Meta's settlement with state attorneys general added teen time limits and design changes. But Juvaria Shahid, legal fellow at Tech Justice Law, writes that "the settlement leaves much to be desired" and is not the tech industry's "Big Tobacco" moment.

Meta's Multibillion-Dollar Settlement Left a Lot to Be Desired

Tech Justice Law's Juvaria Shahid says the settlement is not the tech industry’s ‘Big Tobacco’ moment.

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A $3.5 billion deal between Greece and Israel highlights a gap in Europe's rules on AI surveillance tech and weapons: "European human rights conditionality scrutinizes what weapons member states sell to others, but falls silent about purchases," writes Tech Policy Press fellow Petra Molnar.

Human Rights Should Still Matter When Countries Buy Tech That Kills

A major defense tech deal between Greece and Israel raises questions about who it's OK to buy AI-surveillance and weapons from in the EU, writes Petra Molnar.

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United States Custom and Border Protection's warrantless device searches at the border have nearly doubled since early 2023, writes Tech Policy Press fellow Jake Laperruque, and a new 2nd Circuit ruling keeps in place "an archaic standard ill-suited for the digital age."

Circuit Court Ruling on Border Searches Deals Serious Blow to Privacy Rights

The ruling ensures international travel to the US will continue to come with significant costs to privacy, writes Tech Policy Press fellow Jake Laperruque.

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Brussels is cutting digital red tape while proposing new rules like the EU Kids Act. Mark Scott writes that the two competing philosophies playing out in real time are exposing a tension at the heart of Europe's digital agenda.

The EU’s Tech Regulation Paradox is Getting Harder to Ignore

Brussels is cutting tech red tape while proposing new rules like the EU Kids Act, writes Mark Scott, exposing a tension at the heart of Europe’s digital agenda.

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“Hype is eating the future, and leaving us the bones.” Sun-ha Hong of UNC-Chapel Hill says the Silicon Valley hype machine systematically “borrows credibility from the future to purchase legitimacy in the present.” The cost, he argues, is a planetary-scale drain on our alternatives.

Tech Hype is Cannibalizing the Future

Every day, we are told that we live in the future—but hype is eating the future and leaving us the bones," writes Sun-ha Hong.

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On the Tech Policy Press podcast, editor Justin Hendrix talks with UNC Chapel Hill researchers Daniel Kreiss and Lorcan Neill about their new paper, "Militant Platform Democracy: A Framework for Democracy-Worthy Platform Policies." "Platforms have to proceed from an analysis of power," Kreiss says.

Why Social Media Platforms Should Adopt a 'Militant Democracy' Framework

Daniel Kreiss and Lorcan Neill on what social media platforms should do when the state itself becomes a threat to democracy.

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Why is Pennsylvania ground zero in the fight over AI data centers? Tech Policy Press editor Justin Hendrix asks Data & Society researchers Maia Woluchem and Ana Carolina de Assis Nunes, authors of "The AI Factory," and organizer Hannah Sassaman of People's Tech Project.

Pennsylvania is a Swing-State Case Study for Data Center Politics

Maia Woluchem, Ana Carolina de Assis Nunes and Hannah Sassaman on why Pennsylvania communities are resisting AI data centers.

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Tim Bernard examines a new Belgian study finding that exposure to political content on social media is positively associated with current affairs knowledge—but that people who know more are actually less likely to post about politics online.

Who Participates in Politics on Social Media, and Why?

People really do learn about politcs on social media says a new study from Belgium, but the loudest voices are often not the most objective, writes Tim Bernard.

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Hype cannibalizes the accumulated expectations from past failures to make objects of hype appear plausible and attractive, writes Sun-ha Hong in the latest entry in The Hype Studies Series on Tech Policy Press.

Tech Hype is Cannibalizing the Future

Every day, we are told that we live in the future—but hype is eating the future and leaving us the bones," writes Sun-ha Hong.

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African countries collect, on average, only about 16 percent of GDP in tax. Daisy Ogembo, a senior fellow at the International Centre for Tax and Development, says voluntary tax payments could go up if governments embed trust and accountability into digital public infrastructure.

