The Tech Policy Press Podcast
by Tech Policy Press
Latest episode
Freedom House Charts 'Seismic Shifts' on the Global Internet
Freedom House Charts 'Seismic Shifts' on the Global Internet
About this podcast
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.
You can find us at https://techpolicy.press/, where you can join the newsletter.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 300 episodes
- Freedom House Charts 'Seismic Shifts' on the Global Internet · 42 minEach year, Tech Policy Press makes it a priority to cover the findings of the annual Freedom on the Net report from Freedom House, a nonprofit organization founded in 1941 to…
- Assessing the Impact of the Midterm Elections on US Tech Policy · 56 minThe United States midterm election season proved that tech policy is no longer a side issue in American elections. AI, data centers and the political power of Big Tech and…
- Europe's AI Ambitions Meet the Data Center Backlash · 48 minEurope says it needs more data centers to power its AI ambitions, but their rapid expansion is raising questions about energy, water, labor conditions and who gets a say in where…
- When, How and Why to Abandon the Internet · 29 minOn Oct. 6, the Privacy Center at Georgetown Law hosted Life After Data: The Conference on De-datafication, which asked participants to imagine a future in which digital data is…
- The Edge Dialogues with Dr. Alondra Nelson · 1 h 11 minTech Policy Press and the Privacy Center at Georgetown Law are hosting a series of events dubbed The Edge Dialogues. The goal is to discuss ideas a are upstream of typical tech…
- AI Hype Helped Google Dodge an Antitrust Breakup. What Comes Next? · 41 minGoogle is an illegal monopolist. That is the finding of two federal judges in landmark antitrust cases over the company’s dominance of online search and advertising technology…
- Is Europe Ready for Advanced AI? The Growing Debate Over Liability · 40 minIn this episode, Tech Policy Press deputy editor Ramsha Jahangir examines the latest developments in Europe’s AI policy debate, from the push for safe, trusted and resilient AI…
- Natasha Singer Details Tech’s Grip on Public Schools · 51 minIn the daily surge of news and headlines about technology, it can be hard for any journalist to fully contextualize the individual events they are reporting on and trace the…
- Steve Feldstein on Bytes, Bullets, Blood and Borders · 45 minIt’s a cliché to say that technology is changing war. But today, the pace of change is severe, not only because of advances in fields such as artificial intelligence, but also…
- A Data Science Playbook for Social Justice · 36 minHow can you tell if an algorithm is any good? For University of Michigan assistant professor of information and public policy Ben Green, the answer lies less in accuracy scores…
- Pennsylvania is a Swing-State Case Study for Data Center Politics · 52 minPennsylvania offers a particular case study in which to consider the political battle over data centers that is playing out across the United States and beyond. A new report from…
- Why Social Media Platforms Should Adopt a 'Militant Democracy' Framework · 35 minWhat should social media platforms do when the state itself becomes a threat to democracy? In a new paper published in the journal Information, Communication & Society, Daniel…
- Gil Durán Maps the Rise of the 'Nerd Reich' · 1 h 6 minOn September 23, Tech Policy Press hosted an event at Betaworks in New York City with Gil Durán, the author of The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy…
- The 'Jenga Politics' Threatening the US Census · 52 minIn the United States, the census touches tech policy at more points than you might realize. It's a massive data collection operation and a piece of democratic infrastructure all…
- Matthias J. Becker on the Launch of Digital Hate Review · 45 minThe study of how hate is expressed in digital media and its relationship to offline harassment and violence is a growing field that touches public policy, content moderation and…
- AI Governance Reaches Crisis Point Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit · 1 h 19 minAmid a frenzy of headlines about AI safety and just two weeks out from a planned meeting of US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping, Justin Hendrix moderated a…
- Across the US, School Districts Wrestle With Classroom AI Policy · 21 minJust ahead of the start of the new school year, districts across the United States are issuing new policies on the use of artificial intelligence applications in classrooms. Last…
- Rep. Zoe Lofgren on FISA, Surveillance and the Fourth Amendment · 35 minTech Policy Press fellow Jake Laperruque, who is also the Deputy Director of Center for Democracy and Technology’s Security and Surveillance Project, spoke to Rep. Zoe Lofgren…
- Virginia Eyes AI Chatbot Rules as Observable Risks Warrant Action · 40 minState legislatures across the United States are actively developing new laws on a range of issues related to artificial intelligence. In Virginia, that process is informed by an…
- 'Technology Freedom Cooperative' To Build Infrastructure for Human Rights and Justice Groups · 39 minHow can human rights and social justice advocates and investigators protect their data and technology infrastructure in an age of rising authoritarianism in the United States and…
- Assessing the Landmark Meta Settlement · 56 minDays into a bellwether trial brought by four states, Meta reached a settlement with a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general to resolve their claims, agreeing to pay up…
- How the 'Censorship-Industrial Complex' Narrative Went From Fringe to Trump Policy · 40 minThis month, in partnership with Type Investigations, MIT Technology Review published a feature titled “How ideas of a vast censorship network moved from the online fringe to…
- How AI Is Reshaping Election Information Ahead of the 2026 Midterms · 36 minHeaded into the US midterm elections season, the information environment continues to evolve. Millions of people now use AI chatbots, both to retrieve information about elections…
- Here Come the Synthetic Voters · 11 minThe midterm election cycle is heating up in the United States, and there are important elections set to take place soon in Brazil, Israel, Sweden, and beyond. AI will be a factor…
