Australian Internet Observatory (AIO)

AIO at IAMCR 2025: Advancing platform observability research — Australian Internet Observatory AIO is at IAMCR 2025 in Singapore.

AIO is at IAMCR 2025 this week!

Dr Amanda Lawrence presents our work on large-scale research infrastructure for platform observability. Strengthening transparency and accountability online. @ardc.edu.au @admscentre.org.au

Read more: internetobservatory.org.au/post/aio-at-... #IAMCR2025

Doing or planning digital platform research? We want to hear from you. Take our 5–8 min survey to help shape tools, infrastructure & training for researchers.
🔗 tiny.cc/aio-survey #AIO2025survey

ARDC Survey 2025

📣We want to hear from you! Help us improve the services we deliver to the Australian research community. Start the anonymous 5 min survey now 🕐
🔗 ardc.edu.au/article/your...

An astronomical theme is emerging for this great #ica25 session as I'm also looking forward to presenting one of the new tools from our own @internetobservatory.org.au. Please come and join us this afternoon as we chart the constellations of public communication 🔭🌠. Note this is in the GRAND Hyatt

Hey #ica25 I know I've plugged this pretty hard all conference, but it would really help us if you could fill in this brief questionnaire which will inform the prioritisation of the platforms, data types, collection mechanisms, etc. that we are going to develop in the @internetobservatory.org.au

Hey #ica25, introducing The Mobile Observation of Advertising Toolkit, a new app for capturing ads in the wild from Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, & YouTube.

@icacm.bsky.social Data Collection Tools & Datasets
Sunday 15th | 4:30 PM - 5:45 PM | Colorado B (Grand 2)

@internetobservatory.org.au

Doing or planning digital platform research? We want to hear from you. Take our 5–8 min survey to help shape tools, infrastructure & training for researchers.
🔗 tiny.cc/aio-survey #AIO2025survey

Indigenous Datathon 2025 — Australian Internet Observatory Indigenous Datathon 2025 @ Level 4, P-Block, Queensland University of Technology, Gardens Point Campus, Brisbane

Join the Indigenous Datathon: 11–12 Oct at QUT, Brisbane. Collaborate on real-world health data challenges using Indigenous data governance principles (CARE). Open to students, researchers, and data scientists. EOIs open now: internetobservatory.org.au/events/indig...

Web Archiving session is hosted by our partners at @digitalobservatory.bsky.social ! They've got more exciting sessions on Wed 2 July 09:15-10:30 Introductory Data Cleaning/Exploration with Python/Pandas & 11:00-12:30 First Steps with AI: An Introduction to Enhanced Data Exploration. #ResBazQLD2025

We are hosting a session on web archiving, titled "Web Archives 101: Beyond Copy and Paste for Digital Research" on Thurs 3 July, 9:15 – 10:30am in Room MBA1-G.33. HASS and Indigenous researchers can benefit from AIO's various tools and methods for exploring digital platforms and the internet. #AIO

Explore Data Donation tools @ ResBaz 2025 — Australian Internet Observatory Explore data donation tools developed by AIO at ResBaz 2025 in UniSC Moretan Bay Campus.

AIO is excited to join #ResBazQLD2025 at UniSC Moreton Bay! Catch our session “Studying digital platforms with data donation tools from AIO” on Wed 2 July, 9:15–10:30am in Room MBA1-G.32. Let’s talk research & data! #AIO #DigitalPlatforms @ardc.edu.au

Stay updated with the latest from the Australian Internet Observatory (AIO) Our newsletter highlights new tools, research insights, upcoming events, and collaborative projects shaping the future of digital transparency and data governance. Subscribe to follow how AIO is…

Explore the latest from AIO in our May 2025 newsletter: platform transparency, TikTok research (@admscentre.org.au), election ad tracking, and more. Stay informed on tools, events, and insights shaping digital accountability. Subscribe for more updates:

📩 mailchi.mp/47656dbe5d00... @ardc.edu.au

We’re hiring! Join our QUT team as a Senior Developer / Data Scientist, and become part of the AIO—a large, multi-institution initiative building a national research infrastructure. Apply: qut.nga.net.au/cp/index.cfm...
Please share or tag anyone in your network who’d be a great fit!

What political ads are Australians seeing online? Astroturfing, fake grassroots groups, and outright falsehoods New data shows how groups with benign-sounding names like ‘Mums for Nuclear’ are running political ad campaigns online. But they don’t even have to be truthful.

New piece out with the @admscentre.org.au Ad Observatory team: what political ads are Australians seeing online? We map the ads of #auspol2025. @internetobservatory.org.au @gisellenewton.bsky.social @markandrejevic.bsky.social @kateeuph.bsky.social
theconversation.com/what-politic...

Research meets community in a festival context. @ardc.edu.au Read more here: internetobservatory.org.au/post/qut-dmr...
#DataForGood #DigitalSelf #PublicTechEthics #DataMystics #DataForGood #QUTDMRC #ADMSCentre #AIO

We partnered with @admscentre.org.au & @qutdmrc.bsky.social at the 2024 Woodford Folk Festival to support Data Mystics—a public activation exploring digital identity, data ethics, and algorithmic influence.
@ardc.edu.au

Draft Project Plans for the ARDC Community Data Lab Now Open for Feedback | ARDC We invite the research community to provide feedback on the ARDC Community Data Lab draft project plans.

