J. Scott Babwah Brennen

Tech policy reform occupies a strange place in Washington, D.C. Everyone seems to agree that the government should change how it regulates the technology industry, on issues from content moderation to privacy—and yet, reform never actually seems to happen. But while the federal government continues to stall, state governments are taking action. More and more, state-level officials are proposing and implementing changes in technology policy. Most prominently, Texas and Florida recently passed laws restricting how platforms can moderate content, which will likely be considered by the Supreme Court later this year.On this episode of Arbiters of Truth, our occasional series on the information ecosystem, Lawfare senior editor Quinta Jurecic spoke with J. Scott Babwah Brennen and Matt Perault of the Center on Technology Policy at UNC-Chapel Hill. In recent months, they’ve put together two reports on state-level tech regulation. They talked about what’s driving this trend, why and how state-level policymaking differs—and doesn’t—from policymaking at the federal level, and what opportunities and complications this could create.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Perault and Scott Babwah Brennen, researchers at the UNC Center on Technology Policy, delve into the implications of generative AI on elections. They explore the potential harms of AI-driven political ads, highlighting issues like misinformation and voter turnout. The duo analyzes whether the risks are exaggerated and examines local races' vulnerability. They also propose policy recommendations, including public-information campaigns and enforcing voting laws, as we gear up for the 2024 election cycle.