API Providers Should Provide Observability Into Government Developer Accounts

I’ve talked about this before, but after reading several articles recently about various federal government agencies collecting, and using social media accounts for surveillance lately, it is a drum I will be beating a lot more regularly. Along with the transparency reports we are beginning to see emerge from the largest platform providers, I’d like to start seeing more observability regarding which accounts, both user and developer are out of government agencies. Some platforms are good at highlighting how government of all shapes and sizes are using their platform, and some government agencies are good at showcasing their social media usage, but I’d like to understand this from purely an API developer account perspective.

I’d like to see more observability into which government agencies are requesting API keys. Maybe not specific agencies ad groups, and account details, although that would be a good idea as well down the road. I am just looking for some breakdown of how many developer accounts on a platform are government and law enforcement. What does their API consumption look like? If there is Oauth via a platform, is there any bypassing of the usual authentication flows to get at data, any differently than regular developers would be accessing, or requiring user approval? From what I am hearing, I’m guessing that there are more government accounts out there than platforms either realize, or are willing to admit. It seems like now is a good time to start asking these questions.

I would add on another layer to this. If an application developer is developing applications on behalf of law enforcement, or as part of a project for a government agency, there should be some sort of disclosure at this level as well. I know I’m asking a lot, and a number of people will call me crazy, but with everything going on these days, I’m feeling like we need a little more disclosure regarding how government(s) are using our platforms, as well as their contractors. The transparency disclosure that platforms have been engaging is a good start to the legal side of this conversation, but I’m looking for the darker, more lower level surveillance that I know is going on behind the scenes. The data gathering on U.S. citizens that doesn’t necessarily violate any particular law, because this is such new territory, and the platform terms of service might sanction it in some loopholy kind of way.

This isn’t just a U.S. government type of thing. I want this to be standard practice for all forms of government on the platforms we use. A sort of UN level, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Which reminds me. I am woefully behind on what GDPR outlines, and how the rolling out of it is going. Ok, I’ll quick ranting now, and get back to work. Overall, we are going to have to open up some serious observability into how the online platforms we are depending are being accessed and use by the government, both on the legal side of things, as well as just general usage. Seems like the default on the general usage should always be full disclosure, but I’m guessing it isn’t a conversation anyone is having yet, which is why I bring up. Now we are having it. Thanks.