Tech Policy Leaders

Bio

Patrick van Kessel (@pvankessel) is a senior data scientist at Pew Research Center, specializing in computational social science research and methodology. He is the author of studies that have used natural language processing and machine learning to measure negative political discourse and news sharing behavior by members of Congress on social media, and is involved in the ongoing development of best practices for the application of data science methods across the Center. Van Kessel received his master's degree in social science from the University of Chicago, where he focused on open-ended survey research and text analytics. He holds bachelor's degrees in economics and political science from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to joining Pew Research Center, he worked at NORC at the University of Chicago as a data scientist and technical advisor on a variety of research projects related to health, criminal justice and education.

Resources

Pew Research Center

Many Turn to YouTube for Children's Content, News, How-to Lessons by Aaron Smith, Skye Toor, and Patrick van Kessel

News Roundup

Trump falsely claims that Google manipulated millions of votes

In a tweet Monday, President Trump cited a debunked study to claim that Google manipulated between 2.6 million and 16 million votes. Even the author of the study Trump cited, Robert Epstein, a psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology, said the president's claim was false. Here's the president's tweet: "Wow, Report Just Out! Google manipulated from 2.6 million to 16 million votes for Hillary Clinton in 2016 Election! This was put out by a Clinton supporter, not a Trump Supporter! Google should be sued. My victory was even bigger than thought!" Epstein says the report showed bias but not that Google manipulated votes. The report has been discredited many times since its release in 2017.

Beto O'Rourke wants to hold tech companies accountable for hate speech

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke says he wants to hold tech companies accountable for hate speech, despite the fact that Section 230 shields tech companies from liability for content posted by third parties. The proposal is part of a sweeping gun reform proposal O'Rourke released and looks to connect the dots between online radicalization and real-world violence.

FCC considering making '988' a national suicide prevention hotline

The Federal Communications Commission is considering designating the digits 988 as a national suicide prevention and mental health hotline. The proposal was laid out in a Joint Report to Congress last week by the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau and Office of Economics and analytics. It's endorsed by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.

LGBTQ+ content creators sue YouTube

A class of LGBTQ+ content creators is suing YouTube for allegedly discriminating against their content. The complaint states that YouTube concealed their content, limited their subscribers, and thwarted their ability to sell ads, according to The Hill. The case is filed in the Northern District of California, San Jose division. YouTube says their algorithms don't demonetize or discriminate against content posted by the LGBTQ+ community.

Facebook, YouTube say China spreading misinformation about Hong Kong

Facebook and YouTube announced Monday that China has been using the platforms to spread misinformation about the uprising in Hong Kong. Twitter says it found 936 accounts originating from China that Twitter found were designed to spread discord in Hong Kong. Prompted by Twitter, Facebook found seven pages, three groups and five accounts spreading misinformation which collectively boasted some 15,000 users. Some 200,000 accounts were active in spreading misinformation, according to Facebook. Facebook said it's striving to continually improve. Twitter suspended the accounts.

FCC to increase oversight of broadband subsidies

Finally, The FCC has a proposal on circulation that would increase oversight of the Lifeline program—the federal subsidy for broadband that offers users $9.25 per month to help defray the cost of broadband in low-income households—according to a report in The Hill. The FCC is zeroing in on "waste, fraud and abuse" it says pervades the program. An FCC Inspector General report found Lifeline subsidies were going to some 50,000 deceased individuals.

Bio

Johanna Blakley, PhD, is the managing director at the Norman Lear Center. Based at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, Blakley performs research on a wide variety of topics, including global entertainment, cultural diplomacy, entertainment education, celebrity culture, fashion, digital media and intellectual property law. She has two talks on TED.com: Social Media & the End of Gender and Lessons from Fashion's Free Culture. She speaks frequently in the U.S. and abroad about her research and her work has been cited by Reuters, the New York Times, The Economist, the Washington Post, The Atlantic, the Los Angeles Times, Politico, Huffington Post, RAND, Forbes, Business Week, PR Week and GOOD. She has appeared on Good Morning America, MSNBC, Al Jazeera and Current TV, and on several radio programs, including On the Media, Planet Money, Marketplace and the TED Radio Hour.

Blakley is co-Principal Investigator, with Marty Kaplan, on the Media Impact Project (MIP), a hub for collecting, developing and sharing approaches for measuring the impact of media, primarily funded by the Gates Foundation. MIP seeks to better understand the role that media plays in changing knowledge, attitudes and behavior among individuals and communities, large and small, around the world. MIP currently works with the US State Department on three cultural exchange programs: American Film Showcase, Global Media Makers and the Middle East Media Initiative.

Much of her work addresses the intersection between entertainment and politics, including two nationwide polls on the relationship between political ideology and entertainment preferences, and she co-authored a report on the Primetime War on Drugs & Terror. With funding from the Pop Culture Collaborative, Blakley is currently analyzing the impact of narrative ingredients of scripted TV shows on viewers.

Blakley is a regular contributor to the Lear Center Blog, and she has guided more than forty manuscripts through the publication process at the Lear Center, including Warners' War: Propaganda, Politics & Pop Culture in Wartime Hollywood. She has also overseen two major research initiatives about the impact of intellectual property rights on innovation and creativity – Ready to Share: Fashion & the Ownership of Creativity and Artists, Technology & the Ownership of Creative Content. At USC, she co-directed a university-wide research initiative on Creativity & Collaboration in the Academy; she developed course materials on cultural diplomacy for the new Masters in Public Diplomacy program at Annenberg, and she taught masters courses on transmedia storytelling.

