Causation in Algorithmic Torts

Honoring the trans-Atlantic breadth of the tort law scholarship of Professor Franz Werro, the paper explores a still largely uncharted area in the current discussions about regulation of digital technologies and algorithmic liability, that is, causation in algorithmic torts. After a brief summary of the state of the art of the debate in Europe and in the United States, the paper first attempts to list the causal issues under algorithmic torts that have so far largely gone unchecked. It then delves into the reasons underlying the little interest so far devoted to causation problems and evaluates whether and why this limited interest overall makes sense.