TechTank

Latest Episodes:

How Companies Surveil Workers And Ways Employees Can Protect Themselves Mar 08, 2021

Show notes

Today, under the coronavirus quarantines and lockdowns, most of us are working from home. This transition to a virtual world has blurred the lines between professional and personal life… in more ways than one.

We’ve all heard some of the scarier versions of Big Brother. Companies installing technology in their employees’ chairs, that tracks how long they spend at their desks each day. Required employee tracking bracelets, which record how many minutes you spend on your lunch break.

Though the pandemic has isolated us in so many ways, that doesn’t mean we’re entirely alone. In fact, some of us are being watched like never before.

Darrell West invites attorney John Ella to the podcast, to discuss how companies surveil employees and what workers can do to protect themselves.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Should Free Speech Be Regulated Online? Feb 22, 2021

Show notes

In the days leading up to the U.S. Capitol insurrection on January 6, social media platforms were flooded with hate speech and misinformation. Months before, there were also denouncements by former President Donald J. Trump about the proposed content moderation practices of private companies, as well as their use of Section 230 protections.

It took only days after armed mobs stormed the U.S. Capitol, for platforms like Facebook and Twitter to decide Trump’s tweets were more than just “saber rattling.”

Relying on section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, for immunity from civil suit, Twitter permanently banned President Trump’s account, wiping out his contact with 88 million followers, and banned thousands of conservative social media accounts. Facebook banned Trump’s account “at least until his term was over.” Google and Apple blocked the conservative-leaning social networking service Parler from their stores, and Amazon Web Services denied Parler access to its cloud network. Parler was forced to shut down for a time.

To many, January 8 seemed two days, two years, or two decades too late. Nonetheless, the question remains: Should free speech be regulated online? And if so, what should the content moderation practices be of private companies? Further, what voices should be subjected to greater scrutiny, and will those from more marginalized populations be questioned?

In this episode of Tech Tank, Nicol Turner Lee speaks with David Johns of the National Black Justice Coalition and CTI scholars John Morris and Tom Wheeler.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How To Protect Yourself From Cybersecurity Attacks Feb 08, 2021

Show notes

At the end of 2020, reporting revealed the dramatic SolarWinds hack of major American businesses and government agencies. Russia broke into leading institutions and cybersecurity experts still are gauging the scope of the damage. But this isn’t the only hack that Americans need to be wary of. The pandemic has also revealed the weakness of private business and ordinary citizens to protect themselves against malware, phishing attacks, and unwanted intrusions. Taking advantage of the security lapses exposed by remote work, hackers have held whole cities and companies hostage. Ransomware skyrocketed over the last year and exposed our fundamental vulnerabilities.

In this situation, Congress and the Biden Administration must act to stop nation-state actors and lone wolf attackers that target Americans all the time. The United States needs a clear plan to combat cyber intrusions and ordinary people need to exercise much better digital hygiene.

In this episode of Tech Tank, Darrell West speaks with Congressman Jim Langevin of Rhode Island on how government, business, and regular people can protect themselves from cybersecurity attacks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How To Protect Your Privacy with Online Dating Apps Jan 11, 2021

Show notes

Online dating apps like Tinder collect a large amount of personal information on their users. Tinder’s privacy policy clearly states your data may be used to deliver “targeted advertising”. Even a step beyond that, the policy says “you should not expect that your personal information, chats, or other communications will always remain secure”.

Your online data affects what job offers you have access to on LinkedIn, how much you pay for insuring your car, ads you will see on Youtube and if you can get approved for a loan. The lack of a national privacy standard and the weakness of security guidelines leave many online daters with inadequate protections and creates regulatory uncertainty for the dating apps and websites themselves. So in the meantime, how can people using online dating apps protect their privacy and security?

In this episode, Darrell West, Caitlin Chin, and Mishaela Robison discuss the risks of dating apps and what can be done to improve personal safety.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Fair Is The Gig Economy? Dec 14, 2020

Show notes

Many people participate in jobs associated with the gig economy. This includes those who drive for ride-sharing services, deliver food, or otherwise get paid based on services or deliveries, or car rides, as opposed to a set salary or hourly basis.

People take these jobs for all kinds of reasons. They need flexible work schedules or are in school and aren’t available for a traditional job. These positions provide extra cash and allows people to take care of young children or aging relatives.

