Communication technologies contain embedded values that affect our society's fundamental values, such as privacy, freedom of speech, and the protection of intellectual property. Researchers have shown the design of technologies is not autonomous but shaped by conflicting social groups. Consequently, communication technologies contain different values when designed by different social groups. Institutions where communication technologies are designed and developed are an important source of the values of communication technologies. We focus on political, economic, social, and legal influences, institutional reactions to these influences, and decision-making issues in the review process. The institution where a technology is designed plays a crucial role in the values incorporated into a communications technology. In the style of Larry Lessig, this study compares the development of NCSA Mosaic, "cookies", Apache, and the Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS), looking at the role of the institution during the process and its impact on the end product. The Role of Institutions in the Design of Communication Technologies | 
