Tech Policy Podcast

With the approaching election, preventing the spread of online misinformation is especially important. Heather West, head of Americas policy at Mozilla, joins the show to discuss how misinformation spreads, how platforms are dealing with it, and how this ties in to the broader discussion on content moderation.

Legislators on both the left and right have raised concerns over the control a few major platforms have over online speech. Is breaking up those platforms a way to protect free expression on the Internet? Neil Chilson, Senior Research Fellow for technology and innovation at the Charles Koch Institute and former acting chief technologist at the FTC, joins the show to discuss the problems with this approach. For more, see his essay on the subject.

With policing reform at the center of the country’s attention, it’s critical to examine the ways in which the state’s use of technology can enable abuse and discrimination. Joe Miller, president and CEO of the Washington Center for Technology Policy and Inclusion and host of the WashingTech podcast, joins the show to discuss the roles that body cameras, facial recognition, and other technologies play in government surveillance. Follow him on Twitter @joemillerjd

This is the story of two brilliant Black women — Aerica Shimizu Banks and Ifeoma Ozoma. Pinterest, the company they gave their talents and dedication to, mistreated them and discriminated against them. Pinterest still hasn't done right by them.  You can read coverage of their story in The Washington Post, The Business Insider, The Protocol, Politico, The LA Times, Forbes, NPR, USA Today and many other outlets. Here is the Statement from The Color of Change. Follow Aerica and Ifeoma on Twitter at @erikashimizu and @IfeomaOzoma

The current economic and social upheaval has made cryptocurrency more important than ever, Andrea O’Sullivan, director of the Center for Technology and Innovation at the James Madison Institute joins the show to discuss the latest policy developments in the area, as well as an update on the state of tech policy in Florida.

Given the importance of staying home to minimize the spread of the coronavirus, telehealth is more vital than ever. Recently, the federal government has eased regulations to allow easier access to alternatives to in-person doctor visits. Rene Quashie, Vice President of Digital Health for the Consumer Technology Association, joins the show to discuss the implications of these regulatory rollbacks, particularly with regard to privacy. For more on the subject, see CTA’s guiding principles on digital health.

While 5G wireless technology is beginning to be rolled out, we’re only just starting to see how new innovations will affect our lives. John Godfrey, senior vice president for public policy at Samsung Electronics America joins the show to discuss what Samsung’s work in 5G innovation and how the technology will influence the future of work and society as a whole, as well as the company’s efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Spectrum allocation can make or break the development of new wireless technologies like 5G, but in recent years, interagency conflicts have held up the policymaking process. Nathan Leamer, vice president at Targeted Victory, joins the show to discuss how these conflicts hold back innovation, and to answer once and for all whether 5G caused the coronavirus (spoiler alert: it didn’t).

Given the importance of economic impact in informing policy decisions, the Technology Policy Institute focuses on economic analysis within the tech policy space. The organization’s president Scott Wallston and senior fellow Sarah Oh join the show to discuss their policy work, the COVID-19 Economic Impact Dashboard, and this year’s Aspen policy forum.

While the use of algorithms has proven incredibly valuable in a range of applications, their implementation can often lead to harmful discriminatory outcomes. Dr. Ignacio Cofone, assistant professor at McGill University Faculty of Law, joins the show to discuss how this happens, as well as potential policy solutions for minimizing discrimination without hindering the use of algorithms. For more, see his papers: “Antidiscriminatory Privacy,” “Algorithmic Discrimination Is an Information Problem,” and “Nothing to Hide, but Something to Lose,” and his op-ed in the Hill, “Privacy Law Needs Privacy Harms.”