She received a PhD in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she taught courses on popular culture and twentieth-century literature. Blakley has held a variety of positions within the high-tech industry, including Web producer and digital archivist at Vivendi-Universal Games. She is on the advisory board of Women@Paley at the Paley Center for Media and FEM inc., a technology venture. She has served as an advisor to the Aspen Institute, Active Voice, the Los Angeles Institute for the Humanities and TEDxUSC, the first TEDx event in the world. She's on the editorial board of the International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology and she's a founding member of the board of directors for Les Figues Press, a venue for literary experimentation.

Resources

Norman Lear Center

Are You What You Watch?: Tracking the Political Divide Through TV Preferences

News Roundup

CBS & Viacom strike merger deal

CBS and Viacom have struck a merger deal worth about $50 billion, according to CNBC. The companies have been negotiating a merger deal for three years, which often put CBS and Viacom Vice Chair Shari Redstone at odds with former CBS CEO Les Moonves, who has since left the company mired by sexual harassment and abuse claims. The Redstone family-controlled National Amusements owns both companies. The combined entity will include CBS, as well as Viacom brands MTV, BET, Showtime, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and Paramount.

Whole Foods workers protest Amazon's work with ICE

Whole Worker, the anonymous group of Whole Foods workers seeking to unionize the Amazon subsidiary's workforce, released a protest letter yesterday opposing Amazon's work with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. The letter specifically calls out Amazon's cloud support for Palantir—the mysterious company partially-owned by Trump supporter Peter Thiel that helps ICE use artificial intelligence to carry out deportations.

Federal Appeals Court rules Facebook users can sue over facial recognition

You know how Facebook figures out if it's your face in the images you post? Well, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled that a class of Facebook users can sue Facebook under California law for using the facial recognition technology behind that feature. California's Biometric Information Act requires companies to obtain consent before using the biometric data of their users. The 2015 lawsuit could put Facebook on the hook for billions of dollars.

Senator Marsha Blackburn calls out Huawei

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn, who's a member of the Senate's Technology, Innovation, and the Internet subcommittee called out Huawei for allegedly implanting spyware on devices. Blackburn said the China-based company is part of China's military industrial complex designed to spy on the United States and other countries. Huawei is still on the Commerce department's blacklist. But last month President Trump said that he would allow U.S. companies to sell equipment to Huawei.

Democrats blast McConnell at DEFCON hacker conference

Senator Ron Wyden and California Representative Ted Lieu blasted Mitch McConnell at the main worldwide hacker conference, DEFCON, last week, for McConnell's opposition to election security. McConnell has blocked legislation to strengthen election security—stating that federal legislation to defend election systems interferes with states rights.

Bio

Francella Ochillo (@franochillo) is the Executive Director of Next Century Cities. Previously, Francella was the Vice President of Policy and General Counsel for the National Hispanic Media Coalition. Francella is a digital rights advocate who is committed to expanding access for unserved and underserved communities. Francella has worked on a variety of technology and telecommunications issues with a specific focus on assessing the impact of policy proposals on marginalized communities. Having worked for more than a decade with government and public interest organizations, she understands the challenges associated with getting various stakeholders to agree on connectivity solutions. Francella helps policymakers and lawmakers understand how broadband access can change socioeconomic outcomes and revitalize communities. It motivates her work to ensure that state and local leaders are given every opportunity to resolve their own connectivity issues and have a voice in shaping federal policies.

Francella is based in Washington, DC and is a member of the District of Columbia Bar. She earned a B.S. in Marketing from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland and a J.D. from John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois.

Resources

Next Century Cities

News Roundup

Mitch McConnell Blocks Election Security Bills

The day after Robert Mueller gave testimony warning about election interference happening right at this very moment, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked two election security bills last week intended to bolster election integrity. One of the bills would have required paper ballots to be used and passed the House 225-184. Another bill—a Senate bill from Senator Richard Blumenthal—would have required candidates, campaign officials and their family members to report to the FBI any assistance they've been offered from foreign agents. Leader McConnell blocked consent on both bills saying they were partisan.

Senate Intelligence Committee Finds Russian Election Interference Extended to 2014

A Senate Intelligence Committee report found that Russians interfered in U.S. elections as far back as 2014. It also found Russian activities continued into 2017. The committee released the 67-page report the day after Robert Mueller's testimony.

France Announces Tax on U.S. Tech Companies, Trump vows retaliation

French President Emmanuel Macron signed into law a 3% digital services tax last week on U.S. tech companies that make at least $750 million Euros in revenue annually. President Trump said he intends to retaliate, that only the U.S. should tax American-based companies, and that American wine is better than French wine.

Tulsi Gabbard Sues Google for $50 million, Claims Censorship

Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard sued Google last week claiming that the company censored her presidential campaign advertisements. The complaint alleges that by suspending Gabbard's presidential campaign's Google Ads account for several hours last month, that Google effectively censored her. Google says that they have an automated system that flags unusual activity. Gabbard is claiming $50 million in damages.

DOJ Approves the T-Mobile-Sprint Merger

The Justice Department has approved the proposed, $26 billion T-Mobile-Sprint merger. However, a lawsuit brought by several state Attorneys General needs to be resolved before the merger takes effect. In exchange for the merger approval, the Hill reports that the Department of Justice is requiring T-Mobile to turn over subscribers and spectrum to Dish Network, which will become a facilities-based, carrier that will compete with the merged company.

Facebook Settles with SEC for $100 Million

Finally, Facebook has settled with the Securities and Exchange Commission for $100 million. The Securities and Exchange Commission had claimed that Facebook misled investors for more than 2 years after the company became aware of the Cambridge Analytica breach in 2015. Facebook disclosed the breach in February of 2018.

5G Broadband Beyond Faster Speeds with Lauren McCarty (Ep. 194)

Nokia's Lauren McCarty joined Joe Miller to discuss the potential for 5G beyond faster speeds on Ep. 194 of the WashingTECH Tech Policy Podcast.

