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  5. Transformation of the Legal Implementation Mechanism in a Digital State: Additional Forms, Changing Subjects, or the Emergence of a New Doctrine

Almanac of law. Issue 17 (2026), pages 233–238.

DOI: 10.33663/2524-017X-2026-17-233-238

Tsvietkova Y. V.
Transformation of the Legal Implementation Mechanism in a Digital State: Additional Forms, Changing Subjects, or the Emergence of a New Doctrine

This article explores the fundamental shifts occurring within the mechanism of law realization under the pressure of total digitalization and the massive introduction of algorithmic systems into public administration. The author argues that we are witnessing more than just a technical upgrade of state services; rather, there is a radical evaluation of classic legal doctrines that once seemed unshakable. The study focuses on how traditional legal phenomena, such as the forms of law realization and the status of legal subjects, adapt to a reality dominated by electronic platforms, automated programming, and artificial intelligence. The author begins by analyzing the changing conceptual framework of law. Traditional principles like legality, justice, and equality are now being supplemented or even tested by new “digital” imperatives: algorithmic transparency, cyber security, and guaranteed open information access. A significant part of the research is dedicated to the problematic correlation between digitalization and the principle of equality. While algorithms can eliminate human bias and corruption (since a computer program does not take bribes or require extra paperwork), they simultaneously create new forms of discrimination based on a person’s technological literacy or quality of internet access.

The paper raises a crucial doctrinal question: is the so-called “automated realization of rights” a new, independent form of law realization? By examining proactive state services, such as the automatic calculation of social benefits or pensions without an individual’s direct application, the author questions whether this fits into the classic “application of law” (pravozastosuvannia) category. The distinction lies in the absence of a specific discretionary decision by a human official, as the right is realized through a pre-programmed algorithm.

Furthermore, the study highlights a shift in the subject matter of legal relations. The traditional list of subjects is expanding to include “technological intermediaries”. The use of AI in healthcare (prescribing medications) or in traffic enforcement (automated fines) suggests that algorithmic systems are increasingly taking over functions previously reserved for state bodies. However, this raises the “responsibility gap”: who is liable for an algorithmic error — the programmer, the operator, or the state agency that commissioned the software?

Finally, the author deconstructs the illusion of “diminishing state interference”. Through the lens of services like Ukraine’s “Diia” or the social credit systems in other jurisdictions, the paper demonstrates that digitalization actually increases state control. Every digital service links fragmented database, allowing the state to track movement and behavior with unprecedented precision. The article concludes that the modern legal doctrine must evolve to balance the undeniable convenience of a “service-oriented state” with the protection of privacy and the prevention of total algorithmic surveillance.

Keywords: legal implementation (realization), digital state, algorithmization, automated application of law, subjects of law, artificial intelligence, digital control and surveillance.

 References

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Дата першого надходження рукопису до видання: 20.03.2026
Дата прийнятого до друку рукопису після рецензування: 09.04.2026
Дата публікації: 30.04.2026

 

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