Our Purpose

The Citizens and Technology (CAT) Lab at Cornell University works with online communities to study the effects of technology on the public interest. We envision a world where digital power is guided by evidence and accountable to the public.

Learn about our mission and vision.

Latest Projects and Publications

Working hand-in-hand with diverse communities and organizations around the world, we identify issues of shared concern related to digital discourse, digital rights and consumer protection.

We publish summaries and results of all CAT Lab experiments here on our website. Explore our blog and research pages to learn more about what we do and how we do it!

Policy and Insights

CAT Lab uses evidence to move community voices to the forefront of institutions and policies across state, federal, and international bodies, and within corporate policies and actions. We seek a foundational shift in the creation and alignment of policies with the needs, insights and understandings of peoples’ experience. 

We contribute to urgent concerns through our research and the networks we organize. Explore our policy page to learn more about this work.

Engineering

Scientific methods for studying online environments often exclude the public as active contributors. We do award-winning engineering to re-imagine how data systems are designed to include the ideas and lived experience of affected communities.

Explore our engineering page to learn more.