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Elections & Democracy, Free Expression

Center for Democracy & Technology’s Submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Opinion and Expression

The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the upcoming thematic report on freedom of expression and elections in the digital age by the United Nations special rapporteur for freedom of opinion and expression.

Protecting freedom of expression is critical to ensuring access to the ballot. New technologies can exacerbate risks to free expression but overbroad regulatory and corporate interventions may do the same, particularly without adequate transparency, robust testing, and independent data access to promote oversight and accountability. 

CDT addresses the following topics in its submission:

  • Specific risks posed by government efforts to regulate AI-generated content and the need for further research into labeling;
  • Companies’ election integrity measures, including cases where insufficient or inconsistent enforcement of policies and practices pose barriers to individuals’ right to the ballot and associated expression, particularly those belonging to historically marginalized group; 
  • The ways in which limited transparency and independent access to data inhibit research and policymaking, including as research about the information space is increasingly politicized; and
  • Recommendations for how companies and other stakeholders can better support election integrity while respecting freedom of opinion and expression.

Read the full submission here.