Cdt Tech Talks

The overturning of Roe v. Wade is a watershed moment for the privacy of people seeking reproductive care. A person’s browser history, search history, location and private messages can be used by law enforcement or private citizens to pursue people who are suspected of having or aiding an abortion. When people’s most private digital information can be used against them, can tech companies change their practices to better protect their users’ privacy? As some states try to outlaw websites that tell people how to access abortion care, can advocates ensure that reliable health information remains online? In this episode, you will hear from Alexandra Givens, President and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT); Cecile Richards, former President of Planned Parenthood; and Nabiha Syed, President of The Markup, as they discuss ways advocates are working to protect users’ privacy and access to information at this critical moment for reproductive rights. More details about this 2023 SXSW featured sessi

And we're back! For our first episode of 2023, we're excited to have invited Kate Starbird, Associate Professor in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington, to join CDT's own Will Adler, Senior Technologist for the Elections & Democracy project and Aliya Bhatia, Policy Analyst for the Free Expression project to sit down together. Jamal leads us through a conversation delving into the ways in which misinformation and disinformation can have disastrous effects on election integrity and trust, both domestically and abroad. The discussion explores the misconceptions about what disinformation is and whether the term "disinformation" is even a useful term anymore ("rumoring"?), as well as important work going on by coalitions of researchers like the Election Integrity Partnership. More on our host, Jamal: bit.ly/cdtjamal More on Kate: https://twitter.com/katestarbird More on Will: https://twitter.com/wtadler More on Aliya: https://twitter.com/AliyaBhatia More on the E

We have another exciting show for you this week! The Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey, allowing individual states to limit or outright ban abortion. State reactions have been swift and varied, with some states outlawing abortions or significantly limiting them. Such laws will create a strong motive to track and know the identities of people who seek to obtain reproductive health care, or to provide it. Here to talk about this decision and what can be done to protect the right to privacy of people seeking reproductive care is Alex Givens, President and CEO for CDT and Jake Laperruque, Deputy Director of the CDT Security and Surveillance Project. (CDT relies on the generosity of donors like you. If you enjoyed this episode of Tech Talk, you can support it and our work at CDT by going to cdt.org/techtalk. Thank you for putting democracy and individual rights at the center of the digital revolutio

We have another exciting show for you this week! Controversy around content moderation on social media platforms is a perennial topic in the tech news cycle. Some advocates argue for greater accountability on the part of companies for content published on their platforms, while others believe that hiding any user generated material is censorship. Here to discuss one of the more opaque forms of content moderation are Gabe Nicholas, Research Fellow at CDT and author of Shedding Light on Shadowbanning, a recent report on the practice of covert content moderation, and Ana Valens, a journalist specializing in adult content and queer communities who has written about her own experience being shadowbanned by Twitter. More on our host, Jamal https://bit.ly/cdtjamal Attribution: sounds used from Psykophobia, Taira Komori, BenKoning, Zabuhailo, bloomypetal, guitarguy1985, bmusic92, and offthesky of freesound.org.

We have another exciting show for you this week! CDT recently released a report, Legal Loopholes and Data for Dollars, exploring the data broker ecosystem, which is estimated to be worth about $200 billion dollars , and examining how law enforcement- and intelligence agencies have been evading legal requirements by purchasing data from brokers. Here to talk about this report and what can be done to prevent the illegal sale of sensitive information is Greg Nojeim Senior Counsel and Director of the CDT Security and Surveillance Project, and Dhanaraj Thakur, Research Director for CDT. More on our host, Jamal https://bit.ly/cdtjamal Attribution: sounds used from Psykophobia, Taira Komori, BenKoning, Zabuhailo, bloomypetal, guitarguy1985, bmusic92, and offthesky of freesound.org.

Welcome to CDT’s Tech Talk, where we dish on tech and internet policy, while also explaining what these policies mean to our daily lives. I’m Jamal Magby, and it’s time to talk tech. We have another exciting show for you this week! Here to talk about The Markup and how they use investigative journalism to illustrate how powerful institutions are using technology to change our society is Nabiha Syed, CEO of The Markup and CDT Advisory Council member. More on our host, Jamal https://bit.ly/cdtjamal Attribution: sounds used from Psykophobia, Taira Komori, BenKoning, Zabuhailo, bloomypetal, guitarguy1985, bmusic92, and offthesky of freesound.org.

We have another exciting show for you this week! Here to talk about the importance of cybersecurity for K-12 schools is Doug Casey, Executive Director for the Connecticut Commission for Educational Technology and Cody Venzke, Senior Counsel for CDT’s Equity in Civic Technology Project. More on our host, Jamal https://bit.ly/cdtjamal Attribution: sounds used from Psykophobia, Taira Komori, BenKoning, Zabuhailo, bloomypetal, guitarguy1985, bmusic92, and offthesky of freesound.org.

