Session
Subtheme
Organizer 1: Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Organizer 2: Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 1: Datta Bishakha, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Damar Juniarto, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Jalal Abukhater, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 4: Catalina Moreno, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 5: Dionysia Peppa, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Damar Juniarto, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 3: Jalal Abukhater, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 4: Catalina Moreno, Civil Society, Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC)
Speaker 5: Dionysia Peppa, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Format
Theater
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The 90-minute session format provides a balanced structure for in-depth discussion and interactive engagement. The first 60 minutes show case studies facilitating a rich dialogue on the systemic challenges of platform accountability, providing participants with diverse regional insights. The remaining 30 minutes will be devoted to the Platform Monopoly Game, giving participants a hands-on experience of the concepts discussed, allowing them to simulate the power dynamics in platform economies and test out solutions in real time. The room layout should encourage interaction, team work requiring a small board setup with sections representing Digital Infrastructure, Labor Rights, Data Policies, and Regulatory Frameworks and clear spaces where participants will place their tokens or markers. This requires the theatre space for participants to move and work collaboratively around the board. This format ensures that participants are intellectually stimulated and actively engaged, promoting a deeper understanding of platform governance challenges while encouraging cross-sector collaboration.
Duration (minutes): 90
Format description: The 90-minute session format provides a balanced structure for in-depth discussion and interactive engagement. The first 60 minutes show case studies facilitating a rich dialogue on the systemic challenges of platform accountability, providing participants with diverse regional insights. The remaining 30 minutes will be devoted to the Platform Monopoly Game, giving participants a hands-on experience of the concepts discussed, allowing them to simulate the power dynamics in platform economies and test out solutions in real time. The room layout should encourage interaction, team work requiring a small board setup with sections representing Digital Infrastructure, Labor Rights, Data Policies, and Regulatory Frameworks and clear spaces where participants will place their tokens or markers. This requires the theatre space for participants to move and work collaboratively around the board. This format ensures that participants are intellectually stimulated and actively engaged, promoting a deeper understanding of platform governance challenges while encouraging cross-sector collaboration.
Policy Question(s)
The following are a few questions that aim to provoke dialogue on ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability in the evolving platform-driven world, fostering solutions to pressing digital governance challenges:
1. How can platform accountability frameworks be reimagined to prioritize user rights over corporate interests in a globalized digital economy?
2. What role do regional disparities in digital governance play in exacerbating inequalities in labor rights, data access, and regulatory protections?
3. How can stakeholders, including governments, platforms, and civil society, collaborate to create more inclusive, transparent, and equitable digital ecosystems that prevent monopolistic practices and protect marginalized communities?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges surrounding platform accountability, informed by diverse regional perspectives. Through case studies from India, Latin America, Palestine, and Indonesia, attendees will explore the unique ways platform economies impact labor, data policies, and governance structures, uncovering the systemic power imbalances at play.
The interactive Platform Monopoly: The Governance Edition game will offer participants a hands-on experience of the power dynamics within digital platforms, simulating the roles of governments, platforms, workers, and users. This exercise will help participants better understand how digital policies and corporate strategies influence or impact different stakeholders.
By the end of the session, attendees will have gained practical insights, new perspectives, and actionable tools for advocating more equitable and accountable digital ecosystems. This session will equip them to challenge the status quo and contribute to reshaping digital governance in their own regions.
