How have teens, the most tech-savvy population of all, been navigating the internet, rife with the spread of misinformation, algorithmic discrimination and more? On TechTank, Samantha Lai will be joined by Taylor Lorenz, technology reporter for the New York Times and affiliate at the Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, to discuss how young people use the internet and why it matters. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The COVID-19 pandemic has facilitated the unprecedented growth of telehealth. What shouldlawmakers keep in mind to create an equitable and inclusive healthcare system for all? On this episodeof TechTank, Brookings researcher and guest host Samantha Lai is joined by Nicol Turner Lee and NiamYaraghi to discuss these important questions. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

There is much public debate about whether big tech giants, airlines, and even cable providers are monopolists that maximize shareholder profit at the expense of consumers and workers. Is enough being done to protect consumer privacy and choice? On this episode, guest host Bill Baer is joined by Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission, to discuss the FTC’s efforts to promote competition, protect consumer privacy, and challenge unfair and deceptive business practices.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The US’s relationship with China has grown complicated over the years, with increasing tensions on issues ranging from trade and commerce to technology innovation and national security. On this episode of TechTank, host Darrell West is joined by Tom Wheeler and David Simpson to talk about the state of the US-China tech race, and what to expect going forward. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode of TechTank, veteran NASA astronaut Nicole Stott joins host Darrell West to discuss space tourism, the future of space exploration, and her new book, “Back to Earth: What Life in Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet – And Our Mission to Protect It.” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On social media, advertisers can use online tools to target people of color in housing, banking, and employment, resulting in limits to the opportunities available to them, and even violations of their civil rights. In this episode, host Nicol Turner Lee is joined by Jinyan Zang, Harvard Kennedy School fellow, and Dominique Harrison of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies to discuss new research on Facebook’s ad model and proposals to remedy such biases. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the new school year begins, COVID cases are on the rise again – this time hitting K-12 students, especially those who are unvaccinated and under 12, placing them at risk of hospitalizations and dangerous complications. School closures may once again be imminent if the virus is not better controlled. But students without reliable access to the internet will be left behind once again, and unable to access remote classes and the resources necessary for them to continue their education. Have we closed the digital divide for students since the first wave of the pandemic? And what do schools need to do to ensure that technology is complementing traditional education? Brookings TechTank co-host Nicol Turner Lee is joined by Jon Valant, Amina Fazlullah, and Alejandro Roark to discuss these important questions.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the AI economy grows, there is tremendous variation across local and regional economies in howwell-positioned cities are. Some metropolitan areas have tremendous assets and lots of AI-relatedactivity while others see little activity. Those variations raise interesting questions about which placesare doing well, why, and what other communities can do to boost technology innovation in their localeconomies. To learn more, Darrell West is joined by Mark Muro and Sifan Liu, co-authors of a new paperentitled “AI Cities: The Geography of the AI Economy.” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The bipartisan infrastructure plan championed by President Biden and passed by the U.S. Senate aims to close America’s racial and rural broadband gaps. What local challenges lie ahead in the deployment of these resources? And what else can policymakers, industry, and civil society do to support these unconnected communities? Host Nicol Turner Lee dives into these issues and more with the Children’s Defense Fund’s Oleta Fitzgerald; Joe Kapp from the National Center for Resources Development, and Barry Toser of Declaration Networks Group. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. government enacted a relief package designed to help Americans cope with the pandemic and resulting economic downturn. However, inadequate unemployment insurance programs left many people in need without help. To understand the challenges, Darrell West and Annelies Goger discuss the poor performance of unemployment insurance programs due to IT infrastructure, government procurement and inadequate data collection. You can listen to the episode and subscribe to the TechTank podcast on Apple, Spotify, or Acast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Vaccination rates are on the rise and several countries, including the United States, are relaxing public health restrictions as they steer toward a full reopening. Digital health certificates, or vaccine passports, are part of these efforts as a number of organizations are requiring proof of vaccination. But while digital health certificates may facilitate a safer reopening and faster economic recovery, technological solutions to vaccine verification also raise valid concerns about the privacy of personal health data and their potential to exacerbate racial and socioeconomic inequities. To discuss these issues, host Nicol Turner-Lee is joined by Mark Hall, Jay Stanley and Emily Skahill.You can listen to the episode and subscribe to the TechTank podcast on Apple, Spotify, or