Research & Commentary

This month, the Knight-Georgetown Institute convened two events during Georgetown University’s fourth annual Tech & Society Week. KGI brought together leading experts, academics, and other key stakeholders across the digital technology landscape to explore some of the most pressing topics around social media platform design as well as consumer protection litigation aimed at keeping users safe online.

Google’s dominance in search has made it the subject of antitrust investigations and competition regulation around the world. The latest of these was the announcement in January 2025 that the United Kingdom was launching an investigation under its new digital markets competition regime. In public comments recently filed with UK competition authority, KGI has underscored the importance of being familiar with previous enforcement efforts around the world and prioritizing certain key aspects of competition.

As state, federal, and global policymakers grapple with how to address concerns about the link between online algorithms and a variety of harms, KGI’s latest report authored by a distinguished group of researchers, technologists, and policy leaders is a roadmap for design and governance solutions that put users first. Product designers and policymakers can promote better algorithms through detailed design transparency, user choices and defaults, and assessments of long-term impact.

The first round of Digital Services Act (DSA) recommender system audits are inconsistent in how platforms and auditors define key terms and assess recommender system performance. To ensure meaningful transparency, we need clear definitions, more data, and verifiable system outcomes.

Nearing the one-year anniversary of the DMA, KGI and the Yale Tobin Center gathered leading minds from academia, industry, and policy for the first DMA and Beyond conference. Attendees dissected the DMA’s early implementation, explored its ripple effects across global tech ecosystems, and debated the future blueprint for digital market regulation.