The Platform Question: Power, Accountability and Global South The Platform Question: Power, Accountability and Global South Transparency in matching algorithms Fig 2: Screenshot of Banned Users on Quack Quack <https://www.quackquack.in/securitytips/> Many users in India are registering on a dating platform for the first time, and it would be useful if this basic information is provided in local languages in an accessible and comprehensible manner. 54 Quack Quack attempts to provide some aggregate statistics on the number of accounts blocked in the past week based on their code of conduct violations, categorised by gender. However, such information disclosure is not meaningful because it does not categorise account bans on the grounds of violation (for instance, impersonation or hate speech). It also does not provide information on whether actions were taken pursuant to user reports or through self-moderation, including automated means. It is thus difficult to explain why female accounts are blocked around 5 to 10 times more often than male accounts, despite men significantly outnumbering women on dating platforms in India, including Quack Quack.149 These numbers could be interpreted in many ways: automated moderation tools disproportionately targeting female users, a high prevalence of catfishing accounts reported by male users or even the content moderation prioritising certain harms/reports (like fake accounts) over other harms like sexual harassment or hate speech. All in all, no conclusions can be drawn from this limited information, and hence, it is necessary to disclose detailed, meaningful data, even from the platform’s own perspective of gaining user trust.) Platform Accountability in Online Dating Often, users consider profile recommendations to be neutral and objective; it is thus important, at the very least, to disclose to users basic qualitative information on the matching algorithms deployed by the dating platform and the kind of user data and behavioural signals that feed into the system. Many users in India are registering on a dating platform for the first time, and it would be useful if this basic information is provided in local languages in an accessible and comprehensible manner. However, there is a need for meaningful algorithmic accountability and user empowerment beyond baseline disclosures. Algorithms are complex sociotechnical assemblages that are co-constructed by code, training data, and user inputs and interaction.150 This means that causal explanations for matching recommendations cannot be deciphered conclusively, even by developers and experts.151 One way dating platforms can make algorithmic accountability more meaningful is through collaboration with independent researchers.152 Another way dating platforms could potentially understand the impact of matching algorithms on diverse users is through submission to independent thirdparty audits.153 These audits would be conducted by expert groups working with victims of sexual harassment and violence, especially those belonging to LGBTQIA+, Dalit, Bahujan, Adivasi and religious minority communities. Platforms and academic, civil society and technical researchers must find ways to conduct research and audits without compromising the privacy of users and the security of the data. It is also important that both civil society and dating platforms reflect on who gets access to funding and data to conduct audits and independent studies. Civil society groups in tech policy must reflect on the lack of diversity and prioritise the voice of marginalised communities. Accountability measures must go beyond performative transparency, and users should be empowered to gain more control over the dating choices they make in a safe, secure and inclusive space. It is important that those who experience the most egregious harms from dating platforms lead the way in holding them accountable and designing alternative models to current platform design and economics. Platform Accountability in Online Dating Accountability measures must go beyond performative transparency, and users should be empowered to gain more control over the dating choices they make in a safe, secure and inclusive space. 55