April Digital Matters

This month’s Digital Matters—our monthly round-up of news, research, events, and notable uses of tech—makes the economic case for investment in digital public infrastructure, for both the private and public sector. In addition to helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), DPI can also supercharge economic growth in a way that is inclusive of all members of society, including women and girls and those left out of digital transformation efforts. However, achieving such ends will require policymakers to design DPI intentionally, going the extra mile to ensure everyone benefits and that digital solutions are governed in the public interest. As debate continues at the international level on what DPI could and should look like, there is still an opportunity to make sure vulnerable populations are not further left behind.

We also dive into some of the big headlines from the past month surrounding social media. From Meta’s decision to stem the flow of political content on Threads and Instagram, to a possible nationwide ban of TikTok emanating from Congress, many have rightly raised concerns about the potential impacts of these policies on free speech and public discourse. Increasingly troubling, as we were publishing this piece, Meta announced plans to scale down the staff working on their Oversight Board. As we’ve argued before, a free and open information environment is one of the cornerstones of democracy, and this takes active and engaged oversight. Any measures that would limit individuals’ access to information (and take away their agency to choose whether or not to consume such information) may be deeply harmful to public discourse, and even put our democratic institutions at risk. Let’s get into it.

How do we build a better internet?

In addition to (often wayward) industry-driven efforts to promote better user experiences, governmental attempts to mitigate some of the most damaging effects of digital technologies are also heating up. From protecting children online to exploring responsible AI measures, many of these regulatory efforts aim to increase transparency, and ultimately return agency to end users.

Yet debate continues about the best way to do this, with some efforts already missing the mark. Users should always be the drivers of tech regulation: building good governance requires policy makers to work hand-in-hand with the populations and communities they aim to protect in order to forge sustainable and inclusive regulatory systems.

Keys to a Healthier Digital Future: Interoperability, Open Protocols, and Tech Governance, by The Ford Foundation, Microsoft, and the Digital Impact and Governance Initiative at New America (Apr 30, 2024)

This research brief summarizes the findings of a cross-sector working group seeking the conditions for better, healthier, more secure digital ecosystems in the public interest to guide the next generation of open protocols and platforms. Participants examined how to redefine the building blocks of digital ecosystems that not only foster innovation and economic progress but also prioritize human rights and systemic stability. The collaborative explored whether enhanced interoperability, underpinned by better standards and protocols, and multistakeholder governance models could help realize an ecosystem where digital identities, data privacy, and secure communications are not just ideals but actual standards that respect user rights and promote inclusivity. The recommendations are a call to action for a cooperative cross-sector approach to develop a digital framework that empowers rather than excludes, and promotes innovation in ways that are open and secure.

Consumers will finally see FCC-mandated ‘nutrition labels’ for most broadband plans, by Amrita Khalid, The Verge (Apr 10, 2024)

After more than eight years of effort by the Federal Communications Commission, broadband companies will now be required to display the costs, fees, and speeds of all their plans to customers. By mandating a publicly-available “nutrition label” for internet services, policy makers aim to bring an end to the sometimes opaque tactics employed by broadband companies, which often charge hidden fees and make it difficult for customers to comparison shop. As New America has long argued, nutrition labels empower end-users and may even help to close the digital divide: “This kind of transparency also makes a real difference to the many Americans for whom affordability remains a critical barrier to broadband access,” said New America’s Chhaya Kapadia. “Having a clear picture of your expenses is an important part of how low-income households can maintain consistent connectivity.”

Spurred by Teen Girls, States Move to Ban Deepfake Nudes, by Natasha Singer, The New York Times (Apr 22, 2024)

States across the U.S. have begun taking action on a pervasive problem affecting many women, spanning from politicians to public figures to high school students: AI-generated sexually explicit images, or “deepfake nudes.” More than two dozen U.S. states either already have bills on the books or are in the process of passing legislation to curb the sharing of images involving minors, with some of the bills giving victims and parents the right to sue perpetrators. While this is a step in the right direction, there is more that AI developers themselves, which enable this abuse, can do to tackle the root of the problem. While debate continues surrounding the responsibility AI developers have to ensure their platforms are being used responsibly, holding AI companies accountable for illegal uses of their products can set a strong example for the tech industry writ large.

Upcoming Event: Can Age Verification Help Kids Stay Safe Online? New America (May 1, 2024)

Next month, New America’s Open Technology Institute will host a conversation about the safety of youth online. As evidence of the negative effects of social media on children’s mental health and physical safety mounts, many are calling for a renewed effort to verify the ages of social media users. Yet mandating age verification may do more harm than good, posing risks to the constitutional rights, privacy, and security of all users. The virtual event will unpack the age verification debate in a panel featuring David Sullivan of the Digital Trust & Safety Partnership, Danah Boyd of Microsoft Research and Georgetown University, Ashley Johnson of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and New America’s Prem M. Trivedi. RSVP to attend online here.

How does investment in DPI benefit countries economically?

As countries around the world begin prioritizing and investing in digital transformations, the role of DPI is an oft-discussed theme. While DPI’s ability to accelerate economic development is already well-documented, its value for promoting inclusive growth should also be emphasized in policy conversations. The power DPI holds to lift up marginalized populations, such as women and girls, raise communities out of poverty, and close the digital divide are why many see DPI as a global tool for inclusivity (when harnessed securely and safely). However, to ensure these benefits are realized across societies, policies must be designed with end users in front-of-mind.

