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…
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…
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…
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…
October 2, 2025
A Quiet Skies After-Action Report and Extension of My Remarks
Earlier this week, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee under Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) held a hearing on “Quiet Skies,” a watch-listing program that is credibly alleged to have been used for doling out political penalties and favors to travelers while catching zero terrorists. I spent a decade on counterterrorism strategy, drawn to…
October 1, 2025
The SEC’s Digital Asset Pivot Comes Late in a Global Financial Arms Race
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) announcement of a comprehensive crypto regulatory overhaul signals the biggest change in US financial policy in years. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins’ commitment to integrate digital assets into Wall Street’s trading infrastructure—by clarifying broker-dealer rules, allowing national exchanges to handle crypto, and removing long-standing compliance hurdles—represents a much-needed shift. After…
September 30, 2025
Par for the Judicial Course: Reducing Scrutiny of Laws Targeting Lawful Sexual Content
When it comes to statutes curbing access to lawful sexual content—material that’s neither obscene nor child pornographic—the US Supreme Court sometimes bends its normal First Amendment rules of review in government-friendly, speech-restrictive ways. The rules are altered either to safeguard minors or to address concerns such as property values, crime, and community beauty. A recent…
September 29, 2025
The AI Revolution in Property Tax Assessment
Accurately assessing property values is essential for ensuring that localities have the revenue to support public services like schools, roads, and law enforcement. However, traditional assessment methods face a litany of problems. Valuations can often be inconsistent and municipalities are typically understaffed and resource-constrained. While there has been a lot of attention on generative AI…
September 26, 2025
Software Upgrade Interruptions: The New Challenge for Resilience
Once again, a software upgrade gone wrong has brought core communications capacities to their knees, this time with fatal consequences. On September 18, a network software update at Australian telecommunications provider Optus brought the Triple Zero emergency services calling system in the Northern Territory, South Australia, and Western Australia to a halt for around 13 hours….
September 25, 2025
Can Small Tech Survive the Digital Markets Act?
On paper, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the European Union aims to promote more competition. However, in practice, the DMA design aimed at large tech companies actually disadvantages small tech companies by threatening their marketplace management. To discuss this, Shane Tews is joined by Graham Dufault, general counsel of the App Association. His experience…