Tech Policy Grind

Welcome back to the Tech Policy Grind Podcast by the Internet Law & Policy Foundry! This week’s episode is all about queer privacy. Foundry Fellow Katelyn Ringrose chats with Cobun Zweifel-Keegan (IAPP) and Vinny DiGilio (Grindr) about privacy issues impacting the queer community. They get into what queer privacy means to them, and why digital equity is so critical for LGBTQ+ people, most especially, youth. Then, Cobun and Vinny discuss what it means to be part of two, sometimes intersecting identities, as queer privacy professionals, and how their advocacy on behalf of their community impacts their work on the day-to-day.  Plus, LGBT Tech chimes in to discuss some of their policy work, and how to support bridging the digital divide.  Thanks for listening, and stay tuned for our next episode! Resources Referenced: LGBT Tech Check out the Foundry on Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn and subscribe to our newsletter! If you’d like to support the show, donate to the Foundry here or reach out to us at foundryp

This week, Reema sits down with Justin Sherman, CEO of Global Cyber Strategies, to talk all things data brokers. They cover the ad-tech ecosystem, the past, current, and future of federal and state-level regulation on data brokers, and what the data brokerage industry means for civil liberties. They then dig deep into recent FTC action, including the implications of FTC v. Kochava, the California DELETE Act, and what might be coming down the pipeline in data broker regulation - including the CFPB's latest action on data brokers. Justin's consulting firm, Global Cyber Strategies, is a Washington, DC-based research and advisory firm. Justin is also a senior fellow at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, where he leads its data brokerage research project and lectures on cybersecurity, privacy, and technology policy. In addition, he is a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council. He's also a contributing editor at Lawfare, an op-ed columnist at Slate Magazine, and a fellow at Stanford Starling

This week Class 4 Fellow and Fellow Highlights series host Meri Baghdasaryan sits down with Grant Versfeld. Grant is Co-Vice President for the Foundry’s current E-Board and is a Security Engineer at a major tech company. He graduated from Tufts University with a degree in Computer Science, where he specialized in cybersecurity and technology policy. As a student, he served as a Teaching Assistant for Dr. Susan Landau at the Fletcher School and interned with the Center for Democracy and Technology. In his spare time, Grant volunteers with an organization that provides security and privacy services to survivors of intimate partner violence. Meri and Grant chat about cybersecurity, Grant’s work with CDT and at the Foundry. Then, they reflect on the importance of interdisciplinary approach and collaboration in tech policy and beyond.  Resources mentioned in the episode: Cybercon 2022 CETA (Clinic to End Tech Abuse)  CDT’s Techsplanations  Check out the Foundry on Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn and subscribe t

Welcome back to the Tech Policy Grind Podcast by the Internet Law and Policy Foundry. In this episode, Class 4 Fellow Rebecca Kilberg interviews Dr. Stephen Abrams, Head of the Digital Preservation program at the Harvard University Library. How do priorities for digital preservation develop? How similar are digital preservation strategies and policies to those used in traditional preservation contexts, and where do they differ? What new costs must be accounted for, and what unexpected benefits are being uncovered? Our experts explore how preservationists are adjusting to novel challenges and opportunities while developing the digital arm of a field devoted to “ensuring the continuity of human memory.” Check out the Foundry on Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn and subscribe to our newsletter! If you’d like to support the show, donate to the Foundry here or reach out to us at foundrypodcasts@ilpfoundry.us. Thanks for listening, and stay tuned for our next episode! DISCLAIMER: Rebecca engages with the Found

This week Class 5 Fellow Gabe Rudin sits down with Jena Valdetero, the Co-Chair of the Greenberg Traurig’s (GT) U.S. Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice for a discussion on cyberlaw and incident response.   Jena and Gabe discuss Jena’s path to the field, changing technologies and tactics employed by threat actors, what incident response entails, the SEC’s new cybersecurity disclosure rules, and the practical demands of a cybersecurity lawyer. Resources mentioned in the episode: New SEC cybersecurity rules regarding breaches  Check out the Foundry on Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn and subscribe to our newsletter! If you’d like to support the show, donate to the Foundry here or reach out to us at foundrypodcasts@ilpfoundry.us. Thanks for listening, and stay tuned for our next episode! DISCLAIMER: Gabe and Jena engage with the Foundry voluntarily and in their personal capacities. The views and opinions expressed on air do not reflect on the organizations Jena and/or Gabe are affiliated with.