News Roundup

FaceApp Terms of Service Prompt Angst Among Lawmakers

FaceApp, a viral app created by Russian firm Wireless Lab sparked privacy concerns and angst among law makers last week. Faceapp allows users to upload selfies and lets users see what they'd look like if they swapped genders or what they're likely to look like 50 years from now.

The app's terms of service, though, which few of us actually reads, leaves it within Faceapp's sole discretion to terminate your access to its services, even if losing access causes you loss or harm. The terms also reserve FaceApp's right to store your pictures, even after you remove them, to "including and without limitation" comply with certain U.S. and foreign regulations, which could be those of any government in the world, including the Russian government. The terms acknowledge that Faceapp uses an artificial intelligence algorithm that enables its ability to alter your photos.

Senator Chuck Schumer called for the FBI and FTC to investigate, saying in a letter to the agencies that the app could pose "national security and privacy risks for millions of U.S. citizens".

Senate passes bill to criminalize voting systems hacking

Partially in response to the domestic hacking of election systems, and partially in response to Russia's hacking of the 2016 presidential election that was alleged in the Mueller report, the Senate has passed a bill which would criminalize the hacking of voter machines to gain access to voter data. The Defending the Integrity of Voting Systems Act passed by unanimous consent on Wednesday night. Senators Whitehouse, Blumenthal, and Graham introduced the legislation earlier this year.

President's plea to Trump supporters on the fence: download the app

The Washington Post reported last week that Trump's re-election campaign is trying to shore up support via a new app that campaign officials say will be released in the coming weeks. The mobile will allow Trump supports to organize in their local communities and register to vote.

Feinstein targets social media bots spreading misinformation

Social media bots are widely seen to have played a decisive role in spreading misinformation in advance of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. In fact Symantec released a report in June showing that Russia's propaganda program in that election cycle was even more extensive than was originally thought. So Senator Dianne Feinstein has introduced legislation to prohibit campaigns from using these spam bots to "subvert future elections". It's called the Bot Disclosure and Accountability Act.

Maxine Waters, Senate Banking Committee, Trump, Mnuchin all highly skeptical of Facebook's Libra

Powerful lawmakers including Maxine Waters and most of the Senate Banking Committee, as well as administration officials including the president and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, are all highly skeptical of Facebook's new cryptocurrency, Libra. Senator Sherrod Brown on the Senate Banking Committee was especially vocal in his opposition to the currency during a hearing in which Facebook's lead for the project, David Marcus, testified. Brown was incredulous that after Facebook which "moved fast and broke our political discourse … broke journalism, helped incite a genocide and … undermin[ed] our democracy" now wants to have a global cryptocurrency available to its 2 billion+ users that would be a global, commercial version of the Federal Reserve. Republicans on the panel also expressed opposition including Banking Commission Chairman Mike Crapo, who suggested the creation of a separate regulatory agency to deal with cryptocurrency.

In the House, Maxine Waters announced that she will be calling Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in to testify.

Amazon hires Trump ally to bolster lobbying on Pentagon contract

Amazon has hired Trump ally Jeff Miller to lobby on behalf of the company to win approval to work on a $10 billion "war cloud" contract for the Pentagon. Earlier in the week, Trump had expressed opposition to the contract. Republicans are also urging the president not to thwart the contract.

Sanders, Omar urge investigation into working conditions at Amazon warehouse

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar were joined by 10 other members of Congress in a letter to the Department of Labor asking the agency to investigate working conditions at an Amazon warehouse in Minnesota where workers protested about working conditions.

Real Estate Agent Tanya Gersh scores $14m victory against Daily Stormer Founder Andrew Anglin

A magistrate judge in the Federal District of Montana, Missoula Division recommended that Chief Judge Dana Christensen enter a default judgement of $14 million in damages against the founder of a neo-Nazi website. Daily Stormer founder Andrew Anglin had twice failed to appear for his deposition in the case brought by the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of Ms. Gersh back in 2017. The suit contends that Anglin initiated a "troll storm" against real estate agent Tanya Gersh after Gersh advised the mother of alt-right figure Richard Spencer to denounce her sons views in order to sell her property. Judge Christensen has already ruled in favor Gersh, finding that the First Amendment doesn't protect harassing speech, so now it's just a question of whether Judge Christensen will sign off on the magistrate judge's damages recommendation.

Events

Tues., July 23 American Federation for Children Parents and Students Share their Vision for Twenty-First Century Education in America

11:45pm – 1pm

Senate Visitors Center, Room 202

Congressional Caucus on Smart Cities Smart Campuses 101: Introduction to the Future

12-1pm

Rayburn House Office Building, Rm. 2044

Population Association of America Drawing a Line: How We Measure Poverty and Why it Matters

2-3pm

Rayburn, 2043

Wed., July 24 U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Anti-Semitism: The World's Oldest Hatred – New Again

8:00AM-9:00am

Rayburn House Office Building Rm. 2168

Girls in Tech Venture Capital 101

11:45am-1:00pm

Mindspace

1301 K St., NW

Girl Scouts of America Ready for Takeoff: Girl Scouts and Space Science

12-1:00pm

Rayburn, 2325

Government Affairs Industry Network Career Transitions: Expectations v. Reality

12:00-1:30pm

Covington & Burling

850 10th St., NW

Leader Schumer+Senate Diversity Ice Cream Social

3:30pm-5:30pm

Hart Senate Office Building, 902

U.S. Department of Energy Modernizing the Grid for American Security, Innovation, and Economic Growth

4pm-7-pm

Rayburn, 2253

Mon., July 29

Public Opinion Strategies What's Next for Patient Experience Measurement?

