Presumed Innocent En Ligne [better] Instant
This paper investigates the following question: To what extent does the principle of presumed innocent apply in online environments, and what normative framework should govern its application? The analysis proceeds in three parts. First, a conceptual overview of the presumption in traditional jurisprudence. Second, a diagnosis of three zones of inversion: platform moderation, digital evidence, and networked vigilantism. Third, a proposal for procedural reforms grounded in "digital due process."
A coherent response requires three levels of intervention. presumed innocent en ligne
The presumption of innocence, formalized in Article 11 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, serves two functions. Functionally, it allocates the burden of proof to the accuser. Symbolically, it expresses the moral priority of avoiding false convictions over punishing the guilty (Blackstone’s ratio). As legal scholar William Blackstone wrote, "It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer." This paper investigates the following question: To what
Outside formal legal systems, online communities conduct their own rapid adjudications. A single accusatory post—screenshots of a text exchange, a video clip—can trigger a "digital pile-on." Within hours, the accused is named, shamed, and subjected to reputational and economic sanctions (job loss, doxing, harassment). Second, a diagnosis of three zones of inversion:
The Digital Presumption: Reconstructing the Principle of Presumed Innocent in Online Environments