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Abstract
Technical standards—those protocols, rules, and codes that specify how a given group of technologies should operate—play a key role in the development of technology. This dissertation examines the design of technical standards within the field of computing. The overarching questions of the thesis are: (1) what social factors shape the design of a technical standard; and (2) what social functions does a standard serve once it has been implemented? Using a case study approach, the dissertation traces the development of a single computer standard, the Platform for Privacy Preferences Project (P3P), that is being developed to address public concerns over online privacy. Drawing on interviews, participant observation, archival research, and media analysis, the thesis describes what was involved in designing P3P, how politics and expertise shaped the design process, and potential legislative effects the standard may have, if it becomes widely deployed. This empirical research then provides a basis for a conceptual analysis of the potential power of technologists to legislate change.
At the heart of the dissertation are two core ideas: technologies are forms of legislation; and technologists are akin to legislators. The first idea is that technologies have a structuring effect on society similar to the structuring effects of law. The second idea is that technologists' role in designing technologies is analogous to legislators' role in drafting legislation. Taken together, these two ideas implicitly question the wisdom of having small groups of unelected officials (i.e., technologists) make decisions about the design of technologies that are likely to have far-reaching impacts. While much of the literature on standards adopts a purely functionalist approach to the subject, this thesis argues that technical standardization is as much apolitical issue as it is a technical or economic one. The dissertation thus raises fundamental questions about how technical standards are produced and the extent to which broader public participation can should be pursued in technical arenas such as standards-setting.
