Digital First Project

Time for pundits to stop the hyperbole and think more holistically about the future of Artificial Intelligence.

AI: More Than Just an Excuse for Hyperbole Over the past few months, there has been a flurry of think pieces, conversations, panels, and debates about AI and its effects on society.

Next step in rebuilding America's technology base: Domestic options and innovate technology at home.

“If America is to secure its future, it must control its own technological destiny."

In the technology war with China, America’s advantage is found at home A titanic struggle is underway between America and China. At its heart is a battle for technological supremacy. FBI Director Christopher Wray has called China “the greatest long-term threat to our …

Recently the R Street Institute hosted a panel on the issue of government efforts to compel content moderation decisions by private companies. Tech Policy Press has this helpful summary of the event.

What Should We Know About Government Influence on Content Moderation? Transparency may discourage- and dispel some fears of- improper government interference in public discourse, writes Tim Bernard.

We here at DFP already broke down the strong wins and accomplishments of the BIPARTISAN FCC.

But this here is just another reason of why they should leave it as is.

Senate Democrats pressed to recuse from vote on Biden nominee who funded their campaigns EXCLUSIVE — Senate Democrats are being pressed by a conservative watchdog group to recuse themselves from voting to confirm a Biden nominee who has donated to their campaigns, according to a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner.

Confused about blockchain or Web3? You aren't alone!

Lincoln Network does a good job of breaking it down for you!

To Be a Stranger Among Strangers: AdTech, Web 3, and Data Privacy - Lincoln Policy Click here to download the full report in PDF format. Executive Summary Our current online ecosystem is dominated by targeted advertisements. Companies collect troves of information about their users and use that information to monetize otherwise-free services, such as social media platforms and s...

If we haven't annoyed you yet, and you sometimes think we write good stuff-- you should check out our substack! It's a 1x week newsletter written by DFP's Nathan Leamer on all things tech in the U.S. and abroad!

Digital First Project | Substack Unfiltered commentary on the latest efforts to close the digital divide and promote American innovation. Click to read Digital First Project, a Substack publication. Launched 9 months ago.

Check out Digital First Project's very own Nathan Leamer chatting with Jason Thacker on tech in the U.S.

Jason serves as chair of research in technology ethics and director of the research institute at The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. His work has been featured at Christianity Today, World Magazine, The Week, Slate, USA Today, Politico, The Gospel Coalition, and Desiring God. He is the author of several books, including his latest Following Jesus in a Digital Age with B&H Publishing.

jasonthacker.com/podcast/navigating-technology-policy-in-the-united-states-with-nathan-leamer/

Our latest on Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ leadership. Moving the
House Commerce to make broadband access a top priority.

Expanded Internet Access: A Top Priority For the New House Energy and Commerce Committee The new leadership of Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) on the House Energy and Commerce Committee should be applauded for their objective of closing the digital divide.

"5G networks are expected to “create up to 4.5 million jobs and generate $1.5 trillion in gross domestic product (GDP) for the US economy” by 2031.

In order to realize that growth, it's critical we prioritize the FCC’s spectrum auction authority → MORE HERE:

FCC's spectrum auction authority deserves to be a priority - The American Consumer Institute It’s critical that Congress act quickly to reauthorize the FCC’s auctioning authority so that the wireless industry can continue to purchase new licenses needed for expanding networks and providing access to Americans who need it.

ICYMI: ICLE’s Gus Huwitz separates fact and fiction on the new proposed rule on noncompetes.

The FTC’s Noncompete Rule: Shouldn’t Doesn’t Mean Can’t, but Maybe It Should Former U.S. Labor Secretary Gene Scalia games out the future of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) recently proposed rule that would ban the use of most noncompete clauses in today’s Wall Street Journal. He writes that: The Federal Trade Commission’s ban on noncompete agreements may be the m...

“The United States and authoritarian regimes have different views on how to use 5G technology,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said, emphasizing that “the vision that succeeds in a global forum … will inform how networks are deployed and evolve around the world.”

FCC Chair Keys on 5G Security Concerns Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel warned in a Jan. 17 speech that the deployment of fifth-generation (5G) wireless communications networks involves big security and privacy challenges.

Did you miss the DFP's Nathan Leamer's blog post? It details how Taiwan's independence directly correlates with American's tech independence. Check it out > > >

Tango With Taiwan: Preserving Our Tech Independence It is far past the time for Republicans and Democrats to work together to ensure our approach to a free and Open Internet is safeguarded from foreign threats.

"Instead of catering to out of step Internet activists who just want fuel for their fundraising, Jessica Rosenworcel's leadership has led to real results..." - DFP's Nathan Leamer

More on the Federal Communications Commission's wins > > >

FCC: Bipartisan Accomplishments In A Town of Brinkmanship Instead of being distracted by what may or may not happen in the political arena of Capitol Hill, this FCC should stick to their current approach and continue the hard work before them.

“...at the top of the list for bipartisan priorities should be maintaining and enhancing America’s historical leadership in tech and telecommunications…”

Read More:

In a Divided Congress, Technology and Telecommunications Are Clear Bipartisan Priorities In a Divided Congress, Technology and Telecommunications Are Clear Bipartisan Priorities With the midterm elections firmly in the rearview mirror, lawmakers are now looking to navigate the remainder of the lame duck and set their priorities for the next Congress. With slim majorities in both chamber...