11:45AM-1:30pm

Dirksen Senate Office Building, G50

Bio

Michael J. Alkire (@AlkirePremier) is the President of Premier, Inc.. As President, Alkire leads the continued integration of Premier's clinical, financial, supply chain and operational performance improvement offerings helping member hospitals and health systems provide higher quality care at a better cost. He oversees Premier's quality, safety, labor and supply chain technology apps and data-driven collaboratives allowing alliance members to make decisions based on a combination of healthcare information. These performance improvement offerings access Premier's comparative database, one of the nation's largest outcomes databases.

Alkire also led Premier's efforts to address public health and safety issues from the nationwide drug shortage problem, testifying before the U.S. House of Representatives regarding Premier research on shortages and gray market price gouging. This work contributed to the president and Congress taking action to investigate and correct the problem, resulting in two pieces of bipartisan legislation.

Prior to serving as President, Alkire was president of Premier Purchasing Partners, which offers group purchasing, supply chain and resource utilization services to hospitals and health systems. Premier remains among the top group purchasing organizations in the industry as the value of supplies purchased through its contracts has increased to more than $56 billion. Upon joining Premier in late 2003, Alkire worked closely with the Purchasing Partners team to develop and implement a three-year transformation plan designed to dramatically increase returns to the alliance's shareholders while building stronger relationships with members and suppliers.

Alkire is a past board member of GHX and the Healthcare Supply Chain Association. He recently was named one of the Top 25 COOs in Healthcare for 2018 by Modern Healthcare. In 2015, Alkire won the Gold Stevie Award for Executive of the Year and in 2014 he was recognized as a Gold Award Winner for COO of the Year by the Golden Bridge Awards. He has more than 20 years of experience in running business operations and business development organizations at Deloitte & Touche and Cap Gemini Ernst & Young. Before joining Premier, he served in a number of leadership roles at Cap Gemini, including North American responsibilities for supply chain and high-tech manufacturing.

Alkire graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science from Indiana State University and an MBA from Indiana University.

Resources

Premier, Inc.

Advocacy @ Premier

Premier, Inc. and 10 Hospitals Launch Initiative to Improve Maternal and Infant Health (Press Release, July 11, 2019)

HEADLINES: The FTC fines Facebook $5 billion—many say it's not enough; Trump goes on a racist tirade on Twitter; and Michael Alkire is my guest.

News Roundup

FTC fines Facebook $5 billion

The Federal Trade Commission has fined Facebook some $5 billion with many saying it's a slap on the wrist. One commentator on Twitter called it a parking ticket, although it was a record fine. But the New York Times notes that the fine concludes just one of several investigations currently pending around the world. Facebook's revenue last year was $56 billion.

Brian Stelter on Trumps racist tweets

You already know about Trump's racist tweets over the weekend in which he told democratic, progressive Congresswomen of color, obviously including Representative Ilhan Omar, who fled to the U.S. from Somalia, to "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came". Of course the other Congresswomen to whom he was clearly referring, including New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, were born in the U.S. But Brian Stelter from CNN pointed out something interesting – media outlets like Fox News are avoiding calling the president's tweets racist, and instead relying on third-party commentators to do that. Twitter even said that the president's tweets didn't violate its policies. Twitter though is in a difficult predicament since it's currently under fire by Trump, along with several other tech companies, for allegedly having an anti-conservative bias.

Social Media Summit

The Trump administration held a social media summit with conservative content creators and politicians last week. The president told those in attendance that he would invite tech companies to the White House to explain their alleged anti-conservative bias. But the president didn't provide any evidence.

Huawei plans massive U.S. layoffs

The Wall Street Journal reports that Huawei, the China-based company that's been besieged by the Trump administration for allegedly sharing the confidential and sensitive information of U.S. companies with the Chinese government, will be laying off as many as 850 people in the U.S. The U.S. Commerce Department has blacklisted Huawei, which Huawei estimates will cost it some $30 billion.

U.S. Army to test armed, robotic vehicles

Andrew Liptak reported in the Verge that the U.S. government is planning to test armed, robotic vehicles beginning next year. The Army will conduct the live-fire tests in Colorado and Europe. The vehicles will be remote controlled.

First quantum entanglement photograph

Scientists at the University of Glasglow photographed, for the very first time, two photons interacting and sharing physical states for a brief moment. What does it mean? Well the photograph will advance the field of quantum mechanics because it proves that photons physically interact with one another—something that was theoretical before. Also, the process of taking the photograph was very involved, creating a model that scientists can use to capture other scientific phenomena that are difficult to observe.

Chris Lewis elevated to President & CEO of Public Knowledge

Christopher Lewis, a seven-year veteran of progressive tech policy think tank and advocacy group Public Knowledge, has succeeded Gene Kimmelman as President & CEO. Previously, Chris was a staffer in the late Ted Kennedy's office.

Events

Tues., 7/16

House Commerce Committee

Our Wireless Future: Building a Comprehensive Approach to Spectrum Policy

10:30AM

Rayburn, 2322

New America

Paying for Our Privacy: What Online Business Models Should be Off-Limits?

3:00-4:30pm

New America, 740 15th St., NW

Thurs., 7/18

New America

The Future of Free Expression Online in America

12-2pm

New America, 740 15th St., NW

Bio

Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonTGB) is Co-Founder of The Giving Block. The Giving Block is a DC-based start-ups focused on helping non-profits incorporate Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies into their funding model. Previously he was a Director at Block Shop, also DC-based, which is a blockchain incubator focused on building real blockchain solutions beyond the hype. a blockchain incubator focused on building real blockchain solutions beyond thehype and serves as Washington DC's blockchain hub for top startups and events. He's also a Senior Consultant at Optimity Advisors – a Management Consulting Firm in DC. He's earned his BA at Wake Forest's School of Business.

