Research & Commentary

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.

The Knight-Georgetown Institute (KGI) submitted comments to the United Kingdom regulator for communications services’ (Ofcom) call for evidence on researcher access to information from digital platforms. KGI’s comments highlight barriers to independent research and practical steps that Ofcom can take to strengthen access to data and independent research in the online information ecosystem.

Late last year, the public got its first glimpse into one of the EU Digital Services Act’s (DSA) key governance tools. Nineteen designated Very Large Online Platforms and Search Engines (VLOPs and VLOSEs) published systemic risk assessment and audit reports focusing on platform risks and mitigation measures.

The DSA’s required risk assessments and audits create the possibility to advance groundbreaking platform transparency and accountability, but this first round falls far short of realizing that potential.