News

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Internet Platforms Answer Questions About How They Grapple With Misinformation, Illegal Content and Hate Speech at COMO Summit

Executives from Google, Facebook, Twitter and Others Will Provide an Unprecedented Under-the-Hood Look at Internal Content Moderation Practices

Washington, D.C. – In the midst of growing public and Congressional scrutiny of internet platforms, there are more questions than ever about how those services are wielding their power to moderate the content that their users post. How are they making decisions about what content stays up and what content comes down? Are they taking down too much, or not enough? And what role does AI play in this process? To help answer those questions, key executives from some of Silicon Valley’s top companies will converge on May 7 for the Content Moderation at Scale Summit in Washington, D.C.

The Summit will feature a who’s who of the tech industry’s content moderation operations — those responsible for filtering out objectionable and illegal content. Executives like Twitter’s Vice President of Trust & Safety, Del Harvey; Google’s Senior Litigation Counsel, Nora Puckett; and Facebook’s Policy Manager for Risk, Peter Stern, will provide an inside view of their companies’ processes for identifying and removing  problematic content such as extremist propaganda, hate speech, “deepfakes”, and fake news. They’ll also detail the challenges of fairly and accurately moderating such content at scale while also seeking to balance users’ free expression rights.

The Summit will also feature workshops on the legal framework surrounding content moderation, machine-assisted content analysis and law enforcement cooperation. These workshops will involve senior executives from Twitter, Facebook, Google, Match Group, Vimeo, Wikimedia, and more.

The COMO Summit is a collaborative effort among a group of think tanks, non-profits, academic institutions, and trade associations that are committed to content moderation practices that maximize free expression and personal liberty while maintaining a civil society. This group includes the Cato Institute, Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT), Charles Koch Institute, Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Engine, Internet Association, Internet Education Foundation, New America’s Open Technology Institute (OTI), and Santa Clara University School of Law.

WHEN: Monday, May 7, 2018, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm

WHERE: The Showroom

              1099 14th Street, NW

               Washington, DC 20005

The event is open to the public and on the record.

Can’t join in person? Watch the livestream on the COMO Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/comoatscale/

Follow the event online at @comoatscale, #comoatscale

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Our Student Participation Doubles / Diversity Numbers Crush SV’s Best | 2017 By The Numbers

We’ve crunched the numbers from the 2017 Congressional App Challenge and results are amazing: 225 Members of the House of Representatives hosted local computer science competitions for students in their districts. The competition was unprecedented in terms of sheer participation as well as in geographical and diversity statistics.

The Congressional App Challenge (CAC), which has become the most prestigious prize in student app competitions, more than doubled in terms of participation over the previous year, and nine new states across the country were represented. In the course of three short years, the CAC, which is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives, has achieved what no other initiative has been able to do: it has reached extraordinary levels of geographic and rural participation while garnering participation from underserved communities at record-setting levels.

We thought you should know about the amazing stats from the 2017 CAC detailed below. And we’ve provided a look ahead to our #HouseOfCode Demo Day in Rayburn and the start of the 2018 CAC.

Student Participation Up 129%

Our Student Participation Doubles / Diversity Numbers Crush SV’s Best | 2017 By The Numbers

Geographical Participation

This past year, the CAC increased state participation by almost 30 percent. The 40 states in dark blue represent those that participated in the district-wide competitions in 2017.

Geographic Footprint of the 2017 Congressional App Challenge
Geographic Footprint of the 2017 Congressional App Challenge

CAC Crushes Tech Industry Diversity Gap

The CAC outpaced the tech industry by reaching out to a wide range of students in terms of gender, race, ethnicity and geography. The following unprecedented growth is due to the CAC footprint, which included 225 US congressional districts.

Our Student Participation Doubles / Diversity Numbers Crush SV’s Best | 2017 By The Numbers
Our Student Participation Doubles / Diversity Numbers Crush SV’s Best | 2017 By The Numbers
Our Student Participation Doubles / Diversity Numbers Crush SV’s Best | 2017 By The Numbers
Our Student Participation Doubles / Diversity Numbers Crush SV’s Best | 2017 By The Numbers

Inspiring Young Women Coders

The CAC helped address the gender gap in the tech industry by reaching a new plateau with 33% of its participants being young women and girls. During the 3rd annual contest, over 1,600 female students were inspired by Congress’ coding challenge.

"One of my goals was to increase the CAC footprint to ensure that all underrepresented groups had a chance to participate," said CAC Director Rachel Decoste. ‚"I am proud that the App Challenge continues to surpass tech industry standards. It foreshadows the strength of the future of the U.S. workforce".

