NYU Stern Center for Business & Human RightsTechnology & Democracy

Politics and public life in the United States and certain other democracies around the world have taken a turn toward extreme polarization, with distrust of democratic institutions on the rise. We examine how major technology companies are exacerbating these problems by facilitating the creation and distribution of harmful online content. We focus on social media, artificial intelligence, gaming, and 3D immersive platforms. In all instances, we pair our analysis with practical recommendations for how industry and government can better regulate digital products and services in the interest of protecting democracy.

Addressing 3D Immersive Technology

Immersive technologies powering the "metaverse" pose serious threats to consumer privacy and safety.

Combating Extremism in Online Gaming

Online gaming companies, which boast more than three billion consumers globally, have been slow to counteract the exploitation of their sites by violent extremists and other bad actors.

In the absence of adequate tech industry self-regulation, government needs to extend more systematic oversight of companies like Meta, Google, TikTok, and X.

Safeguarding AI

Digital products built with generative artificial intelligence hold great promise but also can facilitate fraud, disinformation campaigns, and cyberattacks.

Supreme Court Advocacy

We file friend-of-the-court (amicus) briefs in leading U.S. Supreme Court cases that bear on the effects of technology on democracy.

Working Group on Gaming and Regulation

We are a multi-stakeholder working group seeking to advance constructive regulation of the online gaming industry.

Publications

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White Paper

May 2026

Trust, Play, and Platforms: Sharing Lessons for Safer Digital Spaces

Drawing on expert reflections from a September 2025 symposium, this paper examines how Trust & Safety governance in online gaming compares to social media and what the games industry's unique experience with community-driven moderation can teach policymakers and advocates working across all digital spaces.

Policy Recommendation

April 2026

Submission to the French Council on Artificial Intelligence and Digital Affairs

The Working Group on Gaming and Regulation filed a submission with the French Council on AI and Digital Affairs, responding to a mission assessing the potential risks of video games for minors.

Report

October 2025

Digital Aftershocks: Online Mobilization and Violence in the United States

Our new report draws on open-source intelligence to trace how extremist actors coordinate across online platforms to justify violence and recruit supporters, offering a framework for policy and platform response.

Policy Recommendation

October 2025

Feedback on the European Commission’s Digital Fairness Act

The Working Group on Gaming and Regulation submitted feedback to the European Commission’s Digital Fairness Act, calling for clearer, better-enforced rules across Member States that close regulatory gaps without adding unnecessary complexity to the EU’s digital framework.

Policy Recommendation

October 2025

Feedback on the EU’s Consumer Agenda 2025–2030

The Working Group on Gaming and Regulation submitted feedback to the European Commission’s Consumer Agenda 2025–2030, urging the EU to strengthen enforcement against manipulative design practices in digital games and to modernize consumer protection rules for the digital marketplace.