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bipartisan Senate The proposal, presented on Thursday, will require social media platforms to give researchers access to internal data to give the public a behind-the-scenes look at how leading tech platforms are doing business.
The Platform Accountability and Transparency Act will create an office within the Federal Trade Commission with the power to require disclosure of certain information to researchers and the general public, according to senators.
Senator Rob Portman, one of the Ohio Republicans involved in the effort, previously said: Congress When taking action against social media platforms, legislators need to see data “to make sure we don’t make laws in the dark”.
“I have a number of concerns about Big Tech – from facilitating the sex trade to burying content about the origins of COVID-19 – and want to make sure there is any response. Congress This is effective in alleviating concerns,” he said.
It’s not entirely clear what data lawmakers want to be handed over by tech companies. The draft proposal said: National Science Foundation will play a role in choosing which researchers and which information technology companies will have to deliver. The bill requires that the data requested be “suitable for the platform to provide”, commensurate with the needs of qualified researchers, and not create an “undue burden” on a particular platform.
The bill’s authors said the information provided by companies could provide things like engagement and an extensive ad library with information about the people the ads are targeting.
Researchers receiving the data will be “university-affiliated” and will work on a proposal that has received NSF approval. The FTC will set cybersecurity and privacy standards for researchers to follow.
“This law will increase transparency and help us hold these companies accountable and understand the information they have about users and what they do with it,” said Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar and one of the bill’s authors. “Time to act – we can’t stand by as social media platforms continue to take precedence over security. Americans deserve to have the facts.”
NS Senate started to focus on the algorithms of technology platforms, that is, the formulas that determine what content will be presented to people who use their products.
Ms. Klobuchar attended a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on Thursday on “dangerous algorithms” that focused primarily on how people’s digital experiences are shaped by companies.
“Algorithms touch every aspect of our lives and are typically not very nice, and what we do know is that Americans are becoming more and more dependent on platforms, especially young people,” said Ms. Klobuchar. “They take up a significant portion of their day, and part of that is because of how they’re targeted.”
while Senate Focusing on companies’ algorithms, a House Energy and Commerce Committee panel considered a wide array of proposals, some of which were related to how companies presented options to users through their algorithms.
Washington Republican Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers said the committee’s focus was missing.
“Despite our interest in continuing our work from the end Congress In a bipartisan secrecy framework, we haven’t even had a hearing, let alone a flag,” said Ms. Rodgers. “And Americans are desperate for a privacy and data security bill.”
Whether any of the competing proposals, which include tech companies’ algorithms and various related disclosure requirements, are gaining momentum in both rooms. Congress remains to be determined.
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