Abstract

Large platforms, such as Facebook, have become the mediators of public discourse which has created tensions since these platforms are designed to maximize engagement and advertising revenue. In this talk, I will motivate why it is essential to conduct independent auditing of these platforms and present our frameworks for improving platform accountability. Using our auditing frameworks, I will present our results from two case studies focused on independently auditing Facebook’s political advertising transparency and engagement difference between partisan news content based on factualness. Finally, I will discuss challenges to auditing platforms and present recommendations for improving access to public platform content.

RECORDING : Please note, this event will be recorded and will be available after the event for an indeterminate period under a CC BY -NC-ND license. Audience members should bear this in mind before joining the webinar or asking questions.