Martin Fertmann

Junior Researcher Content Moderation & International Law

Martin Fertmann works within the second research program of the Leibniz-Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI) on “Regulatory Structures and the Emergence of Rules in Online Spaces”. He researches the private rules of large platform providers, their regulation and compatibility with human rights standards.

Next to having published numerous contributions within his research focus, he has presented his work at multiple conferences in Germany and abroad and co-chaired conferences on transparency in tech regulation and on internet governance and international human rights. He has participated in a research sprint at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society (Harvard University) and has conducted research visits to LIP6 in Paris (Sorbonne University and the French National Center for Scientific Research), as well as to the Norwegian Centre for Human Rights (University of Oslo). He is a Fellow in the 2022 cohort of the Transatlantic Digital Debates program (Global Public Policy Institute, Berlin and New America’s Open Technology Institute, Washington) and a member of the EU COST Action Global Digital Human Rights Network.

Before pursuing his PhD, Martin studied law at Universität Hamburg and China-EU School of Law in Beijing, with a focus on media law. During his studies, he worked as a research associate for multiple renowned international law firms and volunteered with the University of Hamburg’s Cyber Law Clinic.

Besides his work at the HBI, he is a fellow at the Research Training Group “Law and its Teaching in the Digital Transformation” at the Center for Law in the Digital Transformation and the Albrecht Mendelssohn Bartholdy Graduate School of Law at Universität Hamburg

At the HBI, Martin serves as elected representative of the Institute’s junior researchers and doctoral candidates, alongside Verena Albert.

Contact information

Martin Fertmann

Junior Researcher Content Moderation & International Law

We are no longer located at Rothenbaumchaussee 36. You can reach us temporarely at the following address:

Leibniz Institute for Media Research, Hans-Bredow-Institut
c/o betahaus | Gänsemarkt
Gänsemarkt 43
20354 Hamburg

Last update: 28.07.2025

Works by Martin Fertmann

Cover of the M&K journal, issue 3/2025
Publikation M&K 3/2025 as Special Issue

Diversity, Intersectionality, and Gender in Journalism

The third issue of M&K in 2025 is a special edition on "Diversity, Intersectionality, and Gender in Journalism," edited by Margreth Lünenborg, Ana-Nzinga Weiß, Yener Bayramoğlu, and Bernadette Uth. The nine articles are available open access on the Nomos eLibrary.

Cover of an article by Judith Möller et al. in the journal
Publikation Article in Journal of Communication

Positioning and Presentation of Articles in News Aggregators

In the study “Nudges for News Recommenders,” Dr. Nicolas Mattis, Lucien Heitz, Dr. Philipp K. Masur, Prof. Dr. Judith Möller, and Prof. Dr. Wouter van Atteveldt examine how the placement and presentation of environmental news in news aggregators can influence user behavior.

Cover of the Oxford Handbook
Publikation Digital Orders of the Future

Digital Constitutionalism Rethought

In a chapter of the Oxford Handbook of Digital Constitutionalism, Matthias C. Kettemann and Anna Sophia Tiedeke explore digital constitutionalism from the perspective of various normativities. These are the diverse rules, values, and organizing principles that shape the digital space.

Eine hübsche junge Familie aus Vater, Mutter Kind blicken strahlend in die Kamera, im Vordergrund links ein Ringlicht
Projekt Project for State Media Authorities

Babies and Toddlers as Family Influencers

The HBI is conducting a qualitative and quantitative study to examine how babies and young children under the age of five are portrayed on commercial German-language 'family influencing' profiles on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. A team led by Dr. Claudia Lampert and Dr. Stephan Dreyer is discussing the findings in relation to the existing legal framework and media ethics considerations.

Cover des Buchs "Recht der Digitalisierung"
Publikation Available Open Access

Law of Digitalization

Can the right legal framework meet the central challenges of digitization? This volume, edited by Prof. Dr. Matthias C. Kettemann, explores important new areas of law, the regulation of AI, the role of digital services, and the characteristics of effective technology policy and sensible innovation law.

Screenshot der ersten "Seite" des Artikels auf dem Verfassungsblog
Publikation Article on Verfassungsblog

DSA Enforcement by the EU Commission

The problematic role of the European Commission in enforcing the Digital Services Act (DSA) and possible alternatives are the focus of a blog post published by Jan-Ole Harfst, Dr. Tobias Mast, and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schulz on 16 July 2025 on the Verfassungblog.

Cover der Zeitschrift
Publikation Recently Published

Community Data Trust for Sensitive Data

Jan Rau, Moritz Fürneisen, and Gregor Wiedemann co-developed the concept of community data stewardship to facilitate the collaborative creation and utilization of sensitive data in communication science. By using the example of research into right-wing extremist online communication, they demonstrate how community data stewardship can be structured.

Cover der Zeitschrift UFITA
Publikation Recently Published

On the Public Value of Public Service Media

"What Can Audience Research findings tell us about the public value of public service media?" This question explored by Prof. Dr. Uwe Hasebrink and PD Dr. Jan-Hinrik Schmidt, who published their insights in the issue 2/2024 of the journal UFITA.

Cover of the journal New Media & Society
Publikation Open Access Publication

Personal Preferences When Searching for Political Information

Lisa Merten and five co-authors researched how personality traits and attitudes affect the search for political information. Their article has now been published open access in the journal New Media & Society.

Cover der Broschüre zum 75. Geburtstag
Publikation Brochure Available for Download

Facets of 75 Years Hans-Bredow-Institut

With this brochure. we take a look at the institute's development since 1950. While we do not claim to provide a complete history, we aim to highlight some of the institute's unique characteristics, showcasing moments in the past when these features were particularly evident.

Altes Zeitungsfoto von Hans-Bredow,
Beitrag HBI 75: Founding History

How the Institute Got Its Name

On May 30, 1950, the Hans Bredow Institute was founded by the former Northwest German Broadcasting Corporation (the predecessor of NDR and WDR) and the University of Hamburg. This blog post describes the history of its founding and explains how the institute got its name.

Cover von Heft 2/2025 M&K
Publikation Recently Published

M&K 2/2025 Special Issue “Media Structures Revisited”

Issue 2/2025 of Media & Communication Science has been published as a special issue entitled “Media Structures Revisited,” edited by Josef Seethaler, Marlis Prinzing, Petra Herczeg, and Mark Eisenegger. The entire issue is available open access via the Nomos eLibrary.

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