Public policy includes the laws and regulations put in place by governments to address social and economic issues.
Public policy is an essential part of the solution in the movement toward humane technology. When policies focus on humane technology, they push tech companies to design and build products that are better for our well-being.
For example, California recently passed the CA Kids Code which mandates that platforms design their products to ensure kids’ privacy and safety by default.
It’s important to note that policy both reflects, and shifts, the public will. Policy changes are easier to achieve when they are integrated with business practices, public awareness, and cultural values.
We work with policy experts, technologists, civil society organizations, and thought leaders to:
Our Humane Policy Principles guide our thinking around the development and evaluation of effective legislative, regulatory, and other policy-related work.
These principles are cross-disciplinary — informed by systems thinking, participatory design, development, and the work of experts such as Dr. Donella Meadows and Shoshana Zuboff.
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Our Policy Reforms describe a framework to shift the extractive technology ecosystem by addressing asymmetries of power, shifting incentives, and prioritizing human well-being over corporate profit.
These Policy Reforms include both existing policies and proposed policy ideas.
Tristan Harris virtually joined a Senate hearing for the Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law to offer testimony on how social media platforms’ design choices shape our discourse and our minds.
Tristan Harris testifies in front of the House Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce on the dangers of rampant disinformation and digital manipulation, which are incentivized by social media’s business model.
Tristan Harris testifies in front of the Senate Commerce Committee on how big tech companies use algorithms and machine learning to influence the public and create a “race to the bottom of the brain stem.”
A bill that requires online platforms to proactively consider how their product design impacts kids and teens in CA.
This policy brief provides an overview of gold standard legislation around the world as of September 2022.
The EU can lead the world toward more humane technology by ensuring social media platforms don’t degrade our democracies.
Tristan Harris and former presidential candidate, Andrew Yang, discuss the impact of tech on society.
