As social media platforms integrate personalization technology, questions around privacy, transparency, and user choice are becoming increasingly pronounced. What does personalization really mean for users? How do platforms like Facebook and Instagram decide what content or ads you see? And how can companies ensure that personalization enhances user experience without compromising data privacy?

In this episode, Shane Tews sits down with Rob Sherman, Vice President and Deputy Chief Privacy Officer for Policy at Meta. They take a look behind the curtain and discuss the mechanics behind personalization on Meta’s platforms, as well as how users can benefit from this technology. Rob shares insights from over a decade at Meta, offering a rare behind-the-scenes look at how personalization works and how platforms aim to make it more transparent and responsible.

Amid debates over spectrum allocation, critical questions about national security, communication infrastructure, and connectivity continue to take center stage. What does spectrum sharing involve? How does spectrum sharing enhance the efficiency of limited spectrum resources? And what impact does it have on deploying emerging technologies like 5G and AI-driven networks?

In this episode, Shane Tews and Peter Rysavy explore spectrum management challenges, sharing opportunities, and technological impacts on 5G networks, emphasizing regulatory frameworks and innovation for optimal spectrum usage. Peter is a wireless technology expert and the President of Rysavy Research, a technology consulting firm. He is also the executive director of the Wireless Technology Association, an organization that evaluates wireless technologies.

Web browsers are built for convenience—prioritizing speed, compatibility, and ease of use. But what happens when a browser isn’t for just an individual user but for an entire enterprise? In today’s cybersecurity landscape, where threats are constant and data breaches can be catastrophic, organizations need more than just a traditional browser. They need a secure enterprise browser designed to protect corporate data, enforce security policies, and seamlessly integrate with existing IT frameworks without compromising user experience.

In this episode, Shane Tews sits down with Scott “Monty” Montgomery, vice president at Island.io, to explore how enterprise browsers redefine security in the digital workspace. They discuss the critical differences between consumer and enterprise browsers, why identity-aware security is essential, and how businesses can fortify their operations against evolving cyber threats.

Digital solutions for vehicle titling and registration are transforming how DMVs operate, replacing slow bureaucratic processes with efficient blockchain-based systems. Through successful partnerships with state governments, companies offering these digital services have demonstrated significant time and cost savings in vehicle-related transactions. This proven track record in modernizing DMV operations creates opportunities to expand similar technological solutions across other government functions, streamlining services beyond the transportation sector.

In today’s episode of Explain to Shane, Shane interviews Shane Bigelow, CEO of Champ Titles, a company that specializes in digitizing government and business processes. Under Bigelow‘s leadership, Champ Titles has focused on transforming traditional vehicle titling systems with blockchain technology, aiming to reduce costs and improve efficiency in government operations. Before founding Champ Titles, Bigelow gained valuable insights into blockchain’s potential for societal impact while serving as senior vice president and managing director at AllianceBernstein.

The United States faces a critical drug shortage crisis every day that jeopardizes patient care across medical specialties. The problem is staggering: 83 percent of oncologists cannot prescribe their preferred chemotherapy treatments, and a shocking 96 percent of these drug shortages stem from human manufacturing issues. In 2023, drug shortages reached a 10-year high, with 309 critical medications in short supply.

These shortages have profound real-world consequences, affecting thousands of patients annually. For Laura Bray, the issue became intensely personal when her nine-year-old daughter was unable to receive her doctor’s recommended medicine after being diagnosed with leukemia. Drawing on her personal experience and business management background, Laura was motivated to take action. She founded and is the chief changemaker at Angels for Change, a nonprofit organization committed to ensuring access to lifesaving medications by ending drug shortages. Laura is also an adjunct business professor at Hillsborough Community College. Before academia, Laura worked in marketing strategy and small-business management and consulting.

As India's economic landscape evolves amid population growth, crafting regulations that foster progress is critical. But how can India leverage its advanced digital infrastructure and young workforce to drive innovation and create sustainable job opportunities? What regulatory reforms could help create an environment that encourages start-up growth and technological entrepreneurship? And how do proposed reforms like the draft Digital Competition Bill shape up?

In this conversation, Shane Tews is joined by Shruti Rajagopalan and Shreyas Narla. Shruti is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center and a fellow at the Classical Liberal Institute at the New York University School of Law. She leads the India Political Economy program and Emergent Ventures India at Mercatus. Shreyas is a research scholar with the India Political Economy program at Mercatus.

Join us as they explore the challenges regulatory frameworks pose, the importance of digital infrastructure, and the need for reforms to foster innovation and growth in India's economy.

In an era when civic literacy is at concerning lows, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate’s Senate Immersion Module (SIM) is revolutionizing civic education by transforming students into senators for a day, complete with an innovative AI policy simulation. What can experiential learning reveal about students’ capacity to engage with complex policy issues? And how does incorporating emerging topics like AI regulation into civic education help students conceptualize real-world policy challenges?

Joining us from the SIM are Adam Hinds, Michael Champigny, and Will Foster-Nolan. Adam is the CEO of the Kennedy Institute. He served as a Massachusetts state senator from 2017 to 2022, chairing the Joint Committee on Revenue and leading post-COVID rebuilding efforts. Michael is the senior associate for curriculum and content at the Kennedy Institute, and Will is the senior manager of education programs at the Kennedy Institute.

What separates the companies that successfully pivot from those that become cautionary tales in business history? How do government regulations either foster or hinder innovation in today’s tech landscape? And what can business leaders learn from the countless pivots that shaped America’s tech dominance?

Joining me to address these questions, which he unpacked in his new book, Pivot or Die: How Leaders Thrive When Everything Changes, is Gary Shapiro. Gary is an author, a lobbyist, and the CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, which represents over 1,300 consumer technology companies.

How is technology revolutionizing access to capital for small businesses? What challenges do these businesses face in securing funding? And what broader role does technology play in improving their access to capital?

On the latest episode of Explain to Shane, Shane interviews Anthony Matos, CEO and cofounder of Shubox, a platform designed to help small businesses access capital through the innovative use of data and AI. They discuss how innovative platforms like Shubox leverage AI and alternative data to streamline the lending process, provide valuable insights into business health, and ultimately help small businesses access the capital they need to grow.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s (NTIA) $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, passed by Congress three years ago, set out to close the digital divide by bringing broadband to unserved and underserved communities. Yet despite the ambitious goal of getting all Americans online, progress has been slow. As of September 17, serious delays continue to plague the initiative, with 13 states still waiting for the NTIA to approve their initial proposals. These delays jeopardize the program’s effectiveness and risk leaving millions of Americans without access to essential digital infrastructure.

Here to sort through the mess are two members of AEI’s Broadband Barometer Project, Janice Hauge and Mark Jamison. Janice is a professor in the Department of Economics at the University of North Texas, where she works on broadband policy and regulation in the telecommunications and broadband industry. Mark is a nonresident senior fellow at AEI where he focuses on technology’s impact on the economy, telecommunications, and Federal Communications Commission issues. He is concurrently the director and Gunter Professor of the Public Utility Research Center at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business.