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Paddy Leerssen

@pjleerssen.bsky.social
1.5K followers 266 following 65 posts

Postdoc @ivir_uva | DSA Observatory | social media law

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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
❓ Who in my network is digging into the age assurance requirements of the Meta child protection settlement, and would like to compare notes? DMs open.
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Next monday, online: looking forward to discussing social media child safety policy and the minimum age debate:
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Nobody dissects US Republican distortions and smear campaigns about "censorship" as incisively and tirelessly as Renee DiResta. Europeans, take note: JD Vance is hard at work exporting the same playbook to Brussels.
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Daphne Keller @daphnek.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
I haven't read the leaked 183-page Commission Decision against X, but I am reading the House Judiciary Committee's X posts about it and the worst stuff they could find is... preposterously weak. judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-su... x.com/JudiciaryGOP...
x.com
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Tim Bernard @timbernard.me · 15/12/2025
Now an analysis piece @techpolicypress.bsky.social, summarizing the insights from @pjleerssen.bsky.social's paper and applying them to what we currently know about the TikTok deal: www.techpolicy.press/who-will-own...
techpolicy.press
Who Will Own TikTok in the US and Why it Matters for Democracy | TechPolicy.Press
Tim Bernard draws insights from Paddy Leerssen's paper, "From Murdoch to Musk: Platform ownership and the political economy of online content governance."
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Stanford CIS @stanfordcis.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Recent upheavals at X and Meta stem from oligarchic ownership by Musk and Zuckerberg who directly control content policies. CIS Affiliate @pjleerssen.bsky.social examines how these moguls influence digital governance through ideological or economic motives. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Tim Bernard @timbernard.me · 13/11/2025
While we're still waiting on details of the TikTok deal, this paper by @pjleerssen.bsky.social opens up some crucial questions about platform ownership that are still tbd for any new US TikTok entity. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
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Emily Baker-White @ebakerwhite.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
jawboning www.pbs.org/newshour/nat...
pbs.org
Meta removes Facebook page that tracked ICE in Chicago
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that “following outreach” from the DOJ, Facebook removed a “large group page” that was being used to target ICE officials.
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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
"The video is part of a paid Israeli government campaign of posts on Google-owned YouTube that 'focus on whether or not a famine is taking place in Gaza,' according to an internal Google email reviewed by The Washington Post." wapo.st/47dlXDu
wapo.st
As famine struck Gaza, Google let Israel run YouTube ads claiming, ‘There is food’
An internal Google email said it received many complaints about Israeli government YouTube ads about food access in Gaza, but ruled they could remain online.
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Stanford CIS @stanfordcis.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Europe's Digital Services Act lets users challenge platform moderation decisions through independent certified bodies. Article 21 dispute settlements cover takedowns, suspensions & more. @pjleerssen.bsky.social interviewed by @techpolicypress.bsky.social www.techpolicy.press/what-we-can-...
techpolicy.press
What We Can Learn from the First Digital Services Act Out-of-Court Dispute Settlements? | TechPolicy.Press
Ramsha Jahangir spoke to two experts to unpack what the early wave of disputes tells us about how the out-of-court system is working under the DSA.
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Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Under Article 21 of the DSA, out-of-court bodies review moderation disputes. One such body, Appeals Centre Europe, has released its first transparency report. @ramshajahangir.bsky.social spoke with Thomas Hughes and Paddy Leerssen about what these early findings suggest.
techpolicy.press
What We Can Learn from the First Digital Services Act Out-of-Court Dispute Settlements? | TechPolicy.Press
Ramsha Jahangir spoke to two experts to unpack what the early wave of disputes tells us about how the out-of-court system is working under the DSA.
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
Prague University Law School, i owe you an apology, I wasn't familiar with your game
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 10/08/2025
Not content just ruining their own product, Google Search is now auto-translating all my <site:reddit.com> queries. One of the few remaining use cases for Search and they can't resist screwing with it.
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Alexios Mantzarlis @mantzarlis.com · 08/08/2025
In today's Briefing: I found 114 ads for AI nudifiers on Meta. The copy of the ads included the word "undress," which isn't a sophisticated term to watch out for. As always, I flagged these ads to Meta, which took them down. Google also took down a related app. indicator.media/p/ai-nudifie...
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
Chuffed to see my new draft paper on platform ownership billed as "hidden gem of the week" over at the Syllabus 👇
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
🎺🎺 New draft paper 🎺🎺 From Murdoch to Musk: Social media ownership and the political economy of platform content governance The question is simple: who owns the major social media companies, and how do these owners influence content governance outcomes? osf.io/preprints/os...
osf.io
OSF
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Daphne Keller @daphnek.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
So... I'm not saying you should sue any platforms under the DSA. But if you *did* want to do that, you'd definitely want to look at this article from @pjleerssen.bsky.social, Iris Toepoel, Anna van Duin, and @jvh.bsky.social It's basically a tactical guide. dsa-observatory.eu/wp-content/u...
dsa-observatory.eu
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
PlatGovNet 2025: Dec 1-2 I'll be counting the days! Very grateful that this is happening again.