This week, Class 4 Fellow and Fellow Highlights series host Meri Baghdasaryan sits down with David Morar, Ph.D. David is a researcher and public policy professional, and a three-time ICANN Fellow. His work spans the spectrum of technology policy issues, both nationally and internationally, from privacy and open data to ethics and content issues (e.g. disinformation, moderation). David is currently a Senior Policy Analyst with New America’s Open Technology Institute, a visiting scholar at the Schar School of Policy and Government, and a Fellow at the Digital Interests Lab, among other affiliations. Meri and David chat about the dynamics behind tech policy making in the US and Europe, David’s engagement with Internet Governance communities, particularly at ICANN, and the importance of not self-eliminating, but showing up and contributing, as you learn and expand your expertise.  Resources mentioned in the episode: Tech policy press Tech dirt Brookings TechTank Lawfare Slate Future Tense  Politi

This week, Class 4 Fellow and Fellow Highlights series host Meri Baghdasaryan sits down with Justin P’ng. Justin is a Class 4 Fellow and a privacy and cybersecurity lawyer at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, an international law firm based in Canada. His practice focuses on cyber incident response, data governance, and privacy compliance. He obtained his law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School and previously studied International Relations at the University of Toronto. Justin is a Junior Board Member at the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project and was formerly President of the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (FACL Ontario), a pan-Asian affinity bar association. He is interested in privacy frameworks, digital security, human rights, cybersecurity policy, and artificial intelligence regulation.  Meri and Justin chat about Justin’s journey into privacy and cybersecurity. They chat about his early and ongoing interests in human rights law, and initiatives he works on. Justin shares an overview of his d

Welcome back to the Tech Policy Grind Podcast by the Internet Law & Policy Foundry!  In this episode, Class 4 Fellow Lama Mohammed chats with Jiahao Chen, Founder and CEO of Artifical Intelligence, LLC, Amber Ezzell, Policy Counsel at the Future of Privacy Forum, and Juhi Koré, Digital Projects in a recent panel on bias in artificial intelligence (AI). In a fourth event in a series of AI-related webinars leading up to The Foundry’s Annual Policy Hackathon, Lama, Jiahao, Amber, and Juhi define AI bias, explain its harmful effects, and provide insights into global AI policy developments. The experts that joined the episode: Jiahao Chen is the Founder and CEO of Responsible Artificial Intelligence, LLC. Before founding Responsible AI Jiahao was a Research Scientist at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab where he co-founded and led the Julia Lab. There, he focused on applications of the Julia programming language, scientific computing, and machine learning. Amber Ezzell is a Policy

Welcome back to the Tech Policy Grind Podcast by the Internet Law & Policy Foundry! This week, Reema chats with David Ryan Polgar, Founder of All Tech is Human, about creating a responsible tech community. They get into what responsible tech means, and why David thinks New York City is the center of the responsible tech community. Reema and David also dig into his background, and how his multiple hats as an attorney, educator, and founder contribute to his outlook on what responsible tech means for our local and global societies in the digital age. Plus, Reema and fellow Foundry Fellow Lama Mohammed chat with attendees of All Tech is Human's latest NYC Responsible Tech mixer about what the responsible tech community means to them. Thanks for listening, and stay tuned for our next episode! Resources Referenced: Responsible Tech Guide Tech & Democracy report AI & Human Rights report Check out the next All Tech is Human Responsible Tech Mixer in NYC Responsible Tech Summit in NYC on

Welcome back to the Tech Policy Grind Podcast by the Internet Law & Policy Foundry! In this episode, Class 4 Fellow Lama Mohammed chats with Glen Echo Group’s Creative Director, Christopher Shannon, and Associate Designer Kieran Henstenburg. The Glen Echo Group is a public affairs and public relations firm headquartered in Washington, D.C.,  specializing in policy and communications in technology policy. GEG works across the digital ecosystem, including artificial intelligence, broadband, cybersecurity, immersive technology, privacy, and more. In this conversation, Lama chats with Christopher and Kieran about how organizations’ creative and design teams can set up guardrails when utilizing generative artificial intelligence and the ethical questions to consider when using the technology. With the ongoing Writer’s Strike still dominating headlines, our experts dive into the importance of accountability, transparency, and responsible usage of AI-enabled tools to protect the artistic and entertainment i

