Tech Companies as Governance Bodies

Discussion

Felipe Oria:

"The rise of digital platforms as regulators is not just an interesting shift; it’s also a sign of a deeper transformation in how governance is structured. Traditionally, government bodies have created laws and regulations to govern industries, ensuring that markets operate fairly and that public interests are protected.

Consider Amazon’s role in the global retail market. While it operates under national and local regulations, the platform’s scale and infrastructure allow it to define its own commercial standards across borders. From setting eligibility criteria for sellers to determining logistics protocols and pricing rules, Amazon establishes a layer of governance that functions alongside, and sometimes beyond, state oversight.

This isn’t a case of acting outside the law, but rather of operating in a space where the global logic of digital markets often outpaces the territorial logic of regulation. In that gap, platforms create systems that become de facto standards—not because they seek to replace governments, but because few public institutions can match their reach, speed, or interoperability.

Similarly, Meta, TikTok and Google have faced increasing pressure to regulate content on their platforms. These companies have developed their own content moderation policies, sometimes in response to government pressure, but often driven by their own interests in managing user experience and preventing misinformation. In many ways, these tech giants are doing what traditional governments would have done in the past, but with no public mandate or democratic oversight."

(https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/digital-platforms-new-regulators-felipe-ori%25C3%25A1-gh9wf/)

Examples

Felipe Oria:

"Take Uber, for example. In many cities, it has emerged as a central actor in shaping how ride-sharing operates - not by defying regulation, but by building systems that often precede or even inform it. From fare structures to safety standards, Uber has established operational norms that are frequently adopted - or at least acknowledged - by local authorities. In this sense, the platform doesn’t replace regulation; it anticipates and, at times, nudges it.

The same applies to X (formerly Twitter), which has developed content moderation policies in response to legal uncertainty, user pressure, and business imperatives. Its evolving role as a content gatekeeper highlights the complexity of digital governance: companies are navigating spaces where rules are either fragmented or undeveloped, and in doing so, they sometimes end up setting the tone themselves."

(https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/digital-platforms-new-regulators-felipe-ori%25C3%25A1-gh9wf/)