News
Reports, Publications, Projects, Blog Posts & Podcasts from the Institute
EU KIDS Act – Proposed Social Media Regulation
In his statement for the Science Media Center, Stephan Dreyer explains that with the EU KIDS Act, the European Commission is proposing "nothing less than a comprehensive EU regulatory framework for the protection of minors in the digital space." The draft regulation aims to enforce new requirements for digital services to better protect children and adolescents.
Should AI Development Be Slowed Down?
In his statement for the Science Media Center, Matthias Kettemann explains that the proposal by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei for a controlled slowdown in current AI development should be taken more seriously than previous calls for a “pause.” Unlike those previous calls, Amodei's proposal is not vague.
How the AfD Is Using TikTok for Its Election Campaign
On 6 September, Saxony-Anhalt held elections for a new state parliament. Dr. Azade Kakavand examined the parties’ presence on TikTok in the run-up to the election and explains on the programme Das Medienmagazin (radioeins, rbb) how the AfD was able to achieve significant reach on TikTok.
Expert Commission Presents Final Report
The expert commission on "Protecting Children and Youth in the Digital World" submitted its final report to Federal Minister for Family Affairs Karin Prien. The report contains the commission's findings from the past year, including an assessment of the current situation, recommendations for action, and the results of the child and youth participation process and the strategic foresight process. The commission incorporated Claudia Lampert’s expertise into its work.
Visitors from Brisbane!
Last week, eleven researchers from Australia and Germany worked intensively together at the HBI on the “Mapping Polarization in News Media Content” project, which compares climate reporting in both countries. Among other things, they conducted further analyses and prepared conference papers and publications.
Should Smart Glasses Be Banned?
Smart glasses, which are data glasses equipped with a camera, AI, and an internet connection, raise new questions about the protection of personal rights. However, according to Matthias Kettemann, new bans are not necessarily needed. Rather, existing laws must be enforced more consistently. He explaines this on the ZDF heute program.
Stricter EU Rules for ChatGPT
The European Commission has classified ChatGPT as a very large online search engine under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Tobias Mast considers this classification reasonable. In his statement for the Science Media Center, he points out that the consequences depend on how the DSA’s requirements, which were originally developed for different types of services, are applied to AI chatbots.
Artificial Intelligence Everywhere Now?
On the Deutschlandfunk podcast, which translates to "After the Editorial Deadline," Svea Eckert discusses why artificial intelligence is suddenly a hot topic everywhere and the logic behind the media coverage.
Record Fine and New Social Media Guidelines for Meta
After 29 U.S. states filed a lawsuit against the media conglomerate Meta, the Science Media Center asked Matthias C. Kettemann to evaluate whether the changes made by the platforms are sufficient to ensure they are no longer harmful. Kettemann was also asked to discuss potential difficulties with age verification and the implications of this lawsuit for future legal actions.
Event dates
HBI Presentations at the DGPuK Methods Conference
30. September 2026HBI researchers are presenting their latest work on computer-assisted methods in communication and media research at the annual conference of the DGPuK Methods Division.
43rd Congress of the German Sociological Association
1. October 2026At the 43rd Congress of the German Sociological Association (GSA), Prof. Dr. Wiebke Loosen, Antonia Eichenauer, and Jonah Wermter will present two papers on the topic of communicative AI in journalism.
Press Freedom Under Pressure
13. October 2026What is putting pressure on press freedom? Journalists and researchers are discussing the conditions for independent journalism as part of Hamburg’s Press Freedom Week.
Journalism Under Duress from the Right
15. October 2026As populism rises, journalists are increasingly coming under fire from right-wing figures. How can one conduct research in right-wing circles? How can right-wing networks be uncovered? What do attacks on press freedom mean for journalism? Researchers from the HBI will discuss these issues with media professionals.