Emerging Platforms and Technologies

The document examines how emerging technologies—decentralised platforms, generative AI, and immersive environments—are exploited by malign actors to spread hate and disinformation. It argues that these technologies converge to amplify existing harms and calls for updated regulatory frameworks, international coordination, and 'Safety by Design' principles to mitigate these risks.

• The decentralised social web, including Web3 services like Odysee and the Fediverse (e.g., PeerTube), provides a refuge for far-right and conspiratorial groups. These platforms allow malign actors to avoid the moderation of major platforms, create ideologically uniform 'echo chambers', and in some cases, monetise harmful content through cryptocurrencies.
• Large language models (LLMs) possess inherent biases and can generate toxic content or misinformation even from innocuous prompts. They are vulnerable to intentional misuse for creating persuasive synthetic misinformation, generating malicious code for cyber-attacks, and automating the distribution of tailored disinformation at scale.
• Extended Reality (XR) and the Metaverse may amplify existing societal harms by making harassment feel more intense due to the sensation of 'presence'. These environments can be used by malign actors for emotional manipulation, recruitment through immersive propaganda, and the creation of virtual training scenarios for real-world attacks.
• The convergence of decentralised webs, LLMs, and XR creates interdependent risks where the strengths of one technology exacerbate the harms of another, potentially leading to more visceral and extreme impacts on users.
• Current regulatory frameworks face significant enforcement challenges with decentralised platforms because there is often no central authority to hold accountable. The document suggests requiring service providers to appoint in-country representatives and developing open-source compliance plugins.
• To mitigate LLM risks, the document recommends moving beyond voluntary commitments to establish clear rules for accountability, liability, and transparency. This includes 'Safety by Design' and requiring providers to perform background checks on those accessing developer APIs.
• The immersive and ephemeral nature of XR necessitates a review of criminal codes to determine if virtual acts (such as virtual sexual assault) should be criminalised and to develop new standards for gathering virtual evidence.

APA

Dorn, M., Bundtzen, S., Schwieter, C., & Gandhi, M. (2023). Emerging Platforms and Technologies. Institute for Strategic Dialogue. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Emerging-Platforms-and-Technologies-An-Overview-of-the-Current-Threat-Landscape-and-its-Policy-Implications.pdf

Chicago

Dorn, Mauritius, Sara Bundtzen, Christian Schwieter, and Milan Gandhi. Emerging Platforms and Technologies. Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 2023. https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Emerging-Platforms-and-Technologies-An-Overview-of-the-Current-Threat-Landscape-and-its-Policy-Implications.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Dorn |first1=Mauritius |last2=Bundtzen |first2=Sara |last3=Schwieter |first3=Christian |last4=Gandhi |first4=Milan |title=Emerging Platforms and Technologies |publisher=Institute for Strategic Dialogue |date=2023 |url=https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Emerging-Platforms-and-Technologies-An-Overview-of-the-Current-Threat-Landscape-and-its-Policy-Implications.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dorn2023emerging, author = {Dorn, Mauritius and Bundtzen, Sara and Schwieter, Christian and Gandhi, Milan}, title = {{Emerging Platforms and Technologies}}, institution = {Institute for Strategic Dialogue}, year = {2023}, url = {https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Emerging-Platforms-and-Technologies-An-Overview-of-the-Current-Threat-Landscape-and-its-Policy-Implications.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }