Big Tech Faces Growing Pressure to Prioritize Transparency Amid AI Ethics and Regulatory Scrutiny

Big Tech companies are increasingly under the spotlight for their unaccountability and transparency, particularly how they handle user data. There is a growing call for such a model as the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to be applied to these tech companies. This would compel them to provide key information on algorithmic decision-making, data harvesting practices, and content moderation processes, allowing more public scrutiny.
Currently, companies like Meta, Google, and Apple are mandated to surrender user data to U.S. authorities via legal requests like subpoenas and national security letters. Recent reports revealed that these companies have dramatically increased the number of user accounts they surrender to U.S. law enforcement bodies over the past decade, totaling millions of accounts. This indicates the expanding participation of Big Tech in providing data to government agencies.
Big Tech’s influence extends beyond data exchange. Companies like Elon Musk’s companies have amassed political clout, particularly under the Trump presidency. Musk’s rise to leadership has established him as a pivotal figure in setting digital infrastructure and policy discourse agendas. But this close identification between tech leaders and politicians is something to worry about when it comes to blurring boundaries between corporate interests and public policy.
In the content moderation context, Big Tech has come under scrutiny for its model of free speech and disinformation. The dispute over Section 230, a law that immunizes social media platforms from accountability for user-uploaded content, continues to be controversial. The platforms are said by some to have too much control over the public conversation with too little transparency and accountability.
The technology sector will remain strong in 2025 with ongoing legislative calls to subject digital advertising and AI technologies to oversight. The European Union is likewise rethinking its approach to regulation of Big Tech, driven both by internal as well as external forces. While the technology ecosystem keeps on changing, there exists a growing imperative for systems offering transparency and accountability from these powerful firms.
Apart from the regulatory demands, concerns also raise regarding the data handling practices of Big Tech in geopolitical relevance. For instance, Facebook was coerced by the Chinese government to block dissents and local data storage, which could potentially subject users to monitoring. This illustrates the complex challenge Big Tech faces in upholding compliance with local regulations while protecting user privacy and security.
At a broad level, the lack of transparency in operations at Big Tech and increasing demands for accountability necessitate systemic changes. Introduction of a FOIA-like regime could help empower autonomous research, fact-based policymaking, and public accountability so that the might of Big Tech would be compatible with democratic ideals. But this would be possible only with tremendous political will and show of societal harm.