Source: 2014 Silicon Valley Diversity Chart, (C) 2015 Lee & Low Books

“One of my goals was to increase the CAC footprint to ensure that all underrepresented groups had a chance to participate,” said CAC Director Rachel Decoste. ‚”I am proud that the App Challenge continues to surpass tech industry standards. It foreshadows the strength of the future of the U.S. workforce”.
Our Student Participation Doubles / Diversity Numbers Crush SV’s Best | 2017 By The Numbers

Attend #HouseofCode /
The New National Science Fair

The Congressional App Challenge invites winners from across the country to demo their apps to the Members of Congress and members of the tech community at #HouseOfCode, a reception on Capitol Hill to be held on April 12, 2018. At #HouseOfCode the winners are recognized by their Representative in Congress and their apps are put on display in the Capitol Building. Southwest airlines provides $100 travel vouchers for winners to come to #HouseOfCode and winners are given $250 Amazon Web Service Credits.
“We hope you will join us in celebrating these remarkable students.” Rachel Decoste, Director, Congressional App Challenge.

In collaboration with willing Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, the Challenge has become a valuable manifestation of Congress’ commitment to building the domestic pipeline of future tech leaders. The CAC Congressional Director Melissa Medina adds, “This Challenge innovates the way Congress engages with technology. We work to connect today’s Congress with tomorrow’s coders and innovators. The fact that the App Challenge is naturally bipartisan demonstrates tech’s ability to unite Congress behind a common goal of spreading STEM and Computer Science opportunities across the country.”

2018 Sponsors

Our Student Participation Doubles / Diversity Numbers Crush SV’s Best | 2017 By The Numbers

About The Congressional App Challenge

The Congressional App Challenge is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives to encourage kids to learn how to code, through annual district-wide competitions hosted by Members of Congress for their district.

Students in participating districts code original applications for the chance to be selected for recognition by their Member of Congress, win prizes, and have their app put on display in the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. The Challenge is executed by the Congressional staff of each participating district. It is initiated by the Congressional Internet Caucus and coordinated by the Internet Education Foundation, the appointed non-governmental sponsor. [More]

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Chairman Greg Walden To Keynote #SOTN18 | Register Now

Congressman Greg Walden will keynote the 14th Annual State of the Net Conference on January 29, 2018 at the Newseum in Washington D.C. Congressman Walden joins a roster of leading speakers – from government, business, and academia – who are shaping the future of Internet policy.  

Congressman Walden is Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Energy & Commerce, which oversees broad swaths of the Internet ecosystem. Recently, Chairman Walden has held hearings focused on online consumer safety, security, and access to the flow of information. 

Every year, key Internet policy makers and thinkers gather at State of the Net. Join them on January 29, 2018 at the Newseum’s Knight Conference Center in Washington, D.C. to be part of the Internet policy conversation.

REGISTER NOW

The upcoming State of the Net Conference will cover the most important policy issues facing the Internet today. Congressional and administration leaders will engage with stakeholders on issues such as digital inclusion, freedom of expression, trust & tribalism, broadband fragmentation, innovation, and many more. As always, State of the Net will be your first look at the new players and the new issues that will take center stage in 2018. Whether it’s artificial intelligence or cyber security policies, State of the Net is the best place to debate them all. This conference is unique. It’s been consistently lauded for its balanced blend of perspectives and its provocative thinkers. In an increasingly polarized policy space, State of the Net is the most important stakeholder gathering that brings you together with key people with whom you disagree (respectfully). That’s the point. 

Past keynote speakers include: FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, UBER Founder/CEO Travis Kalanick, Dropbox Founder/CEO Drew Houston, Comcast NBC CEO Brian L. Roberts and many others. Find out more about our recent past speakers here.

State of the Net attracts over 600 attendees by providing unparalleled opportunities to network and engage on key policy issues. 

Want to know more about what State of the Net does? Here are video highlights of the conference to give a better sense of what the event does.

Follow us on Twitter for conference news and updates as we finalize the conference agenda and announce our final panelists and keynote speakers. Registration is free for all government staff, press and media, and a limited number of student tickets are available. Discounted tickets are available for non-profit and academic attendees.

Rod J. Rosenstein, USDOJ, To Keynote State of the Net Conference

Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein will keynote the 14th Annual State of the Net Conference on January 29, 2018 at the Newseum in Washington D.C. The Deputy Attorney General joins a roster of engaging and informative speakers who are shaping the future of Internet policy.

Rod J. Rosenstein

Rod J. Rosenstein

Deputy Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice

As second in command at the Justice Department, Mr. Rosenstein plays a key role in setting the Department’s priorities including prosecuting cyber crimes. Recently, he has argued that digital technology should be securely and “responsibly” encrypted, allowing law enforcement access to digital data with judicial authorization.

