My Research Agenda

Bridging Communication, Policy, and Law, my research dissects how digital infrastructures and governance mechanisms become geopolitical battlegrounds, where states and corporations leverage control over warehouses, platforms, data, and algorithms to entrench power.

My research has been cited by UN Special Rapporteurs, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and the OECD, among others. It is also recognized in academic circles (150+ citations; h-index 7; and i10-index 5 on Google Scholar).

Ortiz Freuler, J. (2023). Unveiling gatekeeping practices in mobile environments: A comparative analysis of operating systems and app gardens. International Journal of Communication, 17. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/21236

[->Poster]

Research supported by an Open Society Foundations (OSF) $5k seed grant.

This study examines how mobile apps handle user requests to access Web content. I

Ortiz Freuler, J. (2023). Datafication, identity, and the reorganization of the category individual. Temple Law Review, 95(4), 673–698. https://www.templelawreview.org/lawreview/assets/uploads/2023/07/7.-Ortiz-Freuler_95_673-698.pdf

Underlying the AI boom, digitization and datafication processes are destabilizing core human rights concepts. This essay maps how these shifts challenge rights framew

Diagram depicting the key government agencies and the powers they exercise

Ortiz Freuler, J. (2022). The weaponization of private corporate infrastructure: Internet fragmentation and coercive diplomacy in the 21st century. Global Media and China,8(1). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20594364221139729

[See PPT // Talk at UN IGF]

+12k views!

Recommended in PoliSci , Diplomacy & InfoSci

After promoting borderless digital infrastructure in the 1990s, the US now e

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

BOOK:

Bustos Frati, A., Caeiro, C., Ferracutti, D., Martínez, M.F., Kirschbaum, I., & Ortiz Freuler, J., (2024). Evaluating internet development in Argentina: Using UNESCO's ROAM-X internet universality indicators [Spanish]. UNESCO.

This study combines an analysis based on UNESCO's ROAM-X global indicators with local multi-stakeholder dialogues, offering actionable insights for the development of a

ZINE:

Mhlambi, S., Ortiz Freuler, J., & Ricaurte, P. (Eds.). (2019). Think south: Re-imagining the internet.. Emerging Digital Issues from the Global South working group at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

The zine is a mixture of poetry, indigenous art, and short essays that reflect the conversations of the Emerging Digital Issues from the Global South (EDIG

ESSAY IN SCHOLARLY REPORT

Ortiz Freuler, J. (2025). Automation will reshape our understanding of the individual and society. In J. Anderson & L. Rainie (Eds.), Expert views on the impact of AI on the essence of being human. (pp. 75-78) Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center. https://imaginingthedigitalfuture.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Being-Human-in-2035-ITDF-report.pdf

in progress

Ortiz-Freuler, J. Dismantling the propaganda machines: Informational de-escalation, tech disarmament and the challenges of cyberwar over the open internet
- [Presented at The Hague Program on International Cyber Security (Nov 2024) and the International Political Science Association (IPSA) conference in Seoul (July 2025)]

Ortiz-Freuler, J. Digital Power and the return of the peripheries: South America’s path to Non-Aligned tech.
- [Presented at Pre-ICA workshop at the University of Denver, Colorado (May 2025)]

Ortiz-Freuler, J. Telegraph, radio, television, and internet infrastructures under fire: A review of the effectiveness and legality of the targeting of critical communication infrastructure.
- [Presented at Tufts’ Fletcher School Symposium on Cyber Security and Public Policy, Medford, MA (March 2023)]

Ortiz-Freuler, J. Digital Taxes and the Reprogramming of the Web: The OECD Project and its Implications for our Information Networks [Presented at Equitable Benefit Sharing Convening organized by Fundação Gertulio Vargas and Open Society Foundations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (July 2023)],

POLICY REPORT

Ortiz Freuler, J., (2024). Scanning the horizon: The future of digital rights and resilience in the Global Majority. Global Network for Social Justice and Digital Resilience.

A participatory study with digital rights practitioners reveals three key forces shaping the next decade: tech centralization, geopolitical realignments, and evolving activism. Grounded in Global South perspectiv

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Ortiz Freuler, J.(2022). Datafication and the future of human rights practice. JustLabs.

