Technology, democracy, and the fight for digital oversight
The road ahead is tough, but the cost of inaction is too high. By expanding data access and fostering informed debate, we can shape a future where technology strengthens — not weakens — democracy.
A handful of powerful platforms dominate the digital landscape, posing serious risks to democracy worldwide. With little oversight in the United States, these tech giants distort markets, control information flows, and shape social interactions far beyond their countries of origin. Their near-monopoly power fuels concerns over the spread of illicit and manipulative content, the disappearance of local news, and the unchecked rise of artificial intelligence and the biases and errors it perpetuates.
At Columbia World Projects, we’re in the business of turning academic insights into actionable policies — precisely the goal of our Digital Governance for Democratic Renewal network. Since its launch in September 2023, this initiative — organized in collaboration with the Centre for Digital Governance at the Hertie School — has convened over 700 individuals through conferences, events, and discussions on how digital platforms affect political institutions and decision-making. A core focus is developing secure, privacy-conscious methods for accessing platform data, access that is critical for independent research that informs effective policies.
This work comes at a pivotal moment. Europe’s Digital Services Act grants researchers unprecedented access to platform data to assess “systemic risks.” Yet, many platforms are hindering or actively blocking attempts at oversight by imposing cumbersome data application processes, unreliable application programming interfaces (APIs), and restrictive disclosure agreements on independent researchers. This pattern reflects a broader trend where platforms initially offer research tools, only to withdraw them when they no longer serve corporate interests.
To address this, the Columbia-Hertie network launched a working group in November 2024 to tackle pressing questions on data infrastructure, scraping, protection standards, and the regulator-researcher relationships needed to ensure effective oversight. This summer, the group will release recommendations to improve data access and support for academics, journalists, and civil society groups engaged in monitoring platforms.
As former Member of the European Parliament Marietje Schaake said in her book The Tech Coup, “Good governance is needed to shore up and regulate our digital infrastructure, which requires that governments and corporations discuss these issues in the light of day rather than behind closed doors. That is the crossroads of our current moment: the public needs greater insight to provide greater oversight.”
With uncertainty growing in Washington and Brussels, good digital governance requires more than scrutinizing platforms — it demands fresh collaboration. Pro-democracy researchers, regulators, and advocacy groups must work together on bold proposals that inspire future technologists and policymakers.
To foster these conversations, we developed a virtual speaker series, creating a forum for experts to share emerging frameworks and their research findings. The series bridges regional, sectoral, and academic disciplines while focusing on solutions — rather than restating problems — for designing and governing digital platforms in ways that strengthen democratic norms and institutions.
- In November 2024, the series kicked off with European civil servant Helena Malikova and Columbia Business Professor Andrea Prat debating whether companies profit from a “surveillance premium” by using personal data. Their discussion uncovered the ways in which large data brokers extract extra profit through the co-option of existing privacy laws.
- In January 2025, Columbia Law Professor Anu Bradford and Open Markets Institute’s Europe Director Max von Thun challenged claims that Europe’s robust digital regulations stifle innovation. In Bradford’s words, “Scaling back on regulation is not Europe’s path to competitiveness. The future lies in enforcing its laws, strengthening its markets, and building the talent and infrastructure for sustainable innovation.”
- In March 2025, Microsoft Research Partner Danah Boyd and Aspen Digital’s Director of Emerging Technologies B Cavello tackled deterministic approaches to AI governance. You may read Boyd’s remarks here. Her takeaway? We must view AI regulation like medical treatment, with adaptive interventions based on probabilities, not certainties.
Our final session on governing digital platforms, scheduled for April 30, will feature Loyola University Chicago Professor Jennifer Forestal. I invite you to register here.
Across every session, participants rejected rigid thinking on regulation, innovation, labor markets, and data governance. Instead, they pushed for flexible, practical solutions to improve digital interactions and transactions. This reorientation is at the heart of what Digital Governance for Democratic Renewal is all about. Through these two workstreams — a working group advancing practical solutions for platform-to-researcher data access and a speaker series to share insights from the work generated by those very researchers with broader audiences — we aim to turn research into action.
The road ahead is tough, but the cost of inaction is too high. By expanding data access and fostering informed debate, we can shape a future where technology strengthens — not weakens — democracy. Now is the time to step up, engage, and drive meaningful change.
Anna Marchese is a Senior Project Officer on Columbia World Projects' Research & Engagement team.
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