Zeve Sanderson
Zeve Sanderson is the founding Executive Director of NYU's Center for Social Media and Politics. His research, which uses computational and experimental methods to study the digital information environment, has been published in Nature, Journal of Experimental Political Science, Journal of Online Trust & Safety, and more. He speaks regularly to the media, civil society organizations, and tech companies. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Slate, The Hill, and Brookings, among other popular outlets. Outside of NYU, he consults for international NGOs supporting information integrity efforts.
Related Research & News
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Report
Research Coordination Network: Democracy in the Networked Era
The Digital Information Environment & Global Elections
September 23, 2025
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Policy
When Age Assurance Laws Meet Chatbots
New and existing age assurance laws have not been written with AI chatbots in mind. Our expert discuss what legislators can do to adjust existing rules for technologies that do not fit the platform model they were built for.
September 5, 2025
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Policy
We Failed The Misinformation Fight. Now What?
At a precarious moment in misinformation research, our experts argue that the paradigm of the “misinformation field” has overstated online misinformation’s role in politics, ignored much of what we know about how communication functions, and directed attention to strategies ill-suited to today’s information environment
August 26, 2025
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Policy
Comments on Ofcom’s Call for Evidence on Researcher Access
We responded to Ofcom’s public request for evidence on researcher access to online service data for safety research, highlighting barriers researchers face when accessing social media data, the challenges of limited information sharing, potential ways to improve data access, and examples of robust data-sharing practices.
July 26, 2025
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Policy
A Dangerous Plan to ‘Win’ the AI Race is Circulating
The artificial intelligence (AI) regulation moratorium introduced in the House budget reconciliation plan poses consequences to American citizens' safety. While state AI regulation may not be perfect, they have played a key role in protecting consumers, as the federal government has failed to act in this regulatory arena.
May 14, 2025
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Policy
CSMaP Responds to FTC Inquiry into Tech Censorship
Our experts show what research reveals about content moderation and why some users feel unfairly targeted.
March 25, 2025
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Policy
When it Comes to Understanding AI’s Impact on Elections, We’re Still Working in the Dark
Greater transparency around AI-generated political advertising would transform researchers' ability to understand its potential effects on democracy and elections.
March 4, 2025
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Working Paper
Do Age-Verification Bills Change Search Behavior? A Pre-Registered Synthetic Control Multiverse
Working Paper, March 2025
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Policy
Mosaics of Insight: Auditing TikTok Through Independent Data Access
Even if TikTok is sold to a non-Chinese buyer, the threat of foreign influence will remain. That’s why researchers need independent data access.
February 21, 2025
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Working Paper
Web Scraping for Research: Legal, Ethical, Institutional, and Scientific Considerations
Working Paper, December 2024
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Policy
The State of State Technology Policy: 2024 Report
In the absence of federal regulation, states continue to lead the development of technology policy in the United States, passing 238 bills in 46 states in 2024, a 163 percent increase from last year.
December 12, 2024
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Policy
Feedback on the EU's Digital Services Act
The European Commission's Digital Services Act is a critical step towards supporting data access for independent research. We submitted comments on this legislation, advocating for structures and mechanisms that would ensure secure and standardized data sharing.
December 9, 2024
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Journal Article
Measuring Receptivity to Misinformation at Scale on a Social Media Platform
PNAS Nexus, 2024
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Journal Article
A Multi-Stakeholder Approach for Leveraging Data Portability to Support Research on the Digital Information Environment
Journal of Online Trust and Safety, 2024
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Journal Article
Digital Town Square? Nextdoor's Offline Contexts and Online Discourse
Journal of Quantitative Description: Digital Media, 2024
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Commentary
People Trust Themselves More Than They Trust the News. They Shouldn’t.
New research finds that Americans’ skepticism about news, which often drives people to use search engines to “do their own research,” could actually make them more misinformed.
March 12, 2024
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Policy
Beyond Competition: Designing Data Portability to Support Research on the Digital Information Environment
Although portability is often considered through a competition lens, policymakers and companies should understand its potential impact on policy-relevant research efforts and ensure that portability can support research on the impacts of digital platforms and services.
February 26, 2024
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Commentary
Misunderstood Mechanics: How AI, TikTok, and the Liar’s Dividend Might Affect the 2024 Elections
The widespread reach and accessibility of AI will undoubtedly change the information landscape ahead of global elections in 2024. But rather than letting overblown fears dominate public discourse, we can draw on previous research to better understand and mitigate risks.
January 22, 2024
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Journal Article
Online Searches to Evaluate Misinformation Can Increase its Perceived Veracity
Nature, 2024
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Journal Article
Testing the Effect of Information on Discerning the Veracity of News in Real Time
Journal of Experimental Political Science, 2023
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