@kateruane.bsky.social, director of the Free Expression Project at the nonpartisan Center for Democracy and Technology, argued that blocking access raises First Amendment issues.

CDT’s @mluria.bsky.social in Internet Exchange: “The truth is that misleading research is worse than no research at all: a gap in research is easily identifiable, but research that is riddled with malpractice is extremely difficult to identify and point out.”

After months of deliberation, and advocacy from CDT + other orgs, the Massachusetts Senate today unanimously passed S. 2608, a strong comprehensive privacy bill. This bill includes a meaningful data minimization standard, civil rights protections, and a ban on the sale of sensitive data.

CDT’s Greg Nojeim in @404media.co: “The claim that these extreme initiatives [govt access to surveillance technology from private companies] were somehow authorized by voters are demonstrably false.”

🚨 New report: Authored by CDT’s Hannah Quay-de la Vallee & Benefits Tech Advocacy Hub’s @kevindeliban.bsky.social, “Rethinking the Loop: Encircling Public Benefits AI with Human Oversight” examines how AI in public benefits systems can cause harm and why human oversight is critical.

Sens. @cantwell.senate.gov, @schumer.senate.gov & @markey.senate.gov introduced the MIND Act, which directs the FTC to examine how “neural data”—signals from brain activity that can reveal thoughts, emotions, & decision-making patterns—should be protected.

⏳ 1 month to go! #TechPromCDT is almost here—an evening to celebrate: 🎤 CDT CEO Alexandra Reeve Givens 🍷 Signature cocktails & local flavors 🎨 Exclusive AI + art exhibit 💛 Moments that matter 📍 The LINE DC | Oct 23, 6–10 PM Tickets are going fast—don’t miss out! cdt.org/event/2025-t...

“@mbogen.bsky.social, who studies automated decision-making at the Center for Democracy and Technology, sees this as part of a broader pattern where convenience comes at the cost of privacy and control.”

TOMORROW: CDT will participate in the 4th Annual Trust & Safety Research Conference at Stanford University, bringing together researchers and practitioners from academia, industry, civil society, and government to advance the field of trust & safety. Learn more: cdt.org/event/the-4t...

📢 New Tech Talk episode: Online age verification is gaining momentum as lawmakers push new requirements in the US & abroad. But these policies raise big questions for everyone—privacy, security, and free expression are on the line. 🎧 Listen here: cdt.org/insights/tec...

Earlier this month, CDT joined the @aclu.org in a Supreme Court amicus brief in Cox v. Sony, a copyright case with major free expression and internet access stakes. Read the full brief here: cdt.org/insights/cdt...

#mEnabling25 Session: Incorporating Privacy into Design of Assistive Technologies for Persons with Disabilities The @cdt.org, @aapd.com & Northwestern University discuss how privacy-design safeguards sensitive disability, health & location data while driving innovation. https://shorturl.at/ntrXB

CDT’s @mbogen.bsky.social in @axios.com: “One of the biggest challenges is that [AI] risk appetites are so large.”

Recent headlines about Jimmy Kimmel Live! being pulled after FCC pressure show why we should talk about gov’t influence over speech. Join #FOSO2025 (Oct 28–29) as experts unpack “jawboning” & new legal protections for free expression. cdt.org/event/the-fu...#FOSO2025

🎮 How can we mainstream trust & safety in online games? Join the Center for Democracy & Technology, NYU Stern Center, and AU’s @csint-au.bsky.social on Sept 29 (in DC & virtual) for expert panels on building safer, more inclusive gaming spaces. 📍 NYU DC | 9am–1pm ET cdt.org/event/mainst...

“The [Woke AI] order has been criticized by groups like the Center For Democracy & Technology, which said the order runs counter to best practices on procurement and the administration's prior acquisition directives.”

CDT has joined a coalition of civil society orgs including Consumer Reports, Mozilla, & others in calling for California Governor Gavin Newsom to sign the California Opt Me Out Act into law. cdt.org/insights/cdt...

Please join us (September 29) for Mainstreaming Trust and Safety in Online Games. Organized by @cdt.org, NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, and @csint-au.bsky.social Register for the livestream here: www.eventbrite.com/e/mainstream... #gaming #trustandsafety

CDT’s @travisrh.bsky.social in Governing: “Unfortunately, a major hurdle for the passage of the Sunshine Act was trying to grapple with the responsibility and the liability between the people who developed the tools and the people who use the tools.”

Really looking forward to attending the Trust and Safety Research Conference next week. I will be presenting research we did at @cdt.org on how content moderation (including the use of large language models) work in low-resource languages in the Majority World. #TSRConf #contentmoderation #LLMs

"[CDT's Eric Null] said the current rapid growth of the U.S. #AI sector appears to suggest ‘that current federal regulations are not meaningfully hindering the development of AI products’ in the first place.”

Missed it live? Watch CDT Fellow @isabelalinzer.bsky.social’s talk at Haverford College on how AI “scandal” videos, influencer campaigns, and other emerging tools are reshaping politics, media, and human rights — and what it means for democracy. 📺 Watch here: vimeo.com/1119173867...

“The signatories of the open letter [condemning Russia's blocking of encrypted apps and VPNs] published on September 16, 2025, also contest the forced pre-installation of unencrypted alternatives on Russian devices.”

Earlier this week, CDT joined civil society orgs, companies, & cybersecurity experts, including members of the @globalencryption.org, to urge the Canadian government to withdraw Bill C-2, the so-called Strong Borders Act.