Resources

The Giving Block

Block Shop DC

HEADLINES: ProPUblica deiscovers an obscene Border Patrol facebook Group insulting migrants and Latina Congresswomen, Twitter's right wing attacks Kamala Harris, and Alex Wilson is my guest

News Roundup

ProPublica discovers secret, obscene Facebook Group of Border Patrol agents targeting migrants and Congresswomen

ProPublica uncovered a secret Facebook Group containing some 9.5 thousand members in which Border Patrol Agents ridiculed migrants and members of Congress with obscene photos. In one comment, one of the agents suggested they throw a burrito at Representatives Veronica Escobar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez when they come to visit an El Paso area border Patrol facility. Another group member posted the photo that went viral last week of a man lying face-down in the water next to his young daughter. The poster referred to them as "floaters" and suggested the photo wasn't real. There were several other racist and sexist comments that I'll let you find on your own … Customs and Border Patrol says they're investigating but skeptics believe there to be a pervasive culture at the agency that encourages this type of bigotry.

Right wing Twitter accounts promote false rumors about Kamala Harris' nationality

Twitter accounts identified as bots by researchers Josh Russell and Caroline Orr retweeted a conspiracy by Trumpworld personality Ali Alexander, in which Alexander wrote that Kamala Harris is "not an American Black" because she is half Indian and half Jamaican. Sound familiar? Anyway, Twitter denies that bots were involved and claimed that all of the users who contributed were actual human beings. The social media company said the tweets did not violate its terms of service.

Senators Warren and Jaypal criticize FCC panel's corporate influence

In a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, Senators Warren and Jaypal criticized the FCC's Communications, Security, Reliability and Interoperability Advisory Committee for having to many corporate members on board. Currently, out of 22 members, 15 are corporate, 6 are government officials, and just one is from the nonprofit sector. Neither the FCC nor Chairman Ajit Pai have commented publicly.

Maine passes net neutrality

In defiance of the FCC's overturning of the 2015 net neutrality rules, Maine has become the 12th state to pass its own net neutrality rules. These include Colorado, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Montana, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington and California.

Trump relaxes Huawei ban

President Trump has relaxed the ban he imposed earlier this year preventing American companies from selling products to Chinese device manufacturer Huawei. The policy shift came as part of a deal with China to ease trade restrictions.

Facebook civil rights audit concludes with findings many already knew

Facebook has released the latest findings from the civil rights audit being conducted by prominent civil rights attorney Laura Murphy. It's been received by many social justice advocates working on tech policy as a restatement of things they've been calling Facebook out on for a long time, such the need for board diversity, better treatment of people of color and women. The company announced that a task force will be created to address some of the issues raised in the report. But some some say the task force will just be a networking opportunity for members of the task force.

Events

Fri., 7/5

DC Fringe Festival

Fri., 7/5-Sun. 7/28

Various locations

Safiya Noble: The Future of Class, Culture, Gender and Race on Digital Media Platforms (Ep. 191) Bio

Dr. Safiya Umoja Noble (@safiyanoble) is an Associate Professor at UCLA in the Departments of Information Studies and African American Studies, and a visiting faculty member to the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Communication. Previously, she was an Assistant Professor in Department of Media and Cinema Studies and the Institute for Communications Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

She is the author of a best-selling book on racist and sexist algorithmic bias in commercial search engines, entitled Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism (NYU Press), which has been widely-reviewed in journals and periodicals including the Los Angeles Review of Books, featured in the New York Public Library 2018 Best Books for Adults (non-fiction), and recognized by Bustle magazine as one of 10 Books about Race to Read Instead of Asking a Person of Color to Explain Things to You.

Safiya is the recipient of a Hellman Fellowship and the UCLA Early Career Award. Her academic research focuses on the design of digital media platforms on the internet and their impact on society. Her work is both sociological and interdisciplinary, marking the ways that digital media impacts and intersects with issues of race, gender, culture, and technology. She is regularly quoted for her expertise on issues of algorithmic discrimination and technology bias by national and international press including The Guardian, the BBC, CNN International, USA Today, Wired, Time, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, The New York Times, and Virginia Public Radio, and a host of local news and podcasts, including Science Friction, and Science Friday to name a few. Recently, she was named in the "Top 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers of 2019" by Government Technology magazine.

Dr. Noble is the co-editor of two edited volumes: The Intersectional Internet: Race, Sex, Culture and Class Online and Emotions, Technology & Design. She currently serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Critical Library and Information Studies, and is the co-editor of the Commentary & Criticism section of the Journal of Feminist Media Studies. She is a member of several academic journal and advisory boards, including Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education. She holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Library & Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a B.A. in Sociology from California State University, Fresno where she was recently awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award for 2018.

Resources

Safiya U. Noble

Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism by Safiya U. Noble (NYU Press: 2019)

Behind the Screen: Content Moderation in the Shadows of Social Media by Sarah T. Roberts (Yale University Press: 2019)

News Roundup

FTC is investigating YouTube over children's privacy

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating YouTube over children's privacy concerns, according to the Washington Post. The Alphabet subsidiary faces steep fines if it's found to have violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which prohibits tracking and targeting children under 13. The FTC and YouTube both declined to comment.

Lawmakers divided over election security

The Hill reports that GOP lawmakers are divided over election security, with some, including Mitch McConnell, who think additional legislation is unnecessary to deal with the challenges posed by technology. Other Republicans, like Lindsay Graham think there's more we can do.

Facebook plans cryptocurrency, Maxine Waters resists

We reported last week that Facebook announced plans to launch its own cryptocurrency called Libra. But House Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waters is pushing back. Waters asked Facebook to place a moratorium on the release of its cryptocurrency until after Congress has had a chance to review it. Virginia Senator Mark Warner agreed. Both lawmakers said the company's troubled past is a warning sign. Waters has scheduled a hearing for July 17.

