Private Autonomy and the Hypernudge Challenge: Towards a Normative Standard of Algorithmic Loyalty
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22217091Keywords:
Hypernudge, Informed consent, Objective good faith, Algorithmic loyalty, Autonomy of the willAbstract
Digital choice architectures deployed by platforms constitute environments designed to modulate user behavior through opaque and personalized behavioral manipulation techniques known as hypernudges. Such practices radically transform the conditions under which consent is formed, undermining the dogmatic assumptions that sustain autonomy of the will and the validity of the legal act within private law. This article critically examines the adequacy of these traditional categories in the face of emerging challenges, proposing a reinterpretation of objective good faith that incorporates a standard of algorithmic loyalty. Three criteria are identified to delimit this form of unlawful manipulation: deliberate opacity, exploitative personalization, and asymmetrical outcomes. The central finding demonstrates that a liability-by-design regime, grounded in the principle of good faith, enables the restoration of consent protection in substantive terms.
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