Online Lecture: "Legal Perspectives on the Global Rise of Internet Restrictions" by Gergely Gosztonyi on 20 January 2026

From the Research Network on Digital Authoritarianism

Link: https://ecpr-eu.zoom.us/j/85020491314?pwd=AJanivPCVXzYzppBXwkIa1kshPlO2s.1

Zoom ID: 850 2049 1314

Password: 063701

Abstract
The past decade has witnessed an expansion of state-imposed restrictions on the internet, reshaping the legal architecture of digital communication globally. Once seen as a borderless and largely self-regulating space, the internet is increasingly subject to territorial governance, content controls, censorship and platform-centered enforcement mechanisms. From a lawyer’s perspective, this trend raises fundamental questions about sovereignty, freedom of expression, procedural guarantees, and the rule of law in the digital environment. The presentation examines the legal rationales underpinning contemporary internet restrictions, with particular attention to fundamental rights limitations, the privatisation of enforcement through online platforms, and the growing fragmentation of global internet governance. It argues that while regulation is neither avoidable nor inherently illegitimate, the cumulative expansion of restrictive measures risks normalising overbroad control and chilling effects unless anchored in clear legality, proportionality, and effective accountability framework.

Bio
Gergely Gosztonyi is a Full Professor, a Hungarian lawyer and media researcher. He is the Head of Digital Authoritarianism Research Lab (DARL) at the Faculty of Law of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE). His research interests include global regulation of social media, censorship, deepfake, alternative media and the liability of intermediaries. Since 2015, he has been the lead coach of the Hungarian team for the Monroe E. Price Media Law Moot Court Competition. He has been an expert on various occasions for the Council of Europe, the National Media and Infocommunications Authority, and the National Talent Centre. He is editor of several law journals and has published over 170 articles in Hungarian and international law journals.