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On January 6, 2025, the implementation of project No. КП06-ДВ/6 of December 17, 2024, The Online/Offline Divide: Can Pre-Digital Law Govern the Online World? Focus on freedom of expression at the Meta Oversight Board, funded under the National Scientific Program "ВИХРЕН-2024", Bulgarian National Sciece Fund, Ministry of Education and Science, began. For our university, this is the first project under this Program. The project has a duration of 60 months and a total budget of BGN 788,700. The project coordinator is Dr. Bilyana Petkova. Before joining the research team of UNWE, Dr. Petkova taught international law at Middlesex University, London and was the head of the Department of Law and Digital Technologies at the University of Graz, Austria.

The project offers an in-depth examination of the right to free speech on a global scale. Today, social networks moderate our speech – they take down or leave speech online that is flagged as illegal or simply offensive. This role leaves behind public courts, which are still primarily responsible for adjudicating speech issues in the physical world. Is there then an online/offline divide when it comes to the standard for protecting free speech globally? This project first discusses the institutional structure of a new private body that could play a crucial role in protecting free speech globally – the Meta Oversight Board. It then points out the differences in the way free speech is adjudicated by the highest public courts in the United States and in Europe, in order to clarify the potential unifying role of the Meta Oversight Board. This convergence of standards and the role of the Meta Oversight Board has not been studied before. The project highlights some of the differences in the protection of free speech between Europe and the United States. While European public courts tend to provide almost absolute protection of privacy, the US Supreme Court offers almost absolute protection of free speech. Another divergence is the different judicial interpretations of the role of the Internet in the US and Europe. The project hypothesizes that there is a global but private standard for online free speech in the process of being created by the Meta Oversight Board. What are the perimeters of what is permitted and what is not permitted under this new standard? This project will propose a methodology that aims to explore the nature of the newly developing standard for protecting free speech online. To what extent does this standard deviate from the protection of free speech offline, which remains in the realm of public law?

Team

UNWE — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 06:59:04 GMT

Project Investigator

Dr. Bilyana Petkova

E-mail: bpetkova@unwe.bg

Phoneн: +359 879 220770

Office: 4038

Researcher

Dr. Antitsa Geneva

E-mail: antitsa.geneva@unwe.bg

Office: 4038

Researcher

Georgi Iliev

E-mail: georgi.iliev@unwe.bg

Office: 4038

Projects

UNWE — Thu, 15 May 2025 10:48:48 GMT

Science and Projects

UNWE — Thu, 15 May 2025 10:48:01 GMT

FABA Journal

UNWE — Thu, 15 May 2025 10:46:00 GMT

Finance, Accounting and Business Analysis

Contest

UNWE — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 06:58:30 GMT

On January 6, 2025, the implementation of project No. КП06-ДВ/6 "The Online/Offline Division: Can Pre-Digital Law Manage the Online World? In Focus: The Right to Speech in the Supervisory Board of Meta" was launched, funded under the Competition National Scientific Program "Top Research and People for the Development of European Science" (NNP VIHREN-2024) by the Bulgarian National Science Fund, Ministry of Education and Science. For the implementation of the project goals and tasks, the inclusion of two postdoctoral students and one full-time doctoral student is envisaged. In this regard, UNWE announces a competition to fill the vacant positions under the project. The deadline for applications is February 24, 2025.

Information about the competition for a doctoral student

Information about the competition for postdoctoral students

Project КП-06-МНФ/27

UNWE — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 08:27:38 GMT

Scientific Council

UNWE — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 12:39:07 GMT

Chairman

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Petar Chobanov

Members

Prof. D.Sc. /Econ./ Nikolay Nenovsky

Prof. D.Sc. Borislav Borisov

Prof. Dr. Daniela Bobeva

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yanko Hristozov

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Presiana Nenkova

Chief. Assist. Dr. Diana Miteva

Lect. Dr. Svetlozar Lazarov

Economic and Public Politics Council

UNWE — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 12:20:51 GMT

Chairman

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Peter Chobanov

Members

Nikola Filipov

Vladimir Sirkarov

Kuzman Iliev

Michail Krastev

Contacts

UNWE — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 11:44:06 GMT

Director

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yanko Chavdarov Hristozov

Finance

CV: english

E-mail: yankohristozov@unwe.bg

Phone: +359 2 81 95 382

Office: 1021

Chief Expert in Administrative Service of UNWE Institutes

Lidia Velcheva

E-mail: lvelcheva@unwe.bg

Personal E-mail: lidiavelcheva1@gmail.com

Phone: +359 2 8195 240

Office: 4039

About IЕP

UNWE — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 11:41:07 GMT

The Institute of Economics and Policies was established with a decision of the Academic Council № 4/3 - 05.11.2016 and Provision № 54 / 23.03.2017 of the Council of Ministers. It is the successor of the Institute of Economic Policy at the University of National and World Economy.

The major objective of the Institute is the development of scientific knowledge in the field of economics and the policies pursued by national and supranational institutions in the public and private sector, in accordance with the priorities, trends and achievements in the world science, the use of the results in the educational process and the training of high qualified staff and providing assistance for their realization in practice, in a way and to a degree that contributes to raising the prestige of UNWE as a research and educational center of national and international importance.

The major activity of the Institute of Economics and Policies as the main unit of UNWE is the implementation of a long-term research activity by its academic staff.

In order to carry out its main activity, the Institute:

conducts scientific researches;
organizes scientific forums and other academic events in the fields of its research work;
implements an information activity connected with gathering, processing and dissemination of information in the scientific fields of its work, including the issuance of a scientific bulletin;
builds university, national and / or international research networks and a network of contacts with organizations and specialists in the research areas of the Institute;
performs other activities that are in accordance with the main goal of the Institute.

Administration

UNWE — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 11:30:57 GMT

Chief Expert in Administrative Service of UNWE Institutes

Lidia Velcheva

E-mail: lvelcheva@unwe.bg

Personal E-mail: lidiavelcheva1@gmail.com

Phone: +359 2 8195 240

Office: 4039

Events

UNWE — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 11:15:07 GMT

News

UNWE — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 11:15:05 GMT

IEP in the Media

UNWE — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 11:15:03 GMT

Partners

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Analytical publications

UNWE — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 11:13:22 GMT

Scientific publications

UNWE — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 11:12:56 GMT

Advisory Council

UNWE — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 11:10:49 GMT

Advisory Council

UNWE — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 11:10:40 GMT