Age restrictions and design obligations are complementary measures. Lorena Giuberti Coutinho on Brazil's ECA Digital law and the case for regulating how platforms are built, not just who can use them.

Brazil's Child Online Safety Law Offers a Different Path Than Social Media Bans

As governments adopt social media age limits, Lorena Giuberti Coutinho argues that platform design is just as important for protecting children online.

techpolicy.press

Almost every LLM that reaches a broad audience is quantized—compressed to run cheaply. USC's Emilio Ferrara argues this compression is treated as a safety nonevent, when it should be treated as a change to the deployed system. This has policy implications, he says.

The Model You Audit Is Not the Model You Ship

Almost every LLM that reaches a broad audience is quantized—with under-appreciated ramifications for AI safety, writes Emilio Ferrara.

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The GUARD Act's definition of an "AI companion" is broad enough to sweep in ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, argues Dr. Sameer Hinduja. He makes the case for six fixes that tie regulation to what a product does, not its app-store label.

AI Is Not Social Media. New Child Safety Laws Should Reflect That.

A factor that informed three decades of child safety policy—where one person targets another on a platform—is not the factor here, writes Sameer Hinduja.

techpolicy.press

CDT Europe's Christian Cirhigiri and Marie Seck welcome the EU panel's focus on children's rights and platform responsibility—but argue "safety by design" is left undefined, with no clarity on who decides when a platform is actually safe.

Does the EU's Special Panel Succeed in Charting a Third Path for Child Safety?

CDT Europe's Christian Cirhigiri and Marie Seck consider the Special Panel on Child Safety Online's July report.

techpolicy.press

As opposition to data centers grows across the United States, the tech industry is "pulling from tried-and-tested playbooks" to bypass it, write Dean Jackson and Samantha Totoni—from nonprofit front groups to super PACs to tightly managed public forums.

Big Tech’s PR Playbook for Overcoming Data Center Opponents

The tech industry is pulling from tried-and-tested playbooks to bypass and securitize public opposition, write Dean Jackson and Samantha Totoni.

techpolicy.press

In Washington, July saw a flurry of new reports, announcements, and events that continued to put questions around AI and security at the fore. More in the July US tech policy roundup from Freedman Consulting & Tech Policy Press.

July 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.

techpolicy.press

Liz Orembo argues AI risk is relational—it "does not reside in code alone." A model can pass every frontier safety test and still cause harm when deployed into different languages, institutions and social realities. That matters, in particular, for Africa.

Why the Global AI Safety Agenda Cannot See African Harms

Coordination around an incomplete definition of safety risks scaling the world's blind spots rather than reducing them, writes Liz Orembo.

techpolicy.press

Jane Munga of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace examines the ITU's new AI for Good Global Commission and identifies five issues it must address to deliver real benefits for Africa.

Another Commission for Global AI Governance. How Can It Deliver for Africa?

Five issues are critical to address to make the AI for Good Global Commission deliver for Africa, writes Jane Munga.

techpolicy.press

What happens when users try to say goodbye to an AI companion? 🎧 CDT’s @mluria.bsky.social joins the latest @techpolicypress.bsky.social podcast to discuss how AI companions are designed to exploit our social instincts. Listen here:

When Users Say 'Goodbye' to AI

Laura Karpas on recent research from the Center for Democracy and Technology's Michal Luria and Harvard Business School's Julian De Freitas.

techpolicy.press

Google's policy plan offers lawmakers a map of AI harm, writes Gregory Gondwe, an assistant professor at the University of Alabama and a faculty associate at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. It puts frontier threats at the center and more familiar structural harms at the edges.

Google's AI Governance Plan Draws the Boundaries of What Counts as Harm

Google seeks to shape regulation by deciding which harms deserve special attention and which appear familiar, writes Gregory Gondwe.

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The EU AI Act's transparency rules are live—but WITNESS's Bruna Santos and Jacobo Castellanos warn the exemptions could quietly hand the loudest producers of synthetic media a pass.

