About the conference
On 17 February 2024, the Digital Services Act (DSA) becomes fully applicable in Europe. The DSA Observatory, together with the Institute for Information Law, will mark this occasion with a two-day conference on “The DSA and Platform Regulation” at the Amsterdam Law School on 15-16 February 2024. The purpose of the conference is to discuss how the DSA can make a meaningful contribution to platform regulation.
The main conference will be opened on 15 February at 16:00 with an opening plenary and reception, followed by a full-day curated programme on 16 February with invited speakers, experts, policymakers, and regulators. Before the main conference is opened, on 15 February there will also be paper presentations following an open call for papers, for which a smaller number of tickets are available.
The conference is jointly-organised by the DSA Observatory, the Institute for Information Law (IViR), the Digital Transformation of Decision-Making research initiative at the Amsterdam Law School, and the Digital Legal Lab interdisciplinary research collaboration between the law schools of the University of Amsterdam, Tilburg University, Radboud University and Maastricht University.
The FINAL PROGRAMME of the conference is available here.
Videorecordings of the conference
The sessions on Day 2 of the Main Conference (16 February 2024) were videorecorded. To watch the sessions, please click on the hyperlinks below.
***
Welcome, introduction, opening keynote – The European Commission and the DSA
Welcome and introduction: Joris van Hoboken, University of Amsterdam
Keynote: Rita Wezenbeek, Director Platforms, DG CNECT, European Commission
***
Panel discussion – EU-level implementation and enforcement of the DSA
- Daphne Keller, Stanford University
- Eliška Pírková, Access Now
- Deirdre Curtin, European University Institute
- João Pedro Quintais, University of Amsterdam
- Jan Gerlach, Wikimedia
- Moderator: Alexandre de Streel, University of Namur
***
Academic keynote – How (Not) to Enforce the DSA?
Introduction: Natali Helberger, University of Amsterdam
Keynote: Martin Husovec, London School of Economics
***
Panel discussion – National regulators and the DSA
- Cateautje Hijmans van den Bergh, ACM, The Netherlands
- Benoît Loutrel, ARCOM, France
- John Evans, CNAM, Ireland
- Moderator: Julian Jaursch, Stiftung Neue Verantwortung
***
Panel discussion – The DSA in times of crisis
- Kate Klonick, St. John’s University Law School
- Lorna Woods, University of Essex
- Barbora Bukovska, Article 19
- David Kaye, University of California, Irvine
- Moderator: Mathias Vermeulen, AWO
Venue
The conference will be held in-person at the Amsterdam Law School (Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam) on 15-16 February 2024 (practical information on the campus location is here).
Participants and presenters will need to cover their own travel and accommodation costs.
Registrations
Registration to the conference is now closed (tickets are sold-out).
Day 1 – 15 February 2024
Paper presentations – Preliminary programme
08.30 – Registration and welcome reception | Amsterdam Law School, Hall A3.16
09.15 – Welcome speech | Joris van Hoboken (University of Amsterdam)
09.30 – Parallel Sessions 1
Session 1A: Challenges of realising meaningful transparency and accountability in platform governance.
Room: A3.15 (Moot Court Room)
Moderator: Benjamin Raue, Trier University
Moderating the Model Marketplace: Platform Governance and Open-Source AI Intermediaries (full paper here)
Michael Veale, University College London
Robert Gorwa, WZB Berlin Social Science Center
Platforms as Private Governors & Transparency Reports as Legitimacy-Seeking Communications
Amanda Reid, UNC-Chapel Hill
Evan Ringel, UNC-Chapel Hill
The DSA as a Platform Accountability Framework: Illusion or Role Model?
