News

A group of people attempt to access a website despite multiple locks, roadblocks, and stop signs
Bit Meehan Statement

Letter: Imposing Fees to Access the Twitter API Threatens Public-Interest Research

By (Full list of signatories below)

Sign this letter and seek/provide mutual aid Last week, the Twitter Development team announced that the platform will no longer allow free access to the Twitter API starting this Thursday, February 9. This dramatic restriction will disrupt critical projects from thousands of journalists, academics, and civil society actors worldwide who study some of the most … Continue reading Letter: Imposing Fees to Access the Twitter API Threatens Public-Interest Research

Bit Meehan Article

Knight First Amendment Institute: How to Avoid Social Media Blight

By Nathan Matias

When Elon Musk fired Vijaya Gadde, Twitter’s legal, public policy, trust and safety lead, at the start of an avalanche of firings and departures, the Tesla CEO’s actions were reminiscent of another automaker in crisis. After General Motors closed its Flint, Michigan, factories in 1997, it posted signs on the empty buildings: “Demolition Means Progress.” … Continue reading Knight First Amendment Institute: How to Avoid Social Media Blight

WyattThompson@Gmail.com Statement

Manifesto: The Coalition for Independent Technology Research

By J. Nathan Matias, Susan Benesch, Rebekah Tromble, Alex Abdo, J. Bob Alotta, David Karpf, David Lazer, Nathalie Maréchal, Nabiha Syed & Ethan Zuckerman

Society needs trustworthy, independent research to relieve the harms of digital technologies and advance the common good. Research can help us understand ourselves more clearly, identify problems, hold power accountable, imagine the world we want, and test ideas for change. In a democracy, this knowledge comes from academics, journalists, civil society, and community scientists, among … Continue reading Manifesto: The Coalition for Independent Technology Research

WyattThompson@Gmail.com Statement

Coalition for Independent Technology Research Founding Document

By the Coalition

INTRODUCTION Technology companies have developed unprecedented power to observe, shape, and intervene in people’s everyday lives. While people benefit greatly from the digital communication and connection these companies provide, so too do they bear the harms that the companies’ new technologies impose. Society needs trustworthy, independent research to reveal and relieve these harms and to … Continue reading Coalition for Independent Technology Research Founding Document