Recent ACM Public Policy Products
Official ACM policy statements require adoption by the ACM Council or the ACM Executive Committee, and represent the views of ACM. The following materials are the product of, and should be attributed to, the ACM Committees that authored them identified below.
2024
- Statement On Mass Cybersecurity Incidents Likely to Recur, US Technology Policy Committee (August 11, 2024)
- TechBrief No. 11: "Data Privacy Protection," ACM Technology Policy Council (Spring 2024)
- Comments on Proposed Digital Twins National R&D Strategy, US Technology Policy Committee (July 18, 2024)
- Statement in Support of Mandatory Comprehensive Digital Accessibility Regulations, US Technology Policy Committee (May 31, 2024)
- Comments to Office of Management and Budget on Privacy Impact Assessments, US Technology Policy Committee (April 1, 2024)
- TechBrief No. 10: "Automated Vehicles," ACM Technology Policy Council (Winter 2024)
- Comments to DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency re: Secure Software Design, US Technology Policy Committee (February 20, 2024)
- TechBrief No. 9: "Trusted AI," ACM Technology Policy Council (Fall 2023)
2023
- Response to OMB Request for Comments Regarding Advancing Governance, Innovation, and Risk Management for Agency Use of Artificial Intelligence, US Technology Policy Committee (December 5, 2023)
- Response to US Copyright Office Concerning Study of Artificial Intelligence and Copyright, US Technology Policy Committee (November 29, 2023)
- Comments to the EU–US Trade and Technology Council re Terminology and a Taxonomy for Artificial Intelligence, Europe Technology Policy Committee (November 21, 2023)
- Comments to Departments of State and Commerce on G7 Hiroshima AI Process Principles, US Technology Policy Committee (October 24, 2023)
- Comments to Federal Election Commission on Petition for Clarification of Fraudulent Misrepresentation Statute, US Technology Policy Committee (October 15, 2023)
- Response to European Commission Survey on Draft G7 Advanced AI Principles, Europe Technology Policy Committee (October 20, 2023)
- Statement on Development and Use of Generative AI Content Detection Systems, US Technology Policy Committee (October 6, 2023)
- Comments to Department. of Justice on Accessibility Standards for Government Websites, US Technology Policy Committee (October 2, 2023)
- TechBrief No. 8: "Generative Artificial Intelligence," ACM Technology Policy Council (Summer 2023)
- Letter to FDA RE: AI in Development of Drug and Biological Products; US Technology Policy Committee (August 7, 2023)
- Comments to White House OSTP on National AI Priorities, US Technology Policy Committee (July 7, 2023)
- TechBrief No. 7: "The Data Trust Deficit," ACM Technology Policy Council (Spring 2023)
- Principles for the Development, Deployment, and Use of Generative AI Technologies, ACM Technology Policy Council (June 27, 2023)
- Comments to UK Government on AI Regulation: A Pro-Innovation Approach White Paper, Europe Technology Policy Committee (June 20, 2023)
- Comments to White House OSTP on Automated Worker Surveillance and Management, US Technology Policy Committee (June 15, 2023)
- Comments on AI Accountability to the National Telecommunication and Information Administration, US Technology Policy Committee (June 12, 2023)
- Comments to US Election Assistance Commission re Voluntary Voting System Guidelines 2.0, US Technology Policy Committee (June 7, 2023)
- Comments to European Commission re Regulated Data Access Under the Digital Services Act, Europe Technology Policy Committee (May 23, 2023)
- Comments to European Commission re EU Initiative on Virtual Worlds, Europe Technology Policy Committee (May 3, 2023)
- Comments to Food and Drug Administration re AI in Drug Manufacturing, US Technology Policy Committee (May 1, 2023)
- Comments to National Science Foundation and NITRD re 2023 Cybersecurity R&D Strategic Plan, US Technology Policy Committee (March 14, 2023)
- Comments to European Commission re Key Performance Indicators for 2030 Digital Decade Policy Programme, Europe Technology Policy Committee (March 13, 2023)
- Comments to National Telecommunications and Information Administration on Privacy, Justice, and Civil Rights, US Technology Policy Committee (March 6, 2023)
- Comments in European Commission Cyber Resilience Act Consultation, Europe Technology Policy Committee (January 23, 2023)
- Comments to National Institute of Standards & Technology on De-Identification of Government Data Sets Report, US Technology Policy Committee (January 17, 2023)
- TechBrief No. 6: "Safer Algorithmic Systems," ACM Technology Policy Council (January 2023)
2022
- Statement on Principles for the Development and Deployment of Equitable, Private, and Secure Remote Proctoring Systems, US Technology Policy Committee (December 16, 2022)
- Joint Statement on Principles for Responsible Algorithmic Systems, ACM Technology Policy Council (October 26, 2022) Statement in Spanish
- TechBrief No. 5: "Election Security: Risk-Limiting Audits," ACM Technology Policy Council (October 2022)
- Comments on UK Policy Paper re Establishing a Pro-Innovation Approach to Regulating AI, Europe Technology Policy Committee (September 23, 2022)
- TechBrief No. 4: "Quantum Computing and Simulation," ACM Technology Policy Council (July 2022)
- Comments in European Commission High Value Dataset Consultation, ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (June 21, 2022)
- Questionnaire Responses to European Commission Consultation on Cyber Resilience, ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (May 25, 2022)
