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Meaningful Opt-Out Rights Require Companies to Do Their Part. State Governments Might Have to Make Them.

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 10h

CDT’s @nathaliemarechal.net: “This should send a signal to the technical community, which is currently working through the W3C to standardize the Global Privacy Control [GPC], that policymakers are eager to integrate universal opt-out mechanisms into their jurisdictions’ privacy protections.”

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 10h

CDT’s @nathaliemarechal.net: “It’s important that we continue to expand these rules to tools beyond browsers, but California’s move is a common-sense step in the right direction.”

Update: CDT submitted a letter on March 7, 2025 to the California State Assembly’s Committee on Consumer Protection in support of AB 566, which requires vendors of web browsers and mobile operating systems to include a setting that enables users to send an automated signal to businesses with which they interact through their browser or […]

Meaningful Opt-Out Rights Require Companies to Do Their Part. State Governments Might Have to Make Them.

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 10h

CDT’s @nathaliemarechal.net: “Ensuring that your privacy preferences are known should not be a difficult or confusing task, and this bill ensures that the ability to universally opt-out of unwanted data sales is accessible and understandable."

Update: CDT submitted a letter on March 7, 2025 to the California State Assembly’s Committee on Consumer Protection in support of AB 566, which requires vendors of web browsers and mobile operating systems to include a setting that enables users to send an automated signal to businesses with which they interact through their browser or […]

Governor Newsom signs data privacy bills to protect tech users | Governor of California

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 10h

CDT applauds the signing today of AB 566 into law, which empowers Californians to exercise their existing privacy rights through their browsers.

State of California

www.gov.ca.gov

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 11h

CDT’s Elizabeth Laird: “As many hype up the possibilities for AI to transform education, we cannot let the negative impact on students get lost in the shuffle:”

CDT Survey Research Finds Use of AI in K-12 Schools Connected to Negative Effects on Students, Including Their Real-Life Relationships

New data shows that half of students agree that using AI in class makes them feel less connected to their teacher, and one in five students report that they or someone they know has had a romantic relationship with AI (WASHINGTON, DC) — The Center for Democracy & Technology today released new survey research revealing […]

Letter to U.S. Department of Education Regarding Responsible Integration of AI in K-12 Education

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 11h

Despite these trends, only 1 in 10 teachers say they’ve been trained on how to respond when AI use harms student well-being. CDT + partner call on the the Department of Education to incorporate its existing Principles of Responsible AI into ongoing K-12 AI commitments:

In response to new CDT research demonstrating the connection between increased use of AI and risks to students – such as data breaches or ransomware attacks, tech-enabled sexual harassment and bullying, AI systems that do not work as intended, and troubling interactions between students and technology – several civil rights, education, and technology policy groups […]

Hand in Hand: Schools’ Embrace of AI Connected to Increased Risks to Students

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 11h

Students are also turning to AI for personal reasons:
💬 42% for mental health support
🤖 42% as a friend or companion
❤️ 19% for a romantic relationship
🌫️ 42% to escape real life

Read the full report from CDT’s Elizabeth Laird, Maddy Dwyer, + Hannah Quay-de la Vallee:

Artificial intelligence (AI) has continued to alter the educational experiences of teachers, students, and parents during the 2024-25 school year. The frequency and variety of AI uses continues to grow; at the same time, the increased use of AI in educational settings is correlated with heightened risks to students. This report details the current status […]

The Future of Speech Online 2025: The Age of Constitutional Evasion: Jawboning and Other Forms of Government Pressure to Control Private Speech

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 11h

🚨 New polling research from CDT finds that AI use has become commonplace in schools — 85% of teachers & 86% of students used AI in the 2024–25 school year.
But it’s not all positive: half of students say AI makes them feel less connected to their teacher.
cdt.org/insights/han...

Bar charts showing that students whose school uses AI for many reasons are more likely to report that they or a friend has had a back-and-forth conversation with AI in potentially troubling ways.

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 13h

Speakers include @genevievelakier.bsky.social, Derek Bambauer, and moderator @daphnek.bsky.social. They’ll discuss post-Vullo developments, emerging vectors of influence, and how to balance government communication with protection from coercion. Register to attend:

Dates: Tuesday and Wednesday, October 28-29, 2025 Times: Day One: noon-3:00 pm ET / 9:00 am-noon PT, Day Two: noon-3:00 pm ET / 9:00 am-noon PT Governments have always worked to shape the speech of private parties and these efforts have always threatened overcensorship of dissent and governmentally disfavored viewpoints. The current Administration in the […]

Discord Vendor Hack Exposes ID Data in Ransom Bid

Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 13h

We’re kicking off the Future of Speech Online 2025, our two day virtual conference alongside Stand Together Trust, with a Fireside Chat on Oct 28 @ 12 PM ET, exploring jawboning — government pressure on private platforms to shape speech. #FOSO2025 cdt.org/event/the-fu...

