Transforming Content Moderation with a 'Designing from the Margins' Approach

  • Workshop
  • Living Room
  • Wednesday 21.05 — 11:50 - 13:05

Organising Institution

Rathenau Instituut

Netherlands

The Rathenau Instituut supports the formation of public and political opinion on socially relevant aspects of science and technology. It conducts research on this subject and organises debates on science, innovation, and new technology.
How can we design content moderation that truly respects human rights? AI-driven moderation on large platforms increasingly threatens fundamental rights like freedom of expression and privacy. Rethinking platform design has never been more urgent. LGBTIQA+-people are often the first to experience these harms—and to develop creative ways to navigate and resist them. Their ingenuity offers valuable insights for reimagining moderation. In this workshop, we will explore innovative moderation approaches, drawing on lessons from LGBTIQA+-communities. We will present requirements and prototypes developed by the Rathenau Institute and design studio Idiotes in collaboration with these communities, using them as a starting point to co-create new models with participants. By uniting experts in policy, data protection, and human rights we strive to co-create requirements and prototypes of moderation systems that genuinely protect and empower users. Join us in building platforms that uphold fundamental rights—because better content moderation isn’t just possible, it’s essential.

Host

Wouter Nieuwenhuizen

Rathenau Instituut - Netherlands

Expertise Wouter is mainly concerned with the social responsibility and regulation of technology companies. He has previously conducted (ethnographic) research into digital co-production, the use of data by local governments, innovation in the public sector, and digital working from home. Career: Wouter studied Administration and Organisation Science at Utrecht University and Social Sciences at the University of Tsukuba (Japan). He then did a research master's degree in Public Administration & Organisational Science at Utrecht University. During his studies, he worked for two years as an advisor on digitisation at municipalities, was a research assistant at Utrecht University and a researcher at the Datawerkplaats. During his graduation research, he and the Province of Zuid-Holland investigated how digital homeworking is getting in the way of the digital transformation of government. On the basis of this research, he published an instrument for meaningful digital and hybrid collaboration.

Host

Timo Nieuwenhuis

Rathenau Instituut - Netherlands

Timo works as a researcher within the theme of digitalization at the Rathenau Institute. He is interested in how technology and culture are intertwined and how that affects our social and intimate lives. During his role, he works within the research project 'Inclusive Online Environments', the podcast ‘Verrekijkers’, and the dialogue program ‘Digital Future’. Study and career: Timo previously worked as a researcher at the Digitalization and Innovation department of the municipality of Amsterdam. During this role he looked at the relationship between emerging technology, public values and public space. At the municipality of Amsterdam, he researched immersive technology and generative AI. Before his time at the municipality of Amsterdam, Timo did a research internship and editorial internship at PublicSpaces: a foundation committed to manifest public values on the internet. Timo completed a master's degree in New Media & Digital Culture at Utrecht University. For his master's thesis, he has researched how the (gendered) technological imaginary of the film Her (2013) is intertwined with the Humanoid app Replika. For his pre-master thesis, he has researched the role of FOMO in the affordances of dating apps Hinge and Tinder.