- Letter to US Dept. of Justice re: Codifying Regulations for ADA-Compliant Websites, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (May 18, 2022)
- Comments in European Commission Data Act Consultation, ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (May 13, 2022)
- Comments on European Commission Chips Act Semiconductor Ecosystem Framework, ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (May 9, 2022)
- Comments to NIST on Update of the National Artificial Intelligence R&D Strategic Plan, US Technology Policy Committee (March 4, 2022)
- TechBrief No. 3: "Smart Cities," ACM Technology Policy Council (April 2022)
- Statement of Interest and Comments to US Copyright Office re: Technical Measures, US Technology Policy Committee (February 8, 2022)
- TechBrief No. 2: "Facial Recognition," ACM Technology Policy Council (February 2022)
- Questionnaire/Comments in European Commission AI & Product Liability Consultation, ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (January 9, 2022)
2021
- Comments on Draft Decision on Establishing 2030 Policy Programme “Path to the Digital Decade, ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (December 10, 2021)
- Comments to National Institute of Standards and Technology on Draft Promoting Access to Voting Report, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (November 22, 2021)
- TechBrief No. 1: "Computing and Climate Change," ACM Technology Policy Council (November 2021)
- Comments to NSF/OSTP on National AI Research Resource Implementation, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (October 1, 2021)
- Comments in European Commission "Digital Principles" Consultation, ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (September 1, 2021)
- Comments on National Institute of Standards and Technology RFI re Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (August 19, 2021)
- Statement on Principles for Secure Remote Test Administration, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (August 12, 2021)
- Comments to European Commission on Proposed AI Regulations, ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (August 5, 2021)
- Joint Comments with Computing Research Association on Enhancing Federal Scientific Integrity Policies to White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (July 28, 2021)
- Questionnaire Responses to European Commission Consultation on Digital Health Data Services, ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (July 23, 2021)
- Comments to the National Institute of Standards and Technology on Promoting Access to Voting, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (July 16, 2021)
- Statement on the Development and Deployment of Digital Green Certificates, ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (April 19, 2021)
- Comments to European Commission in Digital Services Act Consultation, ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (March 31, 2021)
- Joint “Long Comment” to US Copyright Office Supporting Expansion of DMCA Security Research Exemption, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (March 10, 2021)
2020
- Joint Letter to Utah State Rep. S. Harrison re: Insecurity of Online Voting, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (December 22, 2020)
- Joint Letter to Utah State Representatives re: Insecurity of Online Voting, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (December 22, 2020)
- Joint Detailed Request to US Copyright Office for Expansion of DMCA Security Research Exemption, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (December 14, 2020)
- Paper on Gender Bias in Automated Decision Making Systems, ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (December 10, 2020)
- Comments on the UK National Data Strategy, ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (December 2, 2020)
- Joint Comments to Dept. of Commerce Bureau of Industry Security on Foundational Technology Export Controls, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (October 29, 2020)
- Joint Request to US Copyright Office for Expansion of DMCA Security Research Exemption, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (September 8, 2020)
- Joint Request for Renewal of Digital Millennium Copyright Act Security Research Exemption, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (July 22, 2020)
- US Supreme Court Amicus Curiae Brief in Van Buren v US, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (July 8, 2020)
- Statement on Facial Recognition Technologies, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (June 30, 2020)
- Comments on Voluntary Voting System Guidelines 2.0, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (June 22, 2020)
- Comments on the EU Climate Ambition for 2030 and for the Design of Certain Climate and Energy Policies of the European Green Deal, ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (June 22, 2020)
- Comments on European Commission's February 2020 AI White Paper, ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (June 19, 2020)
- Statement on Security and Privacy Principles for Virtual Meetings, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (May 26, 2020)
- Statement on Essential Principles and Practices for COVID-19 Contact Tracing Applications, ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (May 5, 2020)
Statement in Italian
Statement in French - Joint Letter to Governors and Secretaries of State on the Insecurity of Online Voting, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (April 9, 2020)
2019
- Joint Letter to US, UK, and Australian Law Enforcement Leaders Supporting Strong End-to-End Encryption, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (December 10, 2019)
