This Does Not Compute - Center for Strategic and International Studies

Latest Episodes:

The Current State of the CLOUD Act Aug 15, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, host Jim Lewis speaks with Richard Downing, Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice. Richard and Jim discuss the current state of the CLOUD Act, the e-Evidence Act, access to digital evidence, and the future of data transfers between the U.S. and EU, among other topics.

The Future of Meta's Threads Jul 31, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Caitlin Chin sits down with Anupam Chander, the Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Law and Technology at Georgetown University Law Center and an expert on the global regulation of new technologies. Caitlin and Anupam share early thoughts and predictions on Threads, a new conversational app designed by Meta. In addition, they discuss how recent developments with the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, Digital Markets Act, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, and Federal Trade Commission could impact Meta's future in the European Union and United States.

An Insiders’ Look at Recent Experiences Freeing Up Spectrum for 5G Jul 13, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, guest host Clete Johnson discusses the strategic security imperative for spectrum reallocation with former White House and NTIA leaders: senior vice president at BGR Robin Colwell, executive director of Open RAN Policy Coalition Diane Rinaldo, and partner at Wilkinson Baker Knauer LLP Evelyn Remaley. Robin, Diane, Evelyn, and Clete discuss the need for the United States to move urgently to allocate more mid-band spectrum for licensed commercial 5G use.

For additional resources on this topic, check out the following CSIS publications:

The National Security Benefits of Reallocating Federal Spectrum for Licensed 5G Use (Clete Johnson, CSIS): https://www.csis.org/analysis/national-security-benefits-reallocating-federal-spectrum-5g
Spectrum Allocation for a Contest with China (James Lewis, CSIS): https://www.csis.org/analysis/spectrum-allocation-contest-china
The Strategic Imperative of U.S. Leadership in Next-Generation Networks (Clete Johnson, CSIS): https://www.csis.org/analysis/strategic-imperative-us-leadership-next-generation-networks

Data Brokers, Geolocation, and the Fourth Amendment Jul 10, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Caitlin Chin speaks with Nathan Freed Wessler, deputy director of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, about how technological advancements have shifted the U.S. government's relationship with the private sector. Nate and Caitlin talk about how government agencies access cell phone location data and face images, as well as some related privacy, civil liberties, and free speech considerations.

For additional resources on this topic, check out:

Surveillance for Sale: The Underregulated Relationship between U.S. Data Brokers and Domestic and Foreign Government Agencies (CSIS): https://www.csis.org/analysis/surveillance-sale
New Records Detail DHS Purchase and Use of Vast Quantities of Cell Phone Location Data (ACLU): https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/new-records-detail-dhs-purchase-and-use-of-vast-quantities-of-cell-phone-location-data
Privacy & Technology (ACLU): https://www.aclu.org/issues/privacy-technology

How Mis- and Disinformation Affects the Asian American Community Jun 08, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Caitlin Chin sits down with Emily Chi and Jenny Liu of Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC, an DC national nonprofit whose mission is to advance civil and human rights for Asian Americans and to build and promote a fair and equitable society for all. Emily and Jenny discuss how false or harmful online narratives can affect the Asian American community in a variety of contexts, including elections and pandemics. In addition, they analyze various policy approaches to address the structural problem of race-based harmful or false online content, including cultural representation within technology companies, educational initiatives in schools, community-based outreach, and legislation.

Promoting the Responsible Use of Synthetic Media May 10, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Caitlin Chin speaks with Di Cooke, a visiting fellow with the International Security Program at CSIS, about the rapid growth of synthetic media in many forms: videos, images, text, and audio. Caitlin and Di discuss the role of digital literacy trainings, platform accountability, and regulations to promote the potential benefits of AI while mitigating risks relating to disinformation, privacy, intellectual property, and ethics.

Helper Robots: Implementation and Policy Mar 23, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Jim Lewis speaks with Kate Weber, Google’s Interim Global Lead for Emerging Tech Policy, and Vincent Vanhoucke, Distinguished Scientist and Director of Robotics at Google. They discuss Google’s PaLM-SayCan project, the implementation of robots into everyday life, incorporating common sense into language models and robots, and AI policy frameworks.

TikTok: To Ban or Not to Ban? Mar 15, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, CSIS guest host Caitlin Chin joins Evan Greer, director of Fight for The Future, to discuss recent proposals to ban TikTok. Caitlin and Evan talk about how a national TikTok ban could cut off a form of free speech and expression online and why some advocates are calling for federal antitrust and privacy legislation to improve the digital ecosystem more broadly. In addition, they discuss the role of advocacy to promote inclusive technology policy and what actions Congress and the Biden administration might take going forward.

The Future of the Semiconductor Ecosystem Mar 10, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Jim Lewis speaks with Al Thompson, Vice President of U.S. Government Affairs at Intel. They speak about the implementation of the CHIPS Act, Intel’s semiconductor goals, regaining U.S. semiconductor leadership, the future of the chip shortage, and more.

5G and Cybersecurity Feb 08, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Jim Lewis talks with Chris Boyer, the Vice President of Global Security and Technology Policy at AT&T. They discuss U.S. progress on 5G implementation, recent legislative and executive developments in cybersecurity, Open RAN integration, and more.

This episode was recorded in October 2022