Joris van Hoboken, University of Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit Brussels

Abstract

The Digital Services Act, currently being finalized by the EU lawmaker, is a landmark piece of platform regulation with respect to illegal content online, content moderation processes, and user-platform dynamics more generally. In this talk, I will provide some insights into the main ingredients and underpinnings of this law, through a CS & Law research lens. This will include the way in which the DSA anticipates the development, adoption of effective risk management by dominant platforms, the data-intensive setup for increasing platform accountability, and some of the specific provisions related to different algorithmic systems, such as recommender systems and advertisement targeting. Notably, DSA risk management processes will be required to effectively scrutinize algorithmic content moderation systems for their potential impacts (on the availability of illegal content, the protection of fundamental rights and risks of manipulation). At the same time, it is clear that when mitigating content moderation risks, platforms can be expected to put forward more automated solutions.

[Video]

Bio:

Joris van Hoboken is an Associate Professor at the Institute for Information Law (IViR), University of Amsterdam and a Professor of Law at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB). At the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB), he is appointed to the Chair ‘Fundamental Rights and Digital Transformation’. Joris works on the intersection of fundamental rights protection and the governance of platforms and internet-based services. Previously, Joris worked at the Information Law Institute (ILI) at NYU Law School, the NYU Stern Center for Business & Human Rights and CornellTech. He obtained his PhD from the University of Amsterdam on the topic of search engines and freedom of expression (2012) and has graduate degrees in Law and Theoretical Mathematics. Joris was a member of the EU Observatory on the Online Platform Economy, and a member of the Transatlantic High-Level Working Group on Content Moderation Online and Freedom of Expression. At IViR, he is currently running the DSA Observatory project, with a focus on upcoming implementation and enforcement of the DSA and questions of access to justice and content moderation.