Public Interest Advocates

Principles for Technology Rights and Opportunity

While we cannot anticipate all of the challenges and decisions the new Administration will face in deciding its policies, the undersigned organizations support the following principles. We urge President-elect Trump and the new Administration to use these principles to guide policymaking and form the foundation of its technology and media policies.

  • Access: Everyone should have affordable, high-quality options to access the Internet. All of the information on the public Internet should be accessible to all users.
  • Openness: The Internet must be protected from discrimination against content or users, and individuals should have the right to create, innovate, and share without interference from gatekeepers.
  • Inclusion: The expansion of technology must equally take into account the needs of all Americans and not discriminate against people of color; rural, tribal, and low-income communities; people with disabilities; or other vulnerable communities.
  • Free Speech: Individuals must be able to express themselves freely online and offline. The government should not put up barriers to lawful expression or censor the Internet.
  • Choice: Our Internet infrastructure should be diverse, decentralized, and open, with a competitive choice of providers.
  • Privacy: Individuals should have the right to protect and control access to their personal data, and to communicate and access information without any undue intrusion from government or corporations. The government and private actors must also be transparent about the data they collect and how it is stored, used, and shared.
  • Opportunity: Technology policy must strive to support economic opportunity for all.