Key Idea: Politics is where accountability that was incidental got removed. Broadcasting was wasteful and the waste delivered scrutiny; targeting removed both. The same pattern runs through digital government, conflict and regulation.
Paper 1
- Part a: identify campaign uses, or outline why regulation is hard
- Part b: explain why targeting resists scrutiny
- Part c: evaluate digital identity, risk-based rules or autonomous weapons
Paper 2
- Q2: explain a source's claim about government or campaigning
- Q3: compare sources on security and rights
- Q4: synthesise sources on regulating technology
Everywhere else
- Power: regulatory reach is a function of market size
- Identity: national ID is the sharpest verification case
- HL 5.2: governance and rights is this topic extended
Four micros, one question each
| Micro | The question it asks |
|---|---|
| Political processes | Who can check what was promised? |
| Governing bodies | What happens to the case the form has no box for? |
| Conflicts and war | Who did it, and can that ever be established? |
| Laws and regulations | Which kind of rule reaches a technology that does not exist yet? |
Name the technology — clear and quickly obsolete. Write principles — survives change and nobody knows what it requires. Sort by the risk of the use — the only one that covers what has not been invented, and still written afterwards.
Why attribution is the centre of conflict
Four features, one consequence
- Attacks route through other countries' machines, so where it came from is not where it started.
- The same tools are available to states and criminals, so the method proves nothing about the actor.
- Nothing crosses a border physically, so the acts that traditionally triggered a response never occur.
- So every rule about conflict — all of which assume a known actor — has nothing to attach to.
Important: When the market is worth more to the company than the cost of complying. That makes regulatory reach a function of market size rather than of sovereignty — an unequal power between formally equal states.
Exam-style questions
Suggest two reasons why a government might prefer a risk-based rule to one naming a technology.
🔒 Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Examine the view that governments cannot regulate global digital platforms effectively.
🔒 Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Quick check
What did broadcasting provide? A shared message anybody with a motive could check. The accountability came with the waste.
What does digital government remove? The official who could see that a case was unusual and do something about it.
Why is attribution central to conflict? Every rule about conflict assumes a known actor, and digital conflict is built to be deniable.
Why do risk tiers work better? They govern by use rather than by name, so something invented tomorrow is already covered.
Exam tips
- Argue from visibility rather than manipulation in campaigning questions. It is better evidenced.
- Ask what happens to the case the form has no box for.
- Name which kind of rule you are proposing, and what it will still not reach.