TBD: Technology By Design

Apple and Facebook are at war. When Apple announced plans for its latest operating system updates, Facebook threatened to file an antitrust lawsuit, and Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg traded barbs in the press. The new operating system requires users to opt-in to certain types of data usage. Apple claims it’s protecting privacy; Facebook claims it’s threatening competition and the ad-supported business model. To get a better understanding of the two sides of the issue, Matt discussed it with Steve Satterfield, a director of privacy and public policy at Facebook, and Michelle Richardson, the Director of the Privacy & Data Project at the Center for Democracy & Technology.

We invited Apple to join the discussion, but they didn’t respond. If you’re interested in checking out a few of Apple’s statements on the issue, they outlined the new privacy features in iOS 14 and updated their user privacy and data use guidelines for App Store developers. Also check out Apple’s explanation of how your data is collected and protected through this family’s hypothetical day at the park.

What kinds of speech—political, controversial, or otherwise—should be protected? What kinds of speech should be censored? The ongoing content moderation debate has raised pressing questions about what kinds of speech can and should be regulated by companies and governments. Jillian York is the director for international freedom of expression at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and an expert on free speech and censorship. In this episode, we talk about global free expression policies, decentralized approaches to local engagement, working from another continent, and her new book, “Silicon Values: The Future of Free Speech Under Surveillance Capitalism.”

If you’ve ever been a fan of college basketball, then you’ve probably heard of the Duke-UNC rivalry. It’s the stuff of legends. The infamous eight miles that divide these two schools make it impossible to live in the Triangle without picking a side. In non-COVID times, Duke Students camp out for months just to gain entry to this basketball game. Welcome to Krzyzewskiville – the tent village that can be found on Duke’s campus during the coldest months of the North Carolina winter. But how do these students live outside for months on end, and still keep their status as Duke students? Listen in to hear as Matt interviews some of the students who run the behind-the-scenes technological network that makes K-Ville possible.

Bill Weihl founded ClimateVoice in 2020, with the goal of “mobilizing the voice of the workforce to urge companies to go ‘all in’ on climate, both in business practices and policy advocacy.”  ClimateVoice is urging companies to be more active in the policy debates on climate change, and creating frameworks for students and employees to push companies in that direction. Bill founded ClimateVoice after working on these issues at Google and Facebook, where he started the companies’ sustainability teams.  In this episode of TBD, Matt and Bill discuss the mission of ClimateVoice, the tactics Bill’s using to achieve that mission, and what it’s been like to build an organization during a global pandemic. Listen in.

If you work in tech policy, then you’ve probably read the words of Alexandra Levine. Every weekday morning at 6 AM, Politico's Morning Tech newsletter is delivered to subscribers, who read it to learn about the most important news in the field. Alex is the force behind Morning Tech, deciding each day what to cover and how to present it.  In this episode of TBD, Matt and Alex discuss the making of Morning Tech, how Alex sets boundaries in a 24-hour job, and the tech policy agenda of the Biden Administration. Listen in.

We’re in a moment of transition in tech policy.  With the start of a new administration and fallout from the Capitol riots, there is increasing pressure to enact sweeping reforms in tech regulation. Scott Wallsten and Thomas Lenard of the Technology Policy Institute recently published a set of 10 principles to guide tech policymaking in a Biden Administration.  In this episode, Matt speaks with Scott and Tom about the role tech played in the Capitol riots, overlooked factors in assigning accountability, and the principles that should guide President Biden’s tech policy agenda. Listen in.

• TPI's Ten Tech Principles for the Biden Administration

After Pierce Freelon lost an election for a seat in the North Carolina state senate, he embraced the sudden “silence” in his life, brought on by the lost election, the onset of COVID, and the death of his father.  As one door closed, others opened: he released "D.A.D", a music album in memory of his father, and in August, he was appointed to the Durham City Council.  In this episode, Matt and Pierce discuss Pierce’s approach to parenting, how he’s tackling tough issues on the Durham City Council with a “listen first, speak second” approach, and the debate in Durham about deploying ShotSpotter technology. Listen in.

• D.A.D. Album
• ShotSpotter in Durham

This month, we here at TBD celebrated our 1st birthday! 2020 has been one hell of a year, and even amidst all the chaos, we can't help but reflect on how technology has enabled us to continue living in a post-pandemic world. In this episode, we look back on some of our favorite highlights and interviews from the past year. Listen in, enjoy, and we'll see you next year. 

The Section 230 debate continues, and it seems like new legislation to reform the law is being introduced every week. This week, we spoke with Paul Barrett, who spent 30 years as a journalist before making the switch to policy.  He now works at NYU’s Stern School of Business, where he serves as the deputy director for the Center of Business and Human Rights.  He recently published a paper outlining possible reforms for Section 230.  Listen in to hear Paul’s thoughts on Section 230 and his proposals for how to make it better.

As we approach the end of 2020, and the global pandemic continues to rage on, one problem that has continually affected our world is the digital divide. Now more than ever, communities are separated by those that have access to a good internet connection, and those who don't. In this episode of TBD, Matt connects with Juan Pablo Giraldo Ospino and Thomas Dreesen of UNICEF. Throughout the pandemic, they've been working to create UNICEF’s Reimagine campaign, which calls for urgent investment to bridge the digital divide, reach every child with remote learning, and, most critically, prioritize the safe reopening of schools. 

• Lessons from COVID-19: Getting Remote Learning Right 
• At least a third of the world’s schoolchildren unable to access remote learning during school closures, new report says