my research program
Bridging communication, policy, and law, my work examines how states and corporations contest control over the infrastructures enabling our digital interactions, and how these struggles shape global communication policy, geopolitics, development, and human rights.
I have published articles explaining how intermediation allows tech companies to increase their centrality within information networks (see articles #1 & #5) ), and how states then strive to leverage and exploit these central positions to advance their own national security and foreign policy objectives (#1 & #7). I specify how states rely on these network points of control to
- PULL information from relevant actors and companies (surveillance);
- PUSH information across borders to influence foreign populations, such as through cyber propaganda (#3); and
- CUT the flow of information in order to coerce and censor adversaries (#2).
I also study how communication policies are being deployed to neutralize the effect of these points of control (articles #3 & #4), and the overarching impacts these technologies have on development (#8) and core pillars of the liberal order, such as the legal conceptualization of the individual (#6). I argue Non-Alignment can serve as a focal point around which Global South countries and middle powers can coordinate demands for human-centered technological development (#2, #4, #7).
JOURNAL ARTICLES
1. Ortiz-Freuler, J. and Castells, M. (2026) From search engines to AI agents: Interface control and the restructuring of communication power. New Media & Society.
We offer an analytical framework illuminating how global communication power manifests across three key interfaces: search engines, social media, and AI agents. We describe the evolution of these interfaces and conceptualize how corporat
2. Ortiz Freuler, J. (2026). Informational Sovereignty: The Commercial and Geopolitical Risk of Newsroom Dependency on Third-Party Infrastructure in Latin America. International Journal of Communication.
Supported by U.Penn Compass Fellowship ($6k)
Presented at:
PTC 2026; ICA 2025; PlatGov 2025; GIG-ARTS 2025;
I use a database of +400 da
3.Ortiz-Freuler, J. (2026). Neutralising the propaganda machine: proposals for cyber-propaganda de-escalation. Journal of Cyber Policy, 1–19 [🔓Open access]
- Presented at (slides):
- Hague Program on International Cyber Security (2024)
- NYU FORGE (2024)
- International Political Science Assn (IPSA) (2025)
A re-framing of cyber-propaganda as a shared global challenge and a taxonomy that distinguishes betwee
4. Ortiz Freuler, J. (2025). Infrastructural power: State strategies for internet control. Internet Policy Review.
2025 PTC Emerging Scholar Award
Presented at PTC 2025, GiG-Arts 2025, SOTN 2025
Op-eds grounding paper in recent events
An analytical framework for examining internet governance pr
5. Ortiz Freuler, J. (2023). Unveiling gatekeeping practices in mobile environments: A comparative analysis of operating systems and app gardens. International Journal of Communication, 17.
Presented at TPRC 2022 (poster)
and Renmin University of China Symposium 2023.
Download-> TPRC poster
Research supported by an Open Society Foundations (OSF) $5k seed grant.
I examine how mobile apps handle user re
6. Ortiz Freuler, J. (2023). Datafication, identity, and the reorganization of the category individual. Temple Law Review, 95(4), 673–698.
See:
- Talk at Temple Law School
- Related op-eds:
Underlying the AI boom, digitization and datafication processes are destabilizing core human rights concepts. This essay urges c
7. 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)
+14k views / +50 citations
Recommended in PoliSci, Diplomacy & InfoSci.
Cited in NATO conference
- Oped: infrastructure of future empires
After promoting borderless digital infrastructure in the 1990s,
BOOK CHAPTER - Forthcoming
- Ortiz-Freuler, J. Reprogramming the internet: Digital taxation and development justice. In A. Korjan (Ed) Research Handbook on Big Data and Economic Development. Edward Elgar. 2026- Forthcoming].
- Presented at the Equitable Benefit Sharing Convening organized by Fundação Gertulio Vargas & OSF (2023)
I argue that the design and effective implementation of a global digital tax
Manuscripts in preparation
[Descriptive titles to reduce risk of de-anonymization]
- 1. Ortiz-Freuler, J. and Jung, B*. How the emergence of LLM's affects the media industry
- [In preparation]. Finalist for "Best student paper award" at TPRC. Presented at Association of Internet Researchers (AoiR) conference [Remote] - (Oct 2025).]
*equal contributions. [Pre-print]
- 2. Ortiz-Freuler, J. How South America’s path to Non-Aligned tech will incorporate dependency theory
- [In preparation for submission to journal. [Presented at ICA 2026; Platgov 2025; Pre-ICA workshop at the University of Denver, Colorado 2025].
- 3. 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.
- [Updating. Presented at Tufts’ Fletcher School Symposium on Cyber Security and Public Policy, Medford, MA (March 2023)]
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
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.
ESSAY IN EDITED VOLUME
Ortiz Freuler, J., The smart city as a shift in the locus of knowledge and power, in Brandusescu, A., & Reia, J. (Eds.). (2022). Artificial intelligence in the city: Building civic engagement and public trust. (pp. 88-90) Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Montréal, McGill University.
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 (EDIGS
Book:
Castells, M. (2024).Advanced Introduction to Digital Society. Edward Elgar.
