Public Policy
Public Comment to the NTIA on AI Accountability
June 12, 2023
Artificial intelligence technologies are quickly being integrated into a wide range of consumer technology with insufficient attention paid to the potential risk and impact of these systems. The vast majority of these systems are being built on top of algorithms and data collected and managed by the world's largest technology companies, several of which have laid off their ethics teams[1] or whose executives have campaigned against researchers criticizing their work[2].
AI accountability requires stricter guidelines on the capabilities and suggested use of the technology, as well as protections for data collection and model training. Companies building or selling software that utilizes artificial intelligence technologies should practice transparency, accountability, and ethical participation in disclosing training data and language model sources, and in the capabilities of their products and services.
The Digital Afterlife Project
March 13, 2020
Estimates show that 90 percent of Americans regularly use the internet. We increasingly turn to online services to handle critical parts of our lives, but few platforms provide a way for user information to be safely managed or deleted after a user passes away. In many instances, estate executors or family members are required to provide death certificates, court orders, or even sue companies for the ability to access their loved ones’ online accounts. To facilitate access to these assets, state governments can extend existing probate laws that authorize fiduciary access to digital assets by expanding the definition of ‘authorized agents’ in data privacy laws to include estate executors. Companies can also better design their products to allow users to grant custodial access and provide instructions on a per-platform basis.
Public Comment to the Department of Health and Human Services on Transparency in Healthcare Coverage
January 29, 2020
This policy comment responds to proposed federal rulemaking on healthcare transparency (CMS-9915-P) issued jointly by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury (IRS). Drawing from tech policy research and software development expertise, the document advocates for open, accessible healthcare pricing mechanisms by recommending public access without forced user accounts, the adoption of open standards-based APIs over restrictive online formats, and federal support for public-private initiatives like hackathons to accelerate standards implementation and empower patient decision-making.