Each year, we bring together key Internet policy makers and thinkers. Join us to be part of the Internet policy conversations at the State of the Net on January 29, 2018 at the Newseum’s Knight Conference Center in Washington, D.C.

REGISTER NOW

Want to know more about what State of the Net does? There are video highlights of the conference to give a better sense of what the event does.

Make sure you follow @SOTN and use the hashtag #SOTN2018 on Twitter for conference updates!

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Congressional App Challenge Winners Announced!

WASHINGTON, DC – Today 190 Members of the U.S. House of Representatives will announce the winners of the 2017 Congressional App Challenge. Over the last four months, thousands of students coded original apps as part of district-wide competitions hosted by Members of the House.

The Congressional App Challenge aims to engage students in coding and computer science. In all, 190 Congressional districts across 42 states hosted app challenges for their student constituents. Congressional participation was widespread and remarkably bipartisan.

“This year the Congressional App Challenge has expanded its reach, with notable inroads in rural America and with underrepresented minorities and young women” said Rachel Decoste, Director of the Challenge. “This has been a banner year thanks to our sponsors, partners and the dedicated educators who are at the heart of this initiative’s success.”


Over 4,100 students participated in the 14-week regional competitions. They submitted over 1,270 original student-created apps, a 96% growth in number of apps from last year’s Challenge. The winners are listed online at CongressionalAppChallenge.us. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to view the announcements of winners from each Member of Congress.

The Congressional App Challenge will invite winners from across the country to showcase their apps to the Members of Congress and members of the tech community at #HouseOfCode, a reception on Capitol Hill to be held in April 2018. Their work is eligible to be featured for one year on the permanent display in the U.S. Capitol Building and on the House.gov website. Each winning student will also be awarded $250 in Amazon Web Service credits, generously donated by Amazon Web Services.

Congratulations to all the students who participated!

Trophy Image

About the Congressional App Challenge

The CAC is an official initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives, managed by the Internet Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The first three years of the program yielded 426 challenges across 42 states. Over 2,400 apps were created by nearly 8,000 students, and participant demographics surpassed the tech industry’s best gender, racial and geographic diversity metrics. The 2017 Congressional App Challenge is possible thanks to the generous support of our sponsors: Capital One, Microsoft, Democracy Fund, Verizon Foundation, Amazon Web Services, the United Parcel Service, BSA (Business Software Alliance) Foundation, CA Technologies, Cognizant and the Copyright Alliance. The Challenge also owes gratitude to Representatives Bob Goodlatte and Anna G. Eshoo, co-chairs of the Congressional Internet Caucus, who requested and supported the creation of the CAC. Additionally, thank you to Representatives Illeana Ros-Lehtinen and Tim Ryan for serving as 2017 App Challenge Co-chairs.

For more information, to sponsor, or to partner, please contact [email protected] and visit CongressionalAppChallenge.us

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Director Decoste Illustrates CAC’s Rural / Underserved Reach at #CS4All Summit

Last month at the 2017 CSforALL Summit in St. Louis, Rachel Decoste, Congressional App Challenge Director, highlighted the spectacular growth the program has made in just two short years. In her keynote to the nation’s leading stakeholders in computer science education, Decoste illustrated the tremendous reach of the App Challenge as well as its incredible diversity participation numbers.

WATCH PRESENTATION
Geographic Footprint of the 2017 Congressional App Challenge
Geographic Footprint of the 2017 Congressional App Challenge

The Congressional App Challenge‘s demographics surpass the tech industry’s best in terms of gender diversity, with 30% of past participants self-identifying as young women. Furthermore, the App Challenge boasted racial and ethnic diversity, including 17% Hispanic and 7% African-American participants in 2016.

At the Summit, the Congressional App Challenge debuted its geographic footprint, including an impressive presence in rural districts. A video of the presentation is available online.

Director Decoste Illustrates CAC’s Rural / Underserved Reach at #CS4All Summit
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THE BEST PLACE TO INTERN

We’re so grateful for our summer Google Policy Fellow, Rebecca Tjahja. Below is a blog post by her describing her summer in DC. Thank you so much, Rebecca!

