Introduction to the special issue on content moderation on digital platforms Content moderation on digital platforms: Beyond states and firms

Romain Badouard, Paris-Panthéon-Assas University
Anne Bellon, University of Technology of Compiègne
PUBLISHED ON: 31 Mar 2025 DOI: 10.14763/2025.1.2005

Content moderation encompasses a great diversity of actors who develop specific practices. Their precise contribution to the democratisation of content regulation, and to the balance between public and private interests in platform governance, remains little studied. This special issue is an attempt at remedying this.

The many shades of open banking: A comparative analysis of rationales and models

Giuseppe Colangelo, University of Basilicata
Pankhudi Khandelwal, European University Institute
PUBLISHED ON: 22 Jan 2025 DOI: 10.14763/2025.1.1821

Despite its growing success and widespread adoption around the world, open banking (OB) struggles to present a coherent identity. Since OB is driven by various justifications, identifying the primary motivations behind regulatory initiatives is crucial for assessing whether the implemented features align with the intended policy objectives.

(Un)disclosed brand partnerships: How platform policies and interfaces shape commercial content for influencers

Taylor Annabell, Utrecht University
Laura Aade, University of Luxembourg
Catalina Goanta, Utrecht University
PUBLISHED ON: 15 Nov 2024 DOI: 10.14763/2024.4.1814

This paper analyses how platform policies and interfaces of TikTok, YouTube, Snap, and Instagram shape commercial content for influencers and the legal duty to disclose such content under European consumer law.

Between the cracks: Blind spots in regulating media concentration and platform dependence in the EU

Theresa Josephine Seipp, University of Amsterdam
Natali Helberger, University of Amsterdam
Claes de Vreese, University of Amsterdam
Jef Ausloos, University of Amsterdam
PUBLISHED ON: 14 Nov 2024 DOI: 10.14763/2024.4.1813

The DSA, DMA, and EMFA aim to regulate platform power over digital services and markets while establishing rules to protect media freedom, pluralism, and editorial independence, notably through efforts to address media concentration; however, they seem to overlook some of the underlying causes driving these concentration threats.

AI-generated journalism: Do the transparency provisions in the AI Act give news readers what they hope for?

Stanislaw Piasecki, University of Amsterdam
Sophie Morosoli, University of Amsterdam
Natali Helberger, University of Amsterdam
Laurens Naudts, University of Amsterdam
PUBLISHED ON: 23 Oct 2024 DOI: 10.14763/2024.4.1810

This article evaluates how to reconcile AI Act’s Art. 50 transparency provisions applicable to AI-generated text with news readers’ perceptions of manipulation and empowerment.

In this study, we developed a consumer survey to investigate the extent to which legislation can (and should) keep up with existing and changing social and ethical norms regarding the use of data for personalising online prices.

Accountability protocols? On-chain dynamics in blockchain governance

Kelsie Nabben, European University Institute
Primavera De Filippi, National Center of Scientific Research (CNRS)
PUBLISHED ON: 8 Oct 2024 DOI: 10.14763/2024.4.1807

This paper focuses on the dynamics of accountability in blockchain governance. Drawing on a case study of the Lido protocol on Ethereum, it explores the rule of code, on-chain accountability, accountability trade-offs, and the complexities of determining when accountability can be better instantiated via on-chain or off-chain mechanisms.