Anna Morandini, European University Institute
Session 1B: DSA’s value in offering new sources of data for platform governance research
Room: A3.01 (Seminar Room)
Moderator: Jef Ausloos, University of Amsterdam
Towards an effective implementation of DSA researcher data access
Inge Graef, Tilburg University
Laura Edelson, Northeastern University
Filippo Lancieri, ETH Zürich
The significance of research results based on the data access rights in Art. 40(4) and (12) for the risk mitigation system in the DSA
Anna Liesenfeld, University of Freiburg
Decoding Data Access: A Stakeholder-Based Analysis of Recommendations on the Implementation of Article 40 in the Digital Services Act
Kirsty Park, Dublin City University
Rabhya Mehrotra, Yale University
Session 1C: The feasibility and operationalisation of the risk-based approach in the regulation of content moderation
Room: A5.24 (IViR Room)
Moderator: João Pedro Quintais, University of Amsterdam
Keep Your Eyes Peeled – Conducting Systemic Risk Assessments In Line With The Digital Services Act
Marie-Therese Sekwenz, TU Delft
Fast and Furious: Are Volume, Speed and Accessibility online autonomous sources of Harm?
Agustina Del Campo, Center for Studies on Freedom of Expression CELE, Universidad de Palermo
Big Tech, Bigger Risks: Towards comprehensive DSA systemic risk assessments
Agne Kaarlep, Tremau
Kyooeun Jang, USC’s Annenberg School for Communication
Toshali Sengupta, Tremau
10.30 – Coffee Break | Amsterdam Law School, Hall A3.16 & A5.24 (IViR Room)
11.00 – Parallel Sessions 2
Session 2A:Challenges of realising meaningful transparency and accountability in platform governance
Room: A3.15 (Moot Court Room)
Moderator: Paddy Leerssen, University of Amsterdam
Platform Power As Prediction Power
Rainer Mühlhoff, Universität Osnabrück
Hannah Ruschemeier, FernUniversität in Hagen
How to enforce platform’s liability?
Adam Feher, University of Amsterdam
Clearing the haze: is the DSA actually forcing platforms to open up about content moderation?
Alessia Zornetta, UCLA Institute for Technology, Law & Policy; and McGill Centre for Media, Technology & Democracy
Session 2B: Impact of the DSA beyond Europe
Room: A3.01 (Seminar Room)
Moderator: Joris van Hoboken, University of Amsterdam
Transparency Mechanisms under the Digital Services Act: Opportunities and Challenges for the Global Majority
Shobhit Shukla, National Law University Delhi
Tavishi Ahluwalia, National Law University Delhi
Shashank Mohan, National Law University Delhi
Convergence to Brussels and Berlin in Platform Regulation
Rafael Bezerra Nunes, Yale Law School
Curbing dark patterns in the DSA: what next?
Marcela Mattiuzzo, University of São Paulo
Session 2C: Relation between the DSA and fundamental rights/constitutional settings
Room: A5.24 (IViR Room)
Moderator: Eva Lievens, Ghent University
Regulation by law or by terms and conditions? Implications for the legality principle of the regulatory setting in Article 35 of the DSA
Andrea Palumbo, KU Leuven
Governing Platforms by Risk: The Constitutional Dimension of the Digital Services Act
Giovanni De Gregorio, Universidade Catolica Portuguesa
Pietro Dunn, University of Bologna; and University of Luxembourg
“Illegal content” and the conflict of laws – Is it possible to apply several legal systems at once?
Franziska Katharina Mauritz, Universität Trier
12.00 – Lunch | Amsterdam Law School, Hall A3.16 & A5.24 (IViR Room)
13.00 – Parallel Sessions 3
Session 3A: Challenges of realising meaningful transparency and accountability in platform governance
Room: A3.15 (Moot Court Room)
Moderator: Chantal Joris, ARTICLE 19
Which online platforms should be regulated under Article 25 of the DSA?
Cristiana Santos, Utrecht University
Nataliia Bielova, Inria
Christine Utz, CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security
Colin Gray, Indiana University Bloomington
Ritika Gairola, Indiana University Bloomington
Gilles Mertens, Inria
Silenced by Default: Is the DSA a Missed Opportunity to Regulate Algorithmic Content Moderation on Online Platforms?
