ABSTRACT
Transparency reporting in online safety can be a powerful tool for change. While many platforms have long published voluntary reports—beginning with Google's 2010 disclosure on government data requests—mandatory frameworks are still emerging. This chapter explores transparency's potential by drawing lessons from sustainability reporting, identifying challenges, and advocating for frameworks that balance standardization with contextual nuance, harmonization with international diversity, and openness with privacy. It also considers how emerging regimes like the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Online Safety Act (OSA) can help establish meaningful standards. Ultimately, it argues that success should be measured not by the volume of data disclosed, but by tangible improvements in user safety and platform accountability.
