Sources

Council of Europe Venice Commission, 2016, Rule of Law Checklist, 11–12 March

Objavljeno
2025/07/11
Rubrika
Originalni naučni članak