
The Sunday Show
Tech Policy Press is a nonprofit media and community venture intended to provoke new ideas, debate and discussion at the intersection of technology and democracy. The Sunday Show is its podcast.
You can find us at https://techpolicy.press/, where you can join the newsletter.
Latest episodes

29 snips
Jun 23, 2024 • 39min
How China Regulates Tech
Author Angela Zhang discusses China's tech regulation landscape, covering government crackdowns on tech giants and the interplay of business, regulation, and politics. The podcast explores China's control of online speech, geopolitical impacts on US-China tech rivalry, and parallels in US tech policy. Zhang shares her future research plans on global tech regulation, focusing on AI dynamics between China, the US, and Europe.

Jun 23, 2024 • 51min
Internet Governance Is At A Crossroads
In this episode, we explore a topic that sits at the heart of global digital policy: the contrasting visions of internet governance championed by the United States and its Western allies versus those promoted by China and nations in its orbit. This debate is playing out across various international venues and has profound implications for the future of digital rights, privacy, and the open internet. Justin Hendrix is joined by experts at the Atlantic Council that study these issues from a variety of angles and across multiple geographies, including:Rose Jackson, the director of the Democracy + Tech Initiative within the Atlantic Council Technology Programs;Konstantinos Komaitis, a nonresident fellow with the Democracy + Tech Initiative of the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab;Kenton Thibaut, a senior resident China fellow at the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab; andIria Puyosa, a senior research fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab.

Jun 23, 2024 • 50min
Understanding the Digital Silk Road
In October 2023, during the third Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China's leader Xi Jinping signaled a shift in focus from more grandiose physical infrastructure projects to 'small yet smart' initiatives. This shift underscores the need to understand China's ambitions to reshape global digital governance, moving away from an open and free internet towards a model rooted in government control and mass surveillance. The advocacy group Article 19 documents this shift in a recent report titled "The Digital Silk Road: China and the Rise of Digital Repression in the Indo-Pacific," examining China's influence on digital infrastructure and governance in Cambodia, Malaysia, Nepal, and Thailand. As the Indo-Pacific remains strategically significant for China in deploying next-generation technologies, the report argues that assessing China’s regional partnerships and their implications for digital repression is crucial for understanding its broader ambitions to reshape global digital norms. To discuss these issues in more depth, Justin Hendrix is joined by:Michael Caster, Asia Digital Program Manager at ARTICLE 19; andCatherine Tai, the deputy director for Asia and the Pacific team at Center for International Enterprise (CIPE).

Jun 21, 2024 • 28min
The Demise of CrowdTangle and What It Means for Independent Technology Research
A topic we returned to often in this podcast is the dire need for independent technology researchers to have access to platform data. Without it, we cannot understand the extent of the harms and effects of social media on people and on society, and we cannot understand the limits of those harms. This makes it difficult to respond in acute moments such as elections, and to understand issues such as the relationship between tech platforms and social cohesion, or mental health, or any number of the other issues policymakers care about. In this episode, Justin Hendrix speaks with two people on the front lines of the fight to secure access to data, including advocating for Meta to do better in light of the impending deprecation of CrowdTangle, a tool used by researchers study Meta's products, including Facebook and Instagram. They are:Brandi Guerkink, the executive director of the Coalition for Independent Technology Research, andClaire Pershan, EU advocacy lead at the Mozilla Foundation.

Jun 18, 2024 • 34min
Finding the Humanity in an Automated World
Madhumita Murgia, AI editor at the Financial Times, discusses the impact of AI in reshaping society, the role of the first AI editor at FT, AI in healthcare, challenges faced by data laborers in Kenya, and reflections on technology ethics at the Vatican Summit.

Jun 16, 2024 • 35min
A Conversation with White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar
Dr. Arati Prabhakar, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director, discusses legislative efforts and aspirations for AI, balancing innovation with values in tech, impact of AI on labor, challenges for AI standards and talent in government, and reflections on tech policy and human choices.

77 snips
Jun 10, 2024 • 46min
AI and Epistemic Risk: A Coming Crisis?
Elise Silva and John Wihbey discuss AI's impact on democracy, including the rise of AI-powered search engines and epistemic risks. They explore bias in AI models, challenges in representation, and the future role of AI agents in society. The podcast highlights concerns over information quality, ethical considerations, and the implications of AI on public knowledge and journalism.

Jun 9, 2024 • 48min
What's Next for Tech Policy in India After the Elections
What role did technology play in India's elections, and what impact will the outcome have on tech policy in the country? Joining Justin Hendrix are three experts: Amber Sinha and Vandinika Shukla, both fellows at Tech Policy Press, and Prateek Waghre, the executive director at the Internet Freedom Foundation. Plus, Tech Policy Press program manager Prithvi Iyer sums up the election result.

Jun 6, 2024 • 49min
How Are Political Campaigners in the US Using Generative AI?
Researchers and experts discuss the role of generative AI tools in US political campaigns, highlighting the incorporation of technology, regulatory challenges, and potential impacts on public discourse and trust. The podcast delves into the use of AI in content moderation for a mobile gaming company, emphasizing the importance of human oversight in maintaining credibility.

10 snips
Jun 2, 2024 • 42min
The Role of Shareholder Activism in Tech Accountability
Guests from Open MIC and Arjuna Capital discuss the role of shareholder activism in tech accountability. They delve into the importance of transparency, accountability, federal privacy laws, AI risks, and engaging with tech companies. The podcast highlights successful engagements with Meta and Google, emphasizing collaborative efforts for responsible innovation.