Accountable Tech

Our Co-founder and Executive Director Nicole Gill wrote an op-ed in Fast Company that urges tech companies to protect users' health data if Republicans reinstate the Comstock Act, an 1873 law that bans the mailing of “obscene” materials, such as birth control and devices used for abortions. This law could be expanded to include abortion pills, which account for 60% of medication abortions. Our research has concluded that despite Google's policy changes and announcements, they still track and retain location data for trips to abortion clinics approximately 50% of the time. A person seeking abortion would have the same odds as a coin flip to determine whether their location data might still be retained by Google and used to prosecute them. In order to protect abortion seekers, we must take on Big Tech's business model of surveillance and data collection. We deserve to have power over our own data, and we must fight to prevent a handful of powerful Big Tech companies from weaponizing our private information against us. https://lnkd.in/enTijEb6

AI is harming the climate and communities by consuming massive amounts of energy and clean water. We’re sounding the alarm with Piedmont Environmental Council and Sierra Club. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e4aZz7at

JOIN US Tomorrow 2pm ET: Senator Cory Booker and leading advocates come together on Capitol Hill for a conversation focused on an AI policy agenda that centers the public interest. The stakes of the AI debate in Washington cannot be overstated. It is critical that policymakers work to leverage the upside of emerging technologies and draw bright-line rules to guard against any systems that entrench bias and discrimination, undermine workers’ rights, erode privacy, enable election interference, and jeopardize the fight against climate change.            

Rideshare apps like Uber have rolled out new AI-driven systems that exploit gig workers and consumers by extracting maximum profits from passengers and securing minimal payments to drivers. We spoke with rideshare drivers to understand how workers are affected by applications that use AI for pricing, surveillance, and decision-making. These AI-driven systems lack significant human review, leaving workers and passengers with little to no recourse for addressing harm. Join us in sounding the alarm on AI's harms to gig workers.

Is Meta living up to their commitments to protect privacy? Please take our survey of Facebook Messenger users to help us understand whether Meta has fulfilled their commitments to encrypt messages. All data collected in this survey will be anonymized. This survey takes 1 minute to complete: https://lnkd.in/e--C5wrQ

Our new poll with Data for Progress finds that American voters are overwhelmingly aligned in their support of social media companies protecting kids and teens from harmful content online. Amid an uncontrollable youth mental health crisis, advocates and experts are pointing to social media as the culprit. A whopping 85% of voters believe these platforms should be required to implement design features that limit cyberbullying and the spread of harmful content. Congress now has the chance to take action with the Kids Online Safety Act to require online platforms to “exercise reasonable care” in the “creation and implementation of any design feature” to prevent suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, and sexual exploitation for kids. Voters want to protect kids online. Let's get it done now with #KOSA. https://lnkd.in/g2kyFRcd

Yesterday, Governor Wes Moore of Maryland signed the #MDKidsCode into law after receiving an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote in both chambers. We've been working tirelessly alongside youth advocates, experts, and partners to pass this proven framework and common-sense approach to protecting kids online. Now, tech companies will be required to implement design features that minimize data collection, disable features that keep young users scrolling, and default to the highest privacy settings. These are proven strategies to protect kids and teens online. We can harness community action on kids’ online safety to overcome industry pressure. With a broad coalition of supporters, we can take on the Big Tech lobby and win. https://lnkd.in/e9bMDUP7

Director Aaron Sorkin is working on a potential sequel to “The Social Network” that blames Mark Zuckerberg for the January 6th insurrection by creating a platform that algorithmically amplifies divisive and misleading content. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sorkin chastised Zuckerberg for prioritizing growth over integrity, no matter the cost to our democracy. In his latest Staff Post, Campaigns Director Zach Praiss lists 10 key moments he thinks Sorkin should include in the movie: https://lnkd.in/eeMzkMub

We're taking over the Seven Days homepage today to send a clear message to Etsy: Why are you against popular common-sense protections for kids online? In February, NetChoice lobbyist Amy Bos testified against the #VTKidsCode, elevating Etsy’s name as an association member ahead of TikTok and Meta while opposing this popular common-sense legislation to protect kids online. We need companies who are willing to work with us on reasonable regulation and accountability. Join us in urging Etsy to leave NetChoice now: LeaveNetChoice.com. Kelly Clausen

Despite Big Tech's opposition, momentum is building in states across the country to pass design-based legislation to protect kids online with the age-appropriate design code "Kids Code" framework. The Maryland Kids Code has already passed out of both chambers and the Vermont legislature held its final hearing last week. These bills have garnered overwhelming bipartisan support and we're proud to support this urgent and necessary legislation. https://lnkd.in/eBehCA7F