How can decisions and orders of digital platforms like Meta, Twitter and Co. be made more accountable to their users and the public interest?A recent answer is: through more participation. A number of platforms have started experimenting with Social Media Councils (SMCs) to gain civil society input for aligning platform rules with human rights. But do they work? And are they really that new? This post takes readers on a journey from press councils to today’s platforms and teases out which incentives are crucial for more responsible platform rules.