We have another exciting show for you this week! Data-sharing practices between K-12 education agencies and adjacent public sectors, such as social services, are becoming increasingly prevalent. To minimize risk, agencies participating in data-sharing initiatives must take steps to ensure the benefits are available to all and that no group of students experiences disproportionate harm. CDT recently released a set of new recommendations for conducting community engagement around the use of student data, with particular focus on the practice’s role in decisions about data-sharing. The new report, Sharing Student Data Across Public Sectors: Importance of Community Engagement to Support Responsible and Equitable Use, presents the guidance alongside polling research on the demand for community engagement. Here to talk about the report is Marika Pfefferkorn, Co-founder & Solutions and Sustainability Officer for Twin Cities Innovation Alliance and Elizabeth Laird, Director of CDT’s Equity in Civic Technology pro

We have another exciting show for you this week! Twenty years after the passage of the #PatriotAct, CDT took some time to dig deep and ask a few fundamental questions: What were the key civil liberty concerns back in the fall of 2001 and how has government surveillance activities changed over the last two decades? With the benefit of 20 years of experience, what authorities does the government need in order to keep the country safe while preserving civil liberties and civil rights in the U.S. and abroad? And lastly, Should there be a comprehensive reexamination of government #surveillance authorities today? What changes should be made? On October 5th, 2021 CDT hosted a discussion to tackle these and other questions. The event featured a fireside chat between former U.S. Senator Russ Feingold, the lone "no" vote in the Senate against the Patriot Act, and Laura Murphy, who managed the ACLU’s Legislative Office in Washington, D.C. during the bill’s passage. Full Event: https://cdt.org/event/the-patriot-act-

We have another exciting show for you this week! Last month, CDT released two complementary reports, the first report, Online and Observed: Student Privacy Implications of School-Issued Devices and Student Activity Monitoring Software, an interview-based study, examining local education agencies use of, and motivations for using monitoring software on school-issued devices and, the second Student Activity Monitoring Software: Research Insights and Recommendations presents survey research assessing teacher, parent, and student experiences and attitudes regarding student activity monitoring software. Here to talk more about the importance of these reports and help us understand some of the challenges education practitioners experience when working to address the homework gap is Francella Ochillo, Executive Director for Next Century Cities. More on our host, Jamal https://bit.ly/cdtjamal Attribution: sounds used from Psykophobia, Taira Komori, BenKoning, Zabuhailo, bloomypetal, guitarguy1985, bmusic92, and

We have another exciting show for you this week! Earlier this year, CDT released a new report, Do You See What I See? The Capabilities and Limitations of Automated Multimedia Content Analysis. This report explores a variety of machine learning techniques for analyzing images, video, and audio media, and explains what automated tools can—and can not—tell us about digital content. Here to help us understand more about the capabilities and limitations of automated content analysis are Jasmine McNealy, CDT Non-residential Fellow and associate professor in the Department of Telecommunication, College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida, and; and Dhanaraj Thakur, Research Director for CDT. https://cdt.org/insights/do-you-see-what-i-see-capabilities-and-limits-of-automated-multimedia-content-analysis/ https://www.jou.ufl.edu/staff/jasmine-mcnealy/ https://cdt.org/staff/dhanaraj-thakur/ More on our host, Jamal https://bit.ly/cdtjamal Attribution: sounds used from Psykophobia, Taira Ko

We have another exciting show for you this week! Apple announced that it is planning to make several changes to its messaging and photo services in the United States aimed to prevent the abuse of children. Unfortunately, although well intentioned, these changes may threaten the security and privacy of its users and ultimately imperil secure messaging around the world. Here to explain what these changes are and why they are so concerning are CDT’s own Mallory Knodel, Chief Technology Officer, and Greg Nojeim, Co-Director of CDT’s Security and Surveillance project. More on our host, Jamal https://bit.ly/cdtjamal Attribution: sounds used from Psykophobia, Taira Komori, BenKoning, Zabuhailo, bloomypetal, guitarguy1985, bmusic92, and offthesky of freesound.org.

We have another exciting show for you this week! In February, CDT released a report identifying research gaps in our understanding of the link between race and gender in disinformation campaigns. The report, Facts and their Discontents: A Research Agenda for Disinformation, Race, and Gender, identifies key research questions about how race and gender are used in disinformation efforts. The report also makes recommendations for how to tackle the related systematic and technical problems that researchers and others face in addressing these topics. More on our host, Jamal https://bit.ly/cdtjamal Attribution: sounds used from Psykophobia, Taira Komori, BenKoning, Zabuhailo, bloomypetal, guitarguy1985, bmusic92, and offthesky of freesound.org.

