Kate Starboard¶

Co-principal investigator at the University of Washington's Center for an Informed Public. Starboard is a researcher specializing in disinformation, misinformation, content moderation, online radicalization, and the role of social media platforms in spreading false information and extremist content.

Research focus¶

Starboard's work addresses how disinformation and misinformation spread online, particularly during moments of crisis and uncertainty. She studies the dynamics of platform moderation, the migration of users to alternative ("alt-tech") platforms when content is removed from mainstream social media, and the mechanisms by which conspiracy theories and coordinated inauthentic behavior drive radicalization. Her research emphasizes the interconnectedness of disinformation across multiple platforms and the challenge of de-radicalization in polarized information environments.

Selected research areas¶

Disinformation and misinformation spread — tracking false narratives across platforms
Content moderation — platform policies, enforcement, and effectiveness
Online radicalization — how algorithms and community norms drive radicalization
Conspiracy theories — the appeal and spread of conspiratorial narratives
Alt-tech platforms — dynamics of users moving to alternative platforms
Computational propaganda — coordinated campaigns and inauthentic behavior
Platform governance — regulation, ethics, and platform design trade-offs
COVID-19 misinformation — vaccine hesitancy, public health misinformation

Sources in this wiki¶

Disinformation and Platform Governance: Moderation, Alt-Tech, and Radicalization

Topics¶

Disinformation, Misinformation, Content moderation, Platform governance, Extremism and radicalization, Computational Propaganda, COVID-19 misinformation and the infodemic, Conspiracy theories, Election interference and information warfare

Notes¶

Starboard's research emphasizes that platform moderation actions (e.g., removing accounts or content) can redirect harmful activity rather than eliminate it—a dynamic visible in the migration of disinformation communities to decentralized and alt-tech platforms. Her work highlights the tension between limiting harm and preserving open discourse, and the difficulty of designing effective regulations that don't inadvertently entrench power among large platforms.