Daan Weggemans
Digital Authority
How Algorithms Shape Human Obedience and Trust
Our lives have been flooded with digital technologies that inform, advise, recommend, instruct, and sometimes even order. Most of the time, relying on them makes perfect sense: they are designed to help us solve everyday problems. Yet no technology is perfect. Bugs, flawed algorithms, biased data, and input errors can lead us astray. Although we recognize these risks, we often remain eager to follow what we are digitally told. This extends beyond examples of navigation systems sending drivers in the wrong direction. Digital technologies increasingly shape decisions in domains that profoundly affect human lives. How can we understand this readiness to accept technological outputs without question? The concept of digital authority provides a useful framework. It suggests that digital technologies are not merely tools or assistants, but can become authorities that shape human judgment. Understanding digital authority is crucial for addressing the ethical challenges of our reliance on digital systems.
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Auteur
Daan Weggemans, PhD (1986), is a digital philosopher at Leiden University’s Institute of Security and Global Affairs. His research explores the intersection of technology, governance, and security. He has published on digital security and other contemporary security challenges, and served as an expert for courts, governments, and the media.
