COSMONAUT

S E R I E S

Platform Governance

Ittai Rosas

Facebook's Oversight Board

Facebook's novel experiment in global governance is posited to conduct independent and external assessment of controversial cases the determination of which are likely to have far-reaching implications for human rights. Whether  this endeavor presents true promise, or whether it is a smokescreen to gain greater legitimacy with minimal changes to its corporate structure remains to be seen.

Darya

Social Media Councils

Article 19 proposes a decentralized network of content moderators as a set of open, participatory and accountable bodies made up of various actors working at the national level to safeguard freedom of expression online.  This model aspires to unbundle content moderation currently monopolized by social media companies.

Lordicon

Governors' Dilemma

Both public and private actors are increasingly under pressure to play a more active role in online content moderation inevitably raising other concerns. Social media companies like Facebook, Youtube and Twitter are criticized for their lack of transparency and democratic legitimacy in taking such decisions. On the other hand, governments tend to outsource human rights decisions constitutionally reserved for courts to private actors.

Daniel

Our Series

India's Struggle Against Fake News

By Srishti Nair • February 7, 2021
How disinformation and the failed attempts against it have aggravated ethnic and religious tensions in India.

Twitter Permanently Bans Donald Trump. What Does That Mean For Us?

By Francesca Scapolo • January 10, 2021
The social media platform decision to suspend the President’s @realDonaldTrump account “due to the risk of further incitement of violence” sparked questions on platforms’ role when it comes to free speech misinformation and content moderation.

Social Media Councils

By Sonia Sangiovanni • December 19, 2020
A decentralized solution fit for Digital Constitutionalism.

A Constitutional Court?

By Giovanni Paolini • December 13, 2020
The creation of Facebook’s Oversight Board has divided experts and the general public among supporters of the initiative and critics. A comprehensive review of what will change with its introduction and which problems remain unsolved.

How 'Pivotal' a Moment in Global Governance?

By Sanskriti Sanghi • August 30, 2020
The Facebook Oversight Board has been introduced as a novel experiment in global governance which is posited as having the potential to conduct independent and external assessment of controversial cases the determination of which are likely to have far-reaching implications for human rights. This article attempts to ascertain whether the Facebook Oversight Board presents true promise, or whether it is a smokescreen to gain greater legitimacy with minimal changes to its corporate structure undergirded by certain vested interests.

What if politicians weren’t elected but rather drawn by lot?

By Konstantinos Tsakiliotis • January 30, 2019
Modern Western liberal democracies are under criticism: low voter turnout, overrepresentation of political extremists, corruption and polarisation – alongside the absence of a civilised political debate in the context of ‘fake news’ – are some of the symptoms. But what if elections are part of the problem? The core challenge is to guarantee both legitimacy and efficiency in a globalised context, while addressing both the dangers and also profiting from the advantages of the information age. Can the EU lead as an example? And may sortition offer a remedy? This article offers an insight into the political concept of sortition and its application throughout the centuries until today.

Read More

TikTok-ing on the National Security Defence

By Raushan Tara Jaswal • September 21, 2022
Time is running out on the National Security defence adopted by the Government of India for the prolonged ban on Chinese based Mobile Applications.

Challenges and Opportunities of AI in Outer Space

By Linda Jaeck • January 16, 2022
How AI is enabling new frontiers in Mars exploration.

Showdown Down Under?

By Marco Schmidt • August 9, 2021
Regulation is gaining more traction all over the place but it is uncertain if the Australian News Media Bargain Code will become a role model for legislation in other places. There are several weaknesses to the Code and after all, it is not clear if paying publishers for their content will really alter the high levels of market concentration.

Myanmar's Keyboard Warriors

By Theint Theint Thu • August 9, 2021
The perseverance of Myanmar’s youth to fight for freedom is proving to be the key to the country’s democratic future.

Emojis and Digital Communication

By Suzanne Flynn • August 9, 2021
Digital communication has changed rapidly since the onset of the digital age but emojis have only gone from strength to strength since their inception in the late 1990s. This article will cover the impact emojis have had on language and culture. It will conclude with a comparison of hieroglyphics and emojis and what this development tells us about in culture and language in the digital age.

Protecting democratic content and the UK Online Safety Bill

By Lucas Pinho Martins Nacif • June 6, 2021
The idea behind protecting ‘democratic content’ within social media providers is a thought-provoking one and shows how the UK is committed to protecting diversity of political opinion within democratic debate. It may be proven unworkable, though.

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