An anatomy of digital technology bans

Calls to ban digital technologies gained traction across liberal democracies, while similar measures in other contexts are portrayed as hallmarks of authoritarian governance. These bans rarely amount to complete prohibitions, appear in various contexts, and serve different political aims. We argue that, before engaging the normative question of legitimacy, regulatory scholarship must clarify what “technology bans” are. We propose a conceptual framework that understands technology bans primarily as regulatory discourse: narratives, justifications, and disputes that shape regulation. Drawing on discourse theory in public policy, we develop a typology of technology bans discourses, identifying three types: geopolitical measures, protection of vulnerable populations, and public interest bans. Our analysis demonstrates that they function as regulatory frames that communicate authority, sovereignty, and democratic control over technological development. By unpacking their discursive structure, the paper contributes to the understanding of technology bans as a regulatory category and to ongoing debates about technology governance and democratic legitimacy.