Year 2022

2022
Dec 24, 2022
Pressure builds to keep Donald Trump off Facebook ahead of his possible reinstatement

Nearly half of Trump's posts and reposts on Truth Social in the week after the 2022 midterm elections pushed claims of election fraud and amplified QAnon accounts or content, according to December research from Media Matters. Another study by Accountable Tech found more than 350 of Trump's Truth Social posts would violate Facebook's safety guidelines.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Dec 23, 2022
Meta would be making a mistake handing Trump back the keys to Facebook

As the leaders of two tech and media watchdog groups, we’ve closely tracked Trump’s online behavior since he incited that deadly insurrection, and we can unequivocally say: There is no justification for allowing Trump back on Facebook.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Dec 15, 2022
Accountable Tech Statement on Twitter’s Suspension of Reporters’ Accounts

Tonight, companies that have continued to advertise on Twitter face a choice: Do you want to be complicit in the real-time censorship of free press in America?

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Dec 14, 2022
AT + MMFA Release New Research, TV Ad in Push to Keep Trump Off Facebook

Accountable Tech released new research finding that more than 350 posts from Donald Trump’s “Truth Social” account – the equivalent of two posts per day – would directly violate Facebook’s Community Standards.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Nov 23, 2022
On the Heels of Landmark California Kids and Teens Online Safety Bill, Meta Announces Updated Safety and Privacy Measures

These updates show why passing laws that change the incentive structure for Big Tech is imperative. The California Age Appropriate Design Code is already pushing companies like Meta to proactively enhance their existing limited privacy and safety measures for children and teens.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Nov 22, 2022
Musk’s Twitter gets weird and wild, but Washington is sticking around

Nicole Gill, executive director of tech watchdog group Accountable Tech, said Musk’s reinstatements “are actively threatening the safety of Twitter users.”

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Nov 21, 2022
Civil rights leaders condemn Musk decision to lift Trump Twitter ban

“Unless and until Musk can be trusted to enforce Twitter’s prior community standards, the platform is not safe for users or advertisers,” the #StopToxicTwitter coalition led by Accountable Tech, Free Press and Media Matters for America said in a statement. “For those still advertising on Twitter right now: know that you are contributing directly to an erratic billionaire’s decimation of Twitter and its rapid devolution into utter chaos.”

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Nov 20, 2022
As Elon Musk Replatforms Donald Trump, #StopToxicTwitter Coalition Renews Calls for Corporations to Stop Advertising on Twitter

In his three weeks as Twitter CEO, Elon Musk has orchestrated a mass exodus of safety experts and turned the platform into a hellscape of misinformation, hate, and extremism. Now he has decided to hastily and unilaterally replatform Donald Trump — the man who incited a deadly insurrection against the U.S. government. 

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Nov 10, 2022
Accountable Tech Statement on Mass Exodus of Twitter’s Safety, Security, and Privacy Experts

Elon Musk is incinerating his new $44 billion toy like it’s a self-driving Tesla, and the rest of us are engulfed in the flames.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Nov 10, 2022
Elon Musk’s Twitter faces its ‘Titanic’ moment as executives and advertisers flee while trolls run rampant

Maybe Twitter will find a path forward. But the road ahead looks quite arduous. As the non-profit watchdog Accountable Tech put it Thursday evening: “This hellscape is going to get more hellish. More hate speech and harassment. More deception and impersonation. More privacy and security risks for all of us. We would once again tell advertisers to jump ship, but at this point, no CMO in their right mind needs that advice.”

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Nov 07, 2022
Nicole Gill on Twitter’s Verification Changes

Elon Musk's changes to Twitter's verification system undermines authoritative news sources and opens the floodgates to disinformation on the platform.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Nov 07, 2022
Elon Musk Just Told ‘Independent-Minded’ Followers Which Way To Vote. Why That Matters

“He’s a man who now has incredible unilateral power to shape our information system and how information is shared,” Nicole Gill, executive director of the nonprofit Accountable Tech, tells TIME. “He controls the dials that determine whose voices are heard in what he fashions is the modern public square, and now he’s openly putting his thumb on the scale and elections.”