THE BEST PLACE TO INTERN

Posted by Rebecca Tjahja
In the McDermott Blog

Rebecca Tjahja Photo

Washington, D.C. is undoubtedly the best city in America to intern. The last 12 months of living in D.C. have made me a bit biased, but I say this as a proud California native. It has sometimes been challenging spending a year in D.C. while still in school, but the incredible opportunities that I have been able to take on have made every challenge worth it. I’ve had the privilege of working for the White House, the Financial Services Roundtable, and the Internet Education Foundation (IEF) as a Google Policy Fellow. The incredible impact of the experiences I’ve had and the people I’ve met have shaped me as a young woman and young professional. Here are the three reasons why every young professional should intern in D.C.:

1) Close relationships focused on your development as a leader

rebecca-tjahja photo

Passionate people from around the world come to D.C., bringing with them an incredible amount of brain power and diversity in background. From policy advisors up to the President’s senior advisors, the level of expertise and intelligence was amazing. Fortunately, everyone took time to share their expertise and perspective with the interns, and helped us see how to become the leaders we wish to be. During my time at the White House I was incredibly lucky to serve under Special Assistant to the President, R. David Edelman. He never hesitated to give me the responsibility and autonomy to think for myself, and allowed me to exercise a part of my brain and leadership ability I wouldn’t be able to otherwise in another setting. I found that other leaders in D.C. followed this same practice. As a Google Fellow, the executive director of IEF, Tim Lordan, gave me the same freedom to start and develop my own large-scale project and encouraged me to take initiative rather than cautioning me against it. I also managed to make it on C-SPAN thanks to Tim!

2) The people that you will meet

I grew up in Los Angeles, but I think I’ve met more famous people in Washington, D.C. than in LA. It’s also important to note that one’s perception of who is “famous” changes while in D.C. (I think I fangirled more about meeting Ian Bremmer than Selena Gomez. Who’s Ian Bremmer? Exactly.) Influential people are infinitely more accessible in Washington D.C. than anywhere else. The number of hearings, events, and receptions that I’ve been invited to has led me to connect with some of the most important decision-makers in the free world. I even had the opportunity to directly ask President Obama for his advice on leadership, which is a moment that will stay with me forever.

3) History is not only felt, but made here

Rebecca Tjahja Castro

I stood backstage with then Secretary Julian Castro and my boss from the White House as they prepared to give their remarks up on stage about rural broadband connectivity; sat front row as President Obama and Leonardo DiCaprio discussed the climate change and its future threat to our society; walked and talked with five different ambassadors down West Executive Drive about current happenings in their countries; stood in front of the Capitol as the transfer of power was passed from President Obama to President Trump. I didn’t realize at the time that my day-to-day activities and observations were at the forefront of what was defining our country. There is no other place in the world where “learning by watching” has been more impactful or motivating. Every young professional can come here and have the same experience.

Many successful and powerful influencers and decision makers’ paths have their humble beginning as an intern like me in Washington, DC, and right now I see myself at the beginning of a similar trail. Life-changing opportunities come with the right person, place, and time, and this city is an amazing catalyst in that equation. One connection has evolved into many, each providing insight into my strengths, weaknesses, and which direction I want to go into in my near and far future. If you are looking for an intellectually challenging environment to grow as a leader and person, Washington, D.C. is the place to be. It is a place where I felt that I could make a difference and where a difference was made within me.

 

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Thanks Ryan Saraie, Our Summer Fellow from Berkeley

We’re so grateful for our summer fellow, Ryan Saraie. Below is a feature of him from the Cal in the Capital Blog 2017. Thank you so much, Ryan!

Ryan Saraie

UC Berkeley Class of 2019
Environmental Economics & Policy Major
Internet Education Foundation

After six long, hard years of being away, I finally returned to Washington DC. No, one week-long trip in the eighth grade wasn’t enough. I knew I had to come back. Every moment leading up to this summer was exciting, from applying for internships to buying plane tickets. I honestly had a great time going through baggage claim.

In spite of all of the expectations I had set for the summer, I never once thought that I would ever be experiencing DC as a normal city that people do normal things in. Sure, I checked out the National Mall and toured the US Capitol Building, but eventually I was going to less touristy things like farmers markets and open mic nights. Recently, I have learned that DC has a unique culture, one in which politics and personal life often mesh together. Here, politics has a role in its residents’ careers, beliefs, and aspirations. It’s nice to live in an environment in which most people care about the public problems that affect everyday lives, which is what partially drew to me to living in DC for the summer.

Working in this city has given me the opportunity to better understand my role as someone interested in being involved with politics. I have known for a while that I wanted to engage in the policy realm and help improve the lives of others, but I never knew in what capacity. From interning with the Internet Education Foundation (or IEF), I have gained a sincere interest in working within the intersection of tech and policy to solve pressing issues that affect the general public. Specifically, I’m doing work on the Congressional App Challenge, an IEF-sponsored national coding competition that exists to get kids of all ages and backgrounds involved in computer programming. Interning within this route of tech policy is rewarding, and I never would have realized that I found this field to be enjoyable without being in DC.

