This webinar, hosted by TAPP fellow Leisel Bogan, will focus on Congress has responded to emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, mis and disinformation, technology-enabled fraudulent information, and the question of whether current approaches to policy, governance structures, and new policy proposals are adequate for preserving democratic institutions in the modern era.

From Section 230 reform, to addressing state-sponsored, technology-enabled disinformation campaigns, to new executive branch office proposals, the United States Congress has increasingly grappled with the question of how and in what ways to regulate and address public harms created by technology and information, and how to ensure that technology policy truly serves the public interest.

This webinar will draw upon the expertise of technology policy staffers in Congress who are focused on drafting legislative interventions, and will highlight:

-Recent legislative proposals,
-Highlight historical examples of policy efforts and government reform,
-Whether the efforts and policies had their intended impacts, and
-Whether the United States is prepared for 21st information technology challenges.

The session will compare views from different sides of the political spectrum, and will discuss how staff evaluate policies for impact and potential unintended consequences of their legislative proposals.

Moderator

Leisel Bogan is a Fellow in the Technology and Public Purpose program at the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Before joining the TAPP Fellowship, she led the first Congressional Digital Service pilot fellowship for TechCongress within the House Select Committee on Modernization, which resulted in the recent creation of a permanent House Digital Services organization, the first of its kind in the United States. Prior to her current role, she served as the Senior Fellow for Cybersecurity, Technology and National Security in the office of Senator Mark Warner. Before Congress, she focused on global strategy for cybersecurity and technology transformation at the professional services firm, PwC. She has held two academic appointments at Stanford University where she researched cybersecurity and emerging technologies, national security, and international institutions, and exhibited work at the International Criminal Court.

Speakers

Victoria Houed is currently building out a robust technology policy collective within Schmidt Futures, a philanthropy created by the ex-CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt.

She previously worked for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a TechCongress Congressional Innovation Fellow supporting the Speaker on all things tech, including internet accessibility, data privacy, antitrust, disinformation, Section 230, and autonomous vehicles. Throughout her fellowship she negotiated COVID Relief bills, is credited within the House Antitrust Subcommittee’s Investigation of Competition in the Digital Marketplace, and co-wrote a report on foreign influence campaigns targeting US elections which passed into law through the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021.

Anna Lenhart serves as Congresswoman Lori Trahan’s (MA-03) Senior Policy Advisor covering Technology and Energy issues. Her portfolio includes privacy, online safety, research and development. She previously served with the House Judiciary Committee Antitrust Subcommittee under Chairman David Cicilline (D-RI) and supported work on the Digital Markets antitrust investigation.

She holds a master’s degree from Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan and a BS in Civil Engineering and Engineering Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University. Prior to graduate school, Anna was the owner of Anani Cloud Solutions, a consulting firm that implemented and optimized Salesforce.com for non-profit organizations. She was the Founder of the Next Generation of Service, a non-profit online alternative career center focused on Service Years.

Ishan Mehta is a Legislative Assistant for U.S. Senator Brian Schatz in Washington, D.C. He has worked on legislation and oversight of a number of technology and telecom issues including privacy, platform governance, broadband access, and cybersecurity. He worked as an engineer in California, before pivoting to public policy. In his last job, he worked on cybersecurity and national security issues at a non-profit think tank. He has an M.S. in Public Policy and Computer Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

More info: https://www.belfercenter.org/event/un...