Acast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The COVID pandemic forced many schools and universities to remote education where students logged onto video calls for their classes. At one level, technology was helpful in giving students opportunities to continue learning despite being limited to their homes. Yet during the pandemic, there was a startling increase in the use of online monitoring software designed to prevent student cheating on exams. To discuss these issues, host Darrell West is joined by David Rettinger and Lindsey Barrett. David is a professor of psychological science and director of academic integrity programs at the University of Mary Washington. He also is the president emeritus of the International Center for Academic Integrity. Lindsey is the Fritz Family Fellow at Georgetown University Law Center and the author of a paper entitled “Rejecting Test Surveillance in Higher Education”You can listen to the episode and subscribe to the TechTank podcast on Apple, Spotify, or Acast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the wild west known as the internet and social media, digital sliming is quite real. There are internet sites that spread information about people and then charge them to remove the negative material. Being subject to gossip and innuendo is just one more risk we face in the digital world. This so-called slander industry spreads lies, damages people’s reputations, and creates havoc in terms of employment, livelihoods, and community persona. Once someone’s reputation is damaged, it can be difficult to get a job, borrow money, and engage in a whole host of societal activities. In this episode, host Darrell West speaks with Quinta Jurecic, Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution and a former Senior Editor at Lawfare. She offers valuable advice regarding how to manage digital activities and protect your online reputation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

President Biden’s American Jobs Plan promises to generate more than 19 million jobs for U.S. workers, with an emphasis on blue collar occupations, rural communities, and communities most impacted by climate change. A key component of the plan is to expand high-quality and reliable broadband internet to all Americans. On this episode of the TechTank podcast, host Nicol Turner Lee talks with experts about economic trends associated with the critical infrastructure investments included in the plan, Why America Needs a Tech New Deal, and what opportunities and challenges exist for job growth in the tech sector.Guests include Algernon Austin, senior researcher at the Thurgood Marshall Institute, Allison Scott, chief executive officer of the Kapor Center Foundation, and Rikin Thakker, chief technology officer of the Wireless Infrastructure Association. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On the anniversary of George Floyd's murder by police officer Derek Chauvin, questions remain about the emerging role of technology in the criminal justice process. Bystanders like Darnella Frazier, the teenager who recorded the death of Mr. Floyd on her smartphone, are now empowered to film police officers engaged in egregious and potentially unlawful acts. And footage from police body cameras can provide the public an opportunity to view violent incidents with their own eyes. In this episode, host Nicol Turner Lee speaks with Brookings scholars Rashawn Ray and Makada Henry-Nickie, and Keesha Middlemass, Associate Professor in Political Science at Howard University, about the benefits, risks, and limitations of technology in the criminal justice process.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Should a powerful technology company such as Facebook have the power to ban public officials from its platform? On January 7th, the day after a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol building, Facebook temporarily banned then President Donald Trump on the grounds that he had used a video and online statement to incite violence. Since then, the company referred the Trump case to an oversight board composed of 20 independent experts to determine whether to make the ban permanent and to provide guidance for other world leaders.Last week, the Facebook Oversight Board reached its decision and affirmed the initial ban — but turned the issue of a permanent ban back to Facebook, with a request the company issue a decision on Trump within the next six months. The case raises important questions regarding the actual decision itself as well as the governance model of having a board of experts make decisions about platform access for national political leaders.In this episode, host Darrell West speaks with Quinta Jurecic, Senior Editor at Lawfare and a Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, about the appropriateness of the Facebook Oversight Board’s decision on Trump and the governance model represented by the board itself.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The nation’s current antitrust laws have historical regulatory and enforcement precedents. Recent hearings targeting Big Tech companies are beginning to question whether the existing laws are adaptable to current corporate behaviors and provide sufficient policing of deceptive or anti competitive behaviors or practices. In this episode of TechTank, host Nicol Turner Lee discusses the Biden administration's potential approach to antitrust and competition policies, particularly those affecting Big Tech, with Brookings Fellows Bill Baer and Tom Wheeler, and MIT Professor Nancy Rose. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

