Lies. Disinformation. Conspiracy theories. Hate speech. Calls to violence. Seemingly anywhere we look, the online world has become dominated by political content that seeks to anger us, divide us, deceive us, and rob us of the shared information a thriving democracy needs. Join a conversation with Daniel G. Newman '91, President & Co-Founder of Decode Democracy, moderated by board co-chair Doug Edwards '80, about tech companies, online disinformation, and how to improve our nation.

Decode Democracy is a new, nonpartisan campaign to fight online disinformation and hold technology and social media companies accountable for their actions, including through laws and regulations that build a better democracy and create an online world that is transparent, private, and safe.

Daniel G. Newman, a national expert on government accountability and money in politics, has led Decode Democracy since its founding as the nonprofit group "MapLight" in 2005. Newman has appeared in hundreds of media outlets, including CNN, CBS, MSNBC, FOX Business, and NPR. He led a ballot measure campaign establishing public funding of elections in Berkeley, California, and was named one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business. He is the author of Unrig: How to Fix Our Broken Democracy.

Doug Edwards was the first marketing director at Google, where he oversaw consumer marketing and brand management from 1999 to 2005. His book about that experience, “I’m Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59” was published by Houghton Mifflin in 2011. Prior to that, he managed marketing for the San Jose Mercury News, directed communications for KQED FM in San Francisco, and was the Novosibirsk correspondent for the public radio program “Marketplace.”

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4082181920

Disinformation, Conspiracy Theories, and Big Tech