Today, a great deal of civic engagement and community life happens online. As such, the conversations, ideas, and actions of hundreds of millions of Americans are filtered and followed by a handful of private companies. Their algorithms, closed to public scrutiny and tuned to monetize user data, control the content people see and influence our civic experiences. Without sufficient transparency and accountability, online platforms have become hotbeds for disinformation that manipulates, maligns, and disenfranchises voters, especially people of color and women.

At the same time, the rise of these social media companies have also contributed to the decline of traditional media outlets that were once the main source of civic news and information, as advertisers move dollars away from traditional media and toward more targeted advertising on digital platforms. Through public policy, we can hold platforms accountable and support the vital news and information our democracy needs.

The Digital Democracy initiative invests in research, innovations, and collaborations that: 

• Provide greater transparency and oversight to combat campaigns of disinformation, minimize misinformation, and define and defend civil rights online
• Prevent discriminatory targeting that threatens the safety, rights, and full participation of marginalized groups, particularly people of color and women
• Help journalists and researchers collect data from digital platforms to conduct and publish studies that inform public debate
• Increase participation of people of color and women in shaping digital spaces and experiences
• Engage platforms in applying the strengths of digital media in a way that promotes high-quality civic information, and fosters healthy dialogue and participation
• Develop and advocate for public policy solutions that can protect people’s rights and safety online and produce new investments in civic information and public interest media.