Platform Accountability and Transparency Act
Latest action (21 Dec 2022): Introduced
What this bill does
S. 5339, the Platform Accountability and Transparency Act, would create a formal system allowing outside academic and nonprofit researchers to obtain certain data from very large internet platforms (those with at least 50 million U.S. monthly users) in order to study platforms' effects on society. The National Science Foundation and Federal Trade Commission would jointly review research proposals, approve "qualified research projects," and set privacy and cybersecurity safeguards for handling the data. Certain sensitive categories—private messages, biometric data, and precise location information—would be excluded from disclosure. The bill also creates a separate safe harbor protecting journalists and researchers who collect publicly available platform data through methods like automated tools or research accounts, and amends Section 230 of the Communications Act so platforms lose liability immunity if they are found, through a final legal determination, to have unlawfully withheld required research data and that failure directly contributed to a claimant's harm.
The bill primarily affects large social media and similar platforms, which would face new data-sharing obligations and potential FTC enforcement (including civil penalties) for noncompliance, and researchers, who would gain a formal, protected channel to access platform data but face restrictions on reidentifying users, sharing data further, or using it commercially. It also affects the FTC and NSF, which would administer the new program, and journalists/independent researchers using public data collection methods.
The bill was introduced in the Senate on December 21, 2022, by Senator Chris Coons with several cosponsors, and was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. It did not receive a committee vote or further action before the 117th Congress ended, meaning it would need to be reintroduced in a subsequent Congress to be considered further.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
Platform Accountability and Transparency Act
This bill increases access to the data of large technology platforms (i.e., platforms with at least 50 million unique monthly users in the United States) in order to facilitate research concerning activities on those platforms, particularly by requiring platforms to disclose data to researchers who participate in a research program jointly established by the National Science Foundation and the Federal Trade Commission.
Common questions
- What does S. 5339 do?
- S. 5339, the Platform Accountability and Transparency Act, would create a formal system allowing outside academic and nonprofit researchers to obtain certain data from very large internet platforms (those with at least 50 million U.S. monthly users) in order to study platforms' effects on society. The National Science Foundation and Federal Trade Commission would jointly review research proposals, approve "qualified research projects," and set privacy and cybersecurity safeguards for handling the data. Certain sensitive categories—private messages, biometric data, and precise location information—would be excluded from disclosure. The bill also creates a separate safe harbor protecting journalists and researchers who collect publicly available platform data through methods like automated tools or research accounts, and amends Section 230 of the Communications Act so platforms lose liability immunity if they are found, through a final legal determination, to have unlawfully withheld required research data and that failure directly contributed to a claimant's harm. The bill primarily affects large social media and similar platforms, which would face new data-sharing obligations and potential FTC enforcement (including civil penalties) for noncompliance, and researchers, who would gain a formal, protected channel to access platform data but face restrictions on reidentifying users, sharing data further, or using it commercially. It also affects the FTC and NSF, which would administer the new program, and journalists/independent researchers using public data collection methods. The bill was introduced in the Senate on December 21, 2022, by Senator Chris Coons with several cosponsors, and was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. It did not receive a committee vote or further action before the 117th Congress ended, meaning it would need to be reintroduced in a subsequent Congress to be considered further.
- Has S. 5339 become law?
- Not yet. As of 21 Dec 2022, S. 5339 is introduced.
- Who sponsored S. 5339?
- S. 5339 was sponsored by Sen. Christopher Coons [D-DE] (Democrat-DE), with 3 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on S. 5339?
- Introduced (21 Dec 2022).
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