democracy

  • Blog: Very Large Online Platforms pledge compliance with DSA – Researchers must put that to a test

    Since August 28, very large online platforms (VLOPs) like Instagram, TikTok and co. must comply with the new DSA requirements. Most of the 19 designated platforms and services issued (big) public announcements of their implemented changes. However, whether these hold up is a different matter entirely — as researchers Martin Degeling and Anna Semanova found…

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  • Thought Paper Series on Platform Governance

    5 papers in 5 months. Since April 2023, my colleague Charlotte Freihse and I have been working with colleagues from the Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society on a monthly series of expert workshops and thought papers looking at various topics of platform governance. We developed recommendations on decentralised networks, such as the fediverse, looked…

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  • Op-Ed: Die Twitter-Alternative, die keine ist

    Anfang August 2023 kündigte Meta mit Threads eine dezentrale Alternative an, die mit dem Fediverse kompatibel sein — und den Einstieg für weniger tech-affine Nutzer:innen erleichtern soll, da die Anmeldung über Instagram erfolgt. Meine Kollegin Charlotte Freihse und ich konnten dies nicht ignorieren und haben uns diese vermeintliche Alternative einmal genauer angesehen. Für den Tagesspiegel…

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  • Panel: re:publica 2023

    On June 7, 2023 I had the pleasure of joining a panel with Heather Thompson (Democracy Reporting International), Rita Jonusaite (EU Disinfo Lab), and Lea Frühwirth (CeMAS) where we shared insights, lessons learned, and ideas for how to counter disinformation. Three concrete action items for civil society researchers to help monitor and understand the spread…

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  • Article: The Cost of Global Reach – The DSA’s implications for big online platforms

    The Digital Services Act (DSA), which will become applicable by February 2024, has received, and deserves a lot of attention. The digital landscape is about to change substantially. Reading the 100-page copy, I noticed my mind creating an inventory, or maybe more aptly: a running account. This running account could present quite the remarkable bill…

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  • Article: Your Cheat Sheet for the Digital Services Act: What and for Whom

    If you search online for “Digital Services Act” (DSA) you get some 1.62 billion hits. Compared to only 513 million hits for its five years older “policy cousin”, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). All that, is of course a nerdy way of saying: the DSA is the EU’s latest regulation about to change the…

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  • Op-Ed: Mastodon as a common good alternative: Conditions apply.

    Curious about Mastodon? Personally, I’m a big fan of its potential — just as I’m weary of its bias towards those with privilege. In my latest piece, I explore 3 conditions to ensure the fediverse can provide a common, public good alternative. * diversity and inclusion * training for content moderators * sufficient funding Read…

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  • Op-Ed: We “pledge” action: The delay and diffuse tactics of climate misinformation

    We pledge action. ≠ We act. Most certainly so, when it comes to the climate crisis.In my latest commentary with Observer Research Foundation, I argue that the necessary transformation of our societies is underminded by pervasive climate misinformation. Beyond outright climate change denial, diffuse, distract, and delay tactics are far more widespread than one may…

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  • Launch of new project

    Official as of October 1: I’ll be co-leading a new team working on disinformation in digital spaces. Under the title “Upgrade Democracy”, we will analyse and highlight the dynamics of disinformation. If this seems detached from my usual focus on sustainability, climate action, and innovation — I can assure you, it is not. Not only…

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  • New role with Bertelsmann Stiftung

    I’ve been feeling the need to go deeper and spend more time thinking, researching, and supporting people on their impact journeys for a while now. This is why I am particularly happy to share that I joined the Bertelsmann Foundation as a Senior Expert on Future Tech and Sustainability at the beginning of July. I’ll…

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Cathleen Berger