President Biden has put forth an agenda to Build Back Better that now includes physical infrastructure and job creation in an effort to stir economic recovery in the United States. Broadband infrastructure is included in his trillion dollar plan, alongside water, roads, and bridges, as well as the modernization of schools, and other institutional assets. Making high-speed broadband and the applications it enables available to all citizens are at the core of his agenda, which resonates with the recent proposal of a Tech New Deal by podcast co-host, Dr. Nicol Turner Lee. Prior to President Biden’s announcement, Congressman and Majority Whip Jim Clyburn released the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act with Senator Amy Klobuchar and other Democratic co-sponsors. The Act introduced comprehensive bicameral broadband infrastructure legislation to get high-speed broadband access to all Americans, with the specific focus on closing the digital divide. The proposed legislation will invest over $94 billion in infrastructure, and ensure internet access for citizens to learn, earn, and access telehealth from a viable broadband connection. In this episode of TechTank, Dr. Nicol Turner Lee speaks with Congressman Jim Clyburn about his new legislation and former Federal Communications Commission Interim Acting Chair and Commissioner, Mignon Clyburn. The discussion will touch upon Dr. Turner Lee’s proposed Tech New Deal as a path for reaching the proposed legislative goals of the Majority Whip’s proposed legislation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In February, the latest US rover named Perseverance landed on Mars and began what is expected to be a historic exploration of the Red Planet. Equipped with high-resolution cameras, microphones, drills, scoopers, and a helicopter, the mission aims to find evidence of microbial life from 3.5 billion years and decipher what happened to that planet. Already, Perseverance is navigating its landing spot in Jezero Crater, finding rocks that appear to have been molded by water and wind, taking pictures of volcanic rocks, and starting to move around the crater.In this episode of TechTank, Darrell West speaks with NASA specialist and planetary geologist Vicky Hamilton of the Southwest Research Institute. The two of them discuss the benefits of space exploration, what we have learned from past missions, and how scientists are testing for ancient life on Mars.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This podcast is part of a three-part series on the various parts of the Tech New Deal. This episode explores the necessity of digital service in the U.S. How do we establish programs that improve upon the tech pipeline, while at the same time, ensuring that we have enough workers to nourish and grow our burgeoning broadband networks and services?Further, how do we ensure that everyone has an opportunity to participate to make national service an over-arching bridge builder as we make our way out of this pandemic and the more prominent racial divides that we are currently experiencing?In this episode of Tech Tank, Nicol Turner Lee speaks with Amanda Renteria and Nick Sinai about a digital service corps. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today, under the coronavirus quarantines and lockdowns, most of us are working from home. This transition to a virtual world has blurred the lines between professional and personal life… in more ways than one.We’ve all heard some of the scarier versions of Big Brother. Companies installing technology in their employees’ chairs, that tracks how long they spend at their desks each day. Required employee tracking bracelets, which record how many minutes you spend on your lunch break. Though the pandemic has isolated us in so many ways, that doesn’t mean we’re entirely alone. In fact, some of us are being watched like never before. Darrell West invites attorney John Ella to the podcast, to discuss how companies surveil employees and what workers can do to protect themselves. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the days leading up to the U.S. Capitol insurrection on January 6, social media platforms were flooded with hate speech and misinformation. Months before, there were also denouncements by former President Donald J. Trump about the proposed content moderation practices of private companies, as well as their use of Section 230 protections. It took only days after armed mobs stormed the U.S. Capitol, for platforms like Facebook and Twitter to decide Trump’s tweets were more than just “saber rattling.” Relying on section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, for immunity from civil suit, Twitter permanently banned President Trump’s account, wiping out his contact with 88 million followers, and banned thousands of conservative social media accounts. Facebook banned Trump’s account “at least until his term was over.” Google and Apple blocked the conservative-leaning social networking service Parler from their stores, and Amazon Web Services denied Parler access to its cloud network. Parler was forced to shut down for a time.To many, January 8 seemed two days, two years, or two decades too late. Nonetheless, the question remains: Should free speech be regulated online? And if so, what should the content moderation practices be of private companies? Further, what voices should be subjected to greater scrutiny, and will those from more marginalized populations be questioned? In this episode of Tech Tank, Nicol Turner Lee speaks with David Johns of the National Black Justice Coalition and CTI scholars John Morris and Tom Wheeler. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