- Joint Amicus Brief in Shelby County, TN Voting Rights Litigation before US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (November 8, 2019)
- Comments to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on Sept. 6 Preliminary Draft Privacy Framework, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (October 24, 2019)
- Joint Letter to Facebook CEO Zuckerberg Urging Implementation of End-to-End Encryption Plans, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (October 4, 2019)
- Letter to Senate Task Force on Privacy Chair Blackburn Calling for Maximum Public Input and Transparency in Panel's Work, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (July 22, 2019)
- Comments to Food and Drug Administration on AI-Augmented Software as a Medical Device Discussion Paper, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (June 3, 2019)
- Comments on Computing Community Consortium’s Draft of 20-Year Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence Research in the US, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (May 30, 2019)
- Comments on US Election Assistance Commission's Voluntary Voting System Guidelines, Version 2.0, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (May 29, 2019)
- Comments to National Institute of Standards and Technology on Developing a Privacy Framework, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (January 14, 2019)
- Joint Comments to Dept. of Commerce Bureau of Industry Security on Emerging Technology Export Controls, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (January 10, 2019)
2018
- Comments to U.S. Commerce Department and Bureau of the Census on Revision of the National Data Strategy (Phase 2), ACM US Technology Policy Committee (November 16, 2018)
- Comments to NTIA re: Developing the Administration’s Approach to Consumer Privacy, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (November 8, 2018)
- Letter to European Commission Scientific Advice Mechanism re: Scoping Paper on Transforming the Future of Ageing, ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee, (November 7, 2018)
- Comments to NSF re: Revision of the 2016 National Artificial Intelligence R&D Strategic Plan, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (October 26, 2018)
- Joint Letter to NSF Endorsing Comments of the Computing Community Consortium on Revision of the 2016 National Artificial Intelligence R&D Strategic Plan, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (October 26, 2018)
- Joint Report on Email and Internet Voting: The Overlooked Threat to Election Security (October 10, 2018)
- Joint Letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Leaders Urging Rapid Action to Fill Vacancies on Privacy & Civil Liberties Oversight Board (August 29, 2018)
- Letter by ACM President Cherri Pancake to United Nations Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (August 22, 2018)
- Joint Petition to White House Office of Science & Technology Policy Requesting Mechanism for Public Input on Development of National Artificial Intelligence Policy (July 4, 2018)
- Letter to US Senate Calling for Consumer Privacy Protections to Safeguard Data, ACM US Technology Policy Committee (July 2, 2018)
- Letter to Commissioner Carlos Moedas re: Horizon Europe Funding Priorities, ACM Europe Council and ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee (June 12, 2018)
- Letter to Leadership of House Appropriations Committee in Support of Examining Revival of Expert Congressional Technology Assessment Capacity, ACM US Public Policy Council (May 7, 2018)
- Letter to Leadership of Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch in Support of Examining Revival of Expert Congressional Technology Assessment Capacity, ACM US Public Policy Council (April 26, 2018)
- Letter to Leadership of House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch in Support of Examining Revival of Expert Congressional Technology Assessment Capacity, ACM US Public Policy Council (April 25, 2018)
- Letter to U.S. House Committee on Appropriations RE Congressional Technology Assessment Capacity and Resources, ACM US Public Policy Council (April 25, 2018)
- Statement on Mandatory Engineered Law Enforcement Access to Information Infrastructure and Devices, ACM US Public Policy Council Council (April 12, 2018)
- Letter to U.S. Senators on Committee Consideration of Facebook Data Compromises, ACM US Public Policy Council (April 9, 2018)
- USACM Statement on the Importance of Preserving Personal Privacy, ACM US Public Policy Council (March 1, 2018)
- Comments to NTIA re: Promoting Stakeholder Action Against Botnets and Other Automated Threats, ACM US Public Policy Council (February 12, 2018)
2017
- Comments to the U.S. Copyright Office on Computing Security Research Exemptions under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2017)
- Statement on Accessibility, Usability, and Digital Inclusiveness, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2017)
- Statement on Internet of Things Privacy and Security, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council, ACM Europe Council Policy Committee (2017)
- Statement on Algorithmic Transparency and Accountability, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council, ACM Europe Council Policy Committee (2017)
- Statement on Computing and Network Security, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2017)
- Statement on Algorithmic Transparency and Accountability, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2017)
- Comments to the U.S. Department of Commerce on Internet of Things Green Paper, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2017)