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Nov 04, 2022
#StopToxicTwitter Coalition Calls for Corporations to Stop Advertising Buys on Twitter, as Elon Musk’s Layoffs Cut Content Moderation and Brand Safeguards

The #StopToxicTwitter coalition, made up of more than 60 civil rights and civil society groups, issued an urgent call to Twitter advertisers, demanding they stop buys on the platform in the wake of Elon Musk’s sweeping layoffs.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Nov 04, 2022
Nicole Gill on Elon Musk’s Twitter

Elon Musk's ties and business dealings with foreign actors should be a warning sign as he assumes control of Twitter.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Nov 04, 2022
Twitter’s Advertisers Pull Back as Layoffs Sweep Through Company

“We are witnessing the real-time destruction of one of the world’s most powerful communications platforms,” said Nicole Gill, the executive director of the nonprofit group Accountable Tech, on the call. “Unless and until Musk can robustly enforce Twitter’s existing community standards, the platform is not safe for users or for advertisers.”

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Nov 04, 2022
Elon Musk Accuses Activists Of ‘Trying To Destroy Free Speech’ As Advertisers Flee

“We are witnessing the real-time destruction of one of the world’s most powerful communication systems,” Nicole Gill, executive director of Accountable Tech, one of the groups in the coalition, said in a statement. “Elon Musk is an erratic billionaire who’s dangerously unqualified to run Twitter.”

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Nov 03, 2022
Elon Musk Begins Layoffs at Twitter

Jesse Lehrich, a founder of Accountable Tech, an industry advocacy organization, said the layoffs amounted to an arbitrary purge just days before the midterm elections on Tuesday.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Nov 01, 2022
Open Letter to Twitter’s Top 20 Advertisers

An open letter to the CEOs of the top advertising companies on Twitter from Accountable Tech and other partner organizations.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Nov 01, 2022
Civil-Society Groups Call on Twitter’s Top-20 Advertisers to Demand that Elon Musk Fulfill His Promise to Safeguard Their Brands and Protect Users

On Tuesday, more than 40 civil-society groups called on Twitter’s top-20 advertisers to inform Elon Musk that they will suspend all advertising on the platform if he follows through on plans to undermine the social network’s community standards and content moderation.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Nov 01, 2022
Congress will want to hear from Elon Musk and Twitter — whichever party wins the midterms

“I had every reason to believe that this would be problematic: Elon taking over one of the world’s most influential global communications platforms,” said a former Clinton foreign policy aide, Jesse Lehrich, a co-founder of the left-leaning watchdog Accountable Tech. “But I didn’t expect him to be tweeting insane conspiracy theories at Hillary Clinton about Paul Pelosi as the speaker survives an assassination attempt within the first 72 hours.”

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Oct 29, 2022
Under Elon Musk’s leadership, Twitter could become a ‘supercharged engine of radicalization,’ critics warn

Jesse Lehrich, the co-founder of watchdog nonprofit Accountable Tech, said Musk's firing of Vijaya Gadde — a top Twitter legal and policy executive who headed the team that decided to remove Trump from the platform — was a "long-term catastrophe," calling Gadde the company's "moral compass," Politico reported.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Oct 28, 2022
Jesse Lehrich on Elon Musk’s Acquisition of Twitter

Elon Musk is going to have unilateral control over one of the most powerful communication platforms in the world.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Oct 28, 2022
“Dangerous for us all”: Elon Musk’s business past offers worrying signs for Twitter’s future

"Elon Musk's plans for Twitter will make it an even more hate-filled cesspool, leading to irreparable real-world harm," said the Stop the Deal Coalition, an alliance of groups that includes Accountable Tech, Friends of the Earth, Public Citizen, and the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. The coalition has urged Congress to investigate Musk's acquisition of Twitter. (The purchase is reportedly already facing an investigation by federal regulators.)

