Internet Governance Explained

As AI-generated text, images, and videos become increasingly difficult to distinguish from reality, how can we trust the information we encounter online? In this episode, researchers Mykola Makhortykh and Victoria Vziatysheva from the University of Bern explore how AI tools are reshaping the misinformation landscape. We discuss what makes digital-era mis- and disinformation distinct from earlier m...

Is your coffee machine a security risk? Dr. Reaz Khan from Freie Universität Berlin breaks down how we understand the Internet of Things today, and how that understanding is being challenged by the rise of autonomous AI agents. We talk cybersecurity, post-quantum security, and why government regulation is struggling to keep up with these drastic technological shifts. Along the way, we explore why...

In this podcast episode, we are joined by Prof. Dr. Matthias C. Kettemann (University of Innsbruck) to discuss the concept of platformisation and its impact on journalism and democracy. We explore how the growing role of digital platforms in curating content is shifting power away from journalists and traditional media. Against this backdrop, we discuss the changing role of journalists as gatekeep...

In recent years, cybercrime, particularly large-scale online scams linked to human trafficking and money laundering, has become a pressing transnational challenge, especially in Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar. What are the main obstacles states face when attempting to regulate cybercrime effectively? To what extent can the UN Convention against Cybercrime (UNCAC), also know...

We all spend time in online communities, from private group chats and Reddit forums to newer platforms such as Mastodon. But who actually makes the rules there? And who decides what content gets promoted, removed, or shut down? In this episode, we talk to Sohyeon Hwang, a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy, about how online communities can govern themse...

How does China govern its digital space, and what is their defintion of internet sovereignty? In this episode, Dr. Jia Lianrui, Lecturer in Digital Media and Society at the University of Sheffield, discusses China’s platform ecosystem, as well as Eastern and Western perspectives on technology.  The conversation unpacks the tensions between commercialisation, regulation, and freedom of expression,...

The regulation of digital platforms, particularly in combating disinformation, is a highly debated issue. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently caused a controversy when he announced plans to discontinue fact-checking program on Facebook and Instagram. This decision raises serious concerns that, without oversight, the platforms could be flooded with disinformation and used for propaganda purposes. Mar...

The digital world holds the key to participation in nearly every aspect of modern life - but for people with disabilities, significant barriers remain. In this episode, we sit down with Michael Wahl, head of the German Federal Agency for Accessibility of Information Technology (BFIT-Bund), to explore how digital accessibility can bridge this divide. Drawing from his professional expertise and pers...

In this episode, we explore a particularly controversial topic: content moderation.  What is content moderation? What role does AI play in this context? How do platforms decide which content is allowed? We discuss the challenges and ethical dilemmas surrounding content moderation, as well as the impact these decisions could have on free speech and public discourse.  Sophie Butz and Cassandra Audib...

Platforms significantly impact societal fields such as politics, economics, and society at large, prompting growing efforts to regulate them. In 2024, the European Commission implemented the Digital Services Act to ensure data security, transparency, the prevention of hate speech, and the protection of human rights. In this episode of Internet Governance Explained, we speak with Rita Gsenger, a re...

In today’s digital world, it is almost impossible for social media users to not stumble upon influencers and influencer marketing. However, the regulations and laws surrounding them are still undefined, which can cause ambiguity and confusion for users. What are influencers and influencer marketing, and how can they be regulated? Who is responsible for these regulations? In this episode, Caroline...

With the rising popularity of AI tools such as Chat GPT and Midjourney, the first effects in the creative industry are noticeable. Declining amounts of commissions and people losing their jobs are just the tip of the iceberg. In this episode, Fabrice and Katrin talk with Melanie Hölscher, also known as Mahou. Shoujo or Meri on social media, about her experiences with AI as a fashion designer and f...

Freedom of speech is one of the fundamental human rights. However, it does not imply that one can express any opinions or ideas. Particularly on social media, the rise of hate speech is a growing concern. In this episode, Margarita Popova and Paul Schochow talk with Lena-Maria Böswald, advocacy manager at “Das NETTZ”, about the challenges of balancing the preservation of free speech with the need...

