Last week, Tech Policy Design Centre (TPDC) hosted Facebook whistle-blower Ms Frances Haugen to discuss Big Tech’s accountability and transparency at Old Parliament House and The Australian National University.

🚨 In 2021, Frances made the courageous decision to blow the whistle on Facebook’s prioritisation of profits over public safety, in what became known as the #FacebookFiles. Since then, Ms Haugen has testified in front of the US Congress, UK and EU Parliaments, and has engaged with lawmakers globally on how to best regulate and hold Big Tech accountable.

We were delighted to facilitate in-depth policy conversations between Frances and TPDC friends and partners this week, fostering multi-stakeholder discussions covering:

🔎 growing the accountability ecosystem: the essential role of transparency requirements in releasing the data needed to power the research of civil society and academia

😵 online safety issues beyond illegal content, such as screen time, sleep deprivation, mental health and body image

🌏 the important role that Australia and other middle powers play in creating regulatory critical mass

A huge thanks to Frances for her insights and to our TPDC friends for their role in these thought-provoking discussions: Parliamentary Friends of Tech Policy co-chairs The Hon. Paul Fletcher MP, and Senator David Shoebridge; Parliamentary colleague The Hon David Coleman; Independent Advisory Board members Kate Pounder and Julie Inman – Grant; ANU colleagues Professor Jolyon Ford, Ms Maia Gould, Mr David Abkiewicz, Professor Will Bateman, Dr Alex Antic, Mr Andrew Meares, and Government colleagues from Australian Department of Home Affairs, Department of Industry, Science and Resources, ACCC.

About the Tech Policy Group of Friends
The Parliamentary Group of Friends of Tech Policy provides a non-partisan forum for parliamentarians to meet and interact with experts from academia, civil society, and industry on tech policy and regulation matters. Its Co-Chairs are The Hon. Paul Fletcher MP, Dr Michelle Ananda-Rajah MP, Kate Chaney MP, Senator David Pocock, and Senator David Shoebridge.

About the ANU Tech Policy Design Centre
The Tech Policy Design Centre is a nonpartisan, independent research organisation at the Australian National University. Our mission is to shape technology for the long-term benefit of humanity. We work to mature the tech-governance ecosystem in collaboration with industry, government, civil society, and academia.

About Professor Johanna Weaver
Professor Weaver is the founding Director of the Tech Policy Design Centre at the Australian National University. Earlier, she was Australia’s chief cyber negotiator at the United Nations. A recovering diplomat and a reformed commercial litigator, Professor Weaver is proudly neurodiverse. She champions tech policy as a tool to shape technology for the long-term benefit of humanity.