Annual Report 2018–2019 Research for the networked society The German Internet Institute About the Weizenbaum Institute The Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society – The German Internet Institute is a joint project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The consortium is composed of the four Berlin universities – Freie Universität Berlin (FU Berlin), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU Berlin), Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin), University of the Arts Berlin (UdK Berlin) – and the University of Potsdam (Uni Potsdam) as well as the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems (FOKUS) and the WZB Berlin Social Science Center as coordinator. The Weizenbaum Institute conducts interdisciplinary and basic research on the transformation of society through digitalisation and develops options for shaping politics, business and civil society. The aim is to better understand the dynamics, mechanisms and implications of digitalisation. To this end, the Weizenbaum Institute investigates the ethical, legal, economic and political aspects of the digital transformation. This creates an empirical basis for responsibly shaping digitalisation. In order to develop options for politics, business and society, the Weizenbaum Institute links interdisciplinary problem-oriented basic research with explorations of concrete solutions and dialogue with society. Contents 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS ANNUAL REPORT 2018/2019 Editorial 6 I. Annual Report 2018/19 10 1.1 Institutional developments 12 1.2 Promotion of young talent 18 1.3 Internationalisation 22 1.4 Knowledge transfer 24 1.5 Development of a corporate design 34 1.6 Expansion of the institute’s premises 36 1.7 People at the Weizenbaum Institute 37 II. Dossier 38 Privacy icons: Making data protection understandable 40 How social media can affect mental wellbeing 42 “Dubious expectations of artificial intelligence” 46 Tailor-made training 50 Social bots and a storm in a teacup 54 Chatting with Mitsuku 56 Faster, louder, shriller 62 Hidden data exchange made audible 66 Civic tech and political action in the digital constellation 70 Just platforms? The new rules of the game for Uber & co. 74 The monetisation and datafication of education 78 III. Research 82 3.1 Research Area I 88 Work, Innovation and Value Creation 3.2 Research Area II 96 Contract and Responsibilities on Digital Markets 3.3 Research Area III 104 Knowledge, Education and Social Inequality 3.4 Research Area IV 116 Democracy, Participation and the Public Sphere 3.5 Research Area V 126 Governance and Norm Setting 3.6 Research Area VI 134 Technological Change 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS ANNUAL REPORT 2018/2019 3.7 Cross-sectional formats 140 IV. Management, Administrative Office, Committees 146 4.1 Organisational chart 148 4.2 Scientific management 150 4.3 Science management and administration 153 4.4 Committees 156 V. Memberships, positions and functions 160 VI. Facts and figures 166 6.1 Publications 168 6.2 Lectures 190 6.3 Prizes and awards 222 6.4 Teaching 223 6.5 Fellows 226 6.6 Events 230 6.7 Network partners of the Weizenbaum Institute 236 Imprint 238 Editorial 8 EDITORIAL ANNUAL REPORT 2018/2019 9 EDITORIAL ANNUAL REPORT 2018/2019 “A society that embraces technology needs a great inner strength to avoid becoming too greedy and distracted from its goals." At a time when debates about the role of digitalisation in work, health and democracy are determining our everyday lives, this statement by Joseph Weizenbaum, the man who gave our institute its name, is more relevant than ever. We see how these debates are often dominated by feelings and opinions, how echo chambers and filter bubbles crowd out insights, how fashions and “social” tools make living together more difficult, even though they actually promise the opposite. At the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society – The German Internet Institute (in the following “Weizenbaum Institute”) we have dedicated ourselves to the task of scientifically investigating the societal implications of today's technological developments. In doing so, we do not play the role of admonishing critics, but of scientists equipped with the necessary expertise and time to get to the bottom of things. We ask about the truth behind the magic word artificial intelligence (AI) and investigate how it is used pragmatically in specific working environments. And we see that abstract promises made by futurologists or market research institutes cannot be reconciled with the reality of German manufacturing companies. We ask about the innovative business models that may emerge from the digitalisation of education and how new data-based learning formats can enable the individualisation of teaching and learning paths. The radical upheavals in the education sector are already evident today. Tech companies such as Google, Amazon and Netflix are forcing their way onto the market with new digital educational products, inevitably triggering unequal competition with the traditional educational providers who should actually be driving digitalisation forward. We ask how self-determination in data use can be strengthened in a networked society. The Privacy Icons project is developing a toolbox for visually communicating information that could supplement the complex data protection statements of online platforms. The symbol-based system it is developing can increase user awareness by highlighting legal aspects of data protection with potentially negative consequences. These are just a few of the many questions that our interdisciplinary research groups are currently working on. As researchers of the Weizenbaum Institute, we see our task not only in analysing the societal manifestations of digital change, but also in actively seeking dialogue with society. Our projects thus have an impact on business, politics and civil society, but also on academic teaching and research itself. In this annual report, we present the issues and questions that engage our 20 research groups. While the 2017/2018 report was still dominated by the establishment of teams and structures, this report is primarily devoted to the institute's academic work. We hope you enjoy reading it! Prof. Dr. Herbert Zech, Prof. Dr. Sascha Friesike, executive director HU Deputy executive director UdK Berlin Berlin Prof. Dr. Barbara Pfetsch, Dr. Karin-Irene Eiermann, Deputy executive director FU Berlin head of the WZB office I. Review of 2018 /19 For the Weizenbaum Institute, the period from September 2018 to September 2019 was marked by the further development of the institute, but also by the zeal with which our researchers worked on interdisciplinary topics in the individual research groups. They formulated research questions, developed research designs, carried out studies, generated findings and published results that help to better understand the social dynamics of digital transformation processes and that can shape change in a self-determined way. In this review of the year, we report on the institutional developments, on formats for our promotion of young researchers, on national and international knowledge exchange, and on knowledge transfer and dialogue with society, politics and business. 12 I. REVIEW OF THE YEAR ANNUAL REPORT 2018/2019 1.1 I n s t i t u t i o n a l d e v e 1.2 p m e n 1.1 Institutional development Mission statement and guidelines What are our goals and how do we want to pursue them? How does our understanding of ourselves shape our research? What makes us strong? How do we want to work together? These were the typical questions that we dealt with at the end of 2018, when we had to define a mission statement and principles for scientific work and interaction in joint sessions. The mission statement that emerged from this process is closely oriented towards the man who gave our institute its name, the German-American computer science pioneer Joseph Weizenbaum (1923–2008), who already in the last century called for a critical approach to information technology with a concern for the welfare of society. Following his example, we researchers at the Weizenbaum Institute want to critically question the digital transformation through excellent research. A key issue for us is individual and collective self-determination, which must be preserved in an increasingly networked society. Our mission statement defines the values and the goals of our research. It describes how we understand our social mission and what principles we feel committed to in our scientific work. The mission statement serves as orientation for the further development of the institute and for the further development of the research agenda. 13 I. REVIEW OF THE YEAR ANNUAL REPORT 2018/2019 1. Mission 2. Working principles 1. M i INTERDISCIPLINARITY s The Weizenbaum Institute is a The research agenda combines research s scientifically independent, publicly approaches and perspectives from economics, financed, basic-research-oriented, social and political science, law, i interdisciplinary research institute that informatics and design. critically questions digital change and Societal digitalisation processes are o generates research results in a researched holistically in interdisciplinary n transdisciplinary way. The consortium cooperation. consists of five universities (Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, OPENNESS Berlin University of the Arts, and the The Weizenbaum Institute stands for open University of Potsdam) and two non- and transparent research. We rely on open university research institutes