DigitS EU - IRDT

Western democracies are under pressure, a situation that is reflected in online communication – in the form of hate speech, disinformation and manipulation – and which (at least according to one plausible hypothesis) can also be attributed to changes in online discourse.

Here, the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) is now attempting, with a new regulatory approach, to establish risk management and to oblige the very large online platforms and search engines to take action against systemic risks to social discourse and electoral processes. This attempt is partly welcomed with enthusiasm, partly its effectiveness is disputed, and in some quarters – notably by the US government and US Congress – there are even fears of harmful effects on freedom of expression and democracy. The proposed research group will address the question of how systemic risks to democracy posed by online communication can be conceptualised, identified and countered, combining normative, theoretical and empirical approaches from the fields of law, political science, Chinese studies, communication studies and computer science.