Tech Policy Podcast

Four years after the Snowden disclosures, Congress continues to wrestle with surveillance issues.  These include an ongoing reform battle over Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act—a major intelligence surveillance law that targets foreigners but can result in warrantless spying on people in the US.  Despite the size of the programs the government conducts under Section 702, and the fact that the FBI currently can query Section 702 data without a warrant, the government has provided notice of its use of 702 surveillance data in only about eight criminal cases.  One reason notification may be so rare in Section 702 cases is a practice called “parallel construction,” which the government may also be using to conceal the use of even bigger or more problematic surveillance programs carried out under a separate authority called Executive Order 12333. We are joined by Sarah St. Vincent, Researcher at Human Rights Watch, their report on parallel construction comes out January 2018.

Have you ever assessed many ways your government spies on you? There is a crucial government surveillance authority up for reauthorization before December 31. We will talk about potential avenues for that reform and do “a surveillance year in review” with Michelle Richardson, Deputy Director of the Center for Democracy and Technology's Freedom, Security, and Technology Project, Senior Fellow at GW’s Center for Cyber and Homeland Security.

Have you ever assessed many ways your government spies on you? There is a crucial government surveillance authority up for reauthorization before December 31. We will talk about potential avenues for that reform and do “a surveillance year in review” with Michelle Richardson, Deputy Director of the Center for Democracy and Technology's Freedom, Security, and Technology Project, Senior Fellow at GW’s Center for Cyber and Homeland Security.

As the vote on Net Neutrality approaches this Thursday, December 14th, FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr joins the show to explain why he plans to vote for Chairman Pai’s controversial proposal, “Restoring Internet Freedom.” To learn more read Carr’s op-ed in The Washington Post. The Commissioner also shares some of his 2018 plans with us, including taking the lead on the wireless agenda.

As the saying goes: there are those who’ve been hacked, and those who haven’t just don’t know they have. After over 140 million Americans saw their data compromised in the Equifax breach, they may be wondering: what is our government doing about it? With so many companies collecting our data, should the FTC crack down or would that have consequences for innovation? Evan is joined by Neil Chilson, Acting Chief Technologist at the Federal Trade Commission. For more, see the FTC’s upcoming workshop on informational injury, and Neil is happy to take your questions at [email protected].

This will also be Evan’s last show, he has now moved onto a new job working for Commissioner Brendan Carr at the FCC. Feel free to contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @SayreEvan

The Fourth Amendment protects American citizens from unwarranted searches and seizures, but how far does that protection extend? The Carpenter v. United States case in front the Supreme Court seeks to determine whether or not the use of cell site location information requires law enforcement officials to obtain a warrant. Ashkhen Kazaryan, TechFreedom Legal Fellow is joined by Curt Levey, President of the Committee for Justice and Ashley Baker, Director of Public Policy to discuss.

Today we discuss the end of net neutrality....or do we? Under the leadership of Chairman Ajit Pai, the FCC is set to undo broad claims on power over the Internet made in 2010 and 2015. That will also mean rolling back most – but not all – of the FCC's broadband rules. What is Pai planning to change, and what does he see as the future of Internet regulation? Is net neutrality really dying, or just changing? What difference will this make for consumers? We discuss these issues and more with our special guest, Ajit Pai himself.

You might not be able to see them but airwaves are very important, enabling all sorts of communication that we rely on. Given the exploding demand for access to the airwaves from new technologies like AR, VR, and 4K video, is the way we allocate spectrum good enough? Is there a better way? We discuss that and more with our guests, Ryan Radia, Research Fellow and Regulatory Council at the Competitive Enterprise Institute and Joe Kane, Tech Policy Associate at the R Street Institute.

While many classrooms have iPads and children rely on the Internet to do their homework, in many ways education is still an analog experience.  Are we headed for a wave of disruption? Or are there certain human elements of education that simply can’t be digitized? Evan is joined by Jan Hein Hoogstad, founder and technology developer for Offcourse, an online education platform. They discuss the state of online education, the challenges it faces, and how government policies might change the game.

Video games have presented a challenge for parents since their advent. “Get off the couch and play outside!” or “Read a book!” are phrases the host of this podcast heard plenty throughout his childhood. But it’s been over three decades since Pong was invented, and the landscape has changed dramatically. Video gaming has become a professional and spectator sport, and the industry’s impact on the economy is significant. But can gaming also help educate people and build a workforce fit for a high-tech, 21st century economy? Evan is joined by Erik Huey Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at the Entertainment Software Association. They discuss the role of video games in STEM education, what to expect from virtual reality, and how “e-sports” are changing society. To see how your state is impacted, check out www.areweinyourstate.org.