📣Share your feedback on ARDC Community Data Lab draft project plans!
The HASS & Indigenous research community is invited to share feedback and help shape the ARDC Community Data Lab. @ardc.edu.au
🔗 bit.ly/cdl-plans
#HASS #research #data #GLAM

What political ads are Australians seeing online? — Australian Internet Observatory A new mobile advertising observation toolkit is now being utilised as a key platform to research on “What political ads are Australians seeing online?” by the Australian Ad Observatory project. This…

In partnership with @admscentre.org.au the AIO team developed a mobile advertising observation toolkit. This is now being used by the Australian Ad Observatory to research "What political ads are Australians seeing online?"
#AIO #ADMSCentre #ARDC #AdObservatory #FederalElections2025 #AusPoll2025

A new Citizen Science initiative: Exploring TikTok data donation — Australian Internet Observatory Our QUT partners, along with USyd, have launched the ARC Discovery Project on using data donation for studying TikTok experiences of Australian users. It is an exciting new approach to help us…

It's difficult to know how digital platforms see you as an individual, but they do push content your way. Help us understand social media dynamics and contribute to citizen science, donate your data & receive a glimpse of your TikTok personality.

#ARDC #AIO #DigitalObservatory #TikTok #ADMSCentre

2025 Federal Election: Insights from Australian Reddit users — Australian Internet Observatory As Australia prepares to vote in the upcoming Federal Election 2025, we at AIO are working with our partners to present public attitudes and sentiments from Reddit users.

AIO's latest insights on the Australian 2025 Federal Election include key themes that reddit users care about: political cynicism, economic concerns, housing affordability, energy policy debates, and healthcare access.

#2025Election #ARDC #ADO #RedditAnalysis

Parties redditers support and oppose on different political issues associated with the Australian election

Top 20 political topics Australian redditers are engaged with

Latest #ausvotes Reddit community analysis by the Australian Digital Observatory looks at topics the users are engaged with and associated political parties
#auspol www.digitalobservatory.net.au/blog/week-2-...

Peering inside his TikTok viewing history, one user finds it is 'not just raw, pointless data' A new tool created by researchers at the Queensland University of Technology is allowing people to see themselves through the eyes of the algorithm.

Our partner team at QUT uses novel research method like data donation to understand and investigate TikTok data, further building Australia's research infrastructure capabilities to make digital platforms transparent. Read more here & welcome to try it out yourself: www.foryouparticipate.net/tiktok/

Why voting in a fact-checking void should worry you - 360 Australian voters heading to the polls need to be aware there’s little standing between them and potential manipulation of information by vested interests. The loss of Australia’s go-to political fact...

When voting in the age of #misinfo we must recognise the gap in fact-checking resources. As Australia heads to the polls, the absence of fact-checkers & the rise of AI-generated content raises concerns More from ADM+S researchers @nedwatt.bsky.social @riedlinm.bsky.social bit.ly/4iHLXLP #AusPol

CHIIR 2025 just wrapped—what a week!
Still thinking about @antmandan.bsky.social Dan's Monday keynote: data donation, observability, and the role of AIO in interactive #InfoRetrieval.
🔥 Talk of the conference. #CHIIR2025

Locating fault for AI harms: a systems theory of foreseeability, reasonable care and causal responsibility in the AI value chain This paper presents an original perspective on fault and responsibility for harms caused by artificial intelligence (AI) systems. Scholarship on liability for AI harms highlights the difficulties t...

How can we rethink fault & responsibility for AI harms? In this article, ADM+S researchers Henry Fraser & Nicolas Suzor propose a new approach that moves beyond technical errors to the broader AI system bit.ly/3Rk8Jx3 @nicsuzor.bsky.social #ResponsibleAI #AIlaw

Phage Therapy: Packing a Punch Against Antibiotic-Resistant Infections | ARDC In response to the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant infections, a team of microbial experts has created Sphae, a free online genomic toolkit to rapidly evaluate phage therapy. Three national dig...

💻National digital research infrastructure is powering the fight against superbugs!🦠
Sphae is a free online genomic toolkit to rapidly evaluate phage therapy, supported by ARDC, @pawseycentre.bsky.social & @nci-australia.bsky.social
🔗 ardc.edu.au/article/phag...
#NCRISimpact

CHIIR 2025 CHIIR 2025 24-28 March, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

At AIO, we develop research tools and services that help Australian researchers understand social media and digital algorithms through human-centric methodologies like data download and donation.

Visit: chiir2025.github.io/index.html

#AI #InformationRetrieval #MachineLearning #CHIIR2025

From tackling bias to ensuring user control, this talk will highlight the critical challenges and innovations shaping the next era of human-AI interaction.

#AI #InformationRetrieval #MachineLearning #HumanAIInteraction #CHIIR2025

AIO QUT Lead @antmandan.bsky.social, is delivering a keynote at #CHIIR2025, exploring how we can design human-centric AI systems that enhance trust, transparency, and adaptability in information retrieval.

#AI #InformationRetrieval #MachineLearning #HumanAIInteraction #CHIIR2025

How AI is powering the next wave of scams | Melbourne Connect ‘Hi Mum’ scammers are evolving with deepfakes, making AI scams harder to detect. We spoke with cybersecurity and machine learning expert Prof. Christopher…

AIO UniMelb Lead Prof. Chris Leckie warns about how GenAI chatbots are increasingly used to scam Australians.
View his short interview here:
www.linkedin.com/posts/melbou...