While Congress held hearings about data privacy last month, federal lawmakers still have not found common ground to pass legislation on this issue. However, there are still actions that the federal government can take to protect data privacy. Case in point, last Friday, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released the multi-agency “National Strategy to Advance Privacy-Preserving Data Sharing and Analytics.”
This Strategy aims to advance the use of data privacy-protecting methods and technologies in the federal government and elsewhere. Crucially, the Strategy underscores the importance of using data to tackle major social challenges, which makes it all the more important to develop privacy protections that facilitate beneficial uses of data. In addition to reading the Strategy, you can find a detailed summary from Nextgov here.
Thank you for keeping up with tech policy developments. Our news roundup and a featured podcast are below.
This Week in Washington
- Telecompetitor and The Wall Street Journal: The FCC and NTIA are working closely to update the second version of the National Broadband Map, which will be used to determine state BEAD allocations that are scheduled to be released on June 30. This news comes as a bipartisan group of Senators announced a bill that would require the Biden administration to have an additional review before determining how much funding each state will receive from the program to ensure rural states get their fair share.
- NextGov: Several House Republicans wrote a letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo requesting insights on how the $50 billion the agency received in funding from the CHIPS and Science Act is being spent.
- ABC News: President Biden is calling upon tech companies to ensure that their AI products are safe before releasing them to the public.
- NextGov: The NIST has launched its new Trustworthy & Responsible AI Resource Center, which will house the current federal guidance on AI and provide a framework for the responsible use of AI systems.
- Washington Post: Former New Jersey Congressman Tom Malinowski is working with the recently launched “Task Force on Defeating Disinformation Attacks on U.S. Democracy” from the McCain Institute at Arizona State to continue his fight to curb protections for tech companies under Section 230.
- Reuters: A bipartisan group of senators is looking to reign in big digital advertising companies by introducing a bill that will prevent them from owning more than one part of the stack of services that connect advertisers with companies that have space for advertising.
Article Summary
- GCN: An AI platform that was introduced to help monitor social media discourse around COVID-19 is being used as a tool to help emergency responders determine the appropriate response during a disaster.
- Wall Street Journal and Wired: AI has been used to create images, kickstart conversations, and help streamline workflows. Now researchers are using the technology to learn more about the human mind and AI engineers are exploring the technology’s video creation capabilities.
- Reuters: Australia has become the latest ally of the U.S. to ban TikTok from government devices.
- Microsoft: Microsoft introduced Security Copilot, their latest AI advancement that will help revolutionize the field of cybersecurity by helping cybersecurity professionals in their fight against attackers. The company’s Digital Crime Unit is also partnering with other groups to prevent cybercriminals from using illegal copies of Cobalt Strike.
- AP News: Arkansas lawmakers advanced a bill that would require anyone under the age of 18 to get a parent or guardian’s permission to use social media sites after parents and lawmakers became concerned about how the platforms impact youth mental health.
- Axios: Protection against cyberattacks has grown nationwide, but small businesses remain vulnerable to hackers and many are pleading that the businesses begin to report these attacks.
- Forbes: A growing number of start-ups developing healthcare platforms are being driven by ‘techquity’, a term referring to how healthcare technology can be either a barrier or a channel for accessible, equitable care.
Featured Podcast
The Wall Street Journal
- Tech News Briefing
Sam Altman the CEO of startup OpenAI is navigating the challenges of being at the forefront of the most buzzed about technologies in decades. WSJ tech reporter Berber Jin joins host Zoe Thomas to discuss how he’s balancing the speed of development with the risks raised by artificial intelligence technology. (How the CEO of OpenAI Is Navigating Development and Risk – April 6, 2023)