Staff Posts
Perspectives, insights, and opinions from the Accountable Tech staff on all the latest happenings in tech.
Glints of Gratitude: AT’s Biggest Moments in 2024
In 2024, Accountable Tech had a big year of campaigns to protect kids online, amplify the real world dangers of AI, defend democracy, and safeguard the privacy of abortion seekers.
Bluesky’s the Limit
Elon Musk’s race to the bottom for social media companies may finally be turning around thanks to fresh competition from Bluesky.
The Future of Music and AI: A Conversation with Kevin Erickson
A discussion with Kevin Erickson from Future of Music Coalition about AI’s threats to musicians, the gatekeeping status of streaming platforms, and recommendations for lawmakers, regulators, and AI developers.
Why Accountable Tech is Leaving X
Accountable Tech is leaving X, but we’re still committed to advocating for safer digital spaces elsewhere.
The Rising Threat of Deepfakes: Safeguarding Truth Ahead of the 2024 Elections
The rise of deepfakes—AI-generated images, videos, and audio that can convincingly mislead—poses a growing threat to our democratic processes by spreading disinformation and eroding public trust. As Election Day approaches, we must hold social media platforms accountable for detecting and labeling political deepfakes to protect the integrity of our elections.
BetterHelp sold my data, and all I got was $9.72.
Tech companies continuously turn massive profits by endlessly tracking and profiling us, determining how to keep us hooked, and then hyper-targeting us with ads.
Testing Abortion Disinformation Narratives on Google Gemini
We tested common disinformation narratives around abortion and reproductive health to see how bad actors could or may already be using AI to spread disinformation.
How AI is Cooking the Planet — Q&A With Michael Khoo of Friends of the Earth
The AI boom is using a ton of water and energy – and that is further endangering the climate.
3 Key Takeaways from the AI Aspirations Conference
Our Campaigns Director shares his thoughts and insights after attending the White House Office of Science and Technology’s conference on AI.
How well do Pharmacy Prescription Coupon Companies Actually Protect Your Data?
Prescription coupon apps, like GoodRx or WellRx, provide patients with digital coupons to save money on prescription medications. But how well are they protecting your personal data?
10 Moments for Aaron Sorkin to Include in the Potential Sequel to The Social Network
As Sorkin is rumored to be working on a new movie about Facebook, I wanted to share 10 moments he should include.
How Big Tech’s Big Price Hikes Surpass Inflation
A quick assessment of some of Big Tech’s price hikes over the past few years on their major products reveals a pattern of rising prices for consumers above the rate of inflation.
What’s up with Facebook Messenger’s end-to-end encryption?
In December, Meta promised to soon roll out end-to-end encryption by default for all chats in Messenger and on Facebook, but three months later we’re wondering when the change will hit our accounts.
Activism and Action, Not Apologies: A January 31st Recap
Mark Zuckerberg and others testified before the Senate on January 31st. But instead of accepting his apology, we mobilized.
13 Ways the EU is Reining in Big Tech
Europe has secured significant wins from Big Tech companies to protect users, competition, and democracy. American lawmakers should take note or else the rules will be written without them.
2023 was a critical year for Accountable Tech
This year, Accountable Tech made incredible strides to fight for the digital future we all deserve.
How Big Tech’s toxic business of surveillance advertising tracks your every move
Big Tech companies exploit our data to micro-target ads and boost their profits. It’s a pernicious practice that has pervaded almost all parts of our lives from smart TVs and cars to credit card transactions.
5 Key Takeaways from the #ATSummit
Our team shares what we found most insightful from the first-ever Accountable Tech Summit last week.
A Look Inside Our #BlockTwitter Campaign
Why Twitter’s block button is so crucial for marginalized communities to protect themselves from targeted harassment.
Tech accountability victories through kids safety | Q&A with youth leader Zamaan Qureshi
Up against a formidable foe – Big Tech – I chatted with youth leader Zamaan Qureshi about the paths to victory.
Disinformation Station Training at Netroots | Q&A with Jaya Savita Aiyer of UltraViolet
At Netroots Nation 2023, I attended "Disinformation Station," a tech-focused training by Jaya Savita Aiyer from UltraViolet, exploring technology's role in activism and disinformation.
No Big Tech Money: Q&A with Emily Southard
Holding Big Tech to account requires a multi-pronged strategic approach, so we were excited to see a new project launch – the No Big Tech Money Pledge, which aims to get Big Tech’s money out of politics.
Democracy vs. Artificial Intelligence
by Kenya Juarez Democracy is in jeopardy particularly with the rise of AI, and platforms have a responsibility to protect democratic integrity and public trust in elections.
Addressing the Disinformation Dangers of Generative AI
Accountable Tech’s recent comment on AI to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy outlines steps the administration can take immediately to address some of the most pressing risks posed by generative AI.
Unspooling Our Team’s Reactions to Threads
The Accountable Tech team raises questions and concerns about Meta’s new platform, Threads.
Continuing the Fight For the Age Appropriate Design Code
Our Youth Initiatives Campaign Manager recaps how Accountable Tech prioritized the Age Appropriate Design Code in June.
