Tech Policy Podcast

By TechFreedomTechnology

Tech Policy Podcast episodes

September 24 440: The Fellas at the Freaking FCC
How far can the government go when a president doesn’t like what a broadcaster says? Host Ari Cohn is joined by Berin Szóka (TechFreedom) and Bob Corn-Revere (FIRE) to unpack the escalating fight between ABC and the FCC. From The View and Jimmy Kimmel to ABC’s broadcast licenses, they examine what happens when political pressure collides with the government’s regulatory power—and what it could mean for free speech, the free press, and beyond.
Links:
TechFreedom and Protect Democracy’s amicus brief in ABC v FCC
TechFreedom coalition letter joined by 80+ scholars and organization on FCC abuse of the “public interest” standard
TechFreedom’s Opposition to Petitions to Deny ABC License Renewals
Bob Corn-Revere - Thank You Brendan Carr
Bob Corn-Revere - The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the Beholder
Berin Szóka - This Isn’t Ronald Reagan’s FCC
Berin Szóka - Brendan Carr-leone’s war on the First Amendment
Ari Cohn - Commissioner, regulate thyself: The incoming FCC chair is threatening to censor views he doesn't like
JAWBONE Act (S. 4749)
1 hr 9 min
August 21 439: KOSA and the Fight for Anonymous Speech
New host Ari Cohn sits down with Taylor Lorenz to unpack the latest push for the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), the SCREEN Act, and online age verification. They discuss the free speech and privacy implications of these laws, how government pressure can lead platforms to over-censor, the risks of mandatory identity verification, and why protecting kids online can have consequences for everyone. Ari and Taylor also explore the political forces and moral panic driving tech regulation—and why anonymous speech and the freedom to read may be more important than ever.
Links:
User Mag Substack
User Mag: ICE’s Plan to Monitor Social Media 24/7
The KIDS Act Is Just as Unconstitutional as KOSA ... Just in Different Words
KOSA Still Poses a Grave Threat to First Amendment Rights
Kids Online Safety Act Threatens the First Amendment and Minors’ Well-Being
The Anti-LGBTQ Internet Censorship Bill Is Back - Taylor Lorenz’s Power User Podcast
Wall Street Journal: How ICE is Weaponizing Social Media Against Its Critics
1 hr 19 min
June 25 438: I Hosted 157 Episodes and All I Got Was This Stupid Digital Censorship
Corbin is signing off as host. To mark the occasion, he and new host Ari Cohn go on one final super rant about the state of social-media and AI regulation.
Links:
Supreme Court to Hear Violent Video Game Case (https://tinyurl.com/y969cv6r)
India’s Republic of Uncles (https://tinyurl.com/22xbx668)
Save Us, Digital Cronkite! (https://tinyurl.com/35sess4r)
1 hr 4 min
June 04 437: Data Centers Are Good, Actually
Judge Glock (Manhattan Institute) joins the show to discuss the past, present, and future of data center construction in the United States.
Links:
The Surprising Heart of the Data-Center Boom
53 min
May 26 436: The Future of Space Exploration
Dr. Mekhi Dhesi is a space industry executive at Slingshot Aerospace and a space communicator. She joins the show to discuss orbital mechanics, rocket science, black holes, the Fermi paradox, and more. Follow her on Instagram @cosmic_mekhi!
51 min
May 13 435: Live: The Perennial Urge to Censor New Technology
Host Corbin Barthold heads to New York to speak at FIRE’s Free Speech Future event series. The panel features Kmele Foster (The Fifth Column), Nico Perrino (FIRE), and Prof. Christopher Ferguson (Stetson University).
Links:
Free Speech Future: Episode III – Cycles of Censorship: Emerging Technologies
Free Speech Future
1 hr 17 min
April 28 From the Vault: Algorithmic Amplification
From January 9, 2022 (Episode 310): Daphne Keller discusses her paper “Amplification and Its Discontents” with Corbin Barthold and Ari Cohn.
Links:
Amplification and Its Discontents: Why Regulating the Reach of Online Content Is Hard
Tech Policy Podcast 389: The Rise of the Compliant Speech Platform
1 hr 1 min
April 14 434: The Free Speech Recession
Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff discuss their fantastic new book, The Future of Free Speech.

Links:
The Future of Free Speech: Reversing the Global Decline of Democracy's Most Essential Freedom
59 min
April 07 433: AI and the First Amendment
TechFreedom’s Corbin Barthold, Santana Boulton, and Andy Jung discuss whether AI promotes free speech, why AI outputs are protected free expression, why Anthropic should win its First Amendment lawsuit against the Department of War, and much else besides.
Links:
AI + 1A: Why the First Amendment Protects Artificial Intelligence
Don’t Ban Kids From Using Chatbots
Heaven’s Gate—How and When It May Be Entered
1 hr 7 min
March 23 432: Live: The New Frontiers of Speech
Our host, Corbin Barthold (TechFreedom), speaks on a panel at State of the Net with Joel Thayer (Digital Progress Institute) and Ashkhen Kazaryan (The Future of Free Speech), and Luke Hogg (Foundation for American Innovation). They discuss how the First Amendment should work in a world of algorithms and AI.
Links:
AI + 1A: Why the First Amendment Protects Artificial Intelligence (Corbin’s new paper) (https://tinyurl.com/mw5vbuzf)
State of the Net 2026
Tech Podcast Policy 373: Porn and the First Amendment
Tech Podcast Policy 417: Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton Is Wreaking Havoc
57 min

About Tech Policy Podcast

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Tech policy is at the center of the hottest debates in American law and politics. On the Tech Policy Podcast, host Corbin Barthold discusses the latest developments with some of the tech world's best…