In Africa, Digital Payments Could Unlock Tax Revenue if Data is Protected

Digital public infrastructure needs data safeguards in order to lead to increases in voluntary tax payments in African countries, says Daisy Ogembo.

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When chatbots write legal briefs, could AI companies be held liable for "unauthorized practice of law"? Daniel Kalish examines how century-old licensing laws may (or may not) apply to artificial intelligence.

Nippon Life v. OpenAI and the Future of AI Legal Work

Do legal briefs by chatbots count as "unauthorized practice of law"? Daniel Kalish examines how century-old licensing laws could apply to AI companies.

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“When does attachment become dependency?” Nik R. Roeingh writes that the EU Kids Act asks providers to predict that boundary, and that in practice it is anything but clear.

Europe Wants to Regulate AI Friends. But How Do You Curb Dependency?

With the KIDS Act, Europe has taken a first step toward regulating AI companions but it is still learning how to regulate dependency, writes Nik Roeingh.

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The invitation-only gathering comes as Ireland leads negotiations over the Digital Omnibus, raising questions about whose interests are represented as the EU rewrites its digital rulebook, writes Tech Policy Press fellow Liz Carolan.

At Ireland’s AI Summit, Tech Industry Dominates as Civil Society Sits Out

The invitation-only summit comes as Ireland leads Digital Omnibus negotiations, raising questions about whose interests are represented, writes Liz Carolan.

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Less than a week after mass layoffs at local newspapers across the US, McClatchy emailed staff celebrating five new hires for its AI-focused Content Innovation Lab. Tech Policy Press fellow Chris Mills Rodrigo reports on growing concern among local journalists.

Cutting Local Journalists, McClatchy Embraces AI Content

Reporters at McClatchy newspapers across the US are concerned that the company's pivot to AI spells trouble for local journalism, reports Chris Mills Rodrigo.

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The September US tech policy roundup from Freedman Consulting and Tech Policy Press tracks Trump’s order on using the term “super intelligence” to AI safety pledges, stalled bills in Congress, state action, key court rulings and more.

September 2026 US Tech Policy Roundup

A roundup of the most important US tech policy developments in the federal government, the courts, and beyond from Freedman Consulting and Tech Policy Press.

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"Someone has to care to make things happen," Francine Berman writes in Better Tech, new from MIT Press. Reviewing the book, Nathan Sanders of Harvard's Berkman Klein Center says readers will come away "newly equipped with specific ideas and modes of action to make change."

Francine Berman’s ‘Better Tech’ is a Call to Arms for Those Who Care About Tech’s Role in 21st Century Life

Data scientist Francine Berman’s new book, Better Tech, aims to turn anxieties about tech into civic action, writes Nathan Sanders.

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In their September roundup, Maria Buza and Şeymanur Yönt Gökcen of Digital Policy Alert track G20 developments in content moderation, AI, competition and data governance, including the European Commission's proposed KIDS Act and Ireland's €403 million fine against Google.

Global Digital Policy Roundup: September 2026

Drawing from the Digital Policy Alert’s daily monitoring of G20 countries, the roundup summarizes the highlights in four core areas of digital policy.

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Brazil's platform rules have focused on harms from commercial platforms. João Alexandre Peschanski of Wikimedia Brasil, Amalia Toledo of the Wikimedia Foundation and Elise Silva of the University of Pittsburgh argue digital public goods like Wikipedia need their own legal category.

Wikipedia Isn't Big Tech, and Brazil's Platform Rules Should Say So

Brazil's approach to platform regulation risks undermining Wikipedia and the knowledge commons, write João Alexandre Peschanski, Amalia Toledo and Elise Silva.

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Economic violence against women through the use of digital IDs is a growing, rarely recognized problem in Denmark and across Europe, reports Polina Bachlakova.

How Denmark's National Digital ID Fuels Economic Violence Against Women

They are meant to be secure—but digital IDs and banking apps are enabling economic abuse against women, reports Polina Bachlakova.

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Hype cannibalizes the accumulated expectations from past failures to make objects of hype appear plausible and attractive, writes Sun-ha Hong in the latest entry in The Hype Studies Series on Tech Policy Press.

