Center for Democracy & Technology
Recent News About Center for Democracy & Technology
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On October 1, CDT Europe, in collaboration with over 40 civil society organizations, co-hosted the Tech and Society Summit in Brussels. The event served as a platform for nonprofit organizations to address issues such as digital rights, climate action, corporate accountability, and social justice. It facilitated dialogue between lawmakers and civil society groups.
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Developers and regulators have long focused on the significant risks of artificial intelligence (AI), such as those that can result in life-altering consequences. However, less attention has been paid to more everyday scenarios where AI can cause harm. For example, errors in AI transcription systems may complicate insurance reimbursements, and service chatbots might misinterpret prompts, failing to process requests correctly.
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Many language models are predominantly trained on English text, which is significantly more than texts in other languages. This imbalance has tangible effects on racialized and marginalized communities. "For example, they have resulted in inaccurate medical advice in Hindi, led to wrongful arrest because of mistranslations in Arabic, and have been accused of fueling ethnic cleansing in Ethiopia due to poor moderation of speech that incites violence."
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Warrantless surveillance under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) captures the private communications of many Americans, but the total number affected remains unrecorded. For more than ten years, members of Congress and civil society organizations have urged the Intelligence Community to release an estimate of how many Americans are impacted by this surveillance system. With FISA Section 702 set to expire in 2026, obtaining more information on its effects is crucial. This has led CDT and over 20 other civil society groups to send a letter to the...
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CDT Europe, in collaboration with eleven other organizations from the Spyware Coordination Group, has expressed significant concerns to the European Parliament about spyware technologies in Slovakia and Greece.
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The Centre for Democracy and Technology Europe (CDT Europe) has engaged with the French national data protection authority, Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL), regarding the General Data Protection Regulation's (GDPR) application to artificial intelligence systems. This engagement is part of CNIL's consultation process.
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On Monday, the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) joined an amicus brief led by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). The brief is in support of a petition for rehearing en banc in the case of Anderson v. TikTok. Other organizations involved include the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), Public Knowledge, Reason Foundation, and Wikimedia Foundation.
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The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) has announced the addition of Dr. Lorrie Cranor to its Board of Directors. Dr. Cranor is recognized for her expertise in privacy, security, and public policy and is currently part of the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University.
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The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) has responded to the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) request for comments on the latest draft of the Digital Identity Guidelines. This marks the second public draft of revision four of Special Publication 800-63.
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AI chatbots have become a significant part of daily life, with many people using them for various tasks. However, AI romantic companions, a specific type of chatbot, are not as widely recognized. These companions play a personal role for users, making data privacy practices crucial. Concerns arise because many developers lack mature privacy and security protocols, leaving sensitive user data unprotected.
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Last week, the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) hosted a symposium to discuss child safety online. The event brought together academics, researchers, digital rights advocates, and government representatives to explore how research can inform policy decisions in this area.
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The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) has urged the European Commission to uphold children's fundamental rights in the digital space. Online services are essential for young people, providing them with access to information, online communities, educational resources, and support for mental or physical health issues.
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Free expression is essential in democratic societies, but speaking truth to power can pose risks. This challenge is recognized by journalists and human rights defenders globally, and increasingly by researchers in academia and civil society.
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The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) and the University of Pittsburgh have released a report titled "Hated More: Online Violence Targeting Women of Color Candidates in the 2024 US Election." This research examines the nature of online offensive and hate speech directed at candidates running for Congress, with a focus on women of color.
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The Centre for Democracy & Technology Europe (CDT Europe) has released its latest Tech Policy Brief, addressing significant technology and internet policy issues currently debated in Europe. The brief includes perspectives on digital rights and highlights the involvement of CDT Europe’s team based in Brussels.
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The Center for Digital Technology (CDT) has released a report titled "Moderating Maghrebi Arabic Content on Social Media," highlighting the challenges and implications of moderating content in Maghrebi Arabic dialects in North Africa. The report is part of a CDT series investigating biases and disparities in content moderation within the Global South.
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In the June 2024 Trump-Biden debate, a notable adherence to rules and procedures was observed. Unlike their 2019 debate, where interruptions were frequent, the candidates this time waited their turn to speak. This change was attributed not to a shift in political culture but to an audio adjustment: microphones were only functional during designated speaking periods.
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This week marked the 30th anniversary of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the international standards body for the web. The W3C's birthday is on October 1, and a celebration event was held in California on September 24 during the annual technical plenary week of meetings. Many participants joined both in person and online.
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The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) has released a report titled "In Deep Trouble: Surfacing Tech-Powered Sexual Harassment in K-12 Schools." The report highlights the growing issue of non-consensual intimate imagery (NCII), including deepfakes, within public K-12 schools during the 2023-2024 school year.
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In September 2022, the European Commission introduced the AI Liability Directive (AILD), a draft framework for civil liability rules allowing individuals to claim damages caused by AI systems. Discussions on this directive were paused pending the adoption of the AI Act and an impact assessment report by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS). With the release of this report, debate on the AILD has resumed.