Tech Policy Podcast

Corbin Barthold (TechFreedom) discusses, in exquisite detail, the First Amendment problems with H.R. 7521, the House bill to ban TikTok.Topics include:Your First Amendment right to read crazy shitTikTok ban bros: throwing spaghetti at the wallForeign broadcast-ownership rules: so passé“iT’S nOT sPEech, It’S CoNDuCt”H.R. 7521: Least. Tailored. Law. Ever.Banning media: it’s what the other guys doMcCarthyism: so hot right nowLinks:A Breakdown of the Bizarre Factions Fighting Over the TikTok Ban BillTech Policy Podcast #344: TikTok and the First AmendmentTech Policy Podcast #368: How the Government Gets Your DataTech Policy Podcast #289: The History, Use, and Abuse of the Fairness DoctrineThe only thing Congress can agree on is to ban TikTok!?

Daphne Keller (Stanford Cyber Policy Center) and Corbin Barthold (TechFreedom) discuss the Supreme Court oral argument in Murthy v. Missouri (government jawboning of social media platforms) and the NetChoice cases (state content moderation laws).Links:Six Things About JawboningThe Lies the 5th Circuit Told You About the Government ‘Pressuring Social Media to Censor’Tech Policy Podcast #350: When the Government Yells at Social MediaFAQs About the NetChoice Cases at the Supreme Court, Part 1FAQs About the NetChoice Cases at the Supreme Court, Part 2The Long Reach of Taamneh: Carriage and Removal Requirements for Internet PlatformsGod Help Us, but Brett Kavanaugh Could Save the First Amendment‘Orwellian’ Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means

Samuel Hammond (Foundation for American Innovation) discusses his essays on “AI and Leviathan.” Can government institutions cope with the coming technological disruption of AI?Topics include:- AI’s trajectory- New Deal agencies in an AI world- Public Choice Theory vs. the AI juggernaut- Uber and micro-regime changes- Government as a network of smart contracts- Techno-totalitarianism vs. techno-feudalism- AI Renaissance city states?- Collapse as a feature, not a bug- A techno-optimist’s revealed preferencesLinks:AI and Leviathan: Part IAI and Leviathan: Part IIAI and Leviathan: Part IIIWhere is This All Heading?AI: Dumb human to Einstein in a heartbeatTech Policy Podcast #337: China and Domestic SurveillanceTech Policy Podcast #327: The Collapse of Complex Societies

Byron Tau (NOTUS) discusses his new book Means of Control: How the Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government Is Creating a New American Surveillance State.Topics include:Some history: four generations of data brokersThe continuing evolution of data collection and technological surveillanceThe great danger: data fusion / comprehensive data profilesWhy won’t Congress regulate government data use?National security vs. privacyShould we fear a social credit system?Links:Means of ControlNOTUSX: @ByronTauTech Policy Podcast #337: China and Domestic Surveillance

Brandon Gorrell (Pirate Wires) joins the show to discuss The White Pill, his optimistic (and mind-blowing) newsletter covering “the frontiers of tech, science, space, and more.”Topics include: Combatting the overwhelming negativity on social media. Lasers are amazing.Why space exploration?Did the Big Bang really happen?The Pirate Wires brand — beautiful vibe!Breaking the New York Times / NPR decel monoculture.Advances in IVF.Links:The White Pill

It’s a big picture episode! One day (soon?), technology will enable convenient, low-cost gender transition. What does that say about human “nature”? What are the implications for society? What are (some) people getting so upset about? Jason Kuznicki (TechFreedom) joins the show to discuss.Gender as Essence and as Economic ChoiceCosmos + Taxis issue on gender (including articles by Nathan P. Goodman and by Akiva Malamet and Mikayla Novak)Pacification (Jason’s Substack)Tech Policy Podcast #327: The Collapse of Complex Societies (2022 Big Picture Episode)Tech Policy Podcast #301: The Realignment (2021 Big Picture Episode)

Mike Masnick (Techdirt) and Leigh Beadon (Techdirt) join the show to discuss their new report on the Internet’s (beneficial!) effect on art, entertainment, and culture.The Sky Is Rising: 2024 EditionRather than Destroying Culture, the Internet Has Saved the Content IndustriesFilterworld Is a Confused Critique of Algorithms

Liza Goitein, an expert on the FISA Section 702 surveillance program, discusses its controversial nature, the need for reform, and the Fourth Amendment's relevance. The podcast explores the controversy surrounding US person queries, the ethical implications of using government-collected data, options for warrantless surveillance, and the upcoming expiration of Section 702.

TechFreedom’s Ari Cohn and Corbin Barthold discuss whether AI is going to spark an “infocalypse,” bring about the “collapse of reality,” and destroy our elections. Is AI about to “flood” our “screens” with “misinformation” that’s “dangerous to democracy”? Notwithstanding these quotes from recent press stories, the answer is probably no.Ari’s Senate testimonyWhat the Doomsayers Get Wrong About DeepfakesScott Brennen + Matt Perault paperTech Policy Podcast #358: Information Animals Fighting Information WarsTech Policy Podcast #359: Your Right to Lie — With Jeff Kosseff

From February 16, 2021 (Episode 284): Martin Gurri (Mercatus Center) discusses his book The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium.The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New MillenniumReality Comes Knocking