- ACM Expresses Concern About New U.S. Executive Order Suspending Visas (2017)
2016
- White Paper on Advancing Cybersecurity Research and Education in Europe: Major Drivers of Growth in the Digital Landscape, ACM Europe Policy Committee (2016)
- Comments to the U.S. Department of Commerce on the Internet of Things, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2016)
- Comments to the U.S. Department of Justice on Accessibility, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2016)
- Comments to the Presidential Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2016)
- Comments to the U.S. Government on Regulations for Research Involving Human Subjects, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2016)
- Comments to the U.S. Copyright Office on Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Section 1201 Policy Study, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2016)
2015
- Statement on 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2015)
- Comments to the White House on a Revised Policy for Managing Federal IT Systems, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2015)
- Comments to the U.S. Copyright Office on Computing Security Research Exemptions under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2015)
- Comments to the National Institute of Standards and Technology on U.S. Participation in International Cybersecurity Standardization, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2015)
- Comments to the National Institute of Standards and Technology on Privacy Risk Management, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2015)
- Comments to the National Institute of Standards and Technology on Accessible and Usable Voting Systems, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2015)
- Letters to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) suggesting future activities, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2015)
- Comments to the U.S. Access Board on Accessibility, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2015)
- Statement regarding the U.S. President’s State of the Union Address, ACM U.S. Public Policy Council (2015)
Historical Archives of Public Policy Statements
Archived policy statements are available for historical purposes. They do not necessarily represent current knowledge or reflect current technology. The archives are available here.
USTPC Statement on CrowdStrike Incident
ACM's US Technology Policy Committee has released a “Statement on Mass Cybersecurity Incidents Likely to Recur.” On July 18, 2024, CrowdStrike, a US-based cybersecurity technology company, released a sensor configuration update which caused a global outage affecting an estimated 8.5 million computers. Several critical infrastructure sectors including airlines, 911 emergency systems, banks, government agencies, healthcare, and hospitals around the world were impacted. While CrowdStrike has provided some information as to how the accident happened, ACM USTPC urges that all the details be thoroughly and publicly investigated.
ACM USTPC Expresses Concerns about Online Voting
ACM's US Technology Policy Committee (USTPC) is joining with organzations including the National Election Defense Coalition, R Street Institute, and Common Cause to release a report citing concerns on the security of internet and email voting. The report cites the increasing impact of cyberattacks on ballots in transit; malware on the voter’s computer/device; voter authentication; server attacks; and more. Recommendations include a return to paper ballots and other "low-tech" measures.
ACM US and Europe Tech Policy Committees Issue Statement on IoT Privacy and Security
The ACM US Technology Policy Committee and the ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee have released a Statement on Internet of Things Privacy and Security addressing existing and expected privacy and security concerns in the IoT ecosystem. The principles in the statement propose policy and technical approaches to tackle privacy and security challenges while ensuring that the technology continues to move forward.
ACM US and European Policy Committees List Seven Principles to Address Algorithmic Bias
Recognizing the ubiquity of algorithms in our daily lives, as well as their far-reaching impact, the ACM US Technology Policy Committee and the ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee have issued a statement and a list of seven principles designed to address potential harmful bias. The US ACM committee approved the principles earlier this year, and the European ACM committee approved them on May 25.
What Should Europe’s Cybersecurity Policy Focus On?
A new report on cybersecurity policy published by the European Commission’s top scientific advisers cites the ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee’s White Paper on “Advancing Cybersecurity Research and Education in Europe” and the ACM US Technology Policy Committee’s Principles on Algorithmic Transparency and Accountability. Among the report’s recommendations, the scientific advisers call for global cybersecurity cooperation.
USACM Statement on Law Enforcement Access to Devices
USACM issued a statement warning about consquences associated with mandated extraordinary access to user-controlled encryption systems. Among them are introducing "security vulnerabilities that would expose the involved systems to attack by malicious or otherwise extra-legal actors." USACM said such actions should be "subjected to rigorous analysis and detailed Congressional consideration of all risks and benefits."