How Companies Can Help Realize The Benefits Of Digital Public Infrastructure, by Shashi Raghunandan, Forbes (Apr 4, 2024)

The digitalization of government services can generate massive economic gains, as Shashi Raghunandan writes in Forbes this month. Yet the costs of implementing digital migrations, training and upskilling government workers, and earning the public’s support can mean that efforts to digitize government fall well short of their full potential. The advent of DPI can change all that, argues Raghunandan: “[DPI] is a critical enabler of digital transformation and is helping to improve public service delivery at scale.” To enhance the potential of DPI, governments and private businesses must work together to expand public-private partnerships and make long-term capital investments in DPI in order to build a “network of public and private sector partners who can implement, innovate and develop complementing technologies.”

Event: Digital Public Infrastructure: A Tool for Gender Equality? Access Now (Mar 21, 2024)

As countries across the world begin to bring public services online, women and girls are at risk of being left out, argued a panel last month hosted by Access Now. Ensuring marginalized populations have access to public goods, such as repositories of knowledge and an accessible Internet, are key to achieving gender equality goals. “Information is power and we think it is impossible to build more equitable and just communities and an equitable and just world if the facts about large swaths of people’s histories are not even known,” said Wikimedia Foundation’s Costanza Sciubba Caniglia, who moderated the panel. As all panelists warned, the stakes are high: implementing DPI that leaves out vulnerable populations risks amplifying existing inequities and limiting these groups’ participation in civic life.

What should digital public infrastructure look like? The G7 and G20 offer contrasting visions, by Anand Raghuraman, Atlantic Council (Apr 18, 2024)

In March, the G7 released its latest Industry, Technology, and Digital Ministerial Declaration, which offers an approach to DPI some have found at odds with the G20-endorsed framework for the design, development, and deployment of DPI released last summer. As the Atlantic Council’s Anand Raghuraman notes, areas of contention between the G7 and G20’s views on DPI include the purpose and scope of DPI initiatives, whether emphasis should be on the provision of government or private services, the importance of building a competitive digital ecosystem, and what design principles should be prioritized. Yet the two approaches are not irreconcilable, Raghuraman argues: “G7 perspectives on corporate governance, privacy, market disciplines, and regulatory best practices will strengthen discussions and outcomes, just as the G20’s and the Global South’s focus on inclusion, competition, and openness help ground the conversation in public interest concerns. The push and pull of the different visions for DPI could yield a better outcome for all.”

What happens when politics and technology intersect?

From Instagram to TikTok, social media made a lot of headlines this month. Much of the debate among users of social media platforms revolved around the role these apps should play in our political lives. Meanwhile, members of Congress raised concerns over data privacy and the role of foreign governments in the tech space. These debates and concerns will only become more pronounced as the election cycle heats up in the U.S., as foreshadowed by the national election in India, which began this month. The intersection of politics, democracy, and technology is likely to be a recurring theme in 2024, given the high-stakes nature of many of the democratic contests happening all around the world this year.

Content creators ask Meta to reverse politics limits on Instagram, Threads, by Taylor Lorenz, Washington Post (Apr 10, 2024)

In February, Meta (which owns Threads and Instagram) announced it would no longer recommend “political content” to users from accounts those users don’t already follow. The decision caused a near-immediate wave of backlash as content creators and activists alike argued the change disproportionately affects “users who post about social issues, including LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, racial inequality and disability.” Many have already seen their accounts’ reach plummet, reports Taylor Lorenz in the Washington Post. Further, as Leanna Garfield with GLAAD argued in a recent op-ed pushing back on the change, Meta’s decision to automatically opt users out of viewing political content – rather than giving users the choice to opt-in to – means many may be unaware a change has occurred, an outcome that will directly impact public discourse.

President Biden Signs Bill That Could Ban TikTok, by Vittoria Elliott and Makena Kelly, Wired (Apr 20, 2024)

Meanwhile, members of Congress are waging war against another popular social media platform: TikTok. After a years-long legislative battle, a bill passed by Congress and signed by President Biden this month officially gives TikTok a year to divest from Bytedance, its Chinese owner, report Vittoria Elliott and Makena Kelly in Wired. If TikTok does not comply, it may face a complete nationwide ban. Underpinning the legislation are concerns over American data, which the bill’s sponsors worry could end up in the hands of the Chinese government. Yet pervasive data collection is not a problem that starts and ends with TikTok: every social media platform today (including American-owned ones) collects and sells a staggering amount of its users’ personal and private information. A ban on TikTok misses the point of the real problem: the need for comprehensive federal data privacy legislation to protect Americans’ data on all apps – not just TikTok.

Compromised Information Environment Casts Doubt on the Fairness of India's Elections, by Manasa Narayanan, Tech Policy Press (Apr 18, 2024)

This month, the first stages of the world’s largest election began in India. Yet as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has grown progressively more hostile to political opposition, the ruling party has increasingly turned to digital tools to control the conversation on social media and on WhatsApp, a popular means of sharing news in India. As Manasa Narayanan asks in a piece published in Tech Policy Press this month, “with the country’s information landscape having become a casualty in recent years, is there really a level playing field when it comes to election campaigning and messaging?” Narayanan also argues a general rise of misinformation online raises concerns about voters’ ability to access reliable information about political candidates and make informed voting decisions. In the world’s largest election year, India will be a key test case for how democracy, elections, and technology mix.

Please consider sharing this post. If you have ideas or links you think we should know about, you can reach us at DIGI@newamerica.org or @DIGI_NewAmerica.