EU AI Act Transparency Rules Are Now In Effect. Was It A Missed Opportunity?

The EU must confront the technical and legal realities of the digital lifecycle, write WITNESS's Bruna Santos and Jacobo Castellanos.

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The GUARD Act's definition of an "AI companion" is broad enough to sweep in ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, argues Dr. Sameer Hinduja. He makes the case for six fixes that tie regulation to what a product does, not its app-store label.

AI Is Not Social Media. New Child Safety Laws Should Reflect That.

A factor that informed three decades of child safety policy—where one person targets another on a platform—is not the factor here, writes Sameer Hinduja.

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When it comes to AI chatbots, "Congress should not expect parents to shoulder the burden of unsafe product design," writes Americans for Responsible Innovation's Brandie Nonnecke. Her recommended fix: an enforceable duty of care.

Why Congress Must Codify a Chatbot Duty of Care

When it comes to the safety and well-being of America’s youth, a legally mandated chatbot duty of care is necessary, argues Brandie Nonnecke.

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The European Commission has not shown why Europe needs to triple data center capacity, nor how existing infrastructure is being used. Michelle Thorne, Aurora Gomez Delgado, Fieke Jansen and Rosi Leonard make the case for a moratorium.

The Case for a Temporary Moratorium on Large Data Centers in Europe

Michelle Thorne, Aurora Gomez Delgado, Fieke Jansen and Rosi Leonard argue the EU should pause new data centers until it proves they are in the public interest.

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CDT Europe's Christian Cirhigiri and Marie Seck welcome the EU panel's focus on children's rights and platform responsibility—but argue "safety by design" is left undefined, with no clarity on who decides when a platform is actually safe.

Does the EU's Special Panel Succeed in Charting a Third Path for Child Safety?

CDT Europe's Christian Cirhigiri and Marie Seck consider the Special Panel on Child Safety Online's July report.

buff.ly

As opposition to data centers grows across the United States, the tech industry is "pulling from tried-and-tested playbooks" to bypass it, write Dean Jackson and Samantha Totoni—from nonprofit front groups to super PACs to tightly managed public forums.

Big Tech’s PR Playbook for Overcoming Data Center Opponents

The tech industry is pulling from tried-and-tested playbooks to bypass and securitize public opposition, write Dean Jackson and Samantha Totoni.

buff.ly

Europe's highest court dismissed Google's Android antitrust appeal last month. Lucas Lasota, Jithendra Palepu and Dario Presutti argue the next battle is already underway over who governs trust in the Android ecosystem.

Google Android Antitrust Ruling Shows the Next Battle is Over Who Controls Trust

Europe's top court upheld Google's Android antitrust penalty, but the bigger battle may now be over who governs trust in the Android ecosystem.

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In Washington, July saw a flurry of new reports, announcements, and events that continued to put questions around AI and security at the fore. More in the July US tech policy roundup from Freedman Consulting & Tech Policy Press.

July 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.

buff.ly

AI-powered nudification tools are making image-based abuse faster, cheaper and harder to stop. Ana Ornelas investigates how sexualized deepfakes are affecting survivors, why sex workers face unique harms, and how Europe's safeguards are struggling to keep up.

How the AI Deepfake Boom is Outpacing Europe's Safeguards

Europe's AI rules are struggling to keep pace with deepfake abuse. Ana Ornelas investigates the growing impact on victims and the gaps in protection.

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AI's benefits are concentrated in a few companies and countries, but its footprint is distributed, argue Jamila Venturini and Marina Meira from Derechos Digitales. They call for a global infrastructure to hold the AI supply chain accountable.

From the AI Accountability Gap to a Global Accountability Infrastructure

The first UN Global Dialogue recognized the problem. The next step is building an architecture capable of addressing it, write Jamila Venturini & Marina Meira.

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The Trump administration tried to use visa denials and deportation to silence researchers who study social media. A court said no. Sunday Tagliasacchi and Elisabeth Snyder, former legal externs at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, break down the CITR v. Rubio ruling.

