Accountable Tech

This is our last post here at Accountable Tech. But the good news is, the fight continues with our partner, @designitforus — and they’re just getting started. The fight for a better online world is in extremely good hands. As a group developed for and by young people, Design It For Us is gathering supporters of all ages to demand more from Big Tech and design a digital future that works for all of us. We know that young people will be the most successful in leading this charge. Having grown up online, they’ve got the know-how to ensure that people’s online wellbeing, safety, and privacy are prioritized over Big Tech’s profits. We’ve had an incredible run here, and it wouldn’t have been possible without your support. Now, it’s up to all of us to support the next generation doing this work. Give them a follow today.

Meet @designitforus ! Our youth-led partner, fighting for a safer digital world, especially for young people. Having grown up online, they’ve got the lived experience to know just how Big Tech harms young people, and how to fix it. Design It For Us has big plans in place. They’ve created the first-ever Declaration of Digital Rights to share their vision for a safer online world. Plus, they’re developing training programs to level up new leaders. And they’re convening young innovators to dream up alternatives to Big Tech. You don’t have to be a young person to be part of this movement. Follow them to stay up-to-date on the latest ways to hold Big Tech accountable.

We’ve got a big announcement: After five years of working with advocates like you to hold Big Tech accountable, we’ve made the decision to wind down operations and focus on the youth-led coalition we helped support: @designitforus . They’re a youth-led coalition working to ensure safer social media and online platforms for kids, teens, and young adults – and they’ve got the lived experience to do it well. This was a big decision, and one we didn’t make lightly. We’ve been doing this long enough to know that in order to win against Big Tech, we need young people at the helm, leading the charge. With support from people like you, we coined “surveillance advertising.” We revealed how Google was tracking and retaining abortion seekers’ sensitive location data, exposed the dangers of Instagram’s “Teen Accounts,” and so much more. And this work is far from over. We’re so excited to see all that Design It For Us will accomplish, but they’ll need your support to make it happen. Give them a follow and let’s ensure a safer digital future for all.

while this feature gives people more control of their digital experience, it’s concerning that instagram has chosen to fuel the already frustrating experience of their platform being curated and unrealistic. but what do you think?

Any ban on state and federal AI regulation harms young people, creators, artists — everyone. As AI advances, we’ve seen how much we need common-sense safeguards from unchecked artificial intelligence. It’s not just about kids’ safety or election deepfake protections. The laws Big Tech fears the most impose requirements on the largest, most powerful AI systems to ensure they aren’t used for chemical warfare or nuclear destruction. We deserve a future where everyone can thrive in an economy, country, and society that works for them — not one they have to fight against. #AI

Delta is using AI to decide how much you should pay for a plane ticket. Not based on the seat, but on your data. Dynamic pricing like this could make air travel more expensive and more unfair, especially for vulnerable consumers. This is why AI needs strong regulation, before it turns every transaction into a data-driven trap.

Trump is really pushing for a sale of TikTok to keep its parent company in China, ByteDance, out of the US market. But there are reports that the company announced a new US-version of the app to prevent the need for a sale. The version will launch in September, though the original TikTok is still scheduled to function through March. So much for the art of the deal.

Big Tech is going nuclear. Palantir is “teaming up with a nuclear deployment company to develop an artificial intelligence-driven software system built for the construction of nuclear reactors.”

A new study out of MIT shows how our brain engagement lowers when using AI or language learning models. When asked to answer SAT essay prompts, those who were allowed to use AI “got lazier [...] resorting to copy-and-paste by the end of the study.” They also “consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels.” Young people with still-developing brains are at the highest risk – which could lead to folks losing “long-term brain development.”

Listen up: Your genetic data is up for sale. If you’ve ever used 23andMe, your sensitive health information could land up in the hands of Big Pharma.

Remember when AI was about answering your questions? Now, OpenAI will now assist in measures of national security and warfare, reinforcing Big Tech’s entrenchment in our government. In fact, “in April, Microsoft, which supplies cloud infrastructure to OpenAI, said the U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency has authorized the use of the Azure OpenAI service with secret classified information.”

We applaud the Vermont General Assembly for working to protect young people from online harms, and we’re thrilled to see the Governor sign the Vermont Age-Appropriate Design Code into law. We thank Rep. Monique Priestley and the bill’s sponsors for their tireless leadership, work, and partnership in making this bill become law. We are proud of the young Vermonters who told their stories and took on Big Tech, most especially Kaitlynn Cherry and Jonathan Pickarski, who led the way for young Vermonters across the state, testifying and rallying, to help this bill become law. This victory is especially meaningful because just last year, this very bill was vetoed by the Governor. Today’s signature reflects the growing momentum and undeniable power of young people and families demanding safer, healthier online spaces. This is the kind of leadership that brings technology into the future in a sustainable way, supporting the well-being and livelihoods of young people for generations to come. We are proud and excited to see Vermont stand up for our future. Design It For Us advocates met with lawmakers, hosted a rally, and testified before the Vermont General Assembly to support the unanimous and bipartisan passage of the Vermont AADC.