The Platform Governance Archive v1 – A longitudinal dataset to study the governance of communication and interactions by platforms and the historical evolution of platform policies [Data Paper]

Abstract

The Platform Governance Archive (PGA) is a data repository and platform that collects and curates policies of major social media platforms in a long-term perspective. When have YouTube and Instagram introduced hate speech policies? How have misinformation policies changed over time? With the help of the archive, researchers, journalists and the public can answer their questions on how platforms order and govern communication and interaction in our societies, and hold those powerful new institutions accountable. This dataset PGAv1 is the original dataset with a curated set of policies by four major platforms, ranging back to 2005. Data has been collected by a combination of automated and manual approaches, building on Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.