Digital First Project's Nathan Leamer breaks down how Taiwan's independence is vital to our tech ecosystem. Learn more >>>

https://digitalfirstproject.substack.com/p/tango-with-taiwan-preserving-our

“Gov. officials use informal pressure — bullying, threatening, & cajoling — to sway the decisions of private platforms & limit the publication of disfavored speech..”

The Cato Institute Will Duffield on ‘jawboning’ speech >>>

Jawboning against Speech Government officials use informal pressure — bullying, threatening, and cajoling — to sway the decisions of private platforms and limit the publication of disfavored speech. The use of this informal pressure, known as jawboning, is growing.

continue to reveal troubling (& unconstitutional) coordination between the government and private social platforms to suppress and moderate content.

Reason’s JD Tuccille goes deeper -- read>>>

Twitter Files Reveal Politicians, Officials Evading the Constitution’s Restrictions People in power lean on private businesses to impose authoritarian policies forbidden to the government.

What could two new House select committees possibly have to do with the internet economy and free speech?!!

Read Digital First Project Executive Director Nathan Leamer's analysis on the new committees, their role in free speech, tech investigations, the CCP + more! >>>

Congress: Time To Investigate Threats To Our Internet Economy and Free Speech Doing the hard work of oversight could result in effective bipartisan legislation down the road.

Intriguing op-ed by Yale Law Professor, Jed Rubenfeld, in the The Wall Street Journal ⬇

READ MORE on his new take on First Amendment lawsuits against Twitter by targets of censorship:

Opinion | How to Take the Twitter Files to Court File a class action against federal agents seeking an injunction against social-media censorship efforts.

🚨 "...in the days after more states began to ban TikTok, an internal investigation found that ByteDance employees had used TikTok to record journalists’ physical locations using their IP addresses." 🚨

Full story HERE:

Why TikTok's future has never been so cloudy ByteDance thought it had a deal with the government in August. Then came the bans — and a spying scandal

🚨 TWITTER FILES 🚨 "Leading up to the 2020 election, Twitter received and obliged requests from federal and state governments as well as partisan officials to remove accounts they deemed problematic, including from Rep. Adam Schiff"

⬇
Full story HERE:

Twitter Files: Federal Agencies, Partisan Officials Demanded Accounts Be Removed | National Review The Senate Intelligence Committee also contacted Twitter about content takedown requests.

NEW SUBSTACK ⬇️

As we head into a new Congress, DFP laid out several tech policy solutions to allow innovation to flourish while closing the digital divide.

READ HERE: https://bit.ly/3Zhr3JV

LinkedIn profiles for hundreds of ByteDance employees reveal close connections between the company and China’s propaganda industry.

READ HERE:

LinkedIn Profiles Indicate 300 Current TikTok And ByteDance Employees Used To Work For Chinese State Media—And Some Still Do Three hundred current employees at TikTok and its parent company ByteDance previously worked for Chinese state media publications, according to public employee LinkedIn profiles reviewed by Forbes.

🚨🚨➡ "According to materials reviewed by Forbes, ByteDance tracked multiple Forbes journalists as part of this covert surveillance campaign, which was designed to unearth the source of leaks inside the company following a drumbeat of stories exposing the company’s ongoing links to China."

EXCLUSIVE: TikTok Spied On Forbes Journalists ByteDance confirmed it used TikTok to monitor journalists’ physical location using their IP addresses, as first reported by Forbes in October.

The FCC is determining how to distribute billions in broadband funding across each state -- We hope this $42.5 billion investment is properally allocated toward its true purpose: closing America's digital divide.

READ MORE:

States contend with short timeline to correct broadband map LOS ANGELES (AP) — States are racing against a deadline to challenge the map federal officials will use to divvy up the nation's largest-ever investment in high-speed internet. At stake is a share of the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program, part of the infrastructure meas...

The new WSJ report highlighting TikTok's close ties to China reinforces Senator Marco Rubio & Rep. Mike Gallagher's bipartisan effort to crackdown and even ban the app.

➡️ More on their efforts HERE:

Bipartisan Ban On TikTok Introduced By Sen. Rubio The legislation bid follows a surge of states banning the social media app from government-issued devices.

🚨Whether it's or those new photo generators, there are many questions about the ethics & benefits of this technology.

Tyler Cowen's sobering take on all thing AI is a worthwhile read:

Who gains and loses from the new AI? - Marginal REVOLUTION With so many spectacular AI developments coming out this year, it is worth asking who benefits and who loses. Specific technologies usually help some personality types and hurt others. For instance, the rise of computers, programming, and the internet helped analytical nerds. Today, you might be in....

Make plans this Holiday Season to watch Vertical Freedom the movie with your friends and family! Vertical Freedom, streaming now on all of the prominent Video on Demand (VOD) platforms!

CCP owned app executive refuses Jake Tapper's multiple requests to acknowledge China's treatment of Uyghurs.

FULL STORY:

TikTok executive refuses Jake Tapper's multiple requests to acknowledge China's treatment of Uyghurs | CNN Business In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper Tuesday, a TikTok executive refused multiple times to acknowledge China's treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, which the US State Department has labeled a genocide and a United Nations report said may constitute "crimes against humanity."

Apple should strive to embrace coherent policy standards towards privacy and security throughout the world—not one that kowtows to totalitarian threats. ⬇️

Check out DFP's Substack diving deeper, CLICK HERE: https://bit.ly/3WeJaOf