Recipes for Cookies 1 Running Head RECIPES FOR COOKIES Recipes …

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Recipes for Cookies 1
Running Head: RECIPES FOR COOKIES
Recipes for Cookies: How Institutions Shape Communication Technologies
Rajiv C. Shah and Jay P. Kesan
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
November 9, 2004
Rajiv C. Shah
University of Illinois
rshah@a5a.com
Jay P. Kesan (contact author)
University of Illinois
College of Law
134 Law Building,MC-594
504 Pennsylvania Avenue
Champaign IL 61820
kesan@law.uiuc.eduRecipes for Cookies 2
Abstract
The ability of communication technologies to favor certain societal concerns, such as
privacy, is widely recognized. This paper argues a central factor in how a technology favors a
societal concern stems from its institutional origin. A case study of the cookies technology,
which allows web sites to maintain surveillance on their visitors, shows the differing influences
of universities, firms, and consortia. Each of these institutions acted according to their own
norms and processes and differentially shaped the cookies technology. The result suggests
societal institutions act in a systematic and predictable fashion in shaping how communication
technologies affect fundamental societal concerns.
Keywords: Institutions, Communication Technologies, Law & Policy, Privacy…