DHS moving global biometric data to Amazon Cloud

The Department of Homeland Security stated in request for information it released last week that it would be moving the data of hundreds of millions of people around the globe to Amazon Web Services. The DHS is moving the data to a Homeland Advanced Recognition Technology (HART) System, hosted by AWS, which will upgrade the agency's ability to link biometric and biographical data to DNA. The system is designed to quickly identify anyone who's in the database such as suspected criminals, immigration violators, terrorists and, frankly, you, if you're in the database.

Google's board rejects shareholder proposals to fight sexual harassment and boost diversity

The Guardian reports that Google parent Alphabet's board of directors voted down thirteen shareholder proposals that would have ended forced arbitration for sexual harassment claims by contract workers, addressed ethical concerns stemming from AI and China, and several other social concerns. The board voted against the proposals despite a protest happening outside the company's headquarters during the vote.

Apple CEO Tim Cook calls out big tech

Apple CEO Tim Cook called out big tech at a Stanford Commencement speech last week. He said tech companies need to accept responsibility for the chaos they create and that "Lately it seems this industry is becoming better known for a less noble innovation – the belief you can claim credit without accepting responsibility … We see it every day now with every data breach, every privacy violation, every blind eye turned to hate speech, fake news poisoning out national conversation, the false miracles in exchange for a single drop of your blood."

Members call on tech companies to address law firm diversity concerns

In a letter penned by Missouri Representative Emanuel Cleaver, members of the House of Representatives are calling on tech companies to diversify the ranks of outside counsel the companies use. Currently, tech companies retain large law firms notorious for their dismal diversity records and segregating lawyers of color into contractor roles. Congressman Cleaver, along with Representatives Robin Kelly, G.K. Butterfield, and Barbara Lee sent the letter to Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, IBM, Dell, Intel, HP, Cisco and Facebook.

Fairfax County gets first state funding for autonomous vehicles

Fairfax County Virginia and Dominion Energy landed a $250,000 grant from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation for an autonomous electric shuttle in Merrifield. The pilot will be part of a larger potential effort to build a largescale autonomous transportation system in Virginia. This first pilot will connect the Dunn Loring MetroRail Station with the Mosaic district. Under the deal, Dominion will purchase or lease the vehicle and Fairfax County will handle operations.

Events

Tues., 6/25

Senate Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet

Optimizing for Engagement: Understanding the Use of Persuasive Technology on Internet Platforms

10AM

Hart 216

House Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism

Artificial Intelligence and Counterterrorism: Possibilities and Limitations

10AM

Cannon 310

House Committee on Small Business: Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure

Broadband Mapping: Small Carrier Perspectives on a Path Forward

10AM

Rayburn 2360

House Energy & Commerce Committee: Subcommittee on Communications and Technology

Stopping Bad Robocalls Act

2PM

Rayburn 2123

House Committee on Financial Services

Task Force on Financial Technology: Overseeing the Fintech Revolution: Domestic and International Perspectives on Fintech Regulation

2PM

Rayburn 2128

House Committee on Homeland Security: Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Innovation Cybersecurity Challenges for State and Local Governments: Assessing How the Federal Government Can Help

2PM

Cannon 310

House Committee on the Judiciary: Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties

Continuing Challenges to the Voting Rights Act Since Shelby County v. Holder

2PM

Rayburn 2141

House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology: Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight

Election Security: Voting Technology Vulnerabilities

2PM

Rayburn 2318

Transformative Technology of DC

How the Future of Work and STEM are impacting social wellbeing, digital transformation and mindset growth through tech

6:30 PM – 8:30 PM EDT

District Offices

10 G Street Northeast

GEICO Data Science

Tech Talk & Open House

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM EDT

5260 Western Avenue

Bethesda, MD 20815

Wed., 6/26

House Committee on Homeland Security

Examining Social Media Companies' Efforts to Counter Online Terror Content and Misinformation

10AM

Cannon 310

House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

Artificial Intelligence: Societal and Ethical Implications

10AM

Rayburn 2318

House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology: Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics

NASA's Aeronautics Mission: Enabling the Transformation of Aviation

2PM

Rayburn 2318

Wine Wednesday

Founding Farmers

5:00 PM – 8:00 PM EDT

Founding Farmers, Reston

1904 Reston Metro Plaza

Thurs., 6/27

Federal Trade Commission

PrivacyCon

8:15AM-5PM

FTC Constitution Center

400 7th ST., SW

Ford Motor Company Fund

HERImpact Entrepreneurship Summit

9:30AM-4PM

Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business 3700 O St NW

General Assembly

Inside the Minds of Brilliant Designers

6:30-8:30PM

General Assembly, 509 7th Street NW, 3rd Floor

Fri., 6/28

Federal Communications Commission

Workshop on Promoting Multilingual Alerting

9AM-2:30PM

FCC

Tues., 7/2

Universal Service Administrative Company

Lifeline Program Consumer Support Training for caseworkers, service agents, and support professionals

9:30AM-12PM

Universal Service Administrative Company

700 12th St., NW

Bio

Monica Anderson (@MonicaRAnders) is a senior researcher at Pew Research Center primarily studying internet and technology issues. Much of her recent work has focused on the impact of the digital divide, the role of technology in the lives of teenagers, and activism in the age of social media. She has a master's degree in media studies from Georgetown University, where her work focused on the intersection of race, politics and media.

Resources

Pew Research Center

Teens' Social Media Habits and Experiences by Monica R. Anderson (Pew Research Center, 2018)

News Roundup

Elizabeth Warren demands Assistant AG recuses himself from tech antitrust investigation

U.S. Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren is demanding that Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim recuse himself from the DOJ's antitrust investigation of Google and Apple. In the past, Delrahim lobbied on behalf of both companies. Senator Warren wrote directly to the Assistant Attorney General saying that not recusing himself would create the appearance of a conflict of interest.

CBP announces data breach

U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported a data breach last week. The agency says thieves obtained traveler photos and license plate numbers via a malicious cyberattack to a subcontractor's network. The hackers did not directly access CBP's database.