Valentina Golunova, Maastricht University
DSA – a game changer for healthier recommender systems? A reality check
Dorota Glowacka, Panoptykon Foundation; and University of Lodz
Session 3B: Impact of the DSA beyond Europe
Room: A3.01 (Seminar Room)
Moderator: Karolina Iwanska, European Center for Not-For-Profit Law
Digital Services Act (DSA) and Brussels Effect. A study case about the Brazilian policy discussion centred on the draft proposal “Fake News Bill”
Thales Bueno, London School of Economics and Political Science
The Global Reach of the Digital Services Act
Marion Ho-Dac, University of Artois
Managing Systemic Risks in the EU: Brussels Effects of Article 34 DSA?
Katharina Kaesling, Dresden University of Technology
Session 3C: Enforcement authorities’ positioning in the broader landscape
Room: A5.24 (IViR Room)
Moderator: Pietro Ortolani, Radboud University
Access to Justice in online dispute resolution: defining the criteria for certification in the DSA
Federica Casarosa, European University Institute
Putting collective intelligence to the enforcement of the Digital Services Act
Suzanne Vergnolle, CNAM
The necessity and goals of cross-border and cross-sectoral enforcement of the DSA
Simon Oles, University of Freiburg
14.00 – Coffee Break | Amsterdam Law School, Hall A3.16 & A5.24 (IViR Room)
14.20 – Parallel Sessions 4
Session 4A: Challenges of realising meaningful transparency and accountability in platform governance
Room: A3.15 (Moot Court Room)
Moderator: Max van Drunen, University of Amsterdam
Unlocking the Potential of the Digital Service Act: A Symbiotic Approach for Enhanced Academic Research and Platform Acountability
Claudio Agosti, AI Forensics
Raziye Buse Çetin, AI Forensics
What platform observability have you given us? A first look into the Statement of Reasons database
Charis Papaevangelou, University of Amsterdam
Fabio Votta, University of Amsterdam
Article 22 DSA: Building Trust with Trusted Flaggers
Jacob van de Kerkhof, Utrecht University
Session 4B: Access to justice issues for online harms
Room: A3.01 (Seminar Room)
Moderator: Anna van Duin, University of Amsterdam
Frankenstein? The Genesis and Future of Art. 21 DSA
Moritz Schramm, Humboldt-University of Berlin; and New York University
Out-of-court dispute settlement body within Art. 21 DSA: A practical approach to legal content moderation at scale
Raphael Kneer, Laboraid
Oskar von Cossel, KnowledgeTools International
Settling DSA-related Disputes Outside the Courtroom: The Opportunities and Challenges Arising from Article 21 of the Digital Services Act
Ruairí Harrison, Internet Commission; and Utrecht University
Jonathan Shipp, Internet Commission; and London School of Economics
Session 4C:Effective approaches to the problem of disinformation
Room: A5.24 (IViR Room)
Moderator: Aleksandra Kuczerawy, KU Leuven
Accountability for Disinformation: Transcending the Limitations of Platform Governance
Jayson Lamchek, Deakin University Susanne Lloyd-Jones, University of New South Wales
The DSA’s crisis response mechanism, Russian disinformation, and the 2024 EU elections
Thomas Akhurst, Tremau
Giulia Geneletti, Sciences Po
The DSA’s Red Line: What the European Commission Can and Cannot Do About Disinformation
Martin Husovec, London School of Economics
How to regulate disinformation on very large online platforms and search engines: an evidence-based approach
Rita Gsenger, Weizenbaum Institute; and Free University Berlin
15.30 – Registration and welcome reception | Amsterdam Law School, Hall A3.16
Start of the main conference (Afternoon plenary session on day 1 & curated programme on day 2)
16.00 – Opening Plenary Session | The Bridge (De Brug), Amsterdam Law School
Opening speech – Mireille van Eechoud, Dean, Amsterdam Law School
Introduction – João Pedro Quintais, University of Amsterdam
Content Moderation at the Infrastructure Layer: A Blindspot in the Digital Services Act?
