Who Governs Online? Platforms, States, and Power

Harvard HKS

This course examines social media companies as geopolitical actors operating in a fragmented global governance landscape. In exploring how platforms respond to and shape state power, we will study cases of technology companies balancing competing interests including human rights, safety, profitability, legal compliance, and the security of personnel and assets, as they interact with state and non-state actors. Key topics include content moderation as a form of private…