Zuckerberg may have been aware of shady privacy practices

The Wall Street Journal reports that internal documents may show that Facebook knew about shady data practices happening at the company. Sources say internal emails in which executives are seen grappling with how to comply with the requirements of an FTC consent decree included silence by Zuckerberg as to the implications of an app that had the ability to reveal Facebook user data on its own site, irrespective of the users' privacy settings on Facebook.

OTI, Free Press, and Georgetown Law Center file FCC complaint against wireless carriers for selling location data

New America's Open Technology Institute, Free Press and Georgetown Law Center's Center on Privacy and Technology lodged a complaint at the FCC Friday, claiming that AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint & Verizon have threatened public safety by enabling stalkers, people posing as police officers, debt collectors, and others by disclosing subscribers' location data to bounty hunters.

Facebook's cryptocurrency gains major backers

The Wall Street Journal reports that Visa, Mastercard, Uber and Paypal will each be investing around $10 million in Facebook's new cryptocurrency called Libra, which Facebook's planning to announce this week. Facebook's been largely quiet about the currency but the Wall Street Journal reports that it would be a currency that's pegged to government-backed cryptocurrencies and allow users to use the digital coin to make purchases across the internet. Some experts are worried about money laundering.

Sweetgreen acquires delivery startup

DC-founded Sweetgreen—the salad giant—is stepping up its delivery game. Even though Sweetgreen is now headquarted in LA, it announced its acquisition of Galley Foods last week, also a DC-based company, to handle delivery logistics. This is Sweetgreen's first acquisition.

Events

Tues., 6/18

Senate Finance Committee

The President's 2019 Trade Policy Agenda and the U.S.-Canada-Mexico Agreement

10:15AM

215 Dirksen

Wed., 6/19

House Ways & Means Committee

The 2019 Trade Policy Agenda: Negotiations with China, Japan, the EU, and UK; New NAFTA/USMCA; U.S. Participation in the WTO; and Other Matters

9:30AM

1100 Longworth

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

Building Smart Cities and Communities at the Regional Level

2PM-3PM

Department of Commerce

Demos at Dusk

5:30-8PM

General Assembly

509 7th St., NW

Thurs., 6/20

House Small Business Committee

The Importance of Accurate Census Data to Small Business Formation and Growth

10AM

Rayburn 236-

House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress

Cultivating Diversity and Improving Retention Among Congressional Staff

2PM

Rayburn, 2253

Kora Research Center

Broccoli Talk: Bridging the Gap Between Artists & Tech

5-8PM

Broccoli City Bar

1817 7th St., NW

Sat., 6/22

Black Girls Code DC Chapter

A Virtual Reality Experience

10AM-4PM

Howard University School of Business

2600 6th St., NW

Mon., 6/24

Federal Communications Commission

Advisory Committee on Diversity & Digital Empowerment

10AM

FCC

Bio

Alfred Mathewson (@hubisoninthe505) is the former Emeritus Professor of Law and Henry Weihofen Chair of Law at the University of New Mexico School of Law. He joined the UNM law faculty in 1983 after working as a corporate, securities and banking lawyer in Denver. He was named the Director of the Africana Studies Program in 2013 after having served as Acting or Interim Director since 2009. From 1997 through 2002, he was Associate Dean of Academics. In that position, he oversaw the curriculum, clinical law program, faculty appointments, the faculty promotion and tenure process, library, faculty development and related issues. Professor Mathewson served as a Co-Dean of the law school from 2015 to 2018.

Mathewson's teaching and research focuses on antitrust law, business planning, sports law, minority business enterprises and corporate governance. He frequently supervises in the Business and Tax law Clinic and has served occasionally as Acting Director of the Clinical Law Program during the summer. He recently added Transactional Negotiations to his teaching portfolio. He has published numerous articles and given speeches in these areas and he brings this expertise to his teaching.

He is a member of the American Bar Association and the American Law Institute. He has served on several ABA accreditation inspection teams. He is a member of the AALS Section on Law and Sports Law, of which he has previously served as chair. He currently is serving another stint as chair of the UNM Athletic Council. He serves as the faculty adviser of the UNM Chapter of the Black Law Students Association.

He is active in various community organizations, including the Albuquerque Council on International Visitors. He has served as the president of the New Mexico Black Lawyers Association and the Sam Cary Bar Association (Denver).

His recent publications include The Bowl Championship Series, Conference Realignment and the Major College Football Oligopoly: Revolution Not Reform, 1 Miss. Sports L. Rev. (2012) and Remediating Discrimination Against African American Females at the Intersection of Title IX and Title VI, 2 Wake Forest J. L. & Policy (2012). He presented "Times Have Changed: A New Bargain for Sharing the Revenue Stream in Intercollegiate Athletics with Student Athletes," a paper prepared for panel at AALS 2014 Annual Meeting Section on Law and Sports program entitled, "O'Bannon v. NCAA: Is There An Unprecedented Change To Intercollegiate Sports Just Over The Horizon?"

Resources

Race in Ordinary Course: Utilizing the Racial Background in Antitrust and Corporate Law Courses by Alfred Mathewson, 23 St. John's J. Legal Comment 667 (2008).

Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight

Civil Rights and the Anti-trust Laws by Philip Marcus

Race, Markets and Hollywood's Perpetual Dilemma by Hosea R. Harvey

Amazon Antitrust Paradox by Lina M. Khan

News Roundup

Google walkout organizer leaves the company

Claire Stapleton, one of the organizers of last year's global walkout at Google following revelations that the company allegedly hid sexual harassment allegations against Android developer Andy Rubin, has left the company, saying she was retaliated against. She wrote in an internal document, later posted on Medium by Google Walkout for Real Change, "These past few months have been unbearably stressful and confusing. But they've been eye-opening, too: the more I spoke up about what I was experiencing, the more I heard, and the more I understood how universal these issues are." Stapleton said she's leaving the company because she's having a baby. Google has refuted the allegations.

