Open-source tech policy diffusion observatory

Propagate

How tech policy spreads, changes, and gets captured.

Technology policy in the U.S. is made state by state, but it doesn't originate state by state. Bills travel — borrowing text, weakening provisions, absorbing industry amendments, and arriving in the tenth state looking very different from the first. Propagate makes that process visible. It treats policy diffusion as an analytical object, not a background condition.

Policy Families

7 domains tracked for MVP
Algorithmic Discrimination / ADMTLive
7 bills · 5 states
Consumer AI Transparency / Chatbot DisclosurePlanned
Data Center Siting & EnergyPlanned
Autonomous VehiclesPlanned
Social Media & MinorsPlanned
Frontier / Foundation Model RegulationPlanned
AI-Specific Data PrivacyPlanned

What Propagate is not

This is not a bill tracker. Bill trackers show status. Propagate shows mechanism — who is driving adoption, how bills change as they travel from state to state, where industry advocacy is shaping outcomes, and whether visible opposition accelerates or slows diffusion. The primary audiences are policy researchers, investigative journalists, legislative staff, and public interest advocates.

Data coverage notice: Propagate is in early development. The ADMT / Algorithmic Discrimination family is seeded with verified data (7 bills, 5 states). All other policy families are planned for future contributions. Lobbying and advocacy data is incomplete by design and permanently under construction. All data points link to primary sources. Read the methodology.