Help California Rein in Big Tech Algorithms!
California is considering adopting some of the strongest safeguards against dangerous algorithms, but these commonsense proposals are under attack by Big Tech and its allies. Tell the California Privacy Protection Agency to protect Californians and adopt these robust rules.
Fill out this form to submit a public comment to the California Privacy Protection Agency. Your public comment will appear on the CPPA website.
Background Information
Every day, big businesses are deploying artificial intelligence and other shadowy algorithms to restrict our access to the things that matter most—from housing to education, employment, financial opportunity, and even our freedom. These opaque and unaccountable technologies are used to screen, score, and sort us at every turn. Many of these systems are built on vast collections of our personal data secretly scraped and aggregated as we go about our daily lives. Unless we act, out-of-control algorithms will continue to entrench discrimination, supplant human control with unruly automation, and increase the power of already-overpowered tech firms. For years, Big Tech has done everything it can to block regulation of these systems, and its influence over federal AI policy is only poised to grow in the near future.
Fortunately, there’s hope on the horizon. In California, regulators are set to adopt some of the strongest safeguards yet against runaway algorithms. The California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) is proposing new requirements for businesses that intend to use automated decision making technologies to screen and score us. Businesses will have to conduct thorough assessments of their algorithmic tools to root out inaccuracy and bias, disclose more information about the systems to regulators and the public, and give us an easy way to opt out of many automated decision making technologies in favor
of human oversight. Businesses will also be obligated to undergo thorough, independent audits to demonstrate that any personal data they’ve collected is secure from breaches and cyberattacks.
But these commonsense proposals are under threat thanks to fierce attacks by Big Tech and its allies. The businesses that profit most from unaccountable algorithms aren’t staying quiet, and we can’t either. The agency needs our help to bring its plan over the finish line. Tell the members of the CPPA board to stand strong, turn back Big Tech’s attacks, and adopt the robust rules they’ve already proposed.
