The Dynamist

While it didn’t get the attention of the Edward Snowden leaks, a recent dump of classified information on a video game chat server has been described as one of the worst Western intelligence failures in modern memory. Analysts say the leak could complicate Ukraine’s spring offensive against Russia and expose U.S. assets in the Kremlin, among other potential ramifications. What makes this leak unique is that it doesn’t appear to be driven by ideology or a foreign adversary, but rather the suspect’s desire to impress his online gamer buddies. Is “clout chasing” a growing threat to national security? How can these leaks be prevented and what policies should the U.S. government change or implement in response? Evan is joined by Jon Askonas, Assistant Professor of Politics at Catholic University and a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation. Read his piece, co-authored with Stanford Internet Observatory's Renee DiResta, in Foreign Policy on the threat gamers pose to national intelligence and check out his ongoing series in The New Atlantis on the collapse of consensus reality.

Politicians gripe constantly about Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and their ilk. Two years ago, then-CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey pitched Congress that a lot of their complaints could be solved by his project called “Bluesky,” which aims to decentralize social media. The app is now available on iPhone and Android, and hundreds of thousands of users are trying it out. Can we learn any initial lessons from Bluesky? Are decentralized protocols the silver bullet to the endless debates over content moderation and online censorship? Is it really possible for social media to be “owned” by its users? Evan is joined by Paul Bohm, a distributed systems engineer and founder and CEO of Teleport.XYZ. You can read Paul’s blog post on Bluesky here.

Evan interviews Foundation for American's COO Grace Meyer on Lincoln Network's rebrand to the Foundation for American Innovation. Check out our new website here. And don't forget to follow us on Twitter! 

Artificial intelligence is all the rage these days. The large language model ChatGPT reached over 100 million users in record time, and AI is growing more accessible and relevant for everyday consumers. While many are cheering the AI revolution and heralding a brighter future, others are sounding the alarm. Elon Musk has warned AI could spell “civilizational destruction” without proper safety protocols. Is AI moving too fast, or is this the pace of innovation our economy needs? What should policymakers do, if anything, to tackle the challenges posed by AI? Evan is joined by Sam Hammond, Senior Economist at Lincoln Network.“Polluting the agentic commons,” a piece by Sam on what happens when chat agents go viral“Before the Flood,” a piece by Sam on the future of AI

As the headaches for TikTok pile up in Washington, the embattled social media platform and its supporters are arguing that a ban on the app would violate the U.S. Constitution, particularly the First Amendment. TikTok’s critics counter that the national security problems posed by the company's Chinese ownership far outweigh free speech concerns. Which side holds the upper hand, and what can we learn from past court cases involving a pornographic bookstore and a North Carolina law regarding sex offenders on social media? Evan is joined by Joel Thayer, president of Digital Progress Institute.ReferencesJoel’s piece for FedSoc, “Banning TikTok Outright Would Be Constitutional”Dan Lyon’s piece for American Enterprise Institute, “Would a TikTok Ban Be Constitutional?”Statement from the American Civil Lberties Union opposing a TikTok ban

In a prior episode, Gabriela Rodriguez of American Compass argued that the Jones Act, a law aimed at supporting the U.S. ship building should be reformed—not repealed. On The Dynamist’s first ever “rebuttal episode,” Evan is joined by Colin Grabow, a research fellow at the Cato Institute’s Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies. They discuss why Grabow supports a full repeal of the Jones Act, his response to Rodriguez’s proposed reforms, and what a post-Jones Act world might look like. Cato blog, “More Industrial Policy Won’t Solve the Jones Act’s Many Problems”Op-ed in The Atlantic, “The Obscure Maritime Law That Ruins Your Commute”

Last week, TikTok CEO Shou Chew appeared before the House Energy and Commerce Committee for a marathon hearing focused on national security and other concerns with the popular social media app. His goal was to assuage lawmakers’ concerns, but, if anything, the app’s future in the United States looks more bleak than ever. But how likely is an outright ban or divestiture from TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company ByteDance? Would these measures truly solve the national security risks? And what are the political and legal implications? Evan is joined by FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr to discuss.References:House Energy and Commerce hearingTwitter thread by Carr responding to Chew’s written testimonyPress conference with Rep. Jamaal Bowman and TikTok creatorsVariety report with analyst predictions on likelihood and timeline of a ban or divestitureVice report on TikTok pushing suicide videos to teenagersThe Hill report on DoJ investigating TikTok over surveillance of journalistsClip of MSNBC analyst advocating a broader approach to Chinese apps

For many, their first thought about blockchain or cryptocurrency has to do with crime, scams, or the infamous meltdown of FTX. But the implications of blockchain technology go far beyond the breathless headlines. Consider data privacy. Governments around the world are increasingly trying to protect the privacy of Internet users, particularly when it comes to so-called “free” services like YouTube and Instagram which are supported by targeted advertising. While governments have struggled to get a grip on user privacy with these services, our guest today says that decentralized tech like cryptocurrency can radically alter how data privacy must be tackled. Luke Hogg is Director of Outreach at Lincoln Network, focusing on the intersection of emerging technologies and public policy. Read his paper on Web 3 and data privacy, co-authored with Antonio García Martínez. 

Most people don’t think about global shipping and supply chains until a crisis spotlights these issues—from the hurricanes in Puerto Rico to the COVID-19 pandemic. But while the debate over cargo transport doesn’t often reach the kitchen table, it’s been going on for years in policy circles in Washington, with powerful interests involved on all sides of the debate. It traces back to the 1920 Jones Act, passed in the wake of World War I after German submarines had decimated American commercial ships. While the law was intended to bolster U.S. shipbuilding, has the law failed to achieve its goal? Critics argue it makes shipping more complicated and expensive, raising prices for consumers. Proponents respond that it's essential for national security and preserving domestic shipbuilding capacity. Should the law be repealed, left alone, or reformed? Gabriela Rodriguez, Policy Advisor at American Compass, joins the show to discuss. Follow Gabriela on Twitter here.References: Gabriela’s piece, “The Ghosts of Navies Past: Rebooting the Jones Act for the 21st century”

For years, businesses have been “moving to the cloud.” Instead of relying on servers and hardware located at offices, companies are increasingly using third parties like Microsoft and Oracle for their workplace needs—from analyzing sales data to communicating with coworkers. Congress and regulators are increasingly focused on tech policy issues like digital privacy and the size of Big Tech companies. But one area that gets much less attention is our topic today: cloud software licensing. Has software licensing become too restrictive and anti-competitive? If so, how does that impact consumers and businesses? How should policymakers respond? Evan is joined by Ryan Triplette, Executive Director of the Coalition for Fair Software Licensing. References:Report in FedScoop, “Major government tech contractors use monopolistic vendor-lock to drive revenue, study says”Statement from the Coalition for Fair Software Licensing on a new complaint against Microsoft in Europe