Maine signs robust privacy bill

The State of Maine's governor, Janet Mills, signed a new privacy bill into law last week requiringcarriers to get consumers' permission before selling their data to third parties. It specifically prohibits ISPs from retaliating against consumers for refusing to allow their data to be sold.

YouTube Revokes Steven Crowder's Ads

YouTube shifted gears and revoked the ads of far-right commentator Steven Crowder over Crowder's use of homophobic language. The company backtracked following outcry over the company's initial defense of Crowder. But the ban isn't permanent. Crowder simply must remove the offensive content, including the homophobic t-shirts he was selling in his online store.

FCC permits carriers to block more robocalls

The FCC allowed carriers last week to ban even more robocalls by allowing them to stop calls on behalf of subscribers. The order had bipartisan support, but Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel said it opens the door for carriers to charge for the service since the order doesn't contain any language to prevent that from happening.

Pew reports lagging tech adoption in rural

Pew reports that rural communities lag the rest of the country when it comes to tech adoption. At 63%, rural households are 10 points lower than the rest of the country. Smartphone penetration, at 67%, is also 10 points lower. Tablet penetration and the number of households with desktop computers also lags.

Congress kills bill provision preventing IRS from setting up free filing service

Finally, it looks like you're going to have an alternative to Turbo Tax. The tax preparation service is facing some competition from the IRS itself. Congress has killed a provision of the Taxpayer First Act that would have prevented the IRS from creating its own, free online tax filing service.

Events

Tues., 6/11

NCTA/Rural Broadband Caucus

Trailblazing a Path for Rural Broadband

11:30AM-1:00PM

Uber

Elevate Summit 2019

Reagan International Center

Today & Tomorrow

Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood & Color of Change

Digital Privacy Briefing

Rayburn 2322

3:30-5:00pm

Entertainment Software Association

ES3

LA Convention Center

Today through Wednesday

House Judiciary Committee

Hearing on Online Platforms and Market Power, Part 1: The Free and Diverse Press

Rayburn 2141

2PM

Wed., 6/12

Federal Communications Commission

Tribal Workshop

Riverwind Casino in Oklahoma

Wed. and Thurs.

Bio

Chris Jones (@cjones2002) is the Chief Marketing Officer of Dragonchain and Co-founder of the Blockchain Seattle Conference. He's a long-time entrepreneur and an expert in strategy, product marketing and user acquisition. He is adept at translating complex, technical features and functionalities into easy to understand concepts. Previously Chris held executive roles with Adidas America, Mattel and Boost Mobile. Chris is an evangelist for blockchain technology and the people and projects. In addition, he consults to other blockchain & technology companies including Storm, a gamified microtasks platform and Sirqul, a leader in the IoT space. He attended Georgetown University as an undergraduate and earned an MBA from Northwestern University.

Resources

Dragonchain

Dragonchain

Free Blockchain Project Planning Guide

Blockchain Use Cases

Blockchain Blog Articles

Gartner Report

News Roundup Amazon considering purchasing Boost from T-Mobile

Reuters reports that Amazon is considering purchasing Boost from T-Mobile. The report comes as the Department of Justice has called for Sprint and T-Mobile to spin off some property to ensure their proposed merger maintains at least 4 mobile competitors.

U.S. to require social media profiles from visa applicants

The New York Times reports that visa applicants planning to enter the U.S. will need provide their social media profiles from the last 5 years. They implemented the policy on Friday. The crackdown comes amidst a staggering anti-immigration posture that largely targets Muslims and people of color, China, and Mexico.

Markets rattled as antitrust investigations of tech loom

Tech shares tumbled Monday following reports that the DOJ, FTC and Congress will begin investigations against Google parent Alphabet, Facebook, Amazon and Apple. The New York Times reported that the DOJ has an investigation of Alphabet and Apple teed up. And the Federal Trade Commission will investigate Amazon and Facebook, according to sources. House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler also announced his committee will conduct its own investigation. The Nasdaq was down 1.6% and tech stocks in indexes around the world rode the rollercoaster in Monday's trading.

FCC broadband report ridiculed by policy experts

The FCC released its broadband report last week, concluding that carriers are building high speed internet service in a reasonable and timely fashion. This is even though some 23 million Americans lack access to broadband. FCC Commissioner Starks said the report's findings are "fundamentally at odds with reality". For example, in DC, some 9,000 people lack access to high speed internet service defined as 25mbps download speed. DC concentrates most of those lacking broadband internet in Wards 5, 7, and 8.

Airbnb host in NYC calls black guests 'monkeys' and calls the police

An New York City Airbnb host—an Asian woman—called her black guests monkeys and criminals and then called the police. The guests ended up leaving and staying in a hotel. You can find the link to the Instagram video in the show notes.

Events Tues., June 4th

Committee on Oversight & Reform

Facial Recognition Technology (Part II): Ensuring Transparency in Government Use

10:00AM

2154 Rayburn

House Energy & Commerce Committee

Hearing: STELAR Review: Protecting Consumers in an Evolving Media Marketplace

10:30AM

Rayburn 2322

House Committee on Small Business

Hearing: Mind the Skills Gap: Apprenticeships and Training Programs

11:30AM

2361 Rayburn

Wed., June 5th

Senate Commerce Committee

The State of the Television and Video Marketplace

10:00AM

Dirksen G50

New America

Speech Police: The Global Struggle to Govern the Internet

11:45AM-1:00PM

New America, 740 15th St., NW

Epic.org

AI and Human Rights: The Future of AI Policy in the US

National Press Club

1PM-3PM

Thurs., June 6th

Federal Communications Commission

Open Commission Meeting

10:30AM-12:30pm

445 12th St., SW