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Oct 28, 2022
After many delays, Elon Musk is now the proud owner of Twitter

The watchdog group Accountable Tech said Musk's erratic behavior and tweets about Ukraine and Russia make this acquisition a national security threat. It wants Congress to investigate.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Oct 27, 2022
Stop the Deal Coalition Statement on Elon Musk’s Twitter Acquisition Deal

Elon Musk’s plans for Twitter will make it an even more hate-filled cesspool, leading to irreparable real-world harm. Musk’s plans will leave the platform more vulnerable to security threats, rampant disinformation, and extremism just ahead of the midterm elections.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Oct 27, 2022
Statement on Elon Musk’s Acquisition of Twitter

It’s also difficult to overstate the national security threat that this deal poses. Musk is a Putin propagandist with a pattern of close ties to hostile foreign governments – many of whom have financial and strategic interests in the deal.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Oct 26, 2022
New Six-Figure TV Ad Buy Slams Facebook for Gutting Election Integrity Safeguards Ahead of Midterms

Big Tech watchdog Accountable Tech announced a $250,000 national TV and digital ad buy slamming Facebook for rolling back election integrity safeguards ahead of the upcoming midterms.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Oct 22, 2022
Groups demand crackdown on online misinformation ahead of midterms

Concurrently, watchdog group Accountable Tech placed a $250,000 national television and digital ad buy starting this week, criticizing Meta for what the group describes as rolling back election integrity safeguards prior to the midterms.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Oct 14, 2022
Elon Musk Owning Twitter is A National Security Threat

Despite all the headlines about the online and real-world danger Musk’s control of Twitter could cause, one is getting overlooked: Elon Musk owning Twitter is a national security risk to the United States.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Oct 04, 2022
Statement on Elon Musk’s Proposal to Proceed with Twitter Deal

An Elon Musk takeover of Twitter would provide a megaphone to extremists, threaten public safety, and devastate our already fragile democracy.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Sep 22, 2022
Statement on News that Meta is Considering Replatforming Trump

Meta’s indication that Donald Trump will be allowed back on the platform – despite his increasingly dangerous behavior since – would be equivalent to handing a flamethrower to an arsonist.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Sep 16, 2022
California’s new age rules for sites and apps raise a ruckus

"The bill focuses on establishing a floor of safety and security for young people," Nicole Gill, co-founder and executive director of Accountable Tech, which supports the legislation, told Axios.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Sep 15, 2022
With Governor Newsom’s Signature, California Becomes the First State in the U.S. to Protect Kids and Teens Online

In signing the California Age Appropriate Design Code Act into law, Governor Newsom is sending a clear message to Big Tech: Put our children over your profits.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Sep 15, 2022
California Gov. Newsom signs landmark legislation aimed at boosting children’s safety online

Accountable Tech, an advocacy group that has criticized large tech platforms, called the bill’s signing “a monumental win.” “This new law will upend the status quo and take real steps to stop pervasive surveillance, profiling, and manipulation of kids online,” said Nicole Gill, the group’s executive director. “It also will serve as a transformative model for other states and countries, so that every child is protected from Big Tech’s abuse and exploitation – not just those in California.”

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Sep 02, 2022
Nicole Gill on the Passage of the California Age Appropriate Design Code

This landmark legislation would require online platforms to prioritize the safety and well-being of kids by design and by default for them.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Aug 30, 2022
California passes bill aimed at making the internet safer for kids

Accountable Tech, a group that has backed federal antitrust legislation targeting Big Tech platforms, also lauded the news. “If signed into law, this historic legislation would represent a seismic shift in the fight for online privacy,” co-founder and Executive Director Nicole Gill said in a statement.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Aug 29, 2022
Statement on California State Senate’s Passage of Age-Appropriate Design Code Act

Today California took a massive step forward in securing a future in which the internet is fundamentally designed around the best interests of young people.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Aug 23, 2022
To Fight Election Falsehoods, Social Media Companies Ready a Familiar Playbook

“I think they’ve just come to the conclusion that this is not really a problem that they can tackle at this point,” said Jesse Lehrich, co-founder of Accountable Tech, a nonprofit focused on technology and democracy.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Aug 15, 2022
New TV Ads in 5 States Urge Lawmakers to Rein in Prices By Voting for Big Tech Antitrust Bills

Accountable Tech announced a multi-state TV ad-buy urging the Senate to pass the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA) and the Open App Markets Act (OAMA) this fall.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Aug 11, 2022
Accountable Tech Applauds FTC’s Proposed Rulemaking to Crack Down on Commercial Surveillance