Description:
This workshop critically examines the systemic failures of platform accountability through diverse regional perspectives, providing a comprehensive understanding of how digital platforms undermine governance structures globally. By blending expert insights with interactive elements, we aim to spark a dynamic conversation on building equitable, user-centric digital ecosystems. The session begins with five global case studies from ARISE group members. ARISE (Accountability and Responsibility in South’s Ecosystems) is a transregional community space with 50+ organisations, fostering tech-accountability and solidarity. The following cases highlight multifaceted challenges of platform accountability: • Catalina Moreno will explore the impact of social media platforms on the work of Civil Society organisations and small independent media, taking cases from Latin America. • Bishakha Datta will present on the critical dimension of gender in terms of platform accountability in the digital age, bringing cases from India and across the globe. • Dionysia Peppa will discuss on Meta’s accountability in the context of war on Gaza in terms of under-moderation of harmful Israeli content both online and offline, against the Palestinians. • Damar Juniarto will present the case of big-tech responses towards regulations like the Indonesia Publisher Rights or the News Media Bargaining Code. • Jalal Abukhater will show how online platforms violate the digital rights of Palestinians under the human rights framework, through discriminatory censorship of Palestinian and Pro-Palestinian voices and incitement of violence. Then participants will transition into an interactive session, titled Platform Monopoly: The Governance Edition, a Monopoly-style board game designed to simulate the power dynamics of platform economies. In this game, participants will assume the roles of stakeholders—governments, platforms, civil society, workers, and users—and navigate spaces representing digital infrastructure, labour rights, data policies, and regulatory frameworks. ‘Power Cards’ will introduce real-world policy shifts and corporate manoeuvres, encouraging players to prioritise equitable and accountable governance.
This workshop critically examines the systemic failures of platform accountability through diverse regional perspectives, providing a comprehensive understanding of how digital platforms undermine governance structures globally. By blending expert insights with interactive elements, we aim to spark a dynamic conversation on building equitable, user-centric digital ecosystems. The session begins with five global case studies from ARISE group members. ARISE (Accountability and Responsibility in South’s Ecosystems) is a transregional community space with 50+ organisations, fostering tech-accountability and solidarity. The following cases highlight multifaceted challenges of platform accountability: • Catalina Moreno will explore the impact of social media platforms on the work of Civil Society organisations and small independent media, taking cases from Latin America. • Bishakha Datta will present on the critical dimension of gender in terms of platform accountability in the digital age, bringing cases from India and across the globe. • Dionysia Peppa will discuss on Meta’s accountability in the context of war on Gaza in terms of under-moderation of harmful Israeli content both online and offline, against the Palestinians. • Damar Juniarto will present the case of big-tech responses towards regulations like the Indonesia Publisher Rights or the News Media Bargaining Code. • Jalal Abukhater will show how online platforms violate the digital rights of Palestinians under the human rights framework, through discriminatory censorship of Palestinian and Pro-Palestinian voices and incitement of violence. Then participants will transition into an interactive session, titled Platform Monopoly: The Governance Edition, a Monopoly-style board game designed to simulate the power dynamics of platform economies. In this game, participants will assume the roles of stakeholders—governments, platforms, civil society, workers, and users—and navigate spaces representing digital infrastructure, labour rights, data policies, and regulatory frameworks. ‘Power Cards’ will introduce real-world policy shifts and corporate manoeuvres, encouraging players to prioritise equitable and accountable governance.
Expected Outcomes
The expected outcomes of this session include:
1. Deeper Insights: Participants will develop a clearer understanding of the regional and systemic challenges in platform accountability, particularly regarding labor rights, data access, and governance models.
2. Practical Solutions: Through the Platform Monopoly: The Governance Edition game, attendees will explore how different stakeholders—governments, platforms, civil society, and users—can navigate and address the power imbalances in the digital economy.
3. Policy Recommendations: The session will generate actionable policy suggestions for creating more equitable and transparent digital ecosystems that prioritize user rights over corporate interests.
Hybrid Format: 1. We will use Zoom or Microsoft Teams for live streaming and communication to facilitate interaction between on-site and online participants. A hybrid moderator will ensure online questions are integrated into the session via Mentimeter, enabling real-time Q&A. Additionally, virtual breakout rooms will allow on-site and online attendees to engage in smaller group discussions, ensuring inclusivity.
2. To encourage active participation, the session will combine expert presentations, an interactive Platform Monopoly game, and live polling using Mentimeter. Online tools like Google Jamboard will allow collaborative note-taking and brainstorming, ensuring seamless engagement across platforms.
3. Using these tools, onsite and online participants will have equal opportunities to interact, share insights, and contribute to the session’s discussions, ensuring a dynamic and inclusive experience for all.