General Information

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication and the School of Public Policy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where I am also affiliated faculty at the Cyber Security Research Center, Cyber Law Program.

My work focuses on the intersection of information, technology, policy, and society. Specifically, I study Internet governance along the dimensions of internet regulation, design, and use. Some of the current projects include socio-sematic analysis of internet governance deliberations and comparative study of online privacy, trust, and security. In the past I have also looked into questions of online civic engagement in policymaking, information access, and the digital divide.

Important achievements

Among the different academic networks and associations I am part of, I am particularly engaged in the Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet). I currently serve as GigaNet Chair and as a member of the Program and Membership committees. 

My work has been supported by funders such as the National Science Foundation, the Minerva Foundation, Program on Economics & Privacy at George Mason University Law School, and the Internet Society. It has appeared in a number of peer-reviewed venues, including The Information Society, Journal of Information Technology, Journal of Information Policy, Communication Research, Social Media + Society, and Wake Forest Law Review.

Recent studies

Currently I am working on two main projects. First, I explore how policy issues are getting framed in internet governance deliberation spaces, and how those frames traverse institutional boundaries. Second, I work with colleagues on creating a framework for comparative study of digital privacy across social, political, and technological contexts, and over time.

Publications:

• Epstein, D. & Quinn, K. (in press). Markers of online privacy marginalization: Empirical examination of socioeconomic disparities in social media privacy attitudes, literacy, and behavior. Social Media + Society.
• Quinn, K., Epstein, D., & Moon, B. (2019). We care about different things: Non-elite conceptualizations of social media privacy. Social Media + Society, 5(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119866008
• Quinn, K. and Epstein, D. (2019). There is hope: Race, gender, and the uses and gratifications of social media. In Lind R. A. (ed.) Race/Gender/Class/Media (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson.   
• Quinn, K. and Epstein, D. (2018). #MyPrivacy: How users think about social media privacy. Proceedings of #SMSociety 2018, 360-364, doi: 10.1145/3217804.3217945  
• Epstein, D., Katzenbach, C., and Musiani, F. (2016). Doing internet governance: How science and technology studies inform the study of internet governance. Internet Policy Review, 5(3). doi: 10.14763/2016.3.435
• Epstein, D. and Nonnecke, B. M. (2016). Multistakeholderism in praxis: The case of the regional and national IGF initiatives. Policy & Internet, 8(2), 148-173.
• Stoycheff, E, Nisbet, E.C., and Epstein, D. (2016) Differential Effects of Capital-Enhancing and Recreational Internet Use on Citizens’ Demand for Democracy. Communication Research. doi:10.1177/0093650216644645
• Epstein, D. (2015). Duality squared: Technology and governance in the making of the web. In Lind R. A. (ed.) Produsing theory, pp. 41-56. New-York, NY: Peter Lang Press. 
• Epstein, D., Heidt, J., and Farina, C. R. (2014) The value of words: Narrative as evidence in policymaking. Evidence and Policy, 10(2), 243-258. 
• Epstein, D., Ross, M., and Baumer, E. (2014). It’s the definition, stupid! Framing of online privacy in the Internet Governance Forum debates. Journal of Information Policy, 4. 
• Epstein, D., Newhart, M. J., and Vernon, R. (2014). Not by technology alone: The “analog” aspects of online public engagement in rulemaking. Government Information Quarterly, 31(2), 337-344. 
• Epstein, D. (2013). The making of institutions of information governance: The case of the Internet Governance Forum. Journal of Information Technology, 28(2), 137-149.
• Farina, C. R., Epstein, D., Heidt, J. and Newhart, M. J. (2012). Knowledge in the people: Rethinking “value” in public rulemaking participation. Wake Forest Law Review, 47(5), 1185-1241.
• Epstein, D. (2011). The analog history of the ‘digital divide.’ In Park, D.W., Jankowski, N., and Jones, S. (eds.) The Long History of New Media, p.127-144. New-York, NY: Peter Lang Press. 
• Epstein, D., Nisbet, E., and Gillespie, T.  (2011). Who is responsible for the digital divide? Public perceptions and policy implications. The Information Society, 27(2), 92-104.