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The DSA’s research access: a flawed system

The Digital Service Act does not do enough for research access. While its article §40 implements a duty for very large online platforms (VLOPs) and very large online search engines (VLOSEs) to allow research access, it is not sufficient.
That is why the TWON collaborated with Digits EU, and the Digital Law Institute Trier to feedback the commission on loopholes in this paragraph. The result is an official statement, that the commission now considers.

Their main points of criticism are:

Data access to what? Allow specific requests, as data on minor algorithm changes for specific user groups is currently enclosed. Broaden the definition of systemic risks and create transparency around A/B tests, as they hold great research value.

Data access for whom? Peer review is a standard research process, so peer access to data sets is necessary. Also, allow short-notice data-reaccess to react after peer review, enable group-verifications and create a clear definition of the researcher status to prevent too high barriers.

Verification of data? Currently there is no control mechanism to ensure that the provided data by VLOPs and VLOSEs is correct. An obligation to provide correct datasets needs to be implemented.

Find the full statement here.

Call for Papers on Semantic Generative AI

Call for Papers! 📝🚨

Are you researching social interactions of any combination of agents and/or humans on the web, including the architectures and platforms enabling and influencing those interactions? Then you are a fit.💡

For our workshop on semantic generative agents on the web at the ESWC 2025 in Slovenia we are still accepting papers. Especially welcome are submissions on agent knowledge representation, their reasoning capabilities and way of communication. 💬

Topics of interest include
– Agents for simulating (nonrational) human behavior
– Agents on the (social) web for analyzing communicative behavior
– Platforms for simulating and researching agent communication and platform mechanics
– Recursive AI agents for higher levels of task complexity, adaptivity, and autonomy

We encourage papers from different backgrounds, various disciplines and of various lengths. Papers going beyond traditional paper formats, like demo, data and position papers, are welcome! 🎯

📍Submission deadline is the 6th of March.
📍Paper submission requires the conference attendance of at least one involved researcher. The conference takes place from June 1st to June 5th in Portoroz, Slovenia.

Find out more about it here.

Recommender systems -Shaping our news?

A speech by Damian Trilling​

How can we ensure trust and responsibility in the use of generative AI? What role does it hold in the future of media? What are recommender systems and how do they shape our news feeds?

These were the key questions discussed at the Media Futures Annual Meeting in Bergen, Norway, which brought together over 130 participants from organizations such as @BBC Verify, TV 2, Nokia Bell Labs Cambridge, Amazon Web Services, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Dataminr.
TWON-consortium leader Damian Trilling, professor at Vrjje Universiteit Amsterdam, discussed one of the above mentioned questions in his closing speech: He outlined the impact of different responsible recommender systems for news, as there needs to be a balance between user engagement and ethical considerations.
The Twin of Online Social Networks (TWON) can help to find out, what this balance shall look like and what the impacts of a disbalance are.

The event also featured insightful keynotes that discussed emerging ethical challenges and technological strategies to tackle them, assessed the potential of AI in disaster response, stressed the addressing of falsehoods in uncertain times or showed the impact of regular and early smartphone usage on our world view.

We are happy about the success of the SFI MediaFutures Annual Meeting 2024, fostering collaboration between researchers, industry experts and practitioners.

How to counter Antisemitism online – The European Practitioners network against Antisemitism meets

How does antisemitism appear on social media? What is the role of platform operators when it comes to the moderation of hateful content? And how to counter antisemitism online?

These were only some of the questions discussed during DialoguePerspective’s European Practitioners Network Against Antisemitism meeting in Belgrade this November. In a number of input sessions and workshops participants exchanged the challenges and developed possible solutions, with a focus on intersectionality and younger generations. A visit to a local synagogue gave the chance to grasp realities of Jewish life in Serbia.

In the panel discussion TWON’s Jonas Fegert discussed with Katharina von Schnurbein (European Commission’s Coordination on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life), Friedrich Enders (TikTok) and Misko Stanisicšić (Terraforming). Moderated by Jo Frank (DialoguePerspectives) they talked about countering antisemitism online. Jonas Fegert stressed the importance of understanding platform mechanisms, as there is currently a lack of transparency. A Twin of Online Social Networks (a TWON), such as the one we are currently building, is a crucial tool to understanding the effects of platform design choices. The researcher access to platform data guaranteed by the Digital Services Act (DSA) is a chance to shed light in this field. But it is also the responsibility of platform operators to create transparency and cooperate with researchers.

The event was kicked off by remarks by Anke Konrad (German Ambassador to Serbia), Avivit Bar-Ilan (Israeli Ambassador to Serbia), Edward Ferguson (UK Ambassador to Serbia), Brankica Janković (Commission for Protection of Equality, Serbia) and Katharina von Schnurbein.

Thank you for the great discussions with practitioners, activists, policy makers and platform operators!

Achim Rettinger joins working group on AI and its implications on Information and Communication spaces

Since 2024, Achim Rettinger is a member of the Policy Working Group on Artificial Intelligence and its Implications for the Information and Communication Space. The international team focuses on the impact of rapid AI advancements on the global information ecosystem.

For this the team is developing a policy framework aiming to ensure the responsible and democratic use of AI in the information sector. The recommendations address four key areas.

  1. Development and Deployment of AI systems
  2. Accountability regimes (for developers, deployers, users and subjects of AI systems)
  3. Ethical incentives (during development, deployment and use)
  4. Governance of AI

Through this work, the group aims to ensure that AI remains a public good, governed by democratic principles that protect the integrity of information systems and democratic values.