Research articles on GOVERNANCE

Civil society’s role in constitutionalising global content governance

Nicola Palladino, University of Salerno
Dennis Redeker, University of Bremen
Edoardo Celeste, Dublin City University
PUBLISHED ON: 31 Mar 2025 DOI: 10.14763/2025.1.1830

This article explores how civil society can contribute to constitutionalising social media global content governance by bridging international human rights law with platform policies.

Safer spaces by design? Federated socio-technical architectures in content moderation

Ksenia Ermoshina, National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)
Francesca Musiani, National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)
PUBLISHED ON: 31 Mar 2025 DOI: 10.14763/2025.1.1827

This article analyses the role that informational architectures and infrastructures in federated social media platforms play in content moderation processes.

This article compares the Stop Hate for Profit campaign and the Global Alliance for Responsible Media to evaluate efforts that leverage advertisers’ financial power to challenge platform content moderation.

Despite their active and growing involvement in monitoring the implementation of the “Code of Conduct on countering illegal hate speech online”, civil society organisations have been barred from translating this expanded role into enhanced influence at the policy-making level.

(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.

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.

Balancing public interest, fundamental rights, and innovation: The EU’s governance model for non-high-risk AI systems

Michael Gille, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
Marina Tropmann-Frick, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
Thorben Schomacker, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences
PUBLISHED ON: 30 Sep 2024 DOI: 10.14763/2024.3.1797

The article takes an in-depth look at the AI Act’s governance approach to non-high-risk AI systems and provides a multi-perspective analysis of the challenges that the EU’s regulation of AI brings about.