This summer experience has notably affected my future career path. I have always believed that Washington DC is an awesome city, and after going through this program I am now fairly certain that I would enjoy living in the DC-Maryland- Virginia area. I will probably be applying for future internships/jobs within the area. Prior to my time with the IEF, I wasn’t too sure if I wanted to be potentially employed at a nonprofit. After almost two months in my internship, I am very satisfied with the work I do, and I am sure that I could thrive in a nonprofit setting. Above all else, I have honestly become more inspired than ever to work on public issues. A big thank you to those who supported me in my journey to DC, and GO BEARS!!!

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Congressional App Challenge Launches Today!

It begins today! The third annual Congressional App Challenge (CAC) has now launched and will run through November 1, 2017. The CAC is a congressional initiative to encourage student engagement in coding and computer science through local app challenges hosted by the Members of Congress. This year, there are over 165 Members of Congress signed up to participate!

The CAC aims to bridge the gender, geographic, and racial gaps in tech. In its first two years, the program yielded 239 challenges across 33 states. Over 1,150 apps were created by nearly 4,000 students, and participant demographics surpassed all industry diversity metrics, with young women representing 30% of all competitors. This year, the Congressional App Challenge will strive to build upon those numbers.

During the next 14 weeks, thousands of students in participating Congressional districts will create and submit their own original applications, that will be evaluated by panels of local judges.The Members of Congress will announce the winners during Computer Science Education Week in early December. Winners will be honored by their Member of Congress. More prizes will be announced throughout the Challenge.

The CAC was created because Congress recognizes how essential computer science and STEM skills are for economic growth and innovation, and that the U.S. is currently experiencing a dearth of adequately trained technical talent. By some estimates there are nearly a quarter of a million unfilled programming jobs in the US, right now. The CAC is a congressional effort to maintain American competitiveness, by proactively inspiring our youth and encouraging them to pursue these crucial skills.

The Challenge owes gratitude to Representatives Bob Goodlatte and Anna G. Eshoo, co-chairs of the Congressional Internet Caucus, who requested and supported the creation of the CAC. Challenge execution is supported by the efforts of our Advisory Board, which includes the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, the Computer Science Teachers Association, Girls Who Code, Hispanic Heritage Foundation, Capital One, and Cisco, as well as a broad coalition of CS-focused partners.

For more information about the Congressional App Challenge, please visit CongressionalAppChallenge.us. If you are interested getting involved or in supporting the Congressional App Challenge, please contact our Director, Rachel Decoste, at [email protected].

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Meet The New Director Leading The Congressional App Challenge

The CAC’s new Director is a skilled coder who is passionate about increasing the reach of computer science and STEM among youth

WASHINGTON, DC – Rachel Décoste, an accomplished Software Engineer and STEM advocate, will spearhead the Congressional App Challenge (CAC) as it prepares its 3rd annual Challenge on July 26, 2017. Décoste joins the Internet Education Foundation, the CAC’s official coordinator, as Director of the project. The CAC is a congressional initiative to encourage student engagement in coding and computer science through app contests  hosted by Members of Congress in their districts.

“The Congressional App Challenge is the largest series of student coding competitions in the world,” said Tim Lordan, Executive Director of the Internet Education Foundation. “Rachel is an accomplished computer scientist and an inspirational leader. We expect her to push the contest to new heights.”

Rachel Decoste Headshot

Ms. Décoste is an autodidactic coder, having taught herself computer programming using a library book. She started with a small app simulating a math quiz for her little sister. A decade later, Ms. Décoste was coding air traffic control systems for the Federal Aviation Agency, among others. Ms. Décoste’s trajectory inspires young people – including women, minorities and those who live in the heartland – to rise to the Challenge.

“I’m excited to join a team of people who are passionate about increasing STEM among America’s youth and connecting the U.S. Congress with their local tech communities,” said Ms. Décoste. “Learning to code in as a teenager opened the door to a fantastic career for me. I hope the Congressional App Challenge will be a catalyst for the next generation of tech leaders.”

In the first 2 years of the program yielded 239 challenges across 33 states. Over 1,150 apps were created by nearly 4,000 students, and participant demographics surpassed all industry diversity metrics, with young women representing 30% of all competitors. This year, the CAC initiative aims to reach even more constituents.

For further information about the Congressional App Challenge, please visit www.CongressionalAppChallenge.us. If you are interested getting more involved or in supporting the Congressional App Challenge, please contact Rachel Décoste at [email protected].

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