Today’s announcement by the FTC represents a critical first step toward cracking down on the egregious intrusions and exploitation of the ever-expanding surveillance economy.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Aug 11, 2022
California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act Clears Final Legislative Hurdle Before Passage

Today’s vote in the California Senate Appropriations Committee brings us closer than ever to securing a future in which the internet is fundamentally designed around the best interests of young people.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Aug 09, 2022
Facebook gave teen’s private messages about alleged abortion to Nebraska police

“These tech giants have accumulated an unfathomable amount of sensitive data on each and every one of us,” Jesse Lehrich, co-founder of Accountable Tech, told The Post. “They are going to dutifully comply with subpoena requests like this in a post-Roe world.”

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Aug 05, 2022
Their children were killed by drugs found on Snapchat. Their activism could push Congress to act.

Jesse Lehrich co-founder of tech watchdog Accountable Tech, reacted to a description of the draft bill by raising concerns about child privacy. "It’s a massive invasion of children’s privacy and freedom to learn and grow," he said. "And it creates nightmarish scenarios, like an LGBTQ kid being outed by these apps, or data being weaponized against a teen who needed an abortion in a state where it’s been criminalized."

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Jul 21, 2022
Accountable Tech, 15 Partner Organizations Question Google’s Data Collection Practices For Those Seeking Abortion Care

The devastating Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade has turned Big Tech’s surveillance tools, and the troves of sensitive data they collect, into a weapon-in-waiting that will be deployed against people seeking reproductive care.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Jul 11, 2022
As Musk moves to abandon deal, Twitter faces ‘worst case scenario’

A left-leaning watchdog group said Musk’s filing highlights why the deal has been fraught from the start. “While the fallout from Musk’s latest move still unfolds, one thing is clear: this chaotic crusade is nothing short of a five-alarm fire drill,” said Accountable Tech Executive Director Nicole Gill in a statement. “Our information ecosystem, safety, and democracy cannot remain at the whim of unaccountable billionaires — whether it’s Elon Musk or anyone else.”

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Jul 08, 2022
Statement on Elon Musk’s Imperiled Twitter Acquisition

From the start, Musk has made it clear that his vision for Twitter would pose a dire threat to user safety and democratic ideals. That’s why Accountable Tech led the ‘Stop the Deal’ campaign with more than a dozen nonprofit partners – and it’s why we have fought tooth and nail to upend this agreement.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Jul 08, 2022
Statement on President Biden’s Action to Protect Online Privacy and Combat Reproductive Health Misinformation

We’re grateful to President Biden for taking these necessary steps to help protect patients and keep Big Tech from profiting off the criminalization of reproductive health care.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Jun 24, 2022
Senate Democrats urge Facebook CEO to bolster gun sales ban

Earlier this week, the advocacy groups Accountable Tech and Giffords urged Zuckerberg to replace the policy with a “more decisive two-strike policy” instead, according to a letter obtained by The Post.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Jun 22, 2022
Antitrust influencers? Big Tech allies, opponents draft social media stars into bout.

Accountable Tech, a left-leaning watchdog group advocating for antitrust legislation targeting giants like Apple and Amazon, recently partnered with a group of TikTok creators “interested in supporting historic bipartisan legislation to #ReinInBigTech,” the group tweeted. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Jun 09, 2022
Student Defense, Accountable Tech Worry FAFSA Student Data Sent to Facebook Could be Used for Predatory, Discriminatory Advertising

Student Defense and Accountable Tech today called for a full investigation into reports that the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) released personally identifiable information from an unknown number of federal aid applicants to Facebook.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Jun 08, 2022
Accountable Tech Raises Alarm over Elon Musk’s Data Grab in Letter to Twitter, Congress

Accountable Tech sent a letter to Twitter general counsel Vijaya Gadde on Wednesday imploring the company to resist Elon Musk’s demands for access to sensitive data on millions of users.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Jun 04, 2022
Lawmakers are racing to pass tech antitrust reforms before midterms

Jesse Lehrich, co-founder of Accountable Tech, expressed “cautious optimism” that this Congress would pass both the self-preferencing bill and a separate bill that is more specifically targeted at how companies display apps in mobile app stores.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Jun 03, 2022
Musk’s Twitter deal faces backlash from advocacy groups that are seeking to block it

