Kirsten Gollatz
Kirsten Gollatz is an associate researcher at the HIIG. Before that, she was Project Manager at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society in Berlin where she has worked on projects in the field of Policy and Governance since she joined the institute in 2011. She is currently conducting research with a focus on the conditions for exercising freedom of expression on the internet and the relevance of private transnational governance, as well as online participation.
Since 2014 Kirsten has been writing her thesis as an external doctoral student with the University of Zurich. In her thesis she investigates the evolution of transnational governance regimes that private social media companies apply to user-generated content on their platforms.
Ongoing and past research projects
- Governance by numbers and the power of rankings in governing Internet Freedom. This newly developed project examines the ordering capacities of measuring devices, such as comparative numerical rankings, in constructing a transnational governance area frequently referred to as “Internet Freedom”.
- Researcher with the Ranking Digital Rights Project, examining polices and practices of European internet and telecommunications companies as well as their legal and political context of operations in relation to international freedom of expression and privacy norms.
- Research Contributor to the UNESCO/Internet Society case study report with the title Fostering Freedom Online: the Role of Internet Intermediaries (PDF).
- Case Study Writer examining the model of the German parliamentary Internet Enquete Commission as part of case study series on Multistakeholder as Governance Groups by the Network of Interdisciplinary Internet & Society Research Centers (NoC).
Read and discuss the case study and project synthesis report. - From November 2015 until May 2016 Kirsten joined the Governance Laboratory (The GovLab) at New York University as a Visiting Fellow. The fellowship has been supported by a research stipend from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
In summer 2012, Kirsten was a research intern at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society. Before that, she worked as a research assistant to the project field Cultural Sources of Newness at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB). Kirsten has a Master’s Degree in Media and Political Communication from the Free University Berlin. While attending university, Kirsten worked as a research assistant for enterprises, journalists, media industry associations and research organizations. She was involved in a variety of projects focusing on emerging media and internet policies and media economical issues, particularly on governance models in the context of a disruptive structural shift in media and journalism.
Videos
Books
MacKinnon, R., Hickok, E., Bar, A., & Lim, H. with research contribution by Kirsten Gollatz (2015). Fostering Freedom Online: the Role of Internet Intermediaries. Paris, France: UNESCO/Internet Society. Publication details
Journal articles and conference proceedings
Hofmann, J., Katzenbach, C., & Gollatz, K. (2016). Between coordination and regulation: Finding the governance in Internet governance. New Media & Society. Publication details
Gollatz, K., Herweg, S., & Hofmann, J. (2015). Enquete-Kommission Internet und digitale Gesellschaft (Enquete Commission on Internet and Digital Society). Berkman Center Research Publication, 2015(01). Publication details
Gollatz, K. (2014). Online Free expression in the Corporate Realm: Corporations’ Policies and Practices Shaping Private Speech on Communication Platforms. Nova Acta Leopoldina, NF 119(403), 49-55. Publication details
Gollatz, K. (2013). App development: Is ‘privacy by design’ the new standard? Internet Policy Review. Publication details
Wagner, B., Gollatz, K., & Calderaro, C. (2013). Common Narrative – Divergent Agendas: The Internet and Human Rights in Foreign Policy. Conference Proceedings. International Conference on Internet Science. Brussels, April 9-11, 2013, 19-27. Publication details
Book contributions and chapters
Gollatz, K. (2013). Transnational Pirates. In Dobusch, L., Mader, P., & Quack, S. (Eds.), Governance across Borders Transnational. Fields and Transversal Themes (pp. 222-228). Berlin: epubli. Publication details
