The Big Tech Disclosure Lifecycle: Toward a New Research Agenda
摘要
The rise of big tech raises serious concerns about the influence of corporations on our lives, as evidenced by scandals emerging in the past ten years. Whether through the spread of disinformation fueling support for war and conflict, undue influence over democratic processes including referenda and elections, or intensified platform-based othering of a racial or gendered nature, big tech’s influence is growing. It sometimes feels like resistance—and indeed effective regulation—is impossible. Yet workers in big tech firms continue to speak up about perceived wrongdoing. The environment in which they raise concerns: the organizations, institutions, and regulatory frameworks of big tech, differ from other sectors. How might whistleblowing research proceed in this area? Which theories are helpful, and what new concepts are required? Are traditional research methods useful or do we need new ones? This chapter outlines a ‘disclosure lifecycle’ framework for progressing whistleblowing research in the critical area of big tech whistleblowing.