- Casey Michel on Breaking the Tech Oligarchy's Grip · 36 minThe rise of the tech oligarchy threatens democracy in the United States and abroad. In his new book, United States of Oligarchy, Casey Michel—author, journalist, and director of…
- Taking Stock of the UK Tech Policy 'Muddle' · 43 minThe United Kingdom has a new prime minister, and he has already moved to put his mark on tech policy—scrapping a scheme for digital ID, shuttering the Department of Science…
- When Users Say 'Goodbye' to AI · 15 minFrom Tamagochis to AI companions, generations of machines have been designed to push on our “evolutionary buttons”—ones that ask us to respond to their needs. In this episode…
- How the OpenAI-Hugging Face Hack May Affect the Geopolitics of AI Governance · 45 minOn July 16, Hugging Face, a company that provides a platform for AI models, datasets, and other machine learning applications, posted a “security incident disclosure” to its blog…
- A Roadmap for Confronting the Chilling Effects of Censorship, Surveillance and New Technology · 51 minAcross the world, despots and and wannabe dictators are deploying new tools, both legal and technological, to stifle dissent and oppress. Today’s guest is Jonathon W. Penney, the…
- ICE and the Architecture of Authoritarianism · 46 minAt Tech Policy Press, we’ve monitored the massive influx of money into the Department of Homeland Security to support the Trump administration’s brutal and increasingly lawless…
- Is Europe Getting AI Wrong? · 48 minWhen Europe 2031 was published in June, it set off an immediate debate in Brussels and beyond. The fictional near-future scenario authored by a group of AI researchers argues…
- GLAAD Maps Where AI Fails LGBTQ People and How to Fix It · 35 minSince 1985, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, GLAAD, has produced research and advocacy on LGBTQ representation in media. Now the organizations has turned its…
- Imagining Broadband Policy of, by, and for the People · 41 minAccess to affordable, reliable high-speed internet is a prerequisite for nearly every part of modern life, from finding work and finishing schoolwork to seeing a doctor or…
- Inside SELC's Clean Air Case Against xAI in Memphis · 38 minIn this second of three episodes on xAI's data center buildout in Memphis, Tennessee and Southaven, Mississippi, Justin Hendrix speaks with Amanda Garcia, senior attorney and…
- Local Reporter Neil Strebig on Covering xAI's Expansion in Memphis and Beyond · 43 minIn June 2024 the Greater Memphis, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce announced Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI, would build its "Colossus" data center in an old…
- Alex Stamos on Why the US Should Lift Its Fable and Mythos Export Ban · 32 minLate on Friday, June 12, Anthropic announced it had received a letter from the United States Department of Commerce notifying the company that the government had issued an export…
- Unpacking the Great American Artificial Intelligence Act of 2026 · 27 minOn June 4, Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) released a 269-page bipartisan discussion draft of a bill called the Great American Artificial Intelligence…
- Contemplating 'Muskism' and the Age of Trillionaires · 49 minOn June 12, SpaceX will reportedly offer 555,555,555 shares at $135 apiece in an initial public offering. The IPO is expected to give SpaceX a market value of $1.77 trillion…
- Why the AI Policy Debate Should Focus More on the Harness and Protocol Layers · 47 minRaffi Krikorian, the chief technology officer of Mozilla, has spent the past few months building an argument that the central question in AI isn't open versus closed, but owning…
- Why the EU's Data Center Boom Is a Black Box · 35 minAs Brussels prepares to unveil a tech sovereignty package on June 3, the political tone around Europe’s digital infrastructure is shifting. A recent investigation by Investigate…
- Taking the Temperature of Tech Policy Debates in Brussels at CPDP · 43 minIn this episode, we reflect on the 19th edition of CPDP (Computers, Privacy and Data Protection), the major Brussels tech policy conference, held last week under this year's…
- The Fight for Civil Rights in the Age of AI · 47 minOn Tuesday, May 12, the Center for Civil Rights and Technology hosted its 2026 annual convening, "All Eyes on Tech: Power, Protection, and the Fights for Civil Rights in the Age…
- Unpacking the Goals of Common Sense Media's Youth AI Safety Institute · 29 minOn May 5, Common Sense Media, the nonprofit known for its entertainment and technology recommendations for parents, launched its Youth AI Safety Institute, backed by a $20…
- What's At Stake in Chatrie v. United States · 42 minAt the end of last month, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Chatrie v. United States. The case involves the use of a geofence warrant, which police use to demand…
- How to Confront the Threat of AI Dictatorship · 45 minIs the future something to be calculated and controlled, or something we shape together through democratic struggle? How should we read the convergence of Silicon Valley's "Dark…
- RightsCon Organizers Take Stock of What's Next After Zambia · 30 minJust days before it was set to begin last week in Lusaka, RightsCon organizer Access Now was forced to announce the annual digital and human rights conference would not proceed…
- AI, Gig Work, and the Future of Nursing · 26 minIn this episode, Tech Policy Press fellow Chris Mills Rodrigo speaks with Katie Wells, a senior fellow at the AI Now Institute and the author of two reports on the…
- Unpacking the SECURE Data Act · 29 minWith artificial intelligence systems increasingly deployed by companies and governments to hoover up every possible unit of data and to make consequential decisions about…
- Attorney General Raúl Torrez on What's Next in New Mexico's Case Against Meta · 30 minNew Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez sued Meta in December 2023, alleging the company made false public statements about the safety of its platforms while knowing internally…
- Why Palantir's ImmigrationOS Endangers Democracy and the Rule of Law · 42 minWhat if the most consequential immigration policy decisions in America aren't being made by elected officials, or even by government agencies—but by software? Right now, a…