The Stop the Deal campaign, shared exclusively with CNBC, includes plans to put pressure on government agencies to review the acquisition, persuade Tesla stockholders to take action against it ask advertisers to pull spending from the platform. Participating nonprofits include Accountable Tech, Center for Countering Digital Hate, GLAAD and MediaJustice.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Jun 03, 2022
Stop The Deal: Nonprofit Coalition Launches Campaign Against Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover

Today, a diverse coalition of nonprofit advocacy organizations launched “Stop The Deal” – a multifaceted campaign designed to upend Elon Musk’s hostile takeover of Twitter, and stave off the myriad harms inherent to Musk’s vision.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
May 24, 2022
With Roe Decision Looming, AT Joins Chorus Urging Google to End Dangerous Location Data Practices

If Roe v. Wade is overturned and states enact draconian anti-abortion laws, Big Tech could be further weaponized to target people seeking reproductive care.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
May 19, 2022
Statement on the FTC’s Crackdown on Child Surveillance

With today’s unanimously approved policy statement, Chair Khan and the FTC have sent a powerful message that they will use every tool at their disposal to safeguard our kids from exploitative tech companies.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
May 12, 2022
I gave Instagram photos of my baby. Instagram returned fear.

Other new parents on Instagram tell me they also feel they’re being recommended posts that prey on our specific insecurities, from breastfeeding to vaccination. “I found Instagram to be particularly devastating to my already fragile mental state in the postpartum period,” says Nicole Gill, the co-founder of Accountable Tech, a progressive tech advocacy group. “Getting suggested posts on ‘how to lose baby weight in 6 weeks,’ for example, almost immediately after having my daughter was not pleasant.”

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
May 10, 2022
Statement on Elon Musk’s Plans to Reinstate Donald Trump on Twitter

Let’s be clear: Donald Trump was banned from Twitter in January 2021 for inciting and glorifying violence. His tweets – particularly after the January 6th insurrection – were in clear violation of  Twitter’s policies.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
May 03, 2022
Brands should force Twitter to uphold content policies under Musk, advocacy groups say

Other organizations spearheading the letter campaign include the technology advocacy organization Accountable Tech and the feminist group UltraViolet. Meanwhile, the Center for Countering Digital Hate, the National Hispanic Media Coalition and the digital rights group Free Press also signed the letter in support of the effort.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Apr 26, 2022
Jesse Lehrich on Elon Musk’s Acquisition of Twitter

Rolling back Twitter's content moderation would give raise to more hateful and harmful speech on the platform now under Elon Musk's control.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Apr 26, 2022
Zach Praiss on Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover

Given Elon Musk's plans to rollback Twitter's content moderation systems in favor of free speech, this would provide a megaphone to extremists who spread hate and disinformation online.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Apr 25, 2022
Statement on Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover

Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter will further toxify our information ecosystem and threaten public safety, especially for those who are already most vulnerable.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Apr 25, 2022
Smeared as a Groomer, a Michigan Democrat Goes on Offense

“Replatforming Trump would thrust us back into the world in which our entire political discourse is perpetually upended by his tweets,” said Jesse Lehrich, a former Hillary Clinton spokesman who helped found a nonprofit focused on tech companies and political speech.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Apr 21, 2022
Obama Outlines Existential Threat Big Tech Poses to Democracy

In his keynote address at Stanford University’s “Challenges to Democracy in the Digital Information Realm” Symposium, President Barack Obama outlined Big Tech’s role in supercharging disinformation and undermining democracy across the globe.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Mar 28, 2022
Europe is lapping the U.S. on tech regulation — again

Accountable Tech, a left-leaning advocacy group, argued in a policy memo comparing U.S. and E.U. tech reforms that Europe’s incoming regulation “reads like an omnibus bill written by top American lawmakers” because of its overlap with many U.S. proposals.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Mar 24, 2022
Statement on the EU’s Digital Markets Act

The agreement struck Thursday finalizing the Digital Markets Act (DMA) is a transformational moment in the movement to rein in Big Tech’s monopoly abuses – not just in the EU, but globally.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Mar 24, 2022
Jesse Lehrich on EU Big Tech Legislation

