Transparency reports allow users and third parties to assess the extent to which HSPs remain true to their own principles, legal requirements, and data protection and privacy1Urman, A., & Makhortykh, M. (2023). How transparent are transparency reports? Comparative analysis of transparency reporting across online platforms. Telecommunications Policy, 47(3), 102477. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2022.102477. Let’s examine the different perspectives on why transparency reports are important.
Click on the boxes to find out why transparency reports are necessary for the specific actor/sphere
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Legal perspective
Transparency reports are useful and often necessary to comply with EU regulations like the TCO Regulation, the Digital Services Act and country-specific laws where applicable. If HSPs have taken measures against the dissemination of terrorist content within a calendar year, whether proactively or in compliance with a removal order, a transparency report must be published by 1 March of the following year at latest (TCO Regulation, Art. 7.2). This means that transparency reports are more likely to be mandatory than not. Competent authorities are also required to publish annual transparency reports (TCO Regulation, 31).
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User and stakeholder perspective
Transparency reports aid users and other stakeholders to assess the extent to which HSPs fulfil their responsibility to society. At the same time, regular publication of transparency reports helps the HSP to build trust and a good public reputation by demonstrating compliance, commitment, and reliability.
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Company perspective
Similar to complaint mechanisms, transparency reports can also be a self-monitoring tool that identify areas where business processes can be optimised. Given that smaller HSPs are particularly popular with terrorist actors (for details, see this Tech Against Terrorism report), it is incumbent upon them to take action against the dissemination of terrorist content. Transparency reports are one way for smaller HSPs to demonstrate their engagement with this effort.