When it comes to digital rights, some of the most consequential legislation is often easy to miss – until it has already advanced to a point where it is hard to stop.
That’s why we're launching the Bill Tracker, a database of legislation around the world that is either threatening to increase surveillance, censorship, and erosion of privacy, or, on the other hand, to protect and expand those rights.
Get the bill tracker here.
The tracker is launching with more than 100 bills and laws from the United States, the UK, the EU, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, and the issues they cover include privacy, free speech, anonymity, encryption, digital identity, age verification, online monitoring, and more.
Each of the bills and laws included in the database has a dedicated page that explains in simple terms what the proposal does, its current status, and why it matters, and provides links to the official sources.
In addition to bills that are still in the process of adoption, the tracker also includes those that have already been passed or defeated, as a record of what has happened and a way to understand the context of current legislative efforts.
The database can be searched by name or number of the bill, and filtered by country, topic, legislative status, and by our own stance on the proposal – which is clearly indicated as either supported, opposed, or mixed. US results can also be narrowed to federal or state legislation.
The tracker is organized to show current legislative efforts first, with dormant measures following those that are still moving. Users can also view bills that have become law or have been defeated.
The Bill Tracker is designed as a lasting resource, a companion to our reporting on individual legislative efforts that will allow our readers to easily track the progress of a proposal, learn what it means for their digital rights, and find the source material, all in one place – without having to go through our archives and reconstruct the story of a bill over several months.
At this point, the tracker is not exhaustive, and we only want to focus on the bills that have a chance of going somewhere, but it is constantly growing. We will continue to expand its coverage and update the records of the bills and laws as they move through the system.
Get the Bill Tracker here.