Big Tech has thrown everything at the wall already, but now, Europe has the chance to pass this sweeping legislation to rein in Big Tech's harms and monopoly power.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Mar 22, 2022
Advocates urge Congress to pass online kids’ safety reforms

The letter is signed by 60 advocacy organizations, including Fairplay, the Center for Digital Democracy, Accountable Tech and the American Academy of Pediatrics. It was addressed to the top lawmakers of both parties in the House and Senate.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Mar 10, 2022
Youth Activists Outline Social Media Harms, Discuss Solutions with Sen. Blumenthal

Accountable Tech hosted a roundtable with five youth activists and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) on social media’s impact on young people’s mental health.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Mar 10, 2022
Human rights groups warn that more sanctions could hurt Russian Internet access

Kaili Lambe is Accountable Tech’s new policy and partnerships director. She previously worked as a senior campaigner at the Mozilla Foundation.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Mar 01, 2022
Statement on President Biden’s Strategy to Address Big Tech’s Role in Our National Mental Health Crisis

We applaud President Biden for recognizing the inconvenient truth Big Tech executives continue to deny—that their products and platforms now play an important role in defining the future of this country.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Feb 24, 2022
Social media platforms on the defensive as Russian-based disinformation about Ukraine spreads

More broadly, the tech companies have not been transparent about real-time actions they’ve taken to dispel Russian state-run disinformation, according to Jesse Lehrich, co-founder of Accountable Tech, a watchdog group, and former spokesperson for Hillary Clinton.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Feb 17, 2022
Google Has Made Millions Advertising Phony Government Handouts

“It’s just mind-blowing that on a platform like Google — which portrays itself as having gone above and beyond with ad transparency — you can pop up out of nowhere and run millions of dollars of blatant scam ads without raising any red flags,” said Jesse Lehrich, co-founder of the nonprofit Accountable Tech.

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Feb 14, 2022
Jesse Lehrich on How Congress Can Rein in Big Tech

There's been a lot of talk for years on Capitol Hill, but Congress has the chance now to rein in Big Tech's harms.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Jan 28, 2022
Twitter says it has quit taking action against lies about the 2020 election

Jesse Lehrich, co-founder of Accountable Tech, a nonprofit that pushes for reforms at social media companies, expressed surprise and dismay at Twitter’s Friday comments. “I actually praised Twitter when they rolled out a new civic integrity policy in 2021, which prohibits false claims about election results and includes a clear strike system for repeat offenders. To learn they decided explicitly to stop enforcing it two months later, and told nobody, is infuriating – especially for a platform that constantly plays up its commitment to transparent decision-making,” Lehrich said in a message to CNN. “They’ve managed to undermine faith in our democracy and their own credibility all at once.”

Avatar Victoria Vinall
2022
Jan 27, 2022
Dozens of Key Stakeholders Formally Urge FTC to Ban Surveillance Advertising

The FTC received dozens of submissions from a diverse cross-section of leading advocacy organizations, businesses, lawmakers, and experts – along with more than 2,000 grassroots supporters – urging the Commission to promulgate new rules to prohibit this unfair method of competition.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Jan 20, 2022
Bipartisan Antitrust Vote Caps Landmark Week For Tech Reform

The critical vote served as a forceful bipartisan message to Big Tech executives and lobbyists in the face of their frenzied and dishonest campaign to sink the bill.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Jan 18, 2022
Statement on the Banning Surveillance Advertising Act

Big Tech will continue stoking discrimination, division, and delusion until we upend this perverse incentive structure – which is exactly what Reps. Eshoo and Schakowsky, and Sen. Booker’s Banning Surveillance Advertising Act would do.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
2022
Jan 13, 2022
Jesse Lehrich on Donald Trump’s Truth Social Platform

If Donald Trump's past products are any indication, I wouldn't bet much on his new social media platform.

Zach Praiss Zach Praiss
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Join the fight to rein in Big Tech.

Big Tech companies are some of the most powerful and profitable companies in history, presenting new threats to the safety of communities and the health of democracy. We’re taking them on through legislation, regulation and direct advocacy.