Do online consultations make citizens more satisfied with local democracy?
We find that giving citizens an opportunity to have a say in political decisions influences their opinions about local politics—but not all of them are satisfied …
Is crowdfunding at risk of being weaponized for extremist causes?
How do crowdfunding sites maintain their legitimacy as ‘open’ platforms while avoiding complicity with divisive, injurious, or even outright violent campaigns? …
Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code: What next?
A year after the introduction of the Code, we found the legislation was not always successful in meeting its publicly stated purposes; supporting public interest journalism …
Follow to be followed: Analyzing The centrality of Ministries of Foreign Affairs in Twitter Networks
Through Twitter, diplomats can comment on world events in near-real time, narrate their state’s actions and justify state policies …
Hate speech by political actors on X. The Spanish case.
Political agents utilize digital platforms as alternative venues to solidify their ideological stances, employing rhetorical tactics characterized by substantial emotional impact, disinformation content, and hate expressions against specific individuals or social groups …
Internet Companies in China: Where Private Interests and Government Intervention Clash
China is perhaps one of the most digitalized societies worldwide. Part of this sweep has been abetted by the rise of large Internet companies that offer key services for everyday social and economic life in the general population …
How to Decolonise the State of Policy in the Digital Space
In his latest editorial for Policy and Internet, John Hartley argues that a whole-of-humanity effort to meet the challenges of the ‘digital information space’ is impossible, unless we draw from those who have experienced colonialism …
The Definition Conundrum: What is Online Political Advertising and How do we Regulate it?
With political advertising increasingly taking place online, the question of regulation is becoming inescapable. In their latest paper, published in Policy&Internet, Junyan Zhu explores the definition of online political advertising and identities key questions regulators must confront when devising effective frameworks …
OpenAI may have rehired Sam Altman, but AI needs more accountability, not ‘geniuses’
The OpenAI employees had faith in Altman. They believed in his vision and they did not like that the board could dismiss him so easily. Is their upset justified? Did the board overstep its bounds? Or did it exercise a necessary check on power? …