Since Twitter's transformation into X, as announced by Elon Musk in October 2022 with his tweet "the bird is freed," the platform has undergone significant changes. How do these developments affect users as well as research conducted on this social media platform? In this episode, Rita Gsenger and Jasper Hendrickx talk with Felix Gaisbauer, a postdoctoral researcher at the Weizenbaum...

What role do online platforms play in storing and forming our individual and collective memories? Lena Mackuth and Fleur Renkema talk with Dr. Rik Smit from the Universty of Groningen about his research on the platformization of memory to figure this out. We dive into what platforms are, the power they have, and the ethical questions behind the outsourcing of the storage of our memories to online...

In this episode we interview Daniel Moßbrucker, journalist and security trainer for journalists. Daniel focusses on surveillance, data protection and internet regulation. We ask Daniel about the problems journalists are facing in regards to cybersecurity, examples of security breaches and about his investigation of the use of the dark web by paedo-criminals that was the subject of his 2021 documen...

Caroline Kellerbach and Anna Absolonová talk about digital inequalities and NFTs with Dr. Matthieu Nadini, data scientist from the University of London. Users worldwide are increasingly interested in how digital art and other digital items can be bought or sold. Theoretically, NFTs trading can be done by everyone. However, there is only a small group of people who are engaged in the process, while...

What is Artificial Intelligence? How can it impact our societies and guide our actions? Why are ethics and principals necessary to help steer its development and usage? How is AI autonomously mediating issues of freedom of expression online? How should AI be governed, and by whom? In this episode, Vanessa and Halil are joined by AI expert Prateek Sibal, specialist consultant of UNESCO’s Digital In...

In 2021, Frances Haugen revealed the so-called “Facebook Files”, which fueled controversial discussions on platforms as powerful entities - not only in shaping societal discourse. What makes them so powerful and what are the most effective regulatory solutions for a “platform society”? Do ordinary Internet users have a possibility to call platforms to account and make a change? Anna Schild and Car...

In this episode, Hernan Funes & Valeria Tsoy explore the digital world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and discuss among other things the challenges of regulation of this new technology as well the ecological aspect of its production. Their guest is Dr. Lennart Ante, co-founder of the Blockchain Research Lab, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent science and research on blockchain t...

What is hate speech and how can it be regulated in online communication? In this episode, Francesca Elsey and Kyara Durlinger talk with Christian Strippel, researcher at the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society. The communication scholar shares his thoughts on hate speech regulation and tells about the outcomes of the NOHATE project that aimed to develop methods and software for recognit...

Even though blockchain technology is on everyone’s radar, there is still a lot of confusion and lack of clarity about how blockchain technology actually works and how it could be useful not only for the general public but also for the field of internet governance. In this episode we talk to Moritz Becker, researcher in the research group "Trust in Distributed Environments" at the Weizenbaum Instit...

Once hailed as a liberating, democratizing technology, social media platforms are now controversially discussed as potential threats to democracy and freedom of expression. Where does freedom of opinion end, and at what point do we talk about censorship? How should users be protected and from whom? To what extent may platforms intervene, and do we need additional state regulation? In this episode,...

In this episode, Valentyna Koenig and Viktor Illmer talk about net neutrality with Thomas Lohninger, executive director of the digital rights NGO epicenter.works. “Net Neutrality is the principle that makes the internet a universal medium,” says Lohninger – but what exactly do we mean by it? How does it affect us as individual users and what is the current state of net neutrality in the world? Als...

In this episode, Tien-Chi Lu and Alexander Wagner set out to investigate the concept of security of messenger apps. Living in modern and hyper-connected societies, we are confronted on a daily basis by questions such as: what does “secure” mean? And from whom? Is there such a thing as an entirely private or secure messenger app? How does the new WhatsApp update affect users worldwide? Can we trust...