Artificial intelligence–produced video and audio can make it impossible to separate fact from fiction when deciding how to vote. Next year will bring the first presidential election of the AI deepfake era, and policymakers must be prepared to protect the democratic process from the dangers of these new technologies. A new resource in our AI and Democracy series details the urgent questions decision-makers should keep in mind when crafting regulations for deepfakes in the political arena. Crucially, new rules should take care not to unduly burden free expression while still mitigating the harms of manipulated media.

This week, the Brennan Center and the American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission urging it to find out if social media platforms Meta and X are adequately protecting people’s privacy. Despite the companies’ pledges, evidence suggests that they may be granting third-party businesses special access to users’ online data and enabling government surveillance. The public deserves to know whether Meta and X’s anti-surveillance commitments are nothing more than empty promises.

Amid growing momentum for changing the American approach to incarceration, groundbreaking reform projects aim to improve life behind bars. The Justice Department is supporting these efforts, with plans to award millions of dollars to initiatives that address inhumane conditions in prisons and jails. The potential solutions they offer stand to ensure that people behind bars are treated with dignity and will ultimately be better neighbors when they are released.

A new Brennan Center report found that people of color are heavily underrepresented in Georgia’s local government, with Asian, Black, and Latino Georgians making up about half the state’s population but holding less than 30 percent of school board and county commission seats. Strong legal protections are needed to close the gap between communities of color and their share of local power. All Georgians deserve fair representation at every level of government.

For decades, Congress has struggled to effectively tackle key science and technology issues, including the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change. A lack of access to high-quality information and nonpartisan expertise in these areas is to blame. Congress must take action to improve its policymaking abilities and confront today’s most pressing science and tech policy challenges.