Markus Naarttijärvi has together with Ingvild Bruce (University of Oslo) received funding from Riksbankens Jubileumsfond for a three year project on The Digital Monopoly of Force.
The project will investigate whether the Weberian model of the monopoly of force – as exercised by the police – is fit for the digital domain. Using case studies and legal methods the researchers will analyze the differences in the modalities and consequences of using digital force (such as police hacking), as well as the legitimizing boundaries of human rights norms and the rule of law. This will contribute to the understanding of legitimacy of state interventions in the digital domain, the logic underpinning them, and allow for an analysis and theoretical understanding of how and where the monopoly of force can, and should, be maintained in relation to police action in the digital domain. The project will adopt a novel theoretical approach, bringing traditional Weberian theory into a theoretical context enriched by both science and technology studies and contemporary theories on legal legitimacy. The project will also draw on the competence and experience of a wide network of European police scholars and practitioners connected to the Policing in the Digital Society Network.