In any case, it is crucial that the response to the challenges posed by digital technologies on democracy and human rights is not left to self-regulatory mechanisms alone. As has recently been stated by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, “despite this contribution by the private sector, many regulatory problems remain unresolved and can only be tackled through international conventions as well as legislation at national and international level. Best practices and a better security agency co-operation should become normative in the defence of democratic elections.” Furthermore, “researchers and journalists must have better access to data on fake accounts and disinformation without social media companies strictly controlling them. Policy makers cannot regulate what they don’t understand, nor can they implement them and sanction non-compliance without independent checks and controls.” This should also apply to independent election observers (national but also international), while ensuring the protection of freedom of speech and the privacy of users. In addition, transparency and accessibility of private company regulations (e.g. electoral content policies), including appeals mechanisms, and transparency on the data that they remove/allow, need to be ensured.