Tech Policy
The Joint Center’s tech policy program analyzes how data privacy, AI, and other tech policy issues affect Black communities. See below for research, analysis, and activities related to tech policy.
Joint Center Testifies to Congress on Misinformation in the 2020 Election
On October 6, Joint Center President Spencer Overton provided expert testimony at a congressional hearing entitled “Voting Rights And Election Administration: Combatting Misinformation In The 2020 Election.” In his opening statement, Spencer explained that online disinformation is not simply dividing our nation. Foreign and domestic actors are using lies to specifically target and suppress Black…
Joint Center Signs Letter Urging Policymakers to Oppose the Online Content Policy Modernization Act
The Joint Center signed a letter, addressed to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), urging them to oppose S.4632, the “Online Content Policy Modernization Act.” As stated in the letter, the bill would “deter platforms from fact checking misleading information about voting and would interfere with social media…
Joint Center to FCC: Don’t Facilitate Online Disinformation & Discrimination
Yesterday, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies submitted its analysis opposing the Trump Administration’s attempt to prod the Federal Communications Commission to adopt rules that would discourage platforms like Twitter and Facebook from removing objectionable material—like disinformation that suppresses Black votes or facilitates housing or employment discrimination. In May—just two days after Twitter flagged a…
Joint Center President Answers Additional Questions from Members of Congress on Disinformation and Section 230
Joint Center President Spencer Overton provided additional written responses to questions from Members of Congress after his testimony at the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology and the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce of the Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing entitled, “A Country in Crisis: How Disinformation Online Is Dividing the Nation.” In his…
Questions on Market Power & Discrimination for Tech CEOs Testifying Before Congress
On July 29, the CEOs of four major tech companies—Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Apple’s Tim Cook, Google/Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai, and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg—will testify before the U.S. House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee to discuss the market power of online platforms. Of the subcommittee’s 13 Members, four belong to the Congressional Black Caucus (including subcommittee Vice Chair Joe…
The Joint Center Releases Joint Statement with Several Civil Rights Organizations on Facebook’s Civil Rights Audit
On July 8, the Joint Center released a joint statement with The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and several other civil rights groups on Facebook’s civil rights audit: “This audit has laid bare what we already know — Facebook is a platform plagued by civil rights shortcomings. Facebook has an enormous impact on our…
The Joint Center Releases Joint Statement with Several Civil Rights Organizations on Facebook’s Latest Policy Announcement on Hate Speech and Voter Disinformation
On June 29, the Joint Center released a joint statement with The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and several other civil rights groups on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s latest policy announcement on hate speech and voter disinformation: “While we welcome any progress in Facebook’s policies, today’s announcement continues the company’s practice of taking incremental steps…
Joint Center President Testifies at Joint Congressional Hearing on Disinformation Online and Section 230
On June 24, Joint Center President Spencer Overton provided expert testimony at a joint congressional hearing entitled “A Country in Crisis: How Disinformation Online is Dividing the Nation.” During the congressional hearing, Spencer explained that both domestic and foreign actors use disinformation to divide Americans along racial lines, and mentioned a recent Gallup/Knight Foundation survey…
Joint Center President Analyzes Key Issues Regarding Section 230 and the 2020 Election
Joint Center President Spencer Overton provided analysis on key issues regarding Section 230 and the 2020 election at the Knight Foundation and Gallup’s webinar to share new findings in their report, American Views: Trust, Media and Democracy. See his opening remarks below: First, policymakers and industry stakeholders need to understand Americans have strong feelings on…
Joint Center President Joins Knight Foundation Panel on Free Expression and Misinformation Online
On June 17, Joint Center President Spencer Overton joined the Knight Foundation’s panel, “Free expression v. misinformation online: who decides?” Read Spencer’s opening remarks here. Other panelists included University of Oklahoma College of Law Professor Evelyn Aswad, New York University’s Stern Center for Business and Human Rights Deputy Director Paul Barrett, Stanford Cyber Policy Center…