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October 22, 2025

Fear of Speaking Out Online: Data and Contentions About Self-Censorship

In the First Amendment’s lexicon, self-censorship and chilling effect are close companions. They’re like road-trip buddies, calling society’s attention to the dangers of preemptive, self-imposed—not government-mandated—silence while traveling down today’s bumpy, how-dare-you-say-that road of expression. The mere possibility of speech producing myriad negative consequences—legal sanctions, job loss, social ostracization, or violence—may chill (deter and discourage)…

By Clay Calvert

October 21, 2025

Procedural Rituals Over Governance Results

At the Roots of Progress Conference this weekend, Jen Pahlka, who was formerly the United States Deputy Chief Technology Officer under President Obama, related a harrowing experience she had. While she was walking around her home, she was confronted with a home invader. Though he wasn’t violent, she immediately dialed the Oakland Police Department (OPD)….

By Will Rinehart

October 20, 2025

Innovative Methods To Detect Illicit Activity Involving Digital Assets

Last week, the Treasury Department finished receiving responses to a request for comments on “Innovative Methods To Detect Illicit Activity Involving Digital Assets.” It turns out I have such a thing in mind. It’s just a matter of weeks before the law enforcement dynamics around digital assets—and in general—change completely. I’m being wry. A few…

By Jim Harper

October 16, 2025

Carr Reins in FCC Overreach on School Wi-Fi

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr has been in the news a lot lately. Under his energetic leadership, the agency has pursued an ambitious agenda at a breakneck pace. And while he has taken flak (including from me) for some of his high-profile controversies—perhaps most notably threatening Jimmy Kimmel like a second-rate Jersey mob…

By Daniel Lyons

October 16, 2025

AI and the Future of Learning: Promise, Peril, and a Path Forward

As I testified before the Senate HELP Committee, AI is not just another wave of automation—it is a technology that democratizes expertise. Used responsibly, it can help teachers, clinicians, and families unlock human potential. But without clear safeguards, transparency, and alignment, it could just as easily erode trust, weaken critical thinking, and disrupt the connections…

By John Bailey

October 15, 2025

The US Cost of Europe’s Digital Markets Act

The global corporate leaderboard continues to showcase American innovation in tech. 80 percent of the world’s 25 largest companies are now based in the US, highlighting the strength of American innovation, capital, and scale. Europe, by contrast, barely appears—Dutch chip-equipment maker ASML is the only European company on the list, sitting at number 25. While…

By Shane Tews

October 10, 2025

Towards Consensus on AI Science and Governance

At the 80th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York last month, the UN Member States formally launched two new initiatives: the Global Dialogue on AI Governance and the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI. Both derive from the Global Digital Compact, and they were legitimized in resolution A/RES/79/325, officially adopted on…

By Bronwyn Howell

October 9, 2025

Senator Sanders’ AI Report Ignores the Data on AI and Inequality

Ahead of a hearing today for the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Senator Bernie Sanders released a new report with a startling title: “The Big Tech Oligarchs’ War Against Workers: AI and Automation Could Destroy Nearly 100 Million U.S Jobs in a Decade.” The report warns that “a new technological age stands to…

By Will Rinehart

October 7, 2025

Unpacking a Raft of Lawsuits Blaming Online Media for Harm to Humans

Keeping up with and grasping the nuances of countless lawsuits blaming online media for injuries and deaths isn’t easy. Cataloging some cases and identifying fundamental commonalities and differences, however, can help. A roughly five-month stretch in mid-2025 saw:           • A New York judge refusing to dismiss several legal theories filed against TikTok and Meta…

By Clay Calvert

October 3, 2025

It’s Time to Disband the Federal Communications Commission

America has a short but distinguished list of deregulatory heroes. Alfred Kahn, who led airline deregulation in the late 1970s, is one. As is President Jimmy Carter, who broke down barriers in transportation and natural gas. President Ronald Reagan rolled back rules in energy, broadcasting, cable television, and banking. President Donald Trump, in his first…

By Mark Jamison