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 14h

CDT’s Bhatia: "Regardless of the approach then, users are vulnerable to privacy risks which can have immense implications for their safety.”

A vendor breach linked to Discord exposed government ID uploads used in age verification, raising alarms among privacy experts who warn that third-party data

www.bankinfosecurity.com

Discord Vendor Hack Exposes ID Data in Ransom Bid

Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 14h

CDT’s Bhatia: "When companies pursue less invasive age assurance means, they may still have to collect more sensitive data like government IDs to help users fix incorrect age determinations made by less-invasive assurance processes.”

A vendor breach linked to Discord exposed government ID uploads used in age verification, raising alarms among privacy experts who warn that third-party data

www.bankinfosecurity.com

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 14h

CDT’s @aliyabhatia.bsky.social in BankInfoSecurity: “This case lays bare the privacy risks of even so-called 'privacy-protective' age-assurance approaches.”

Discord Vendor Hack Exposes ID Data in Ransom Bid

A vendor breach linked to Discord exposed government ID uploads used in age verification, raising alarms among privacy experts who warn that third-party data

www.bankinfosecurity.com

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 16h

CDT’s @kateruane.bsky.social: “What's worse, they erode the promise of the First Amendment for all of us at the same time." www.npr.org/2025/10/...

The Hidden Dangers of the Digital 'Yes Man': How to Push Back Against Sycophantic AI

Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 16h

CDT’s Kate Ruane in @npr.org : "When companies agree to the administration's demands in order to achieve some other goal, whether it be avoiding tariffs or getting merger approval, they send a message to others that it's ok to do the same.” www.npr.org/2025/10/...

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 16h

“@kateruane.bsky.social, Director of the Center for Democracy and Technology's Free Expression Project, said Apple's move should also be viewed as the government's heavy hand muzzling free expression.” www.npr.org/2025/10/...

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 1d

CDT’s Winecoff: "What is good and what feels good aren't always the same thing. There are cases in a therapeutic context and other contexts where emotional validation is helpful. But that doesn't extend to all possible cases.”

AI like ChatGPT and Gemini tend to agree with our worst ideas. It's a bigger problem than you may think.

The Hidden Dangers of the Digital 'Yes Man': How to Push Back Against Sycophantic AI

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 1d

CDT’s Winecoff: "If the AI does not have context for the reality of the scenario, and if they have largely been trained to either implicitly or explicitly agree with the user, this can be a big problem.”

AI like ChatGPT and Gemini tend to agree with our worst ideas. It's a bigger problem than you may think.

The Hidden Dangers of the Digital 'Yes Man': How to Push Back Against Sycophantic AI

Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 1d

"’Models do have some representation of the right answer, but it is overridden by the strive to agree with human opinion in some cases,’ [CDT’s] Winecoff said”.

AI like ChatGPT and Gemini tend to agree with our worst ideas. It's a bigger problem than you may think.

The Hidden Dangers of the Digital 'Yes Man': How to Push Back Against Sycophantic AI

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 1d

“The last piece of the puzzle is the directions we give the models in real time as we use them. We can unknowingly signal to AI and guide it toward agreeing with us, even when it's not in our best interest, Winecoff said.”

AI like ChatGPT and Gemini tend to agree with our worst ideas. It's a bigger problem than you may think.

The Hidden Dangers of the Digital 'Yes Man': How to Push Back Against Sycophantic AI

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 1d

“But biases in this underlying training data can be one reason why AIs are more agreeable, said [CDT's Amy Winecoff]. While the entirety of the internet might not be agreeable, it does reflect our human preferences, along with our linguistic and syntax patterns.”

AI like ChatGPT and Gemini tend to agree with our worst ideas. It's a bigger problem than you may think.

Principled Practice: A Playbook for Operationalizing Responsible AI

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 1d

From empowering experts to building governance structures, investing in responsibility infrastructure, and tracking progress—this playbook offers concrete, actionable steps for responsible AI. Read more:

Also authored by Beba Cibralic, Associate Fellow, Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge Introduction For many organizations, rapid advancements in machine learning has outpaced the creation of robust governance mechanisms. This problem became particularly acute in late 2022 when the popularization of large language models (LLMs) produced a slew of new […]

CDT Opposes Provision in the Intelligence Authorization Act

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 1d

ICYMI: CDT’s AI Governance Lab’s “Principled Practice: A Playbook for Operationalizing Responsible AI” report lays out 5 building blocks to help orgs turn AI principles into practice. cdt.org/insights/pri...

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Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 1d

CDT will continue to work to ensure this dangerous provision is not passed into law.

The Center for Democracy & Technology joined 20 other civil society organizations in opposing a provision of the Intelligence Authorization Act that would eliminate Senate confirmation requirements from the General Counsels of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Having individuals of the highest integrity and commitment to the law […]