Tech’s blind spots: Sharing with researchers and listening to users

Based on a series of self-assessments, the report provides a window into what major tech companies say are their biggest blind spots when it comes to keeping users safe.

The inaugural report from the Digital Trust and Safety Partnership, shared exclusively with The Technology 202, found that platforms tend to lack formal processes for supporting external research and for factoring data from users and external groups into their privacy policies. safety.

The Digital Trust and Security Partnership, launched last year with funding from over a dozen high-tech companies, asked platforms to assess and report how well they are adhering to a set of “best practice” security measures the coalition devised.

Ten companies participated in the review: Facebook parent Meta, Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit, Pinterest, Discord, Shopify and Vimeo. While the report doesn’t reveal how individual platforms performed, it does provide a snapshot of the state of security trends across the industry.

The results only reflect where the platforms are lacking – not the independent auditors. But according to the report, it highlights how security initiatives have been “developed with less external engagement outside of companies until recently”.

“For too long, trust and safety in content moderation has been a one-way function, where companies create the rules for the service and enforce the rules,” Executive Director of the Digital Trust and Safety Partnership. David Sullivan said.

He added, “But actually understanding the users’ perspectives on these things and working with credible third-party groups, human rights organizations, academics, investors, all of that is where there’s a lot of work.” to do.”

Another key area where companies are underdeveloped, according to the report, is setting up processes to assess whether products are meeting safety standards after they are launched.

Where the companies excelled, Sullivan said, is in their “core content moderation functions,” such as developing rules to deal with online harm and setting up teams to monitor and enforce them. “That’s where I think you can see there’s been a lot of attention,” he said.

The self-assessments could also serve as a dry run for tech companies, the largest of which will soon be subject to independent audits under new European regulations.

The European Union’s landmark security measure, the Digital Services Act, will require major platforms to be vetted to ensure they are mitigating the risks posed by disinformation, election interference, cyber-violence against women and harm to children.

“These companies realized that instead of waiting for the regulations to come and comply with them, that this is something to do up front, like figure out what’s going to work for all of their products … and for to have this a contribution.” debate about moderation and regulation of content, Sullivan said.

The findings could bolster calls for legislation requiring tech companies to hand over more internal data to researchers, as some US lawmakers have proposed.

In December, Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn) unveiled a bill that would allow researchers to petition a federal agency to gain access to data from platforms to conduct an approved study. The bipartisan measure is one of Congress’ most significant efforts to open the so-called “black box” of social media.

“This is an area where there’s a lot of heat, but not enough light,” Coons told me in May.

But the bill has yet to be formally introduced, meaning it won’t become law anytime soon.

In the meantime, Sullivan said his group is planning to do an independent security assessment that won’t rely solely on self-assessments by companies.

“We hope to have … more to share about what that third-party assessment will look like before the end of this year,” he said.

The Senate will hold a vote on chip funding this week

The bill includes $52 billion in subsidies for semiconductors and tens of billions of dollars for regional tech startups and the National Science Foundation. Jeanne Whalen reports. The Senate is expected to hold a final vote today on the bill, which will move to a full Senate vote this week if it clears a 60-vote threshold.

“After months of debate and roadblocks, the legislation resembles the United States Innovation and Competitiveness Act, the original form of the bill aimed at increasing US competitiveness against China, which passed the Senate last year but stalled in the House of Representatives,” writes Jeanne. If it passes the Senate this week, the bill will go to the House of Representatives.

Grassley increases pressure on Schumer to hold antitrust vote

Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), a sponsor of the legislation, wants the Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (DN.Y.) to schedule a vote on legislation that would bar big tech companies from “self-serving” their products and services, the New York Post said Lydia Moynihan AND Theo Wayt report. Many lawmakers say they are still considering the bill, which tech companies and industry groups have criticized in advertising and lobbying.

“It’s past time for the Majority Leader to bring in our bipartisan antitrust bill to crack down on Big Tech’s anti-competitive behavior,” Grassley told Moynihan and Wayt. “We need a date set for a vote, and I urge Senator Schumer to name one — if not before the August recess, then this fall.”

The tech sector braces for possible recession, surprising other industries

Big tech companies have hinted that they are sitting low ahead of earnings reports this week, Rachel Lerman AND Gerrit De Vynck report. Big tech firms have a huge influence on perceptions of the economy, and the tech sector has been signaling for months that the boom times are coming to an end.

“This could become a self-fulfilling prophecy, market experts say, if other companies immediately react to Big Tech’s tilt by tightening their businesses,” my colleagues write. “But the moves aren’t cut and dry—many think tech is bracing for an economic downturn, not panicking over falling business metrics.”

This was reported by the Wall Street Journal Elon Muskalleged affair with Google co-founder Sergey Brinhis wife, Nicole Shanahan, prompting demands for divorce and the end of the friendship between the two men. Technology analyst Benedict Evans:

FBI investigation determined that Chinese Huawei equipment could disrupt communications of US nuclear arsenal (CNN)

Google fired the engineer who said its AI was sensitive (Nitasha Tiku)

Epidemic Sound Sues Meta For $142M, Says Instagram And Facebook Stole Hundreds Of Songs (Billboard)

EU questions rivals over access to Microsoft-Activision (Politico Europe)

T-Mobile to pay $350 million to customers in case of data breach (Associated Press)

The war between authors and librarians that tears apart book lovers (Pranshu Verma)

The Quest to Find $181 Million in Bitcoin Buried in a Dump (Insider)

Former White House press secretary Jay Carney moves from Amazon to Airbnb (Axios)

• Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Rostin Behnam discusses cryptocurrency regulation at a Brookings Institution event today at 2 p.m
• Sens. Christmas cinema (D-Ariz.) and Todd C. Young (R-Ind.) discuss semiconductor legislation at a Washington Post Live event Tuesday at 4:10 p.m.
• Google parent Alphabet and Microsoft hold earnings calls on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
• Senate Commerce Committee to debate child privacy and safety legislation Wednesday at 10 a.m.
• A House Homeland Security Committee panel holds a hearing on the use of facial recognition technology by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
• Facebook parent Meta holds an earnings call on Wednesday at 5 p.m
• Apple and Amazon hold earnings calls on Thursday at 5:00 PM and 5:30 PM

that‘That’s all for today – thank you so much for joining us! Be sure to tell others to subscribe of technology 202 here. Get in touch with tips, comments or greetings I tweet or email.