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rasmuskleis.bsky.social @rasmuskleis.bsky.social · 24/06/2025
Working on platform governance? Join for PlatGovNet 2025 Free online conference Dec 1-2 Extended abstracts (800-1000 words) due Sep 2 Amazing community, opportunity to share work, get feedback, meet others working in this area. Glad to be part of organizing it Details: platgov.net/conferences/...
platgov.net
2025 Conference Call for Submissions — PlatGovOpen MenuClose Menu
2025 Conference Call for Submissions
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Amsterdam Law School @uvalawschool.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Coming soon 📣: @yannickvdberg.bsky.social in SPUI25 over het recht gebruiken om mensen minder te laten vliegen ✈️ Meld je aan voor het event op 13 juni bit.ly/459lUJw
bit.ly
SPUI25: Hoe kunnen we het recht inzetten om mensen minder te laten vliegen?
Luchtvaart is een vervuilende bezigheid: Iemand die van Lissabon naar New York vliegt en terug, veroorzaakt ongeveer evenveel uitstoot als een gemiddelde EU-burger doet door zijn huis een heel jaar te verwarmen. Sinds 1992 maakt de EU wetten en beleid om de uitstoot van de luchtvaart aan te pakken, maar ondertussen heeft de uitstoot door de luchtvaart recordhoogtes bereikt. Hoe kunnen we dit inperken?
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Yesterday, for the first time, I presented findings from a new empirical project. The question is simple: who owns social media? I'm leaving the AoIR symposium in Bremen more inspired than ever to pursue this topic. Many thanks to the organisers at @zemki.bsky.social!
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 25/05/2025
WAITRESS: please keep your voices down, this is a family restaurant. WALTER: Oh please dear! For your information: the Supreme Court roundly rejected prior restraint! DUDE: C'mon Walter, this is not a First Amendment thing, man.
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
The folks at @knightgtown.bsky.social are doing cutting-edge research on recommender systems. 👇 In this new commentary for @dsaobservatory.bsky.social l, @alissacooper.bsky.social and Peter Chapman discuss key findings and their relevance to the DSA. dsa-observatory.eu/2025/05/19/m...
dsa-observatory.eu
Making Recommender Systems Work for People: Turning the DSA’s Potential into Practice - DSA Observatory
By Alissa Cooper and Peter Chapman, Knight-Georgetown Institute The Digital Services Act sets out broad new legal requirements to make recommender systems more transparent and accountable, including f...
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
👇Join us on Thursday - online or in Amsterdam 👇
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Theresa Josephine Seipp @theresajseipp.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
📣 Panel Discussion: The Rising Power of Big Tech (New Date!) Thursday, 8 May 2025 | 17:00 | SPUI25. Join @pjleerssen.bsky.social, @tomasdodds.bsky.social and me as we discuss Big Tech’s growing influence on global politics, media and democracy. Register here: spui25.nl/programma/re...
spui25.nl
The Rising Power of Big Tech (rescheduled)
In a moment of rapid change for global politics, Big Tech platforms and their owners are shaping up to be international power brokers. Trump’s White house cozies up to Silicon Valley oligarchs as Elon...
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Just published: another victory for @dannymekic.nl over X at the Amsterdam District Court. Enforcing your digital rights shouldn't be this hard, but at least someone's doing the heavy lifting. uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/details?id=E...
uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl
Rechtspraak.nl - Zoeken in uitspraken
Zoeken in uitspraken
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
I'm sorry to say that tonight's event will be POSTPONED until futher notice. My apologies for any inconvenience. Hopefully we'll get a new date scheduled soon. 🙏
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 16/03/2025
At Spui25 later this month: I'll be talking (social) media regulation with IViR colleagues Theresa Seipp and Petros Terzis.
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
What are some good *open access* journals to submit to in European (private) law?
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
The 'Instagore' story from last week is absolutely nuts and really flew under the radar. No clear explanation either. Theories I've seen: - deliberate sabotage, e.g. from a disgruntled employee? - coding error, e.g. inverting ranking scores to show lowest first? www.404media.co/instagram-er...
404media.co
Instagram 'Error' Turned Reels Into Neverending Scroll of Murder, Gore, and Violence
“Today’s algorithm showed me around 70 murders, 100+ accidents, and around 115 violence videos, is anyone on Instagram noticing it?”
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
Online gambling is a social crisis in the making, and a ticking time bomb for online content regulation. Growing up in Holland, bookies and sports betting were practically unheard of. Our neoliberal government deregulated online casino's in the early 2020s, and now it's everywhere. Disgusting.