The rollout of generative AI has helped illustrate how transformative AI technology can be. But the emergence of AI shouldn't be surprising since it's been implemented across sectors for years. This episode's discussion centers around the various artificial intelligence use cases in a number of verticals. In this conversation moderated by Foundry Fellow Alvaro Marañon, Hodan Omaar (ITIF), Charley Snyder, (Google), and Gillian Diebold (ITIF) discuss how artificial intelligence has been developed and deployed in various industries from enhancing organizational cybersecurity to modernizing public education.  For more on artificial intelligence use cases, check out the full discussion here. Stay tuned for more updates to come on the Foundry's annual Policy Hackathon! Resources mentioned in the episode: NIST Google - Secure AI Framework Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) OSTP’s request for information on national priorities for AI Check out the Foundry on Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedI

What does Meta's Threads product mean for the future of social media? Reema dives into this and the current state of social media with Professor Eric Goldman, one of the world's leading experts on social media and the law. They discuss how the fediverse works and the pros and cons of decentralizing social media. Professor Goldman explores how content moderation impacts the potential proliferation of decentralizing social media platforms, and vice versa. They also cover how interoperability online interacts with competition concerns, and what this means for social media users' experience. Plus, stay tuned for Professor Goldman's favorite piece of advice to his students at SCU law. Eric Goldman is a Professor of Law and Co-Director of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University School of Law. Follow him on LinkedIn or his many other social media platforms (@ericgoldman). Check out the Foundry on Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn and subscribe to our newsletter! If you’d like to support the show, do

Many have called for AI regulation, but existing IP laws already apply to generative AI because they protect the original works of authorship used to train foundational models. In this conversation moderated by Foundry Fellow Ekene Chuks-Okeke, IP experts Elena Gurevich (Center for Art Law, EG Legal Services) Franklin Graves (HCA Healthcare, Creator Economy Law) and Juyoun Han (Eisenberg & Baum, LLP) discuss the relationship between copyright and AI, artists perspectives, nuances of pending litigation, current guidance from the US Copyright Office, and how the values of artists and creatives in the marketplace can and will shape the future of generative AI.

This week Class 4 Fellow and Fellow Highlights series host Meri Baghdasaryan sits down with Allyson McReynolds, a recent graduate from George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School and currently a Legal Fellow at the Wikimedia Foundation. Prior to law school, Allyson worked in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Legislative Assistant advising on homeland security, technology, and judiciary policy. In law school she held internships at the Federal Communications Commission, US Senate, and Future of Privacy Forum. She is a member of the Fourth Class of Foundry Fellows and serves as the Communications Director.  Meri and Allyson chat about Allyson’s work on the Capitol Hill, her interests and internships in the field of privacy and cybersecurity, Allyson’s engagement with the Foundry and how to maximize your time at law school.  Resources mentioned in the episode: FCBA (The Tech Bar) Wilson Center Congressional Fellowships Cybercon 2022 Connect with Allyson McReynolds on LinkedIn here; https://

In this episode, Foundry Fellow Dyllan Brown-Bramble chats with Micaela Mantegna, Bikalpa Neupane, and Adil Islam. Dyllan and the panelists cover the basic who, what, when, where and why of artificial intelligence. The conversation panel discussed what AI is, its future, and their thoughts on the pros and cons of AI technology. This event is the first in a series of AI-related events leading up to our Fourth Annual Policy Hackathon. The Hackathon will be held this September 22-24th. Check out the latest information about the Hackathon on our website at or on our social media. The experts that joined the episode: Micaela Mantegna - Micaela is an activist and scholar, known for her extensive work and public advocacy on AI and XR ethics, video games, generative AI, creativity and copyright.  Currently, she is a TED Fellow and an affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard. She is also a member of the Chatham House AITask Force. She was part of the external red team that contributed to evaluate OpenAI

