CONSTITUTIONAL IDENTITY IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP : A CRITICAL NORMATIVE AND JURISPRUDENTIAL REASSESSMENT
The digital age has profoundly reshaped human interaction, governance, and individual identity, necessitating a re-evaluation of traditional citizenship and constitutional identity. This article undertakes a normative and jurisprudential analysis of this reconstruction, arguing for proactive adaptation of constitutional frameworks to safeguard individual agency against algorithmic governance and digital surveillance. It traces the evolution of citizenship from Westphalian sovereignty to digital participation, highlighting data as an extension of the self and the normative foundations of digital rights. The analysis explores digitalization's impact on core constitutional values, drawing comparative insights from India, the European Union, and the United States, particularly concerning the Basic Structure Doctrine. Key challenges, including algorithmic opacity, surveillance capitalism, the digital divide, and private platforms' role as 'digital sovereigns,' are critically examined. The article proposes a framework for normative reconstruction, advocating new digital rights and reimagined procedural safeguards to ensure constitutional resilience. Through an extensive review of landmark case laws and statutory developments, this research emphasizes the judiciary's pivotal role in guarding digital constitutional identity and outlines a future trajectory for constitutionalism that embraces technology while upholding fundamental human rights and democratic principles. This interdisciplinary approach provides a robust foundation for understanding the intricate interplay between technology, law, and identity in the 21st century.
Choubey, H., Jain, D. & Singh, A. R. (2026). Constitutional Identity in the Age of Digital Citizenship : A Critical Normative and Jurisprudential Reassessment. International Journal of Science, Strategic Management and Technology, 02(6). https://doi.org/10.55041/ijsmt.v2i6.202
Choubey, Harshita, et al.. "Constitutional Identity in the Age of Digital Citizenship : A Critical Normative and Jurisprudential Reassessment." International Journal of Science, Strategic Management and Technology, vol. 02, no. 6, 2026, pp. . doi:https://doi.org/10.55041/ijsmt.v2i6.202.
Choubey, Harshita,Diya Jain, and Aruno Singh. "Constitutional Identity in the Age of Digital Citizenship : A Critical Normative and Jurisprudential Reassessment." International Journal of Science, Strategic Management and Technology 02, no. 6 (2026). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.55041/ijsmt.v2i6.202.
- Cases
- Kesavananda Bharati v. State of Kerala, (1973) 4 S.C.C. 225 (India).
- S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India, (2017) 10 S.C.C. 1 (India).
- Anuradha Bhasin v. Union of India, (2020) 3 S.C.C. 637 (India).
- Shreya Singhal v. Union of India, (2015) 5 S.C.C. 1 (India).
- Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, (2018) 10 S.C.C. 1 (India).
- Maneka Gandhi v. Union of India, (1978) 1 S.C.C. 248 (India).
- Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Aadhaar-5J.) v. Union of India, (2019) 1 S.C.C. 1 (India).
- Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444 (1969).
- Reno v. ACLU, 521 U.S. 844 (1997).
- Packingham v. North Carolina, 582 U.S. 98 (2017).
- Carpenter v. United States, 138 S. Ct. 2206 (2018).
- Delfi AS v. Estonia, 2015-II Eur. Ct. H.R. 586.
- Constitutions, Statutes & International Instruments
- INDIA CONST.
- Digital Personal Data Protection Act, No. 22 of 2023, INDIA CODE (2023).
- Information Technology Act, No. 21 of 2000, INDIA CODE (2000).
- Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, G.S.R. 139(E) (India).
- General Data Protection Regulation, Regulation 2016/679, 2016 O.J. (L 119) 1 (EU).
- Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union art. 7–8, 2012 O.J. (C 326) 391.
- European Convention on Human Rights art. 8, Nov. 4, 1950, 213 U.N.T.S. 221.
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights art. 19, Dec. 16, 1966, 999 U.N.T.S. 171.