Integrity Institute Releases Overview of Online Social Platform Transparency
New overview introduces platform transparency at a high level as companion to the Institute’s metrics and ranking design transparency resources
In recent years, “transparency” has become the centerpiece of many policies intended to regulate social platforms around the world. The European Union’s Digital Services Act sets out transparency reporting obligations for platforms of all sizes, with additional scrutiny for very large ones. In the United States, the Senate has held hearings about platform transparency to understand social media’s impact, and there have been many legislative proposals intended to encourage or mandate some form of transparency from platforms. This trend comes at a time when voluntary transparency efforts by platforms have been declining across the industry.
The Integrity Institute believes that the social internet should help individuals, societies, and democracies thrive. Together with its members who bring extensive on-platform experience, the Institute had previously produced metrics and ranking design transparency resources that offer platforms specific and technical guidance on what should be included in transparency initiatives.
As a wave of new regulations and legislative proposals around transparency from social media platforms are being written all over the world, the Integrity Institute is releasing a new resource to provide a high-level overview of what such transparency could look like and what it could accomplish.
This new resource complements the previous metrics and ranking and design transparency resources by giving a high-level entry point for policymakers and industry leaders who are newer to this space by covering:
The goals of platform transparency;
Different forms transparency can take and directions platforms can explore when setting up transparency initiatives;
Audiences for transparency initiatives;
Current transparency practices; and
Potential risks to balance when undertaking transparency efforts.
Unlike previous metrics and ranking design transparency resources, this high-level overview is not a best practices guide for platforms on how to set up and refine their transparency initiatives. Instead, this overview speaks to policymakers, companies, and civil society about why they should care about platform transparency and how it can contribute to platform accountability, collaboration, understanding, and building trust among the platforms and various stakeholders.
As regulatory policies and proposals regarding online platforms continue to be debated around the world, there is an unprecedented opportunity ahead. Especially now that voluntary transparency efforts from platforms are declining, understanding and advocating for comprehensive transparency from platforms are as important as ever. We hope this new high-level overview is useful for everyone who cares about what it takes to build truly meaningful transparency from social platforms.