Hi there –

As the holiday season unfolds, we can’t help feeling like Big Tech isn’t exactly in the spirit of giving. Instead of spreading cheer, they’re cashing in on surveillance advertising – rewarding emotive content that fuels disinformation, discrimination, and hate. Meanwhile, they’re buying up and crushing the competition, leaving small businesses and consumers behind. It’s a season for generosity, but Big Tech seems more focused on boosting profits and power than bringing joy.

What’s at the top of Accountable Tech’s holiday wish list? Real, structural reforms to counter the threat Big Tech companies pose to our democracy and our ability to receive accurate and up-to-date information. With Giving Tuesday around the corner, we’re asking for your support today. If you agree that it's high time we hold Big Tech monopolies accountable, consider making a donation today.

Winning these reforms requires a smart, adaptable strategy; we have to balance quick strategic pivots with long-term campaigns and systemic efforts aimed at challenging Big Tech’s power. We’re a small team, but with the backing of supporters like you, who know what’s at stake in how we get information online, we can make real change. Your support fuels our efforts to create a safer digital landscape for all.

Accountable Tech has already taken on Big Tech’s power – and won. And we’ve done it despite our team’s size, directly opposing well-heeled lobbyists and big money.

This year, we:

1. Passed and enacted landmark Kids Code legislation in Maryland that puts the onus on Big Tech companies to create products that are safe by design and private by default for young people. [1] Accountable Tech worked with partners including Design It For Us, Fairplay for Kids, and Tech Oversight Project to advance this bipartisan legislation through hearings and media, elevating concerned parents, young people, teachers, and medical professionals. The Maryland Kids Code went into effect in October.

2. Highlighted the harms of artificial intelligence (AI) through advocacy, education, and organizing efforts. In response to AI Insight forums held in the Senate with Big Tech CEOs, Accountable Tech brought together a wide array of civil society organizations and academics to make clear what AI policy designed in the public interest looks like, earning the attention of the media and pushing the debate around AI policy to address our priorities. Centering the way AI is affecting our communities today, Accountable Tech elevated the stories of AI’s harms to workers, climate, and creatives.

3. Called out Big Tech companies for failing to protect democracy. In March, we published a scorecard showing how major social media platforms are failing on basic election preparedness policies. [2] We organized a letter with over 100 creators including activists, journalists, and meme admins, urging Meta to reverse its restrictions on “political content” on Threads and Instagram. Additionally, our groundbreaking research found how Meta was deprioritizing “political content” ahead of the election including basic educational content on voting, elections, and issues that matter to millions of Americans. [3] We launched our No Deepfakes for Democracy campaign to call on major social media companies to stop the spread of these harmful political deepfakes that threaten trust in our elections and democracy. Our efforts are helping expose how Big Tech manipulates platforms to undermine democracy and mislead the public and press.

4. Advocated for and secured greater privacy for users from Big Tech companies including Google and Meta. After our research found that Google was continuing to collect and retain sensitive location data for trips to abortion clinics, Google announced they would store Location History data only locally on devices, and no longer retain data for users in their existing Location History datastore. [4] Similarly, after our research found that Meta had not fulfilled their commitment to encrypt Facebook Messenger by default, we’ve seen progress by the company to encrypt all messages on this platform. [5] We’ll continue monitoring and calling out Big Tech companies for failing to meet their privacy commitments to protect all Americans, especially those seeking or assisting with reproductive health care.

With so much at stake next year, we know that this work is an uphill battle. To ensure we can continue to push back even harder against Big Tech’s power, please consider donating today.

All the best,

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