

Jennifer Holt, "Cloud Policy: A History of Regulating Pipelines, Platforms, and Data" (MIT Press, 2024)
May 16, 2025
In this enlightening discussion, Jennifer Holt, a Professor and the chair of film and media studies at UC Santa Barbara, dives into her book on cloud policy. She explores how the regulation of broadband, platforms, and data has gradually eroded civil liberties and democratic principles. Holt highlights the shift from viewing infrastructure as a public good to a profit-driven model and discusses the implications of surveillance capitalism. Her call to action urges both scholars and citizens to engage in the policymaking process to safeguard privacy and democracy.
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Career Path From Journalism To Policy History
- Holt started as a journalism major and moved into film and media studies, learning legal research via law libraries.
- She combined political economy and media culture without formal legal training to pursue regulatory history.
Research Grew From A Question About Data Location
- Holt traced cloud policy from questions about data geolocation back through pipelines and platforms historically.
- She reframed data, platforms, and pipelines as interconnected layers that require historicization.
Policy As Power And Privatization
- Policy is a form of power that can be formal or privatized, shaping who controls rights and access.
- Privatized policies like terms of service often prioritize profit over the public interest.