Ashley Johnson

The Canadian House of Commons held a hearing this week to discuss C-18, a bill that would force online news aggregators like Google and Facebook to pay news publishers for displaying their stories. This is a flawed approach on a number of fronts.

Policymakers could improve content moderation on social media by building international consensus on content moderation guidelines, providing more resources to address state-sponsored disinformation, and increasing transparency in content moderation decisions.

The Supreme Court’s decision on Gonzalez v. Google LLC could change the way the Internet functions, potentially leaving both social media companies and users worse off.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Texas’ social media law on September 16, 2022, with consequences for companies and Internet users across the country.

Not only is FTC’s rulemaking announcement an unnecessary distraction from legislative efforts, but it is a questionable power grab overstretching its statutory authority that will ultimately come at the expense of consumers.

Data privacy regulations impose significant costs on businesses and the economy. Effective, targeted federal legislation would address actual privacy harms while reducing costs that hinder productivity and innovation.

In order to remain a world leader in information technology and mitigate any potential risks associated with emerging technologies, the U.S. government should scale up its investment in quantum computing applications, particularly near-term applications.

Congress’ top priority as it seeks to pass comprehensive data privacy legislation should be striking the right balance between protecting consumer privacy without overly complicating compliance or restricting productivity and innovation.

A federal appeals court ruled on May 11, 2022, that Texas can enforce its recently enacted social media law, which prohibits social media platforms with over 50 million monthly active users in the United States from “censoring” users.

ITIF supports SEC’s efforts to ensure publicly traded companies disclose relevant information on their cybersecurity practices and material cybersecurity incidents, which would enable investors to make more informed decisions, in line with existing SEC disclosure requirements. This type of transparency will not only help investors make more informed decisions, but it should also incentivize companies to adopt cybersecurity best practices.

Blaming social media for weakening democracy globally also seems to be an incomplete portrayal that ignores many other factors at play.

It is a mistake to think that the Internet needs to be governed by one set of laws. Just as nations have different laws in the offline world, they should have different laws in the online world depending on their values, institutions, and legal traditions.

Join ITIF in-person for a discussion about what emerging technologies are on the horizon for law enforcement and how police departments can get the most out of these technologies while addressing some of the legitimate concerns.

View ITIF's panel discussion on whether and how the FTC or Congress should update COPPA to protect children’s privacy while increasing the quality and quantity of online services for children.

ITIF hosted a discussion on how Congress and social media platforms can balance free speech and harm reduction in the regulation and moderation of political speech online.

ITIF hosted an expert panel discussion on federal government web accessibility and policy proposals for agencies to improve their compliance.

ITIF hosted a discussion of these issues with leading experts on intermediary liability, free speech, and content moderation to discuss the current debate surrounding Section 230 and how the debate may unfold in the coming year.

ITIF hosted a video webinar to discuss the cybersecurity risks facing workers, students, and organizations during the pandemic and how policymakers can help them become more resilient and better prepared to face future challenges.