WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) introduced the bipartisan Platform Accountability and Transparency Act (PATA), a bill that would ensure social media companies are more transparent and allow for independent research into the effects they are having on Americans.
“We know using big social media platforms can have terrible, tragic consequences, especially for our children, but there are too many unknowns about their specific impacts and how they occur,” said Senator Coons. “We cannot let Big Tech grade its own homework. That’s why I’m re-introducing the bipartisan Platform Accountability and Transparency Act, which will give the public the power to understand the effects these platforms have on ourselves and our children, our democracy and our national security.”
In January 2022, The Washington Post editorial board endorsed PATA – then in a discussion draft form – as a “step toward solving our social media woes” that would provide “safe harbor not only to participating academics but also compliant companies and [mandate] the creation of privacy and cybersecurity standards for the process.”
Background:
PATA is a multipronged bill that creates new mechanisms to increase independent research and transparency around social media companies’ effects. Under PATA, independent researchers would be able to submit proposals to the National Science Foundation, an independent agency that approves research and development proposals across the sciences. If the requests are approved, social media companies would be required to ensure the research can be conducted subject to strict privacy protections.
Additionally, the bill would require that platforms proactively make certain information available to researchers and the public on an ongoing basis, such as:
- A comprehensive ad library
- Statistics about content moderation
- Real-time data about viral content
- Descriptions of a platform’s ranking and recommendation algorithms
The proposal would also protect researchers from legal liability that may arise from automatically collecting public-facing platform information if they comply with various privacy safeguards.
This bill is endorsed by the Council for Responsible Social Media, Fairplay, Common Sense Media, Mozilla, the American Psychological Association, the Knight-Georgetown Institute, Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and the American Jewish Committee.
“Social media platforms make decisions every day that shape our democracy, our national security, and the well-being of American families,” said Dick Gephardt, former U.S. House Majority Leader (D-Mo.) and Co-Chair of the Council for Responsible Social Media. “Yet these decisions are made behind closed doors, with little visibility for the public or policymakers. The Platform Accountability and Transparency Act shines a light into that black box by empowering independent researchers, protecting their work, and requiring platforms to be transparent about how they operate. This is a commonsense, bipartisan step toward accountability and safer online spaces for all Americans.”
“For too long, Big Tech has asked us to trust them — all while fueling mental health crises among young people and putting profits over safety,” said Kerry Healey, former Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (R) and Co-Chair of the Council for Responsible Social Media. The American people need real transparency to understand how these platforms work and what impacts they are having on our children and our communities. By giving researchers access to critical data and requiring platforms to share information openly, The Platform Accountability and Transparency Act will ensure that families, research, and policymakers finally have the tools they need to protect our democracy.”
“This bill is a landmark step toward real transparency in our digital public square—ensuring independent researchers and the broader public can finally access the data needed to finally understand how platforms are impacting our democracy and society,” said Brandon Silverman, founder and former CEO of CrowdTangle.
“Independent research into and public understanding of social media platforms is vitally important because of the ways these communications platforms have transformed our digital public sphere and the outsized role they play in our democracy,” said Nadine Farid Johnson, Policy Director at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. “But journalists and researchers who study the platforms and their black-box algorithms continue to do so under the threat of serious legal liability, and the public suffers for it. The Platform Accountability and Transparency Act is a vital step in the right direction, providing a safe harbor for public interest research while preserving user privacy. The Knight Institute commends Senators Coons and Cassidy for their steadfast leadership on this bill and their commitment to transparency online.”
“Families deserve to know how the online platforms shaping their children’s lives actually work,” said Common Sense Media Founder and CEO James P. Steyer. “This legislation would open the door for independent researchers to study the systems driving what kids see and experience online. Common Sense Media strongly supports this bipartisan proposal to bring much-needed transparency and accountability to the digital world, and we thank Senator Coons and Senator Cassidy for their leadership on it.”
“A researcher safe harbor is a crucial check on the power that technology companies have in our societies,” said Brandi Geurkink, Executive Director, Coalition for Independent Technology Research.“The window to study how technology affects our society is narrowing just as the need for that knowledge grows more than ever before. A researcher safe harbor helps keep that window open by protecting public-interest researchers and journalists from legal retaliation for their work.”
“Time and again, when confronted with risks to children, tech companies insist there isn’t enough evidence—while keeping their research and data under lock and key,” said Kris Perry, Executive Director of Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development. “PATA would open that black box, enabling real research, informed legislation, and meaningful accountability.”
“Online antisemitism is a growing threat,” said ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt.“To confront it, we need clarity on how platforms are addressing hate. After Meta weakened its moderation policies, ADL found Jewish Members of Congress faced nearly five times more antisemitic harassment on Facebook. A third of Jewish adults have been harassed online because of their religion, and many now change their behavior to avoid being identified as Jewish. The Platform Accountability and Transparency Act is an important step toward giving the public, civil society, and lawmakers meaningful visibility into how tech companies enforce their policies. I’m grateful to Senators Coons and Cassidy for their leadership in reintroducing this bill.”
“The Platform and Accountability Act takes important steps to increase the ability of psychological scientists studying the impact of social media to gain access to data held by social media platforms,” said Mitch Prinstein, PhD, Chief of Psychology of the American Psychological Association. “This bipartisan legislation will increase our scientific understanding of this complex issue and enable caregivers, young people, and policymakers to mitigate the harmful impacts of social media use.”
“Independent research is a critical tool for building accountability and public trust,” said Jenn Hodges, Director of US Public Policy, Mozilla. “At Mozilla, we’ve long advocated for meaningful researcher access to data, to prioritize the public interest and ensure major platforms are held to a higher bar. Public policies like the Platform Accountability and Transparency Act are an essential first step to addressing harms online and to building better technology.”
The bill text is available here.