‘In this precisely argued, expansive book, Castells demonstrates once again his deep understanding of the complex relationships between technology, power, and inequality. This is essential reading not only for those who study the digital world, but for all who rely on it, either knowingly or not. A must-read!’
–Sarah B
22. POLICY BRIEF
Ortiz Freuler, J., (2025). The Trump Effect of digital rights and resilience in the Global Majority. Global Network for Social Justice and Digital Resilience.
An actionable brief designed to inform a strategic meeting of DRN members in Oslo, subsequently published to contribute to public debate and coordination among global majority nonprofits in this space.
21. 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.
[Clip: networks can fill the power vacuum created by the defunding of the international system]
A participatory study with digital rights practitioners from Global Majority territories reveals three key forces
20. STUDENT HANDBOOK
Ortiz Freuler, J.(2022). Datafication and the future of human rights practice. JustLabs.
-Feat. in Georgetown Law's Platform Gov. Syllabus /Cited in academic lit [1,2, 3]
-See op-ed
Datafication is reshaping public and private spheres, impacting on how we exercise our rights. By analyzing past impacts and future risks and opportunities, this report prepares students to navigate th
19. POLICY HANDBOOK
Ortiz Freuler, J. (2021). The Neutrality Pyramid: A policy framework to redistribute power over the net. Web Centralization Monitor.
[Presented as expert testimony before the Constitutional Court of Colombia]
This action-oriented handbook offers a compass for policymakers:
(1) Why the "techlash"
(2) Risks of internet centralization
(3) A response: The Neutrality Pyramid framework.
(4
18. INDUSTRY REPORT
Szewach, P., & Ortiz Freuler, J. (2020). Disinformation and the current state of Argentina’s media market. Global Disinformation Index.
Based on an analysis of dozens of newspapers and hundreds of newspaper articles analyzed according to the Global Disinformation Index methodologies, this industry report determines the disinformation risk profile of newspapers in Argentina.
17. REPORT
Ortiz Freuler, J., & Iglesias, C. (2018). How are governments in Latin America using artificial intelligence? Web Foundation.
Cited by UNESCO, WHO / ITU, UNICEF, IDB, & UN Special Rapporteur
Latin American governments adopting AI face challenges of effectiveness and legitimacy.
Analyzing cases of AI-system deployments in Argentina & Uruguay, we recommend policies of transparency, participa
16. REPORT -EXPERIMENT
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, OECD, IFLA ;media & academia (en/es).
An experiment on Facebook's NewsFeed. How do opaque algorithms define what is shown? For eg. femicide stories were buried. The report challenges the notion of Fa
15. POLICY REPORT
Brandusescu, A., Ortiz Freuler, J., & Thakur, D. (2017). Artificial intelligence: Starting the policy dialogue in Africa. Web Foundation.
Cited by UNESCO & Hoover Inst
Based on expert interviews across Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa, this study was designed to kick-start policy dialogues on AI across Africa. Since 2017, it has become a reference point for activists, policymakers a
14. POLICY REPORT
Ortiz Freuler, J. (2017). How much did the percentage of internet users in México actually grow in 2015? An analysis of the official statistics, and their interpretation by public officials [Spanish]. R3D.
Uncovering methodological malpractice and potential corruption by the Mexican Executive. Widespread media attention [1,2,3] led to policy changes.
13. POLICY REPORT
Ortiz Freuler, J. (2015). Supply and demand of open data in Mexico: A diagnostic report on the government’s new open data portal. Consultancy for SocialTic. [Spanish]
Mexico's open data portal (datos.gob.mx) shows promise but faces challenges. This diagnostic report reveals key needs: fostering public official's ownership of data publication processes, improving dataset quality, an
Other whitepapers & reports
- 12. Ortiz-Freuler, J. (2026). "Corporations are becoming social scaffolding". In J. Anderson & L. Rainie (Eds.), Building a Human Resilience Infrastructure for the AI Age. (pp. 75-78) Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center.
- 11. Web Foundation. (2019). A contract for the web. contractfortheweb.org (JOF editor and coordinator)
- 10. 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
- 9. 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]
- 8. Ortiz Freuler, J. (2016). Observing Media Framing Effects through Online Social Media: A Case Study of the Public Debate on the Syrian Refugee Crisis Using Data from Facebook [Masters Thesis]. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3733169
- 7. 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
- 6. 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://www.scribd.com/document/166352133/TICs-y-EFS
- 5. Ortiz Freuler, J. (2013). Strategies and tools for the administration of a digital observatory on competitive public contests [Spanish]. ACIJ. https://www.scribd.com/document/166352542/Manual-1-1
- 4. Maurino, G., & Ortiz Freuler, J. (2013). Selection of judges in the city of Buenos Aires: Diagnostic and proposals [Spanish]. ACIJ. https://www.scribd.com/doc/166352743/Seleccio-n-de-Magistrados
- 3. 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
- 2. 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
- 1. 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://www.scribd.com/document/166352891/Tpa-in-Sais-in-Latin-America [See PPT synthesis]