We have another exciting show for you this week! Earlier this month, the Facebook Oversight Board affirmed Facebook’s January 7, 2021 decision to restrict the ability of then-President Donald Trump to post content on his Facebook and Instagram accounts. The Board’s decision raised a number of important questions, but left the big one unanswered. Will former President Trump be allowed back on these platforms? CDT's Free Expression Team, Emma Llansó and Caitlin Vogus will breakdown this decision and discuss what happens next. More on our host, Jamal https://bit.ly/cdtjamal Attribution: sounds used from Psykophobia, Taira Komori, BenKoning, Zabuhailo, bloomypetal, guitarguy1985, bmusic92, and offthesky of freesound.org.

We have another exciting show for you this week! As part of the CDT Equity in Civic Technology Project's ongoing “Tech Tales series,” we are featuring perspectives from across the education system and sharing their experiences navigating the issues of privacy protection, responsible technology use, and digital equity in their daily lives as parents, school administrators, and education leaders. Our guests will discuss how a collaborative approach to school technology is critical to ensuring students are safe and privacy is protected while learning online. More on our host, Jamal https://bit.ly/cdtjamal Attribution: sounds used from Psykophobia, Taira Komori, BenKoning, Zabuhailo, bloomypetal, guitarguy1985, bmusic92, and offthesky of freesound.org.

We have another exciting show for you this week! As part of the CDT Equity in Civic Technology Project's ongoing “Tech Tales series,” we are featuring perspectives from across the education system and sharing their experiences navigating the issues of privacy protection, responsible technology use, and digital equity in their daily lives as parents, school administrators, and education leaders. Our guests will discuss how a collaborative approach to school technology is critical to ensuring students are safe and privacy is protected while learning online. More on our host, Jamal https://bit.ly/cdtjamal Attribution: sounds used from Psykophobia, Taira Komori, BenKoning, Zabuhailo, bloomypetal, guitarguy1985, bmusic92, and offthesky of freesound.org.

We have another exciting show for you this week! Last month, the Center for Democracy & Technology in partnership with the KAS Foundation, issued a report examining cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the U.S. election system. The report, an Agenda for U.S. Election Cybersecurity, looks beyond the scope of the recently updated federal voting machine guidelines and examines vulnerabilities in election infrastructure in four additional areas: voter registration systems; poll books; absentee and mail-in voting; and the people who are involved in elections. Here to talk more about this report and what can be done to help restore public confidence in the election process is CDT’s Senior Technologist for Elections and Democracy, Will Adler. More on our host, Jamal https://bit.ly/cdtjamal Attribution: sounds used from Psykophobia, Taira Komori, BenKoning, Zabuhailo, bloomypetal, guitarguy1985, bmusic92, and offthesky of freesound.org.

We have another exciting show for you this week! Earlier this week, The Center for Democracy and Technology launched its new Equity in Civic Technology Project. This new program focuses on advocating for equitable use of data and technology in government institutions. Today we’re talking with Elizabeth Laird, Director of CDT's Equity in Civic Technology project, to discuss CDT’s latest program and how it builds on the work that was started with CDT’s Student Privacy Project. More on our host, Jamal https://bit.ly/cdtjamal Attribution: sounds used from Psykophobia, Taira Komori, BenKoning, Zabuhailo, bloomypetal, guitarguy1985, bmusic92, and offthesky of freesound.org.

We have another exciting show for you this week! Last month, the European Commission published its long-awaited Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA report involves a review of the the 20-year-old e-Commerce Directive and seeks to answer questions regarding how society should deal with the contemporary challenges linked to digital services in the EU. Today we will be joined by one of CDT's newest faces, Iverna McGowan, who will explain what these two proposals could mean for digital and human rights across the globe. More on Iverna: https://twitter.com/iverna1 More on our host, Jamal: bit.ly/cdtjamal Attribution: sounds used from Psykophobia, Taira Komori, BenKoning, Zabuhailo, bloomypetal, guitarguy1985, bmusic92, and offthesky of freesound.org.

We have another exciting show for you this week! Elections have dominated the headlines, and as our listeners likely know CDT’s been busy on that front –– check out our most recent episode for more! –– but that’s just one of the many issues our experts have been working on. Today we’re talking with one of the newest of these faces, Lydia X. Z. Brown Policy Counsel with our Privacy and Data Project and a well-established disability advocate – in addition to our CEO Alexandra Givens, to discuss CDT’s latest report on artificial intelligence and benefits determinations. More on our host, Jamal https://bit.ly/cdtjamal Attribution: sounds used from Psykophobia, Taira Komori, BenKoning, Zabuhailo, bloomypetal, guitarguy1985, bmusic92, and offthesky of freesound.org.