APPLY: Applications for CDT's 2026 cohort of Fellows are now open. Our Fellows program is an opportunity for academics to engage directly with + inform our policy work. Our Fellows represent a wide range of academic fields & disciplines: cdt.org/about/fellows/

Tamil speakers face a double bind online: too much moderation of their speech & too little protection from harassment. In @thehindu.com, CDT’s @aliyabhatia.bsky.social + @thakurdhanaraj.bsky.social explore why moderation in Tamil is broken — & what platforms can do to fix it. www.thehindu.com/opi...

CDT’s Tom Bowman examines the growing clash between state laws in the post-Dobbs era—where telemedicine, reproductive privacy, and surveillance collide. As shield laws face legal challenges, the future of abortion access may rest with the courts.

CDT’s George Slover discusses bespoke pricing – a rising trend of prices being custom-tailored by the seller to fit each particular customer, which has the potential to “be weaponized against vulnerable consumers without their awareness, let alone their consent.”

CDT & @thegni.bsky.social have co-led a coalition of civil society groups, companies & cybersecurity experts condemning Russia’s escalating attacks on #encryption, which violate internationally recognized rights to privacy, free expression, & access to info.

🎭 TONIGHT: CDT’s free expression expert @beccabranum.bsky.social joins as a featured speaker at Theater Alliance’s Content with Your Content? — pairing the play Drink in Moderation with a conversation on how to make digital spaces safer. 📍 DC | 7:30 PM ET 🎟 Details: cdt.org/event/social...

🚨 NEW BLOG led by CDT Intern @adinawa.bsky.social, with CDT’s Ruchika Joshi & @mluria.bsky.social, explores dark patterns in conversational AI — subtle design tricks in tools like ChatGPT, Replika & Character.AI that influence spending, attention, & data sharing:

CDT’s @arianaaboulafia.bsky.social, Project Lead for Disability Rights in Technology Policy, will moderate a panel at Technology and the Disability Experience on Sept 30, hosted by the National Organization on Disability.

How well do content moderation systems serve users outside dominant English-speaking contexts—especially those posting online or accessing services using indigenous and other widely-spoken languages? cdt.org/content-mode...

NEW REPORT: CDT’s Ruchika Joshi joined experts from across the tech policy, research, and industry communities in co-authoring a new @partnershipai.bsky.social report on AI agents and real-time failure detection.

CDT applauds the California legislature for passing AB 566, which enables Californians to easily opt-out of the sale of their data through universal opt-out mechanisms in their browsers rather than needing to navigate each website to express their preferences.

“[CDT's George Slover] has his own term for the practice of using personal information to construct prices for individuals: ‘bespoke pricing.’ He said it poses a fundamental threat to consumer welfare and free market principles.”

How do content moderation systems treat Indigenous languages online? CDT’s research report from @thakurdhanaraj.bsky.social dives into how platforms moderate Quechua, a widely spoken but low-resource Indigenous language of South America—& reveals linguistic inequities. cdt.org/insights/mod...

As lawmakers consider bills like KOSA & the Kids Off Social Media Act, it’s critical to hear directly from those most affected. Our recent brief from @mluria.bsky.social + @aliyabhatia.bsky.social centers teen & parent voices on age verification approaches ⬇️ cdt.org/insights/tee...

Tomorrow marks the 31 anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)—a critical milestone in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV). VAWA has been instrumental in protecting victims & providing essential resources, but there is more work to do.

Assistive tech can empower—but only if it protects users' privacy. When design overlooks sensitive health or disability data, disabled users pay the price. CDT’s @arianaaboulafia.bsky.social & intern Achi Mishra outline how to center privacy in inclusive innovation: cdt.org/insights/inc...

The US has leverage to stand up to the UK’s attack on encryption and the privacy it enables, write former House Judiciary Committee chairman Bob Goodlatte and CDT senior counsel Greg Nojeim. But with tweaks the CLOUD Act could provide Americans more protection, they say:

CDT’s @arianaaboulafia.bsky.social joins an amazing panel at the Disability Innovation Forum on Sept 18 (1:10–1:55pm ET): “AI and the Future of Accessible Education and Workplaces.” Register: cdt.org/event/disabi...

AI systems are rapidly shaping our world—but how can we ensure they’re safe, fair, and effective? A growing field called AI assurance is tackling this question through tools like audits, red teaming & impact assessments. More from this CDT & Ada Lovelace Institute report: cdt.org/insights/goi...

“Advocacy groups such as CDT, @protectdemocracy.org and @epic.org, have urged financial providers that support SNAP to also reject recent data access demands from the Agriculture Department, arguing that doing so violates privacy protections.”

“Nonprofit CDT which advocates for digital rights, has pointed out that misinformation can spread virally before it’s corrected. It cited one study that found that more than 70% of accurate notes related to U.S. election misinformation were never shown to users.”

🚨 New on the CDT blog: What do California’s final rules on automated decision-making tech (ADMT) mean for consumers + workers? cdt.org/insights/wha... #WorkersRights

We join the digital rights community in celebrating Cindy’s extraordinary leadership at @eff.org As our CEO @alexreevegivens.bsky.social shared, Cindy’s legacy is one of visionary advocacy for “privacy, free expression & ensuring tech serves the public good.”

👏 Congrats to CDT CEO @alexreevegivens.bsky.social and Visiting Fellow Karen Kornbluh on being named to Washingtonian's 2025 Tech Titans list! Their leadership is shaping a digital future that advances rights and innovation.

It’s not every day that UX researcher whistleblowers testify before the Senate. Yesterday, two former Meta researchers, Jason Sattizahn and Cayce Savage, shared their concerns with safety research for Meta VR products, and more broadly within Meta. So how does UX research move on from here? 🧵

Take a look at what CDT’s @mluria.bsky.social has to say about yesterday’s big Senate hearing on child safety research. 👇