The Centre Announces Special Working Group on Tech Platforms' Influence
Recent years have demonstrated how global technological platforms increasingly influence public opinion formation and access to information. Mass content blockages without prior notice, opaque and, arguably, politically motivated changes in content verification algorithms, alongside discriminatory practices targeting specific user groups, pose substantial risks to freedom of speech and democratic values in the digital age. These challenges are particularly acute in Europe within the context of current conflicts and geopolitical challenges.
The European Centre for Global Challenges (ECGC) announces the establishment of a special working group to conduct systematic research into the influence of major technological platforms on public opinion formation and their role in global political processes. Particular attention shall be devoted to content moderation practices on platforms such as Google, Meta, and X, and their impact on the coverage of critically important topics - from military conflicts to civil rights protection. The European context and its specificities shall constitute the priority focus of the research.
The Russian Anti-War Committee shall serve as a key partner in this endeavour, having successfully developed practices in protecting the rights of refugees and dissidents, and hereby announces the expansion of its human rights activities into the sphere of digital rights and freedoms. During the research, the Committee shall advocate for specific identified cases of user rights violations, pursuing their resolution. The research shall be conducted with complete financial independence from both the platforms under study and partner organisations, ensuring objectivity and impartiality of conclusions. Nevertheless, the group aims to maintain constructive dialogue with technological platforms throughout the process. It is anticipated that several other public and academic organisations shall join the research, which shall be announced subsequently. The Centre's working group shall be led by Demian Kudryavtsev, co-founder of various Russian and international internet and media companies.
The group's findings shall be published and, we trust, shall serve as a foundation for developing recommendations on ensuring balance between freedom of speech and the responsibility of technological platforms. Moreover, this work should, in its current capacity, assist in protecting specific rights and interests of users who have encountered unjustified restrictions.
The ECGC is a recently established independent think tank aimed at stimulating international expert dialogue on pressing issues such as security and intercultural communication. The Centre operates as an independent expert community, free from any political or ideological affiliation, and seeks to counter authoritarian and populist tendencies in contemporary public discourse, advocating for the primacy of free exchange of ideas and supporting research in social sciences.
The Russian Anti-War Committee is a public organisation founded by a group of Russian public figures in exile to oppose the authorities and Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Through its 'Ark' project, the committee helps coordinate resources for emigrants leaving Russia as a result of the war.
The European Centre for Global Challenges (ECGC) announces the establishment of a special working group to conduct systematic research into the influence of major technological platforms on public opinion formation and their role in global political processes. Particular attention shall be devoted to content moderation practices on platforms such as Google, Meta, and X, and their impact on the coverage of critically important topics - from military conflicts to civil rights protection. The European context and its specificities shall constitute the priority focus of the research.
The Russian Anti-War Committee shall serve as a key partner in this endeavour, having successfully developed practices in protecting the rights of refugees and dissidents, and hereby announces the expansion of its human rights activities into the sphere of digital rights and freedoms. During the research, the Committee shall advocate for specific identified cases of user rights violations, pursuing their resolution. The research shall be conducted with complete financial independence from both the platforms under study and partner organisations, ensuring objectivity and impartiality of conclusions. Nevertheless, the group aims to maintain constructive dialogue with technological platforms throughout the process. It is anticipated that several other public and academic organisations shall join the research, which shall be announced subsequently. The Centre's working group shall be led by Demian Kudryavtsev, co-founder of various Russian and international internet and media companies.
The group's findings shall be published and, we trust, shall serve as a foundation for developing recommendations on ensuring balance between freedom of speech and the responsibility of technological platforms. Moreover, this work should, in its current capacity, assist in protecting specific rights and interests of users who have encountered unjustified restrictions.
The ECGC is a recently established independent think tank aimed at stimulating international expert dialogue on pressing issues such as security and intercultural communication. The Centre operates as an independent expert community, free from any political or ideological affiliation, and seeks to counter authoritarian and populist tendencies in contemporary public discourse, advocating for the primacy of free exchange of ideas and supporting research in social sciences.
The Russian Anti-War Committee is a public organisation founded by a group of Russian public figures in exile to oppose the authorities and Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Through its 'Ark' project, the committee helps coordinate resources for emigrants leaving Russia as a result of the war.