Trump Cannot Use Immigration Law to Silence Technology Researchers

Sunday Tagliasacchi and Elisabeth Snyder detail an initial court victory for the Coalition for Independent Technology Research in CITR v. Rubio.

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Tulane's Muira McCammon documented how Google turned off reviews for 90+ ICE detention facilities, erasing accounts of conditions inside. Google says disabling ICE facility reviews was "unrelated to a government request." But McCammon argues the effect is the same: dissent rendered invisible.

As Google Scrubs ICE Detention Reviews, Platform Power Serves State Interests

Google’s content moderation choices threaten to render accounts of treatment inside federal detention centers invisible, writes Muira McCammon.

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Over a hundred academics asked Ireland to recuse itself from EU digital and tax files during its Council presidency. Article 19's Mark Dempsey and Columbia World Projects' Anna Marchese argue Ireland should welcome the scrutiny.

The Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union Should Welcome Scrutiny from Academia

The question is whether Ireland is willing to take actions that inspire confidence in the impartiality of its decisions, write Mark Dempsey and Anna Marchese.

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Audio reporter Laura Karpas talks to the Center for Democracy & Technology's Michal Luria and Harvard Business School's Julian De Freitas about dark patterns in AI companions—and what happens when users try to say "goodbye."

When Users Say 'Goodbye' to AI

Laura Karpas on recent research from the Center for Democracy and Technology's Michal Luria and Harvard Business School's Julian De Freitas.

techpolicy.press

Digital ID scrapped. DSIT shuttered. AI policy reshuffled. New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is already making moves to change the government’s approach to tech policy. Justin Hendrix asks James Ball, Gavin Freeguard, and Rachel Coldicutt to make sense of the "muddle."

Taking Stock of the UK Tech Policy 'Muddle'

A conversation with Tech Policy Press fellow James Ball, State of the Future's Gavin Freeguard, and Careful Industries' Rachel Coldicutt.

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Google didn't just add AI to Google Earth—it briefly turned one of the world's most trusted sources of evidence into a generator of plausible fakes. shirin anlen & Sam Gregory from WITNESS on a foreseeable fiasco, and why tech firms must consult civil society experts before launch, not after.

Google Earth AI Fiasco Underscores Why Tech Firms Must Listen to Outside Experts

It's just one more parable in a long line of product releases by AI firms with potentially dangerous consequences, write shirin anlen and Sam Gregory.

after.google

Merici Vinton from the Center for American Progress & Lynn Overmann from Georgetown's Beeck Center extract five principles from NYC's new Public Interest Technology Crew that they argue should be standard practice for digital capacity initiatives everywhere.

Cities and States Can Replicate NYC’s Ambitious Public Interest Tech Crew

Merici Vinton and Lynn Overmann extract five principles they say should become the standard operating procedure for digital capacity initiatives everywhere.

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Mozilla CTO Raffi Krikorian says the real question for builders isn't which AI model they are using—it's whether they could leave for a different one. The door's still open to choose a different path—for now.

Is Open-Source AI Really the Dangerous Path?

The real question for builders right now isn’t which model you’re using. Rather, it's whether you could leave for a different one, writes Raffi Krikorian.

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Google's policy plan offers lawmakers a map of AI harm, writes Gregory Gondwe, an assistant professor at the University of Alabama and a faculty associate at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. It puts frontier threats at the center and more familiar structural harms at the edges.

Google's AI Governance Plan Draws the Boundaries of What Counts as Harm

Google seeks to shape regulation by deciding which harms deserve special attention and which appear familiar, writes Gregory Gondwe.

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A network of Telegram "local news" channels has no newsroom behind it. Democracy Reporting International’s Ognjen Karadzic & Daniela Alvarado Rincón trace how it grew across 19 languages undetected—and argue the EU should reconsider its light-touch approach to Telegram.

What a Growing Telegram Disinformation Network Reveals About the DSA

Ognjen Karadzic and Daniela Alvarado Rincón analyze their research on a Telegram disinformation network and what it means for the EU's Digital Services Act.

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