A Tale of Two Satellite Broadband Policies: The US and South Africa
Article
AEIdeas

A Tale of Two Satellite Broadband Policies: The US and South Africa

On Tuesday, technology writer Patience Haggin claimed that in the US, “rural internet is still so bad, some states are turning to outer space.” The article referred to the growing…

Beyond infrastructure: Internet ecosystem resilience and the public good
Report
Telecommunications Policy

Beyond infrastructure: Internet ecosystem resilience and the public good

Abstract Telecommunications networks have become one of modern society’s critical infrastructures (CIs): things required for everyday life and without which widespread disruption can be expected. Historically, the responsibility for ensuring…

Keeping Terrorists Off Airbnb Shouldn’t Undermine Americans’ Privacy
Op-Ed
The Hill

Keeping Terrorists Off Airbnb Shouldn’t Undermine Americans’ Privacy

here’s a certain irony in completing the financial surveillance procedures the government requires Airbnb to impose on its hosts. Right along with snapping and submitting a selfie for automatic verification…

How Meta Thinks About Personalization and Privacy
Article
AEIdeas

How Meta Thinks About Personalization and Privacy

Personalization, which tailors content based on user preference, has become widely used on virtually every social media platform. By providing users with relevant content that appeals to their unique interests,…

Generative AI and Fabricated Judicial Opinions: A Slow Learning Curve for Some Attorneys
Article
AEIdeas

Generative AI and Fabricated Judicial Opinions: A Slow Learning Curve for Some Attorneys

On the final day of my civil procedure course, Professor Brian Landsberg offered a piece of advice. At first blush, it seemingly had nothing to do with the myriad federal…

No More Tappers: Get Skin in the Game
Article
AEIdeas

No More Tappers: Get Skin in the Game

Irony of ironies: Outrage around Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson’s book, Original Sin, is helping to sell more copies. The failure of a CNN anchor and an Axios reporter to…

Regulating Complex and Uncertain AI Technologies
Article
AEIdeas

Regulating Complex and Uncertain AI Technologies

A common cognitive bias, in which decision-makers unconsciously substitute a complex problem with a simpler, related one, was first described in 2002 by Daniel Kahneman and Shane Frederick. The concept…

The House Should Act Quickly to Repeal the Illegal, Expensive E-Rate Expansion
Article
AEIdeas

The House Should Act Quickly to Repeal the Illegal, Expensive E-Rate Expansion

Earlier this month, the Senate passed S.J.Res.7. The resolution, sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz, would repeal a Biden-era Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule allowing E-Rate funds to subsidize Wi-Fi hotspot…

The Evidence So Far: What Research Reveals About AI’s Real Impact on Jobs and Society
Article
AEIdeas

The Evidence So Far: What Research Reveals About AI’s Real Impact on Jobs and Society

As organizations race to integrate new AI models into their workflows, everyone is wondering what the effects will be on industries, jobs, and society: Will these new technologies complement human…

First Amendment Fundamentals for Lawmakers as Courts Block Efforts to Protect Minors on Social Media
Article
AEIdeas

First Amendment Fundamentals for Lawmakers as Courts Block Efforts to Protect Minors on Social Media

Lawmakers considering bills to safeguard minors from ostensible harms linked to social media platforms should carefully review two recent federal court opinions declaring unconstitutional state laws imposing parental-consent, age-verification mandates.…

How Much Paperwork, How Little Privacy for the Innocent?
Article
AEIdeas

How Much Paperwork, How Little Privacy for the Innocent?

Justice Kavanaugh asked some important practical questions during oral argument in the birthright citizenship case in the Supreme Court last week. The executive order in dispute purports to deny citizenship…

The FTC’s Case Against Meta Looks Like Politics, Not Antitrust
Article
AEIdeas

The FTC’s Case Against Meta Looks Like Politics, Not Antitrust

The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) antitrust case against Meta, Facebook’s parent company, is not really about protecting consumers or competition. It is an attempt to use regulatory power to dismantle…

Congressional Crossfire: How Competing App Store Bills Create an Impossible Mandate
Article
AEIdeas

Congressional Crossfire: How Competing App Store Bills Create an Impossible Mandate

In Congress’s latest attempt to regulate Big Tech, two Republican lawmakers have created a policy paradox. In an effort to shape the future of app stores, each piece of proposed…

Personalization, Privacy, and Policy (with Rob Sherman)
Podcast

Personalization, Privacy, and Policy (with Rob Sherman)

As social media platforms integrate personalization technology, questions around privacy, transparency, and user choice are becoming increasingly pronounced. What does personalization really mean for users? How do platforms like Facebook…

Should NEPA Apply to BEAD’s Broadband Grants?
Article
AEIdeas

Should NEPA Apply to BEAD’s Broadband Grants?

A pivotal decision made by the Biden administration last year requires that broadband grants supported by the $42.45 billion Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program be reviewed under the…