Fighting to advance civil rights and civil liberties in the digital age
The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) is the leading nonpartisan, nonprofit organization shaping technology policy, governance, and design with a focus on equity and democratic values.
Having third parties assess AI systems might seem like common sense, but crafting effective policies toward this goal can be devilishly tricky. A poorly-constructed ecosystem for third-party assessment could easily fail to consider the most consequential mechanisms of risk, neglect the AI harms that most impact people, or do more to protect AI companies than people.
As concern about risks and harms related to AI systems continue to grow, a growing chorus of policymakers, industry leaders, and advocates have called for independent AI assessments. This explainer provides an overview of recent proposals for third-party assessment in the United States, including state and federal legislation, executive actions, and industry proposals.
CDT-led Coalition Calls for Transparency for White House AI Framework
CDT and Americans for Responsible Innovation led a broad, bipartisan coalition of over two dozen civil society groups in calling on the White House to release its Framework for review of frontier AI models.
The 2026 legislative session has shown a continued but shifted focus on the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI), with most bills — both introduced and passed — grappling with the rise and use of chatbots in a variety of contexts.
British Public Oppose Secret Surveillance Powers and Want Strong Protections for Encrypted Communications
CDT released nationally representative polling data revealing that a the British public are broadly concerned about the security, privacy, and free speech consequences of allowing law enforcement to access encrypted communications.
CDT helps government agencies use technology to improve public service while protecting our rights.
Learn About CDT Europe’s Work
The Centre for Democracy & Technology Europe advocates for democracy and human rights in European tech law and policy. We work on European Union legislation that regulates digital spaces and how people interact online.
CDT’s experts have deep expertise on a wide range of tech policy issues, combining technical detail with an understanding of their impacts in the real world.