[See op-ed]

[Included in Platform Governance Syllabus & report commissioned by US State Dept]

Datafication is reshaping public and private spheres, impacting on how we exercise our Human Rights. By analyzing past impacts and future risks and opportunities, this report prepares students to navigate

POLICY HANDBOOK

Ortiz Freuler, J. (2021). The Neutrality Pyramid: A policy framework to redistribute power over the net. Web Centralization Monitor.

This action-oriented handbook offers a compass for policymakers:

(1) Why there is "techlash"

(2) Risks of internet centralization

Ortiz Freuler, J., & Iglesias, C. (2018). How are governments in Latin America using artificial intelligence? Web Foundation.

Cited by World Health Organization/ITU

& UN Special Rapporteur

Latin American governments adopting AI are facing twin challenges: effectiveness and legitimacy.

Based on four cases from Argentina/Uruguay, we identify four key areas: data creation, tool design, admin protocols,

Avila, R., Ortiz Freuler, J., & Fagan, C. (2018). The invisible curation of content: Facebook’s News Feed and our information diets. Web Foundation.

Cited by UN Special Rapporteur Report on AI (A/73/348) & OECD report

Algorithms silently shape our digital lives with their opaque logic. This report of an experiment on Facebook's NewsFeed revealed stark knowledge gaps: users saw just 1 in 6 posts, wi

Other whitepapers & reports

Szewach, P., & Ortiz Freuler, J. (2020). Disinformation and the current state of Argentina’s media market. Global Disinformation Index.

Web Foundation. (2019). A contract for the web. https://wfcontract.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/Contract-for-the-Web-3.pdf (JOF editor and coordinator)

Avila, R., Brandusescu, A., Ortiz Freuler, J., & Thakur, D. (2018). Artificial intelligence: Open questions about gender inclusion. Women 20 (a G-20 track). https://webfoundation.org/docs/2018/06/AI-Gender.pdf

Ortiz Freuler, J. (2016). Mexico's universal internet access policy: Mexico Conectado. A working document presented at the UN’s IGF. https://archive.org/details/mexicos-universal-internet-access-policy-mexico-conectado-1 [Talk]

Ortiz Freuler, J. (2014). The Argentine Ombuds: Diagnostic and recommendations on transparency, accountability and openness [Spanish]. ACIJ. https://iniciativatpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Informe-DP-Argentina-FINAL.pdf

Ortiz Freuler, J., & Cornejo, C. (2013). Information technologies and public control in Latin America: Recommendations and good practices for the strengthening of public oversight office’s digital strategy [Spanish]. ACIJ – Iniciativa TPA.https://web.archive.org/web/20221104101224/http://iniciativatpa.org/tecnologias-de-la-informacion-y-control-publico-en-america-latina/

Ortiz Freuler, J. (2013). Strategies and tools for the administration of a digital observatory on competitive public contests [Spanish]. ACIJ. https://concursostransparentes.acij.org.ar/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Manual-1.pdf

Maurino, G., & Ortiz Freuler, J. (2013). Selection of judges in the city of Buenos Aires: Diagnostic and proposals [Spanish]. ACIJ. https://web.archive.org/web/20190112094826/https://concursostransparentes.acij.org.ar/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Selecci%C3%B3n-de-Magistrados.pdf

Maurino, G., & Ortiz Freuler, J. (2013). Suggestions and good practices for the selection of judges in Argentina [Spanish]. ACIJ. https://www.scribd.com/doc/166352822/Buenas-Pra-cticas

Ortiz Freuler, J., & Cornejo, C. (2011). Participatory planning in the Auditoría General de la Nación Argentina [Spanish]. ACIJ. https://iniciativatpa.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/participatory-planning-in-the-auditoria-general-de-la-nacion-argentina.pdf

Cornejo, C., Ortiz Freuler, J., Lavin, R., & Maurino, G. (2011). Diagnostic report on transparency, citizen participation, and accountability in supreme audit institutions of Latin America [Spanish]. ACIJ. https://iniciativatpa.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/tpa-in-sais-in-latin-america.pdf

Google Scholar Profile

Juan Ortiz Freuler

My Research Agenda

JOURNAL ARTICLES

CONFERENCE PAPERS & PROCEEDINGS

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

in progress

Selected whitepapers & reports

Other whitepapers & reports