Building a Better Big Tech Mouse Trap: Designing the Digital Platform Commission

Prem Trivedi, policy director at New America’s Open Technology Institute, participated on the panel for “Building a Better Big Tech Mouse Trap: Designing the Digital Platform Commission,” an in-person event Public Knowledge (PK) hosted on April 28 to facilitate discussion about PK’s proposal for a sector-specific regulator of digital platforms, which Harold Feld (PK’s Senior Vice President) and Lisa Macpherson (PK’s Policy Director Lisa Macpherson) explored in a recently-published white paper.

In his introductory remarks, Trivedi—speaking in his own individual capacity as an expert on issues concerning the regulation of digital platforms—expresses that he is “genuinely compelled by aspects of the proposal, and doubtfully concerned about others.” To this end, he commends the “bold and long-term thinking” that went into the proposal’s development, while also outlining several key issues for stakeholders to consider, including the importance of explicitly addressing critical gaps surrounding privacy, content moderation, and algorithmic fairness and accountability.

“A world in which we even have an empowered DPC is not a world in which we can stop worrying about the need to clarify and augment the FTC’s power in privacy and cybersecurity, both of which are now massive question marks.”

Watch the full event recording below, or click here for quick access to Trivedi’s introductory remarks, which begin at 1:12:32.