Tech Hype is Cannibalizing the Future

Every day, we are told that we live in the future—but hype is eating the future and leaving us the bones," writes Sun-ha Hong.

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African countries collect, on average, only about 16 percent of GDP in tax. Daisy Ogembo, a senior fellow at the International Centre for Tax and Development, says voluntary tax payments could go up if governments embed trust and accountability into digital public infrastructure.

In Africa, Digital Payments Could Unlock Tax Revenue if Data is Protected

Digital public infrastructure needs data safeguards in order to lead to increases in voluntary tax payments in African countries, says Daisy Ogembo.

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Russia's new AI law borrows the vocabulary of contemporary AI regulation but uses it to combine industrial policy with technological control, write Dmitry Kuteynikov and Lyubov Popovets.

Russia’s AI Law Puts Control Ahead of Capability

Dmitry Kuteynikov and Lyubov Popovets examine Russia’s first comprehensive AI law, its rushed passage, and what it means for AI development.

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Grab drivers in Vietnam staged a two-day app boycott last month over commission rates. Tech Policy Press fellow Lam Le reports on what happened, and what it reveals about the changing politics of platform work in Southeast Asia.

Vietnam’s Gig Workers Are Finding New Ways to Push Back

Growing public solidarity and new regulations across Southeast Asia are putting pressure on Vietnam to address platform work, reports Lam Le.

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Less than a week after mass layoffs at local newspapers across the US, McClatchy emailed staff celebrating five new hires for its AI-focused Content Innovation Lab. Tech Policy Press fellow Chris Mills Rodrigo reports on growing concern among local journalists.

Cutting Local Journalists, McClatchy Embraces AI Content

Reporters at McClatchy newspapers across the US are concerned that the company's pivot to AI spells trouble for local journalism, reports Chris Mills Rodrigo.

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Three government sponsors pulled their logos from Europe's premier disinformation conference in Vilnius this week. Ramsha Jahangir and Giovana Fleck report on what drove the withdrawals and the transatlantic politics behind them.

Disinformation Conference in Europe Caught Up in Transatlantic Politics

Europe’s top disinformation conference faces government withdrawals and pressure over its debate on foreign interference, free speech and the US.

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Mark MacCarthy and David Beier argue for "legal measures to ensure the safety of the AI development process itself," noting that this summer's incidents "took place during AI research, development and testing." The models "had not been released to the public."

It's Time to Regulate the AI Development Process

It is time for policymakers to oversee a process to develop scientifically based AI research protocols, write Mark MacCarthy and David Beier.

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The UK government is positioning itself as a global leader on AI safety while struggling to agree on how far rules should go — and what risks they should address, reports Evie Breese.

UK Wants to Lead the World on AI Safety. It Can’t Decide Where To Start

Evie Breese reports on the UK's push to lead AI regulation as ministers grapple with how far rules should go and which risks to target.

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To get ahead of EU mandates and alleviate pressure from the Federal Trade Commission, the biggest cloud service providers started offering fee exemptions for customers looking to exit their cloud. It has had little practical effect on competition, argue Luke Hogg and Sophia Bulla.

Cloud Needs More than Fee Waivers to be Competitive

Eliminating egress fees is benignly unproductive in the effort to improve competition in the cloud, write Luke Hogg and Sophia Bulla from FAI.

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"Adults are harmed when their data is leaked, but kids suffer more," writes Logan Kolas of the American Consumer Institute, arguing that age verification laws meant to protect children could put America "on a collision course with its newly discovered AI-augmented cybersecurity reality."

Age Verification is an AI Cybersecurity Problem

AI cybersecurity threats are exposing the privacy risks of age verification laws, which require companies to collect sensitive data, writes Logan Kolas.

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Daniel Stone examines the OpenAI agent incident in Australia: "84 days, almost three months, from the first access to the warning being raised." He calls for enforceable rules, prompt notice, access to logs and a way to recover costs.

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Diffusion is an AI policy and strategy consultancy combining public opinion research, narrative strategy, and advisory to help organisations navigate AI governance.

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