The Narrative (March 30, 2021)

Facing a hostile U.S. Congress, Facebook proposes “updated Internet regulations” that push more responsibility for content regulation decisions to the government. Europe is already trying to do just that, but civil liberties groups are campaigning against it. India considers a tech nationalist approach to cryptocurrency. A taste of “updated Internet...

Updated Internet Regulations?

Facebook has unleashed a new PR barrage expressing its support for “updated Internet regulations.” As we pointed out two years ago, when a dominant media incumbent embraces government regulation, supporters of open markets and free expression need to watch out. But the problem with these ads is not just that...

Regulation of Digital Platforms in Asia

In November 2020, amidst increased conflict, violence and human rights abuses, Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology issued the Ministerial Regulation #5 (MR5). With the MR5 the Ministry has granted itself the authority to compel any individual, business entity or community that operates “electronic systems” (ESOs) to restrict or...

The Narrative (March 16, 2021)

Strange encounters with algorithmic content moderation; the “sovereign” Russian Internet shoots itself in the foot; Biden can’t escape Trump’s China decoupling; what the Microsoft Exchange hack tells us about cybersecurity information sharing (and Microsoft) A Taste of the Future Algorithmic content regulation is beginning to reveal its peculiarities. @Swiftonsecurity noticed...

Call for Papers on Comparative Analysis of Platform Governance in the U.S. and China

IGP and Beijing Normal University are cooperating on a joint research/conference effort to compare and contrast the American and Chinese approach to platform governance. Platform governance refers to the rules, practices, and design decisions used to influence the way multi-sided markets or information intermediaries manage users, data and content, and...

The Narrative: March 1, 2021

India and other Asian countries are asserting control over content on platforms. The European Commission tries to explain to the ICANN community how and why it is asserting jurisdiction over domain names. The Biden administration makes a clean break with the Trump Administration’s State Department on handling cyber issues. India’s...