About
Social media giants are eroding our consensus reality and pushing democracy to the brink. Accountable Tech is fighting back.
The Problem We Face Today
Major social media platforms serve as information gatekeepers, putting awesome power in the hands of tech giants with little oversight. These companies – like Facebook and Google – were not fundamentally designed to serve the public good, but to generate growth and profits.
Their surveillance advertising business model relies on harvesting and monetizing data, so they developed products and algorithms to maximize engagement. Those algorithms reward outrageous content, reinforce biases irrespective of truth, and filter like-minded individuals into small echo chambers.
Moreover, bad actors are weaponizing these data-rich platforms to manipulate users – be it to suppress voters, prey on consumers, or promote extremism. Democracy requires a shared baseline of facts. But this online information landscape is instead creating a toxic patchwork of personalized pseudo-realities.
Accountable Tech is working to bring about long-term structural reform to tackle the existential threat social media companies pose to our information ecosystem and democracy.
Our Team
Nicole Gill
CO-FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Nicole is an experienced campaigner, having led efforts around tax policy, marriage equality, and health care. She founded Tax March in 2017 and led the coalition opposing the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and most recently led strategic communications and external affairs for an international NGO focused on reproductive health care worldwide.
Jesse Lehrich
CO-FOUNDER AND SENIOR ADVISOR
Jesse is a co-founder of Accountable Tech. He has a decade of experience in political communications and issue advocacy, including serving as the foreign policy spokesman for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, where he was part of the team managing the response to Russia’s information warfare operation.
Rishi Bharwani
Partnerships and Policy Director
Rishi has experience working on local, state, and national electoral campaigns as well as advocacy campaigns around gun violence, consumer protection, and financial regulation. He most recently worked in the United States Senate where he led tech policy for Senator Cory Booker.
Zach Praiss
Digital Director
Zach has experience working as a digital and creative strategist for progressive issue-advocacy organizations fighting for a more fair democracy and an economy that works for all. His work has spanned a wide array of organizations including Health Care Voter, Forward Majority, Women’s March, and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Giliann Karon
Digital Associate
Giliann has experience assisting digital campaigns for state and local campaigns, as well as a variety of progressive non-profits. She believes in using digital media to mobilize the public and ignite bold, compassionate change offline.
Aditi Ramesh
Policy Analyst
Aditi has experience researching technology policy issues in both the US and India. She has led a number of research projects on alternative data governance, and was also a 2018 Fulbright Fellow in Bangalore, where she studied youth civic engagement in government and private schools.
