Policy
Cybersecurity for Democracy advocates for comprehensive transparency for digital platforms with practical and appropriate measures for preserving privacy of users. Major elements of current transparency proposals include:
Platform Transparency
- Universal Digital Advertising Transparency: Require platforms to provide comprehensive digital advertising transparency. Data should include who is paying, how much, certain targeting information, impressions, reach and must be made available publicly, without restrictions.
- High Engagement Content: Mandate transparency around "reasonably public," high engagement content.
- Algorithmic Transparency: Call for platforms to provide transparency around their algorithmic processes and reasoning.
Reform Liability Immunity for Tech Companies
- Update Section 230: More clearly define what constitutes “third party speech” that should be covered vs. platform behavior (such as algorithmic amplification, recommender systems, paid/targeted content and auto-generation of content) which may be beyond the scope of Section 230.
- Empirical Evidence: Provide empirical evidence to support how these various platform tools work, how liability might be applied, and what enforcement could look like.
Data Access For Researchers / Right to Research
- Legal Protection for Researchers: Find basis in existing law to protect researchers challenging tech power; where there is not adequate law, work towards developing new law which better protects researchers. Approaches may include establishing a “safe harbor” for researchers and journalists to investigate the operations of platforms as long as they handle data responsibly and adhere to professional and ethical standards.
- Clean room protections: Provide vetted researchers access to sensitive data through "clean rooms," or a controlled environment.
- Public data access: Work with regulators in Europe and the U.S. toward establishing more data sets which don’t require vetted access.