Hofmann, J., Katzenbach, C., & Gollatz, K. (2013). Freedom on the Net Report Germany. In Kelly, S., Truong, M., Earp, M., Reed, L., Shahbaz, A., & Greco-Stoner, A. (Eds.), Freedom on the Net 2013 (pp. 302-321). New York, NY: Freedom House. Publication details
Dobusch, L. & Gollatz, K. (2012). Piraten zwischen transnationaler Bewegung und lokalem Phänomen. In Bieber, C. & Leggewie, C. (Eds.), Unter Piraten. Erkundungen in einer neuen politischen Arena (pp. 25-40). Bielefeld: transcript. Publication details
Working paper
Gollatz, K., Beer, F. &, Katzenbach, C. (2018). The Turn to Artificial Intelligence in Governing Communication Online Workshop Report. HIIG Discussion Paper Series, 2018(09). Publication details
Hofmann, J., Katzenbach, C., & Gollatz, K. (2014). Between Coordination and Regulation: Conceptualizing Governance in Internet Governance. HIIG Discussion Paper Series, 2014(04). Publication details
Wagner, B., Gollatz, K., & Calderaro, A. (2014). Internet & Human Rights in Foreign Policy: comparing narratives in the US and EU Internet Governance agenda. EUI Working Paper RSCAS; Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF), 2014/86. Publication details
Other publications
Gollatz, K., Riedl, M. J. & Pohlmann, J. (2018). Removals of Online Hate Speech in Numbers. Digital Society Blog, HIIG Science Blog, Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin, Germany. Cross-posted at Media Policy Project Blog, London School of Economics, London, UK. Publication details
Gollatz, K. & Jenner, L. (2017). Hate Speech und Fake News – Über die Vermischung und Politisierung zweier Begriffe, Teil 1. Digital Society Blog. Publication details
Gollatz, K. & Jenner, L. (2017). Hate Speech und Fake News – Über die Vermischung und Politisierung zweier Begriffe, Teil 2. Digital Society Blog. Publication details
Gollatz, K. (2016). 5 Questions for … Visiting Researcher Dr Axel Bruns. Digital Society Blog. Publication details
Gollatz, K. (2016). The Power of Platforms. Digital Society Blog. Publication details
Send, H., Ebert, J., Friesike, S., Gollatz, K., & Schildhauer, T. (2014). Online Mitmachen und Entscheiden – Partizipationsstudie 2014, Berlin: Alexander von Humboldt Institut für Internet und Gesellschaft. Publication details
Gollatz, K. (2014). Deutsche Telekom’s ‘surveillance report’ builds on a trend. Internet Policy Review. Publication details
Gollatz, K. (2013). App development: is ‘privacy by design’ the new standard? Internet Policy Review. Publication details
Lectures and presentations
Weaponizing internet governance: Comparing the German Network Enforcement Act and FOSTA-SESTA in the United StatesAnnual Meeting of the National Communication Association (NCA), Freedom of Expression Division. Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, United States: 14.11.2019 Further information
Martin J. Riedl, Kirsten Gollatz, Jens Pohlmann.
Platform Governance as Reflexive Coordination – Mediating Nudity, Hate Speech and Fake News on FacebookAoIR 2017 Networked Publics. Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR). University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia: 19.10.2017
Christian Katzenbach, Kirsten Gollatz
Politics of Discourse: Fake News Controversy in Germany and how it solidifies in new institutional arrangementsAoIR 2017 Networked Publics (Session: Misinformation, Propaganda and "Fake News": A European Perspective). Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR). University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia: 19.10.2017
Kirsten Gollatz, Jonas Kaiser, Cornelius Puschmann
The turn to artificial intelligence in content moderationDigital-born Media Carnival (Session: Understanding Complex Systems). SHARE Foundation, OSCE Mission to Serbia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. Pjaca od Kina, Kotor, Montenegro: 17.07.2017
Kirsten Gollatz
Measuring User Rights Online: Numerical Rankings as a Form of Governing Internet FreedomAnnual Conference of the Canadian Sociological Association at Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences 2017 (Session: Sociology of quantification, commensuration, statistics, and valuation). Canadian Federation of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada: 29.05.2017
Kirsten Gollatz
My place, my rules! Wie Plattformen entscheiden was wir online sagen könnenLange Nacht der Wissenschaften. Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften e.V.. Humboldt Institut für Internet und Gesellschaft, Berlin, Germany: 11.06.2016