Christoph Busch, University of Osnabrück; and Yale Information Society Project
Reporting on Reporting: A Quantitative Look at Content Moderation Reporting through the DSA Transparency Database
Catalina Goanta, Utrecht University; Jacob van de Kerkhof, Utrecht University; Rishabh Kaushal, Maastricht University; Gerasimos Spanakis, Maastricht University; and Anda Iamnitchi, Maastricht University
The Law and Political Economy of Online Visibility: Market Justice in the Digital Services Act (full paper here)
Rachel Griffin, Sciences Po
Making systemic risk assessments work: How the DSA creates a virtuous loop to address the societal harms of content moderation
Niklas Eder, Oversight Board; King’s College London; and Information Society Project, Yale Law School
Moderator: Wolfgang Schulz, Hans Bredow Institute, University of Hamburg
17.30 – End of Day 1 Reception | The Bridge (De Brug), Amsterdam Law School
Day 2 – 16 February 2024
Main conference programme (incl. plenary session on day 1) | The Bridge (De Brug), Amsterdam Law School
Morning
9:15 – 9:30
Welcome and introduction
Joris van Hoboken (University of Amsterdam)
9:30 – 10:15
Opening keynote – The European Commission and the DSA
Rita Wezenbeek, Director Platforms, DG CNECT, European Commission
Introduction: Joris van Hoboken, University of Amsterdam
10:15 – 10:45
Coffee break
10:45 – 12:00
Panel discussion – EU-level implementation and enforcement of the DSA
Daphne Keller, Stanford University
Jan Penfrat, EDRi
Deirdre Curtin, European University Institute
João Pedro Quintais, University of Amsterdam
Jan Gerlach, Wikimedia
Moderator: Alexandre de Streel, University of Namur
12:00 – 13:00
Lunch
Afternoon
13:00 – 13:30
Academic Keynote – How (Not) to Enforce the DSA?
Martin Husovec, London School of Economics
Introduction: Natali Helberger, University of Amsterdam
13:30 – 14:45
Lightning talks – Researching the DSA
Naomi Appelman, University of Amsterdam
Laura Edelson, Northeastern University
Oana Goga, French National Center for Scientific Research
Claes de Vreese, University of Amsterdam
Daria Dergacheva, University of Bremen
Moderator: Paddy Leerssen, University of Amsterdam
14:45 – 15:15
Coffee break
15:15 – 16:15
Panel discussion – National regulators and the DSA
Cateautje Hijmans van den Bergh, ACM, The Netherlands
Benoît Loutrel, ARCOM, France
John Evans, CNAM, Ireland
Moderator: Julian Jaursch, Stiftung Neue Verantwortung
16:15 – 16:30
Coffee break
16:30 – 17:30
Panel discussion – The DSA in times of crisis
Kate Klonick, St. John’s University Law School
Lorna Woods, University of Essex
Barbora Bukovska, Article 19
David Kaye, University of California, Irvine
Moderator: Mathias Vermeulen, AWO
17:30
Closing remarks – Martin Senftleben, Director, Institute for Information Law, University of Amsterdam
Organising committee of The DSA and Platform Regulation Conference 2024
Ronan Fahy
Joris van Hoboken
Paddy Leerssen
Ilaria Buri
João Pedro Quintais
Natali Helberger
Doris Buijs
Programme committee of The DSA and Platform Regulation Conference 2024
Naomi Appelman
Deirdre Curtin
Gijs van Dijk
Anna van Duin
Severine Dusollier
Mireille van Eechoud
Franz Hofmann
Jeannette Hofmann
Martin Husovec
Florence G’sell
Catalina Goanta
Inge Graef
Eva Lievens
Chantal Mak
Pietro Ortolani
Alexander Peukert
Benjamin Raue
Pamela Samuelson
Martin Senftleben
Sebastian Schwemer
Wolfgang Schultz
Alexandre de Streel
Damian Tambini
Jill Toh
Rebekah Tromble
Folkert Wilman
Lorna Woods
Nicolo Zingales
Interested?
Send us an e-mail for more information.
The DSA Observatory team can be reached by email at:
dsaobservatory-ivir@uva.nl
Click here to add your own text
Click here to add your own text