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
Whither (anti-)imperialism? Very interesting read on geopolitical realignments, first on the left and now on the right, regarding soft-power programmes like USAID. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/19/u...
nytimes.com
Musk and the Right Co-Opt the Left’s Critique of U.S. Power
Suspicion about covert operations and soft power used to be mostly the purview of the left. No more.
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 18/02/2025
Unexpected find of the day: this new study uses the Meta Ad Library to show how online viagra advertising exploits masculine anxieties around sexual performance and dysfunction. www.researchgate.net/publication/...
researchgate.net
(PDF) After Viagra®: multivalent medicalization, hybrid masculinities, and direct-to-consumer digital health
PDF | Analyzes marketing from Hims and Ro for sexual dysfunction medication through the lenses of medicalization and hybrid masculinities. Building on... | Find, read and cite all the research you nee...
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Gavin Mueller @gavinmueller.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
Another postdoc in my department: OSINT and Information Disorder werkenbij.uva.nl/en/vacancies...
werkenbij.uva.nl
Vacancy — Postdoctoral Researcher in OSINT & Information Disorder
Do you want to join the European Union-funded project Social Media for Democracy (SoMe4Dem) focusing on the role of social media in democracy? Then this position is for you!
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 29/12/2024
🎶On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... 🎶
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
Like "buttered toast released in a free fall" is how Akbar Rasulov describes international law: "Although it has more than one side too, the toast, as everyone knows, always lands buttered side down"
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
I am on strike! For the coming days I'll be laying down my work to demand that the University of Amsterdam protects the right to demonstrate and suspends its ties Israeli institutions. Read more about the strike here: www.fnv.nl/cao-sector/o...
fnv.nl
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Universiteit van Amsterdam
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 08/12/2024
Can't resist sharing: my peer review got a good review :)
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
Can't beat the classics 🎷
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
Reminder: we want YOU 🫵 to submit your analysis of the VLOP audit + risk reports to the DSA Observatory. dsa-observatory.eu/blogposts-su...
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
First DSA risk and audit reports are out 👀👀
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
Currently reading: Ahmad, Sana, and Maximilian Greb. "Automating social media content moderation: implications for governance and labour discretion." Work in the Global Economy 2.2 (2022): 176-198. bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journal...
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Bluesky's starter packs make for an interesting inversion of the typical social media experience: scrolling through your feed and discovering fresh new accounts to unfollow.
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Next week is a big one for DSA land: it's when we expect the first risk + audit reports from VLOP to finally be published. What can we expect from these reports, and what's next? Read our analysis the DSA Observatory, from my new colleague Magdalena Jozwiak: dsa-observatory.eu?p=1910&previ...
dsa-observatory.eu
The wait is (almost) over! First risk assessment and audit reports – what will be published, when, and the way forward - DSA Observatory
Magdalena Jóźwiak Researcher, DSA Observatory University of Amsterdam By the end of November 2024, the VLOPs and VLOSEs first designated by the Commission on 25 April 2023, are expected to publish the...
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
What can European lawyers take from US debates about jawboning? And when should we talk about 'lawboning' instead? Just out: my take on platform-state relations in the US and Europe. observatoriolegislativocele.com/jawboning-an...
observatoriolegislativocele.com
Jawboning and lawboning: comparing platform-state relations in the US and Europe - CELE
Jawboning and lawboning: comparing platform-state relations in the US and Europe The concept of ‘jawboning’ refers to scenarios where the government pressures online services to moderate user content...
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 21/11/2024
Deadline has been EXTENDED for the European Commission's public consultation on data access. Old deadline was 26 November, now it's 10 December. Read more here: ec.europa.eu/info/law/bet...
media.tenor.com
a man wearing glasses is sitting on a couch with a spotify logo in the background
ALT: a man wearing glasses is sitting on a couch with a spotify logo in the background
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
Let the record state that I joined Bluesky exactly one day before it was cool.
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
We have now reached the 'lists of lists' stage in platform switching. Lots of great follows here 👇
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Paddy Leerssen @pjleerssen.bsky.social · 16/11/2024
Let's see what this platform's good for: Can someone hit me up with a PDF of Hesmondhalgh, The Cultural Industries (Routledge 2019, Fourth Ed.)? DM me for email.
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Kirsty Park @kirstypark.bsky.social · 14/11/2024
Are you interested in becoming a vetted researcher and getting access to data from VLOP/VLOSEs under Article 40 of the DSA? The European Commission is running a webinar on the draft Delegated Act 🏫 Nov 26th is the deadline for the public consultation 📑 ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/run...
ec.europa.eu
DSA Art 40 Delegated Act – Info webinar for researchers
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