Browsing by Author "Vijairaghavan, Vaarun"

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    Essays on Content Moderation, Misinformation, and Fraud
    (2024-07-29) Hojati, Afrouz; Patterson, Raymond A.; Nault, Barrie R.; Hidaji, Hooman; Vijairaghavan, Vaarun; Hue, Jinhee; Fan, Ming
    In the digital age, ensuring online safety has become paramount. This dissertation explores three crucial dimensions of this challenge: fraud detection, misinformation management, and the control of harmful and extreme content. First, we introduce a novel framework for detecting fraudulent websites by analyzing the interactions between websites and third-party vendors. This approach transcends the limitations of traditional content-based methods, offering a more robust and adaptable solution that leverages the underlying infrastructure of websites. Our findings demonstrate that the structure of third-party requests can effectively differentiate between fraudulent and legitimate websites across diverse categories, enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of online fraud detection. Second, we empirically investigate the indirect effects of content moderation policies on social media platforms, specifically examining the unintended consequences of a policy change on Reddit designed to prevent misinformation. Through a natural experiment, we uncover that even seemingly minor policy adjustments can have far-reaching effects on user behavior, content sentiment, and overall platform dynamics. This study underscores the need for a nuanced understanding of the indirect effects of moderation policies and their broader implications for social media platforms, users, and regulators. Finally, we develop a theoretical model to investigate the economic incentives and welfare implications of different content moderation strategies, with a particular emphasis on shadowbanning. We compare shadowbanning with content removal, the most prevalent moderation strategy, to illuminate the economic motivations behind platform choices and their impact on consumer surplus and social welfare. Our analysis reveals that shadowbanning can be economically advantageous for platforms under certain conditions, but it also raises concerns about potential negative consequences for users and overall social welfare.
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    How Should Information Technology be Regulated?
    (2021-07-15) Vijairaghavan, Vaarun; Nault, Barrie; Dao, Duy; Hidaji, Hooman; Zhang, Jian; Anderson, Mark; Anand, Krishnan
    With Information Technology (IT) playing a more central role in the modern economy, governments the world over are displaying an active interest in regulating IT firms with the goal to increase competition, foster local firms or increase social surplus. My research informs such policymakers in two critical and relevant areas: the effect of regulations on IT investments and societal wellbeing (measured as total surplus), and the net productivity effects of increased IT investments. In my first research stream, I use analytical modelling methodologies to evaluate the impact of specific regulatory mechanisms, thereby creating a theoretical template for how such regulations can be evaluated. In my first chapter in this stream, I analyze how firm investments can be incentivized and coordinated through a platform, and whether the platform as an institutional mechanism requires regulatory intervention. In my second chapter, I analyze Data Portability Regulations which require that platforms allow users to download their data and port it to competing firms. Such laws have been passed by the E.U. and the state of California, and are being considered by the U.S. Congress. I study whether this regulation accomplishes the law’s goal of encouraging competition in the data economy. In a second research stream, I use structural econometric models to measure the effect of IT investments on energy productivity. I execute this by mathematically deriving a structural econometric model to estimate the impact of IT on the output elasticity of energy. Thus, if a policy decision to regulate platforms causes a decrease in firm IT investments, my empirical work measures the impact of such decreases, both in terms of its direct effect on marginal product as well its indirect effect through the change in the productivity of energy.