At the end of 2020, reporting revealed the dramatic SolarWinds hack of major American businesses and government agencies. Russia broke into leading institutions and cybersecurity experts still are gauging the scope of the damage. But this isn’t the only hack that Americans need to be wary of. The pandemic has also revealed the weakness of private business and ordinary citizens to protect themselves against malware, phishing attacks, and unwanted intrusions. Taking advantage of the security lapses exposed by remote work, hackers have held whole cities and companies hostage. Ransomware skyrocketed over the last year and exposed our fundamental vulnerabilities.In this situation, Congress and the Biden Administration must act to stop nation-state actors and lone wolf attackers that target Americans all the time. The United States needs a clear plan to combat cyber intrusions and ordinary people need to exercise much better digital hygiene. In this episode of Tech Tank, Darrell West speaks with Congressman Jim Langevin of Rhode Island on how government, business, and regular people can protect themselves from cybersecurity attacks. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Online dating apps like Tinder collect a large amount of personal information on their users. Tinder’s privacy policy clearly states your data may be used to deliver “targeted advertising”. Even a step beyond that, the policy says “you should not expect that your personal information, chats, or other communications will always remain secure”. Your online data affects what job offers you have access to on LinkedIn, how much you pay for insuring your car, ads you will see on Youtube and if you can get approved for a loan. The lack of a national privacy standard and the weakness of security guidelines leave many online daters with inadequate protections and creates regulatory uncertainty for the dating apps and websites themselves. So in the meantime, how can people using online dating apps protect their privacy and security?In this episode, Darrell West, Caitlin Chin, and Mishaela Robison discuss the risks of dating apps and what can be done to improve personal safety. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Many people participate in jobs associated with the gig economy. This includes those who drive for ride-sharing services, deliver food, or otherwise get paid based on services or deliveries, or car rides, as opposed to a set salary or hourly basis.  People take these jobs for all kinds of reasons. They need flexible work schedules or are in school and aren’t available for a traditional job. These positions provide extra cash and allows people to take care of young children or aging relatives. Yet others worry because such workers generally don't qualify for healthcare benefits, disability insurance, or retirement matches from their companies. While the gig economy might seem like a positive evolution for our workforce, we need to make sure gig workers are treated fairly and are able to get healthcare insurance and disability benefits. A gig job might allow you more flexibility and more freedom…but at what cost? In today’s episode, Darrell West discusses the implications of the gig economy with guests Makada Henri Nicky and Aaron Klein.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Within the coronavirus era, doctor’s visits have gone virtual--much like nearly every aspect of everyday life. So telehealth means a patient talks to their doctor right from the epicenter of their personal world. And those little things that make us human? They’re front and center.And beyond the convenience of taking a check up from your living room, without having to pay for childcare or transportation, telehealth is helpful in lots of ways. Take, for example, its ability to connect rural hospitals with nurses or surgeons at huge medical centers during emergencies that don’t afford the time to transfer a patient. That’s built in teamwork, support, collaboration. Or, the fact that telehealth allows trans people to see their doctor without the often awkward or negative confrontations at a physical office. That’s insured protection, comfort, confidence. But, of course, the steady march of technology doesn’t stop at doctor to patient Zoom calls.In this episode host Nicol Turner-Lee discusses the rise of telehealth and its implications, with Ross Friedberg and Niam Yaraghi.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With Election 2020 coming to a close, President-Elect Joe Biden is moving to assemble his administration and set his policy priorities. The new leader faces many challenging technology issues, from antitrust, privacy, and content moderation to China and digital disparities made worse by COVID-19. He'll also have to make decisions regarding key tech policy positions. He does this at a time of diminished Democratic numbers in the House of Representatives and a Senate where party control is yet to be determined. Against this backdrop, Brookings scholars Darrell West, Nicol Turner-Lee, and Tom Wheeler discuss key issues facing the new administration and how they will approach technology challenges. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The phrase “telecommuting” was first coined in the early 1970s by a NASA employee named Jack Nilles. Nilles claimed telecommuting could offset traffic congestion, promote resource conservation, and be a major convenience for those so engaged. In addition to the societal and environmental benefits, CEOs of major companies said it increased productivity and offered greater flexibility for workers, as workplaces across the country adopted it as an option. But when COVID-19 hit, telework quickly went from an option to a necessity. Overnight, more than half of Americans went to work over Zoom. Months into the pandemic, we’re starting to see the consequences. But in the current environment, many major companies have announced that their employees will work remotely on a long term basis. Are we ready for this? