Bill Overview
Title: Platform Accountability and Transparency Act
Description: This bill increases access to the data of large technology platforms (i.e., platforms with at least 50 million unique monthly users in the United States) in order to facilitate research concerning activities on those platforms, particularly by requiring platforms to disclose data to researchers who participate in a research program jointly established by the National Science Foundation and the Federal Trade Commission.
Sponsors: Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
Target Audience
Population: Users of large technology platforms
Estimated Size: 200000000
- There are over 5 billion internet users worldwide as of 2023.
- Large technology platforms like Facebook, Google, and Twitter have billions of users globally, many of whom could be indirectly impacted by the change in data accessibility and transparency.
- Users with accounts on these platforms will have their data accessed by researchers, which could affect their privacy settings and how their data is used.
Reasoning
- The population affected includes users of major social media and tech platforms predominantly in the U.S. due to the specific focus on American user bases over 50 million. This includes daily users of platforms like Facebook, Google, and Twitter.
- While the bill aims at improving transparency and accountability through regulated research access, individual impacts vary and may not be uniformly high due to privacy concerns and varying levels of awareness among users.
- Given the scale of funding and the extensive reach, the program might have high set-up costs initially, focusing more on establishing structures and protocols with gradual user impacts, especially concerning privacy over prolonged periods.
- Considering the low probability of direct engagement by individuals apart from academic or research interest backgrounds, direct individual well-being impacts might be low unless privacy breaches result either by accident or misuse.
- People heavily engaged in tech and platform usage for business, social, or personal reliance may have medium impact due to potential changes in policy or features in response to regulatory changes.
- The budget is likely focused on administrative setup, compliance structures, and educational initiatives to ensure understanding and acceptance among public and platform users — recognizing this limits large-scale, directly measurable individual wellbeing changes.
Simulated Interviews
College Student (New York, NY)
Age: 22 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I think it's good that there's more transparency with how our data is used.
- I'm concerned about my privacy, but I use these platforms daily.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Software Engineer (Silicon Valley, CA)
Age: 45 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This bill could help in creating more ethical uses of data.
- I might need to make adjustments at work to comply with new regulations.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 8 |
Freelance Journalist (Austin, TX)
Age: 33 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It's vital that researchers can access platform data for public benefit.
- I worry about how platforms will manage new data responsibilities.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 7 |
Digital Marketer (Chicago, IL)
Age: 28 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- More transparency can improve my work as a marketer.
- I'm curious how changes will affect future strategies.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 7 |
Stay-at-home parent (Seattle, WA)
Age: 39 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Policies like this are needed if they protect people's data.
- I want to feel safer about my family's online activities.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
Retired (Atlanta, GA)
Age: 62 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 14/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I don’t understand all the details, but I hope it protects us.
- My main concern is data security and who accesses my information.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
Entrepreneur (Miami, FL)
Age: 29 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Given my reliance on these platforms, I want them to be responsibly managed.
- Reliable platform data is essential for my business.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 7 |
Data Scientist (Boston, MA)
Age: 54 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This program is exciting; more access could lead to breakthroughs.
- I'm concerned about effective enforcement to truly safeguard data.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 9 |
Social Worker (Houston, TX)
Age: 26 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It's important to know how our data influences what we see online.
- I hope this will help protect more vulnerable users from misinformation.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
Privacy Advocate (Denver, CO)
Age: 30 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 9
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I applaud this initiative but worry about its implementation.
- Ensuring full transparency is crucial no matter the cost.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 2 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 9 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 8 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $400000000 (Low: $300000000, High: $500000000)
Year 2: $380000000 (Low: $280000000, High: $480000000)
Year 3: $360000000 (Low: $270000000, High: $460000000)
Year 5: $350000000 (Low: $260000000, High: $450000000)
Year 10: $340000000 (Low: $250000000, High: $440000000)
Year 100: $330000000 (Low: $240000000, High: $430000000)
Key Considerations
- The balance between data access for research and user privacy protections will be crucial.
- There might be resistance from large platforms due to increased regulatory burdens and potential impacts on their business models.
- Potential legal challenges concerning data privacy and proprietary business information could impact implementation timelines and costs.
- Scaling the program to handle data from all qualifying platforms will require robust infrastructure and coordination.