Yet others worry because such workers generally don't qualify for healthcare benefits, disability insurance, or retirement matches from their companies. While the gig economy might seem like a positive evolution for our workforce, we need to make sure gig workers are treated fairly and are able to get healthcare insurance and disability benefits.

A gig job might allow you more flexibility and more freedom…but at what cost?

In today’s episode, Darrell West discusses the implications of the gig economy with guests Makada Henri Nicky and Aaron Klein.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will Telehealth Continue Under The Biden Administration? Nov 25, 2020

Show notes

Within the coronavirus era, doctor’s visits have gone virtual--much like nearly every aspect of everyday life. So telehealth means a patient talks to their doctor right from the epicenter of their personal world. And those little things that make us human? They’re front and center.

And beyond the convenience of taking a check up from your living room, without having to pay for childcare or transportation, telehealth is helpful in lots of ways. Take, for example, its ability to connect rural hospitals with nurses or surgeons at huge medical centers during emergencies that don’t afford the time to transfer a patient. That’s built in teamwork, support, collaboration. Or, the fact that telehealth allows trans people to see their doctor without the often awkward or negative confrontations at a physical office. That’s insured protection, comfort, confidence.

But, of course, the steady march of technology doesn’t stop at doctor to patient Zoom calls.

In this episode host Nicol Turner-Lee discusses the rise of telehealth and its implications, with Ross Friedberg and Niam Yaraghi.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Will Tech Policy Look Like In The Next Administration? Nov 11, 2020

Show notes

With Election 2020 coming to a close, President-Elect Joe Biden is moving to assemble his administration and set his policy priorities. The new leader faces many challenging technology issues, from antitrust, privacy, and content moderation to China and digital disparities made worse by COVID-19. He'll also have to make decisions regarding key tech policy positions. He does this at a time of diminished Democratic numbers in the House of Representatives and a Senate where party control is yet to be determined. Against this backdrop, Brookings scholars Darrell West, Nicol Turner-Lee, and Tom Wheeler discuss key issues facing the new administration and how they will approach technology challenges.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Can We Cope With Zoom Fatigue? Oct 28, 2020

Show notes

The phrase “telecommuting” was first coined in the early 1970s by a NASA employee named Jack Nilles. Nilles claimed telecommuting could offset traffic congestion, promote resource conservation, and be a major convenience for those so engaged. In addition to the societal and environmental benefits, CEOs of major companies said it increased productivity and offered greater flexibility for workers, as workplaces across the country adopted it as an option.

But when COVID-19 hit, telework quickly went from an option to a necessity. Overnight, more than half of Americans went to work over Zoom. Months into the pandemic, we’re starting to see the consequences. But in the current environment, many major companies have announced that their employees will work remotely on a long term basis. Are we ready for this?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is There a Way to Keep Schools Open Safely? Oct 14, 2020

Show notes

Early in March, the COVID-19 pandemic began burning a furious path across the U.S., shuttering schools and sending 50 million students home. Some of the nation’s largest public school districts, including New York City and Los Angeles, were the first to close their doors for the remainder of the academic year.

Many parents were forced to become educators for the first time in their lives. And school districts quickly tried to become fully equipped for distance learning - an experiment that laid bare the digital divide in America, and exposed a modern inequality exacerbated by the virus.

As the effort to reopen schools happens across the country, one thing is certain: All will be forced to navigate this new normal in education while still in the middle of a public health crisis. But what does reopening look like, and how can it happen safely? And how will it evolve as COVID-19 remains uncontained in America?

With the school year well underway, we need answers, good answers, and fast.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will Disinformation and Voter Suppression Help Trump Win Reelection? Sep 30, 2020

Show notes

With the 2020 presidential election about to take place, concerns about foreign interference, disinformation, mail ballot snafus, and voter suppression remain high. Already, there have been major phishing attacks against leading campaigns and Facebook has removed hundreds of thousands of fake accounts operated by foreign entities. With countries such as Russia, China, and Iran having a major stake in the outcome, what should U.S. election officials be doing to safeguard the election? Are American policymakers prepared for what likely will be the most important election in decades?

In this episode, Brookings experts Elaine Kamarck, Chris Meserole, and Darrell West identify the major threats to our election system, highlight lessons learned from 2016 that could help protect voters, and discuss whether disinformation and voter suppression will enable President Donald Trump to win reelection.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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