Welcome back to the Tech Policy Grind! In this episode, Class 4 Fellow Lama Mohammed interviews Pamela San Martín, Board Member of the Oversight Board to discuss the success, lessons learned, and the cases filed from their latest Annual Report. They dig into issues concerning content moderation, human rights, global elections, misinformation, and more hot-button topics mentioned in the report. As a former lawyer and Electoral Councilor at the National Electoral Institute in Mexico, Pamela has dedicated her career to advancing human rights, freedom of expression, and democratic institutions, aiding her role as a consultant on elections, democracy, and human rights. You can learn more about Pamela by following her on Twitter. Lama is a member of the 4th Class of Foundry Fellows. She currently works as a Senior Associate at the Glen Echo Group in Washington, DC — a communications and public relations firm specializing in tech policy. At the Glen Echo Group, Lama works on policy and communications within art

Welcome back! In this episode, Joe Catapano, ILPF Class 4 fellow interviews Sally Costerton, Interim President & CEO of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). In addition to its core technical functions of coordinating the Internet’s unique identifiers, ICANN is one of the premier global multistakeholder policy making bodies that help govern the Internet. As ICANN approaches its 77th Public Meeting in Washington, DC Joe and Sally discuss challenges to the multistakeholder model of Internet governance, hosting effective global hybrid meetings, Sally’s career path that led her to the world of tech policy, and much more.  After you listen, register for ICANN77 (virtual registration available only after June 7, 2023).  Check out the Foundry on Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn and subscribe to our newsletter! If you’d like to support the show, donate to the Foundry here or reach out to us at foundrypodcasts@ilpfoundry.us. Foundry Trivia is on June 12 in Washington D.C. - registra

This week, Class 4 Fellow and Fellow Highlights series host Meri Baghdasaryan sits down with Fellow Class 4 Fellow Ayden Férdeline. Meri and Ayden chat about the multiple hats Ayden wears in the Internet Governance ecosystem, the Global Digital Compact, the roles of various stakeholders in this space and the avenues to create your own opportunities. Ayden Férdeline is a Landecker Democracy Fellow with the support of the Alfred Landecker Foundation and Humanity in Action. He monitors the development of the UN Secretary-General’s proposed Global Digital Compact ahead of 2024’s Summit of the Future. Ayden was previously a rapporteur with the Forum on Information and Democracy. He also was a technology policy fellow with the Mozilla Foundation. Resources mentioned in the episode: “Influencing the Internet: Democratizing the Politics that Shape Internet Governance Norms and Standards” (National Democratic Institute, 2022) Global Digital Compact  CircleID The Register  Check out the Foundry on Instagr

Welcome back to the show! Reema's out this week - so our editor, Evan Enzer, subbed in for a conversation with Albert Fox Cahn of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P.) on the intersections of speech, gaming and civil rights. Evan and Albert talk about what they've been working on over the last few months. They begin with Albert's long career path from big law to public interest tech policy, why S.T.O.P. is interested in gaming and civil rights, and whether content moderation is an effective way to stop online harassment. Then, they discuss S.T.O.P.'s priority legislation in New York. They also talk about the Wheel of Time and how new professionals can get involved with S.T.O.P.. Resources: Behind the Screen: Content Moderation in the Shadows of Social Media by Sarah T. Roberts Banned for Being (STOP's video game report) STOP's board for new professionals Volunteer with STOP The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan Foundry Trivia is on June 12 in Washington D.C. - registration is n

Welcome back! This week, Reema sits down with Talha Baig, co-host of the Trust in Tech podcast and former AI Integrity engineer at Meta. Reema and Talha chat about developments in generative AI and how it affects trust and safety online and get into the weeds on how AI is applied in the integrity space - and the implications of AI on the integrity space itself. Talha also describes how integrity engineers differ in function from other technical teams, and their relationship with the legal and policy world. They ponder the question: does trust and safety need a regulator? Then, they dig into the Trust in Tech podcast and what Talha is up to at the Integrity Institute. Resources mentioned in the episode: Trust in Tech Podcast Ranking by Engagement: Tom Cunningham How Streaming Hurt Hollywood Writers: The Daily Mushtaq Khan on using institutional economics to predict effective government reforms: 80,000 Hours Podcast Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design by Charles Montgomery T