The Tech Policy Press Podcast

On March 18, the US Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Murthy v Missouri, a case that asks the justices to consider whether the government coerced or “significantly encouraged” social media executives to remove disfavored speech in violation of the First Amendment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tech Policy Press reporting fellow Dean Jackson speaks to experts including the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University's Mayze Teitler and Jennifer Jones, and the Tech Justice Law Project's Meetali Jain.

Experts discuss combating misinformation, AI impact on marginalized communities in elections, historical disenfranchisement of black individuals, racial dynamics in the US, nativism, misogyny in politics, tech facilitating communication, and the need for innovative tech policy and corporate accountability.

The podcast discusses the US Supreme Court's consideration of Florida and Texas social media laws, exploring the challenges faced by tech companies in protecting their First Amendment rights. It delves into the implications of these laws on various platforms and debates the role of algorithms in content moderation and free speech. The conversation highlights the complexities of the legal landscape and the potential outcomes of the Supreme Court's rulings.

This week, a public consultation period ended for a new Hong Kong national security law, known as Article 23. Article 23 ostensibly targets a wide array of crimes, including treason, theft of state secrets, espionage, sabotage, sedition, and "external interference" from foreign governments. The Hong Kong legislature, dominated by pro-Beijing lawmakers, is expected to approve it, even as its critics argue that the law criminalizes basic human rights, such as the freedom of expression, signaling a further erosion of the liberties once enjoyed by the residents of Hong Kong.To learn more about what is happening in Hong Kong and what role tech firms and other outside voices could be doing to preserve freedoms for the people of Hong Kong, Justin Hendrix spoke to three experts who are following developments there closely:Chung Ching Kwong, senior analyst at the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on ChinaLokman Tsui, a fellow at Citizen Lab at University of Toronto, andMichael Caster, the Asia Digital Program Manager with Article 19.

Join Jon Bateman, a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, and Dean Jackson, Principal of Public Circle Research, as they uncover the science behind combating disinformation. They discuss the creation of evidence-based policies to tackle misinformation in elections and the essential role of local journalism in enhancing civic engagement. The duo highlights the challenges posed by technology and cybersecurity in preserving electoral integrity. With personal insights, they also explore the roots of societal polarization and the importance of credible storytelling in shaping public narratives.

A new book that ships this week from Oxford University Press titled simply Media and January 6th assembles a varied collection of experts that aim to shed light on the interplay between the media and the bloody coup attempt that then President Donald Trump led to try to hang on to power after he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden. It delves into the reasons behind the occurrence of January 6th and highlights the pivotal role of media in this context. The book is structured to explore three essential inquiries: What is our interpretation of January 6, 2021? How should research evolve post-January 6, 2021? And what measures can be taken to avert a similar incident in the future? Justin Hendrix spoke to three of the book's four editors: Khadijah Costley White, Daniel Kreiss, and Shannon C. McGregor.

It's become trite to say there are a lot of elections taking place this year. But of course, technology is playing a role in them all. At Tech Policy Press, we're lucky to have a group of seven fellows this year who are based on four continents. They are paying close attention to elections in the nations they know best. To learn more about the recent election in Pakistan, its chaotic aftermath, and the unique role of technology and events there, I spoke to one of our fellows last week: Ramsha Jahangir, a Pakistani journalist currently based in the Netherlands.

FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya discusses algorithmic fairness, facial recognition, voice cloning, and the future of technology regulation. Topics include FTC actions on AI risks, international efforts in algorithmic fairness, teen mental health online, individuals' control over technology impact, FCC's voice cloning challenge, and FTC's fraud prevention efforts.

Today's guests are Jonathan Stray, a senior scientist at the Center for Human Compatible AI at the University of California Berkeley, and Ravi Iyer, managing director of the Neely Center at the University of Southern California's Marshall School. Both are keenly interested in what happens when platforms optimize for variables other than engagement, and whether they can in fact optimize for prosocial outcomes. With several coauthors, they recently published a paper based in large part on discussion at an 8-hour working group session featuring representatives from seven major content-ranking platforms and former employees of another major platform, as well as university and independent researchers. The authors say "there is much unrealized potential in using non-engagement signals. These signals can improve outcomes both for platforms and for society as a whole."

Blair Attard-Frost discusses AI countergovernance and explores topics such as the challenges of AI ethics and governance, the concept of the AI interregnum, the importance of explainability in AI systems, examples of AI countergovernance in practice, and the need for participatory policymaking in AI governance.