Scope of Work for Platform Accountability Program Consultant (Next Generation Platforms)

Focus

Expert in New and Emerging Platforms

Time Period

March 1, 2023 - August 31, 2023

Total Maximum Authorized Hours

80 hours

Project Description

Technology companies that own and operate social media platforms have the potential to serve as powerful allies in civil society’s work to build an open, free, and democratic internet. These companies control significant access to the tools and data needed to understand the online environment and promote internet freedom and information integrity. Additionally, they have the ability to provide safe and accessible mechanisms for participation in democracy, especially in closed information spaces. Active engagement between technology companies and civil society is required to properly convey the experiences of democratic activists, and translate these stories into measurable progress on data privacy and content moderation practices.

To enhance platform accountability to democracy, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) is uniting a network of civil society organizations behind a set of solutions-based interventions. These interventions will be presented to both the social media platforms and the broader public to build consensus around their adoption and operationalization.

This consultancy will focus on the “next generation” of social media platforms that are already rising in popularity or will be likely to emerge as contenders (either locally or globally) in the near-term. An assessment of the popularity and long-term feasibility of new alternatives to traditional social media platforms, as well as innovative new models that may gain traction, will help inform the direction of this project. Ensuring accountability and adherence to human rights standards from next-generation platforms is a unique challenge, but one that can be informed by civil society’s experience with and progress made by the dominant social media platforms.

The selected individual will have demonstrated experience with or in the technology sector, in addition to experience working with global civil society and advocacy relating to social media platforms and policy. Through a limited consultancy, they will assist NDI in developing a strategy for executing the activities detailed below, as well as providing overall guidance to ensure the program is carried out with a localized lens on the issue of platform accountability.

Desk Research on “Next Generation” Platforms (45 Hours)

• Identify potential pool of next generation platforms (audio-based social networks, emerging micro-blog platforms, encrypted messaging apps, streaming platforms, metaverses, etc.), including and with particular attention to platforms based outside the U.S.
• Assess adherence of next generation platforms’ existing data privacy and content moderation policies with human-rights standards and NDI’s Democratic Principles for the Information Space through desk research and informational discussions with the platforms and other experts
• Recommend 1-2 platforms as subjects of in-depth roundtable discussions
• Develop initial list of 5-7 interventions (changes to product or policy) that the identified platform(s) can take to make a positive impact for democracy for discussion during the roundtables

Support Roundtable Discussion (15 Hours)

• Identify potential participants for roundtable discussion(s) to develop final interventions/recommendations
• Serve as moderator for roundtable discussion(s)
• Develop recommendations and final report with findings of research and discussion (s)

Written Output (20 Hours)

• Develop a blog post or op-ed summarizing the interventions/recommendations
• Support dissemination and promotion of blog post/op-ed through social media, private briefings, or other means

To apply email your resume/CV to rfaust@ndi.org