The Decoded Podcast

Latest Episodes:

‘Godzilla vs. Kong: AI Edition’: Talking net neutrality with a former FCC chair Apr 17, 2024

Show notes

The Federal Communications Commission will vote next week to restore regulations that require internet service providers to treat websites equally, otherwise known as net neutrality. Tom Wheeler was the chair of the FCC the last time those rules were put in place. He joins POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly to talk about how artificial intelligence gives new life to this old policy battle.

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The White House defends contentious foreign surveillance law Apr 16, 2024

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The future of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act now lies in the Senate, following a contentious path to reauthorization in the House last week. Behind the scenes, the Biden administration has been pressing both chambers to extend the law -- and successfully pushing back on some proposed reforms. On POLITICO Tech, National Security Council legal adviser Joshua Geltzer defends the need for government spy programs amid simmering global conflicts.

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This tax day, how AI is changing up the IRS Apr 15, 2024

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Today, we’re talking taxes. Stanford law professor Dan Ho has been working with the IRS to figure out how machine learning and artificial intelligence can improve the agency -- including a study he led last year that found evidence of racial bias in its audits. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly talks with Ho about using AI to root our human bias, and how the technology is changing up Tax Day.

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The controversy around FISA, a key foreign surveillance law, explained Apr 12, 2024

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The House is expected to vote on a key foreign surveillance law set to expire next week. The fight over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, has pit national security hawks who defend the government surveillance program against lawmakers who say it's been used to unlawfully spy on American citizens. Host Steven Overly unpacks the criticisms with Elizabeth Goitein, a former Capitol Hill attorney who now leads the Liberty and National Security Program at NYU’s Brennan Center for Justice.

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‘Picture your MAGA auntie's Twitter account’: Why a Chinese disinformation group started imitating Americans Apr 11, 2024

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The Chinese disinformation network known as Spamouflage has never gotten much traction on social media. Then, a small number of accounts started pretending to be American. On POLITICO Tech, senior analyst Elise Thomas from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue explains why pro-Trump and anti-Biden tweets from a group with ties to the Chinese Communist Party may signal deeper concerns about 2024 election interference.

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A skeptic's guide to the new data privacy bill Apr 10, 2024

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There’s a new data privacy bill floating around Capitol Hill this week -- backed by the chairs of two powerful committees. And at first glance, it seems to have a lot of potential. But POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly and privacy reporter Alfred Ng discuss the sticking points that could cause the legislation to stall.

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One critic's case for why artificial intelligence is actually dumb Apr 09, 2024

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Gary Marcus is a cognitive scientist and serial entrepreneur who is an AI critic, and not shy about it. He’s one of the tech experts pushing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and others in Washington to pass sweeping and stringent legislation to rein in AI -- technology that he doesn’t actually think is very smart. Gary has written a piece for POLITICO magazine, out tomorrow, arguing what all should be included in a big AI bill. And he talked with Steven Overly to make his case.

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Millions of kids use Roblox. Now, it wants Washington’s attention. Apr 08, 2024

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If you haven’t heard of Roblox, your kids certainly have. It’s an online platform for games and other virtual experiences, and most of its users are under 17 years old. As Congress weighs kids’ online safety legislation, Roblox is dispatching its CEO and other executives to D.C. this week. POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly caught up with Roblox policy chief Nicky Jackson Colaco to discuss.

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How the U.S. is becoming more like China on tech Apr 05, 2024

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The Biden administration is in the midst of its latest attempt at a diplomatic reset with China, its chief geopolitical rival on all things tech. Council on Foreign Relations President Mike Froman — who served as U.S. trade representative during President Barack Obama’s second term — joins POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly to discuss the Biden administration’s protectionist economic policies, and why becoming “more like China” may be necessary.

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What Trump’s return would mean for trans-atlantic tech relations Apr 04, 2024

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U.S. and European officials will meet in Belgium today and tomorrow for the latest gathering of the Trade and Technology Council, a body meant to mend the trans-atlantic relationship following four years of President Donald Trump. But the TTC is now weighing its next act — and what it means if Trump returns to power. POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly and POLITICO tech correspondent Mark Scott discuss.

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