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Early in March, the COVID-19 pandemic began burning a furious path across the U.S., shuttering schools and sending 50 million students home. Some of the nation’s largest public school districts, including New York City and Los Angeles, were the first to close their doors for the remainder of the academic year.Many parents were forced to become educators for the first time in their lives. And school districts quickly tried to become fully equipped for distance learning - an experiment that laid bare the digital divide in America, and exposed a modern inequality exacerbated by the virus. As the effort to reopen schools happens across the country, one thing is certain: All will be forced to navigate this new normal in education while still in the middle of a public health crisis. But what does reopening look like, and how can it happen safely? And how will it evolve as COVID-19 remains uncontained in America? With the school year well underway, we need answers, good answers, and fast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With the 2020 presidential election about to take place, concerns about foreign interference, disinformation, mail ballot snafus, and voter suppression remain high. Already, there have been major phishing attacks against leading campaigns and Facebook has removed hundreds of thousands of fake accounts operated by foreign entities. With countries such as Russia, China, and Iran having a major stake in the outcome, what should U.S. election officials be doing to safeguard the election? Are American policymakers prepared for what likely will be the most important election in decades? In this episode, Brookings experts Elaine Kamarck, Chris Meserole, and Darrell West identify the major threats to our election system, highlight lessons learned from 2016 that could help protect voters, and discuss whether disinformation and voter suppression will enable President Donald Trump to win reelection. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On June 20th, President Donald Trump showed up in Tulsa, Oklahoma for his first campaign rally after a three-month hiatus. Before the rally, the Trump campaign bragged about the million tickets that had been pre-requested. But when the rally started only 6200 people showed up at the arena, and the President addressed a sea of empty chairs. Politically active young people used TikTok to encourage others to reserve tickets but not show up, thereby forcing Trump to play to an empty room.Soon thereafter, President Trump released an Executive Order banning Chinese applications TikTok and WeChat in the United States and ordering TikTok’s sale to an American company. He argued the companies could release personal data to the Chinese government and therefore represented a national security threat. TikTok now is in talks with Oracle for the sale of its American operations.In this episode, we address the broader issues represented by these presidential actions and whether they signal a trend toward a fractured internet divided by national boundaries and security fears. If the President makes good on his order to ban these applications or force TikTok to be sold to a US firm, will the concept of an open, borderless internet vanish? These are the crucial questions that will shape the future of the internet and U.S. tech policy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In 1932, Senator Carter Glass and Congressman Henry Steagall joined forces to pass a new banking law that divided investment from commercial banking. They argued there was an inherent conflict of interest in banks performing both activities and that it was harmful to consumers. As we move into the digital world, there are firms that perform a number of different business functions and there are questions whether this hurts consumers and creates unfair advantages for particular firms.Over the past year, the House Antitrust Committee has held a series of hearings and heard complaints from businesses about unfair practices by large internet platforms. In a recent hearing with CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google, subcommittee chair David Cicilline outlined a number of abuses. Now the subcommittee is finalizing its report, and Congressman Cicilline sat down with Brookings Vice President Darrell West for a candid conversation about problems in the digital economy and why America needs Glass-Steagall legislation for the internet. He explains why large internet platforms have unfair advantages and harm small and medium-sized businesses. He says it is time for Congress to enact new rules of the road for the digital economy.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the pandemic spring has turned into the pandemic summer—and with no sign of abating once fall arrives—Americans are beginning to grapple with how the disease will change daily life forever. Across the country, empty streets and empty office towers don’t just mean a change in how we work—entire communities have relocated to new places.“Reopen the economy” has entered the pantheon of American political catchphrases. And while white collar workers may reap the benefits of a post-COVID world—one in which employers recognize that—with a powerful enough internet connection, anyone can work from home—blue collar workers won’t see those benefits. But it’s not just in the workplace. Medicine and education are also being rethought in real time. Come September, school will look radically different than it did a year ago—but who are the students that stand to gain from at-home learning? How can we ensure that all students—regardless of race and family wealth—can thrive while learning digitally? And how do we make sure that doctor’s appointments conducted over the internet are accessible to everyone who needs care? One day the pandemic will end. But before that happens, we need to make sure that the world it leaves in its wake is a just and equitable one. Finding the answers to these questions is the first step.In this episode, CTI Senior Fellow Darrell West hosts a conversation with Annelies Goger, a David M. Rubenstein Fellow in the Metropolitan Policy Program, and Makada Henry-Nickie, a fellow in Governance Studies. The three discuss how COVID-19 is impacting employment, healthcare, and education during pandemic-related shutdowns and how its effects may be felt in these areas long after the virus subsides. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Algorithms are the tools by which the modern world plans, programs, and conducts itself. But they’re also the tools by which the modern world perpetuates racism in the digital age. If algorithms are going to rule technology, and therefore, our lives, how can we ensure they rule fairly? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.