Kirsten Gollatz
Continous Ordering and Algorithmic Translation: How STS opens up and re-assembles Internet GovernanceInternet Research 16. Association of Internet Research. ., Phoenix, USA: 23.10.2015
Christian Katzenbach, Kirsten Gollatz, Jeanette Hofmann
"You own your content, but…" - Tracing changing notions of ownership over user content in social media platform policiesMedia Trends 2015: Power and Media: Ownership, Sponsorship, Censorship (Session: Panel 8. Users and Consumers). Webster Vienna Private University's Media Communications department. Webster Vienna Private University, Vienna, Austria: 12.09.2015
Kirsten Gollatz
Internet Governance – Komplexe Strukturen, reflexive Prozesse und deren LegitimitätTelemedicus Sommerkonferenz: Zwei Schritte vorwärts: Die Zukunft des Internetrechts (Session: Rough Consensus and Running Code). Telemedicus in Kooperation mit Internet & Gesellschaft Collaboratory, Hertie Stiftung, Alexander von Humboldt Institut für Internet und Gesellschaft, Humboldt Law Clinic Internetrecht. Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, Germany: 30.08.2015
Kirsten Gollatz
Between Coordination and Regulation: Conceptualizing Governance in Internet GovernanceGigaNet 9th Annual Symposium (Session: THEORETICAL SESSION: Conceptualizing Internet governance). The Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet). Lütfi Kırdar Convention and Exhibition Center, Istanbul, Turkey: 01.09.2014
Jeanette Hofmann, Christian, Katzenbach, Kirsten Gollatz
Terms & Conditions – it's ze law, stupid! Taking practical suggestions from German Constitutional LawRightsCon Silicon Valley. access. Mission Bay Conference Center, San Francisco, USA: 03.03.2014
Kirsten Gollatz, Julian Staben
Corporate Policies and Practices Shaping Private Speech Online4th Symposium “Human Rights and Science” (Session: Human Rights and New Media). Human Rights Committee of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and Polish Academy of Sciences. Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland: 13.09.2013
Kirsten Gollatz
Common Narrative Divergent Agendas: The Internet and Human Rights in Foreign Policy1st International Conference on Internet Science of the Network of Excellence in Internet Science (EINS) (Session: Internet Science and Politics). EINS project, the FP7 European Network of Excellence in Internet Science. Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts, Brussels, Belgium: 10.04.2013
Ben Wagner, Kirsten Gollatz, Andrea Calderaro
Facebook at a Tipping Point. Is there a need for a new valorization of privacy?4th European Communication Conference on “Social Media – Global Voices”, ECREA 2012. ECREA European Communication Research and Education Association. Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Istanbul, Turkey: 27.10.2012
Kirsten Gollatz, Alexander Sängerlaub
The quasi-public Sphere of Online Platforms. Global Spaces for Free Expression?ECREA 2012 Pre-Conference “Imposing Freedoms: The role of copyright, privacy and censorship governance in the re/definition of rights in digital media” (Session: Freedom and the media). Media Governance and Industries Research Group of the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Vienna. Plato College of Higher Education, Istanbul, Turkey: 23.10.2012
Kirsten Gollatz
Panels
Doing STS-informed Internet Governance ResearchThe Internet Rules, But How? A Science and Technical Studies Take on Doing Internet Governance (Pre-Conference Workshop, AoIR 2016). AoIR, Humboldt Institut für Internet und Gesellschaft, Hans-Bredow-Institut. Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany: 05.10.2016
Kirsten Gollatz, Christian Katzenbach, Jeanette Hofmann
Vorstellung der Studie "Das Bürger-Internet: Neutralität ist nicht genug" und DiskussionDas Bürger-Internet: Neutralität ist nicht genug. Netopia | Forum for the Digital Society. Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, Germany: 26.03.2015
Kirsten Gollatz
Session on Western Perspectives and Implications for PolicyInternet Freedom in Democratic Southeast Asia. German Marshall Fund of the United States. Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia: 03.10.2013
Kirsten Gollatz
Moderation of workshops and panels
