Public Knowledge
Algorithmic content distribution and moderation (harms concentrated on marginalized communities); platform regulation and competition policy; Section 230 reform; transparency and accountability mechanisms for platforms.
- Type
- Nonprofit Public Interest Research & Advocacy
- Based in
- Washington, DC (US)
- Focus region
- US federal policy (DC) with national scope
Notable projects
Research and comments on FTC platform censorship inquiries; reports on moderating race on platforms; algorithmic decision-making harms catalog; policy analysis on content moderation bias and civil rights implications.
Strong focus on how platform systems disproportionately harm historically marginalized groups. Combines legal/policy research with advocacy. Active in regulatory proceedings and public comments on platform issues.
- Investigations
- 4
- Active since
- 2025
- Latest report
- May 2026
Topics covered
- Child Safety & Minors2
- Platform Compliance & Governance2
- Content Moderation1
Watchdog vs. platform
Publicly documented legal proceedings, access disputes, or other platform pushback. Allegations, findings, and outcomes are labelled separately and linked to their sources.
No sourced legal or practical dispute has been documented for Public Knowledge yet. Know of one?
Add a sourced caseResearchers
Current
- Lisa MacphersonPolicy Director2
- Morgan WilsmannPolicy Analyst2
- Sara CollinsGovernment Affairs Director2
- Harold FeldSenior Vice President1
Reports
Full database2026
1 report- May 2026Cross-platform
Getting Age Assurance Right: A Risk-Based Framework for High-Risk Online Features
Identifies three policy failures jeopardizing children's online safety and proposes a risk-tiered framework for age-appropriate experiences rather than blunt, privacy-invasive age verification.
Child Safety & MinorsArt. 28 — Protection of minorsBy Sara Collins
2025
3 reports- Aug 2025Cross-platform
The Kids Aren't Alright Online: How To Build a Safer, Better Internet
Argues kids' online-safety policy should make platforms safer and more privacy-protective for everyone, focusing on platform design features that facilitate harm rather than blanket restrictions.
Child Safety & MinorsArt. 28 — Protection of minorsBy Sara Collins and Morgan Wilsmann
- Mar 2025Cross-platform
Building the Digital Platform Commission: How To Design a Regulator
Makes the case for a dedicated federal digital regulator and details how to design it to enhance competition, protect consumers, and oversee dominant platforms.
Platform Compliance & GovernanceBy Harold Feld and Lisa Macpherson
- Jan 2025Cross-platform
A Policy Primer for Free Expression and Content Moderation
Lays out a vision for free expression and content moderation given shifts in the media, technological, political and legal landscape, reframing how policymakers should think about platform moderation.
Content ModerationPlatform Compliance & GovernanceBy Morgan Wilsmann and Lisa Macpherson