Google is Still Collecting Health Data That’s Putting Abortion Seekers At Risk
Idaho’s new abortion travel ban is creating a new risk for abortion seekers, particularly as Google continues to track and store sensitive health data.
Recapping the #HeyGoogle Day of Action
Accountable Tech organized a day of action to call out Google’s failures to fulfill policies designed to protect abortion seekers and pressure the company to stop collecting and retaining location data.
Twitter in Turmoil
As Elon Musk tries to woo back advertisers, troubling developments continue to make Twitter a risk for brands and an increasingly lower-quality, toxic platform for users.
Q+A with social entrepreneur Trisha Prabhu
Social entrepreneur and author Trisha Prabhu talks about her app ReThink and about the importance of co-creating innovative technology to proactively create a positive digital ecosystem by design.
Commanding the Room Where It All Happens: Emma Lembke’s Senate Judiciary Hearing
Youth leader Emma Lembke testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, commanding the room and demanding change. She’s helping pave the way for real social media legislation that puts kids first, and puts a check on Big Tech.
EU Ruling on Meta’s Ad Practices
What the EU’s landmark ruling against Meta’s surveillance advertising business means for the future of tech giants extracting users’ data.
Hey Google: Stop unnecessarily collecting and retaining user’s location data
After the fall of Roe v. Wade, Google publicly committed to protecting user privacy, but research shows it isn’t meeting its commitments to protect the data of people seeking reproductive healthcare.
A look back on Accountable Tech’s year
2022 was a pivotal year in our fight to hold Big Tech companies accountable for the harm they cause to users and our democracy. The year included key wins that will help us move our work forward in 2023 and beyond.
Google is Normalizing Trump’s Violent Rhetoric and Threats to Democracy
After initially blocking Trump’s Truth Social app in its Play Store because it hosted violent threats, Google is now allowing people to download the App. This is just a step toward normalizing Trump’s embrace of extremist conspiracy theories and attempts to undermine electoral integrity. With this decision, we’re looking to other Google products like YouTube to hold the line around community standards and continue to keep Trump off the platform.
Inside the Fight for the AADC | Q&A with Emi Kim of the LOG OFF Movement
We spoke with Emi Kim, Head of Public Relations and Director of Legislative Efforts of the LOG OFF Movement, about her experience advocating for the California Age Appropriate Design Code, recently signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom.
Tech(nically) Politics: The Youth Voice
In Tech(nically) Politics’ mini-docuseries, thirty teens from around the country share their personal experiences with technology and social media and their hopes for the future of tech regulation.
Making AntitrustTok a Thing
Accountable Tech was thrilled to have partnered with Social Currant to elevate young, diverse TikTok creators interested in supporting historic bipartisan legislation to rein in Big Tech.
Why we protested Meta at Netroots | Q&A with Brittany Williams of the Facebook Users Union
We spoke with Brittany Williams of the Facebook Users Union about her experience helping organize a sit-in protest of Meta’s booth at Netroots Nation this past weekend.
Big Tech’s Threat to Democracy: A Recap
At Netroots Nation 2022, Accountable Tech staff attended a panel titled “Big Tech's Threat to Democracy: The Double-Edged Sword of Social Media.” Panelists included nonprofit workers and activists with deep knowledge of social media’s societal harms and organizing potential.
Tik-gram: Why is Meta so obsessed with video?
Big Tech continues to morph to fuel its toxic business model of surveillance advertising. It’s a race to the bottom.
Key Pillars of the DSA/DMA and Pertinent US Tech Policy Proposals
Breaking down the sweeping Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, and similar legislation in the United States.
10 Questions Twitter Employees Probably Wish They Could Ask Elon Musk
Elon Musk is speaking at Twitter’s "All-Hands" meeting, and we know Twitter employees have a lot of questions they wish they could ask.
The American Labor Movement’s Next Frontier
As the umbrella of tech workers broadens, so do their concerns, their responsibilities, and even their power — with organizing and unionizing on the rise in the tech sector.
The EU is Rewriting the Rules of the Digital World: A Brief Background of the DSA and DMA
The European Union is rapidly moving forward on what promises to be the most consequential and comprehensive legislative package on platform regulation in the world.
TikTok and the War in Ukraine
by Ayanna Williams As the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfolded, a global audience watched the tragedy take place in real time via social media. A significant portion of the content on social media about Putin’s war on Ukraine is coming from TikTok.
3 Things to Know About the CA Age Appropriate Design Code
by Aditi Ramesh As California state legislators consider the newly proposed California Age Appropriate Design Code Bill (AB 2273), here's why this bill is important for both the kids' privacy and tech accountability movements.
How to Build a Website Without Big Tech’s Surveillance Trackers
A roadmap to building or updating a website to not have third-party cookies and ad trackers that feed into Big Tech’s toxic business model of surveillance advertising.
The History of Antitrust
As lawmakers consider a series of new antitrust bills to hold Big Tech companies accountable, history can serve as a guide to show that antitrust regulation works.