This Panel May Contain Sensitive Content: Automated Filtering and the Future of Free Expression OnlineRightsCon Toronto 2018. access now. Beanfield Centre at Exhibition Place, Toronto, Ontario, Canada: 17.05.2018
Kirsten Gollatz
Digital Transformation of Media IndustryDigital-born Media Carnival. SHARE Foundation, OSCE Mission to Serbia, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. Masera Club, Kotor, Montenegro: 15.07.2017
Kirsten Gollatz
Bedingungen für die Ausübung von Meinungsfreiheit im InternetGefährdet Big Data unsere Demokratie?. Vereinigung Deutscher Wissenschaftler VDW e.V., Ev. Akademie Villigst. Ev. Tagungsstätte Haus Villigst, Schwerte, Germany: 15.10.2016
Kirsten Gollatz
Intermediary liability, jurisdiction and extremist content'The Role of Social Media and Internet Companies in Responding to Violent Online Extremism'. Network of Excellence for Research in Violent Online Political Extremism (Vox-Pol). Central European University, School of Public Policy, Budapest, Hungary: 05.03.2015
Kirsten Gollatz
Organisation of events
Das Ende der Transparenz?Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften 2018. 09.06.2018. Humboldt Institut für Internet und Gesellschaft, Berlin, Germany. Co-Organised by: Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften Berlin + Potsdam (National) Further information
Alexandra Giannopoulou, Tuukka Lehtiniemi, Nataliia Sokolovska, Lisa Gutermuth, Christian Djeffal, Shirley Ogolla, Sönke Bartling, Matti Grosse, Wolfgang Schulz, Kirsten Gollatz, Christian Katzenbach, Benedikt Fecher
The turn to artificial intelligence in governing communication online20.04.2018. Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society, Berlin, Germany. Co-Organised by: AccessNow (International)
Kirsten Gollatz, Christian Katzenbach
Data Sprint on Digital Rights in the Telecom Sector23.05.2017. Humboldt Institut für Internet und Gesellschaft, Berlin, Germany. Co-Organised by: Ranking Digital Rights, The WikiRate Project e.V. (International)
Lisa Gutermuth, Kirsten Gollatz
Algorithmic GovernanceEarly Stage Researcher Colloquium on Internet and Society 2015. 24.09.2015. Social Science Research Centre, Berlin, Germany (International)
Christian Katzenbach, Kirsten Gollatz
From Disobedient Practices to Global Governance Arrangements: Academic perspectives on digital phenomenaDiscussion at the HIIG as part of the Federal Foreign Office's Visitors' Program. 07.08.2014. Humboldt Institut für Internet und Gesellschaft, Berlin, Germany (International)
Kirsten Gollatz, Rüdiger Schwarz, Osvaldo Saldías, Theresa Züger
The Internet and Human Rights: Building a free, open and secure InternetFrom 13.09.2012 to 14.09.2012. German Federal Foreign Office, Berlin, Deutschland. Co-Organised by: Aarhus University, Human Rights Watch, Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany (International)
Kirsten Gollatz
Participation as expert
Roundtable on AI MEP Marietje Schaake and Access Now. European Parliament, Brussels, Belgium: 24.09.2018Kirsten Gollatz
Expertenworkshop: Automatisierte Zensur? Technische Lösungen zur Regulation politischer Online-Kommunikation abida, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Universität Münster. Universität Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria: 26.04.2018Kirsten Gollatz
Workshop zur Fake-News-Datenanalyse Measuring Fake News Stiftung Neue Verantwortung. Stiftung Neue Verantwortung, Berlin, Germany: 19.05.2017Kirsten Gollatz
The Rule of Algorithms? Exploring design, impact, and regulation of algorithmic decision-making Hans-Bredow-Institut, Department Informatik der Universität Hamburg. Landesvertretung Hamburg, Berlin, Germany: 04.10.2016Kirsten Gollatz
Media appearances
Kollaborations-Tools: Umstrittene Helfer (15.10.2018). Magazin Mitbestimmung
Further information
Kollaborations-Tools: Umstrittene Helfer (15.10.2018). Magazin Mitbestimmung
Further information
Prihodnost je superinteligentna (18.10.2017). Svet Kapitala (DELO)
Digitalne ikone: Digital-born media carnival - conversations on current topics (01.08.2017). Radio Beograd 2
Further information
Debatte um Nutzer-Sperren: Facebook braucht eine Hotline (26.08.2016). Spiegel Online
Further information
Breitband: Regulierter Hass (19.09.2015). Deutschlandradio Kultur
Further information
Position
Former Associate Researcher: The evolving digital society
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