@albertguaschr
Comms & journalism on European affairs. Now Communications Coordinator at @democracyreporting.bsky.social ✍️ Bylines at @ForeignPolicy, @Euronews, @AreWeEurope, @LaVanguardia. Ramblings on Spanish politics: https://guerrillapolitics.substack.com
A big win for online transparency and platform accountability!
The Berlin Court of Appeals has ruled that X must give us access to the research data we need to study information manipulation during Hungary's April elections.
Anyone else experiencing a sudden Gavin Newsom moment on Instagram? It’s full of clips of him!
I know he’s doing an anti-Trump tour in Davos and talking to media, but I’m also getting a flood of old speeches and family pics???
Headlines that write themselves
Opening panel: Is the world ending as we know it? Speakers kicking-off conversation.
⚖️Our European #RuleofLaw Conference 2025 was a workshop for solutions! Participants discussed different ways democracy is under attack:
❌the quiet weaponisation of legislative tools to capture courts OR the increasing disconnect between govs & citizens OR the rising tide of disinformation! 👇
enshittification | noun | when a digital platform is made worse for users, in order to increase profits
Feels like the only successful European export to the U.S. these days is Orbán’s autocratic model.
I'm preparing a workshop on autocratisation and I was struck to find that a Fidesz-backed think tank may have contributed to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025.
2.Too many high-ranking politicians have immunity (~1.800). If you extend it to officials it's in the tens of thousands. Even members of advisory bodies (Consejo de Estado) have immunity.
But hey, politicians said I'm sorry for their corruption scandals, no?
www.euractiv.com/section/poli...
Two reforms that would make a difference on corruption in #Spain:
1. Appointment of political advisors lack transparency and proper regulation. Make them more like civil servants (merit-based), and make their CVs public. (This way you may avoid a Koldo)
👇
It is not that people ditched enlightment ideals, rather that the internet removed power from the gatkeepers who upheald them to shape mainstream discourse (journalists, doctors, lawyers…).
We are all talking about big corruption cases in Spain 🇪🇸 (important, no doubt), but behind all the noise, there's another relevant story: judicial reform.
It's not sitting well with judges, who are mobilising against it.
My colleague @ninotsereteli.bsky.social has the details 👇
Purpose, clarity and coffee ☕
That’s what fuelled our 2025 Annual Meeting!
For four days, 50+ democracy advocates, policy minds and comms pros gathered to discuss DRI.
We left with clearer plans, stronger bonds, and sharper strategies to boost our impact.
Catch the highlights 👉🏽 bit.ly/3HDgEEa
💭Think your chatbot has the answers? Think again.
As Sri Lanka returned to the polls for its first local elections after nearly 7 years, a new generation of voters is turning to AI-powered chatbots for answers.
What happens when these tools mislead more than they inform? ⬇️
The proposed law is so contrary to EU law and values that it is practically the beginning of Huxit, say Hungarian political scientists
🚨 Update on our case against #X:
A #Berlin court has confirmed that researchers can enforce their right to access platform #data in their own national courts. No need to sue in Ireland, where X is based.
Here’s why this matters 👇
#Poland ’s #EU Presidency: A breath of fresh air🌬️or a missed opportunity?
⚖️Judicial reforms & rights protection are on the table. But tackling democratic backsliding? Silence.
📺Watch the #RuleofLawWatch ep. 2. Our @jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social explores promises & limits of Poland’s EU leadership:
"I'm going to govern in econometrics" is a winning campaign slogan for the ages.
This is a very good example of excellent journalism. Work to get information, work to verify it, tell a story with the verified information.
⚠️Democracy in #Romania is going through a turbulent period!
The Constitutional Court👩⚖️annulled the first round of the election last year, now they’ve barred #far-right candidate #CalinGeorgescu.
Fair play or power play?⁉️
📺Watch @jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social breaking down these exceptional rulings🔽
No, the meeting did not go badly for Ukraine. It exposed in the most undeniable, unequivocal way possible the pro-Putin commitments of the president and vice president. That was information Americans and allies needed to have clear before them.
🔑Amidst a surge of #IlliberalTrends, #DemocraticBacksliding, and rapid #GeopoliticalDevelopments, what can be done to safeguard the #RuleOfLaw in Europe?
We explored this question over the past two days during the Rule of Law Community Meeting—together with Civil Society from all over Europe.
Truth hurts.
OpenAI's Superbowl ad was nice, yes: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIhb...
But also 👇
En España es donde más decae el interés por las noticias. Para mí tiene que ver:
- Políticos con declaraciones insustanciales o muy agresivas, que los medios solo replican.
- Noticiarios 'editorializados'
- Medios adaptados a la polarización (+bronca, - sustancia)
via @reutersinstitute.bsky.social
An important ruling not only for the specifics of this case - but also more generally, as it shows the possibility of *private* enforcement of the Digital Services Act. So no need to wait for the EU Commission to challenge X, which it seems unwilling to do so far.
Doing a report on AfD campaigning on Facebook and it really is striking the sheer level of AI images and videos. Smiling white (often blonde) Germans contrasted against glowering dark skinned men. Shameless stuff, but perhaps I shouldn't be surprised
A court ordered X to provide @democracyreporting.bsky.social with access to its data to analyse online public discourse during the German elections.
My colleagues are conducting important research on online toxicity (hate speech, disinformation) and systemic risks in the election.
Will X comply?
#Germany at a crossroad - what’s at stake?
With the Bundestag elections 🗳️ approaching the future of Germany’s #democracy is on the line. Will constitutional safeguards hold strong, or are we seeing the start of a deeper shift in the #ruleoflaw?
Join the panel discussion! 🔽
This one's for transparency!
X impedes our research into online trends, disinformation, and hate speech on their platform. Colleagues are conducting this type of research around German elections. It shows a lack of transparency, but also we believe the DSA clearly says X must give us access 👇
