Notices by CenDemTech (cendemtech@techpolicy.social)

“A 2022 report by the @CenDemTech investigating the 2020 US Congressional elections found women of colour were twice as likely as other candidates to be the subject of #misinformation and #disinformation.” https://hyphenonline.com/2024/10/24/racist-disinformation-threatens-us-democracy/ cc: Hyphen’s Mariam Amini

“The study, which drew on a large sample of posts from X, also found that women of colour were five times more likely than all other candidates to face negative online posts specifically relating to their race or gender.” Read the full report: https://cdt.org/insights/an-unrepresentative-democracy-how-disinformation-and-online-abuse-hinder-women-of-color-political-candidates-in-the-united-states/

.@CenDemTech, the Ford Institute for Human Security at the University of Pittsburgh, and the Politus Project at Koç University new report on #OnlineGBV – “Hated More” – summarized in Tech Policy Press: “Our results suggest that overall there is a gender gap in the proportion of posts containing offensive speech and hate speech targeting candidates.” https://www.techpolicy.press/2024-us-election-women-of-color-political-candidates-are-targeted-with-more-offensive-speech-and-hate-speech-than-other-candidates/

Online advertising, a multi-billion-dollar industry, often relies on intrusive, opaque surveillance that many can’t escape if they want to engage in the digital world. This leads to concerns about discrimination, distressing messages, and ad tech’s growing concentration.

CDT’s Online Advertising Project works w/ diverse stakeholders to address issues, analyze new proposals, & advocate for a more transparent, accountable system that respects human rights & supports democracy & legitimate commercial activities. https://cdt.org/online-advertising/

ICYMI: CDT’s Tim Harper's latest report, entitled “Election Integrity Recommendations for Generative AI Developers,” addresses the risks generative #AI poses to elections & highlights approaches to tackle deceptive AI-generated content at the source.
https://cdt.org/insights/brief-election-integrity-recommendations-for-generative-ai-developers/

@CenDemTech’s Kristin Woelfel in Daily Progress discussing the implications of web filtering technology’s use in K-12 schools and the #censorship concerns it raises.

“In @CenDemTech’s survey, nearly three-quarters of students said web filters make it hard to complete assignments. Even accounting for youthful exaggeration, 57 percent of teachers said the same was true for their students.” https://dailyprogress.com/news/state-regional/crime-courts/hanover-aclu-virginia-transgender-athlete-school-tennis-athletics-sports/article_28f0ca78-3f69-5aee-a7bb-5996f9ce93fe.html

“[Woelfel] said she and her colleagues started to think of the web filters as a ‘digital book ban,’ an act of censorship that's as troubling as a physical book ban but far less visible.” https://dailyprogress.com/news/state-regional/crime-courts/hanover-aclu-virginia-transgender-athlete-school-tennis-athletics-sports/article_28f0ca78-3f69-5aee-a7bb-5996f9ce93fe.html

MUST READ: @CenDemTech’s Becca Branum and Tim Harper pen a new blog about recent Senate efforts to address #AI in elections. Key highlights below: https://cdt.org/insights/senate-rules-committee-advances-bills-to-address-harmful-ai-in-elections/

The Preparing Election Administrators for AI Act, w/ broad bipartisan support, mandates guidelines on AI use in elections. While helpful, its effectiveness is limited by election proximity. The bill's focus on #GenAI & collab w/ CISA and NIST could enhance its impact.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Rules & Administration advanced three bills on AI in elections: the Preparing Election Administrators for AI Act, the #AI Transparency in Elections Act, and the Protect Elections from Deceptive AI Act. Each has unique strengths and challenges.

The #AI Transparency in Elections Act requires AI-generated political ads to be labeled. However, its enforcement period ends on Election Day, ignoring post-election vulnerabilities. Explicit exceptions for parody & clarity on permanent labeling could improve the Act.

🚨 BREAKING: The House passed a two-year extension of #Section702 of #FISA, a controversial warrantless spying authority –– but in an extremely narrow tie vote, rejected critical reforms to stop rampant abuse of the law that has been well documented. https://cdt.org/press/u-s-house-vote-narrowly-allows-rampant-abuses-of-warrantless-spying-authority-to-continue/

🚨@CenDemTech appreciates the efforts made by Sen Blumenthal and other co-sponsors to make changes to #KOSA. Overall, the changes improve the bill — but many of our concerns related to overcensorship of content valuable to young people still remain.

The revised #KOSA will still incentivize online services to limit recommending content that government actors might claim harm youth mental health, potentially including speech about repro rights, racial justice, and LGBTQ+ issues that can be critically important to many young people.

One-size-fits-all approach to online safety won’t keep kids safe. Underlying #KOSA is a belief that there’s consensus re: type of content/design features causing harm to young people. Applying that reasoning limits teens from exercising agency/accessing communities benefiting them