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Governance of Technology & the Internet

Networked technologies are complex, multi-layered, interdependent, and subject to multiple competing interests. Through original research and by creating connections between stakeholders, we work to build principles, methods, and tools for governing the common resource that is the Internet.

Our Work 109

Publication
Jun 22, 2023

Vectors of AI Governance

Juxtaposing the U.S. Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2022 with The EU Artificial Intelligence Act

This article juxtaposes proposed legislation in the US and EU for regulating AI and reflects on the future direction of AI governance.

Publication
Jun 12, 2023

Accountability Infrastructure

How to implement limits on platform optimization to protect population health

A white paper that builds upon the history of public health for addressing the systemic harms of online platforms.

Event
Apr 13, 2023 @ 4:00 PM

Student Salon Series: Balancing AI Innovation and Regulation - what is the role of AI auditing at the time of ChatGPTs arms race?

Join us on April 13, for the Berkman Klein Center’s second Student Salon Series event, Balancing AI Innovation and Regulation -- what is the role of AI auditing at the time of…

Publication
Mar 21, 2023

Towards Responsible Quantum Technology

The expected societal impact of quantum technologies (QT) urges us to proceed and innovate responsibly. This article proposes a conceptual framework for Responsible QT.

Event
Feb 9, 2023 @ 12:30 PM

Student Salon Series: Moral Futurism: Digital Citizenship and the Rights of Youth in the Metaverse and Beyond

The Student Salon Series is a student-led event series bringing Harvard students into dialogue about tech topics, hosted by the Berkman Klein Center.   This inaugural…

News
Nov 14, 2022

BKC Comment to the FTC on Transparency and Commercial Surveillance

On behalf of BKC and its projects and associates, the Cyberlaw Clinic submitted a comment regarding the FTC's ANPR related to commercial surveillance and data privacy.

Mar 3, 2022

Lumen Database Leads Research Sprint Exploring Best Practices For Transparency around Online Content Takedowns

Global cohort of scholars, professionals, and civil society representatives consider norms and regulations for removal of online content

BKC's Lumen Database is launching nine-week “Takedowns and Transparency Research Sprint"...

Apr 28, 2021

German Digital Council: An ‘Inside-Out’ Case Study

Report offers window into innovative expert council model

German Chancellor Angela Merkel appointed a group to bring a digital mindset into government

News
Feb 12, 2021

Prediction from Lumen Database researchers cited by Vice

A new video shows Beverly Hills cops playing the Beatles to trigger Instagram's algorithmic copyright filter, raising concerns that some law enforcement are using copyright…

News
Jan 28, 2021

Gaining power, losing control

In the wake of the Capitol riots and the deplatforming of Donald Trump, Harvard Law tech expert Jonathan Zittrain explores the clash of free speech and public health online

In the wake of the Capitol riots and the deplatforming of Donald Trump, Harvard Law tech expert Jonathan Zittrain explores the clash of free speech and public health online

News
Dec 17, 2020

Some Reflections on the Role of Government in Trustworthy AI

Urs Gasser shares his remarks from the Launch Event of Colombia’s AI Ethics Framework.

News
Oct 1, 2020

Web Integrity Project joins the Berkman Klein Center

Project spotlights government transparency

Project researches government transparency and censorship

News
Jun 8, 2020

HLS Students Examine Digital Responses to COVID-19

Harvard Law School Students Develop Reports on Anti-COVID Tech

Harvard students pivot from Governing Digital Technology with reports on the pandemic

News
May 21, 2020

The Breakdown: evelyn douek on doctored media, platform response and responsibility

Do tech companies have a responsibility for false content beyond the impact of that content on the information environment on their sites?

The second episode of our new video series asks, do tech companies have a responsibility for false content beyond the impact of that content on the information environment on…

News
May 15, 2020

Lumen database enables Wall Street Journal investigation

Removal request data from Google uncovers false takedown claims

The WSJ collaborated with Lumen, exploring its database of copyright removal notices and uncovering false takedown claims to Google.

May 4, 2020

Challenges in Digital Technology

Reflections on pivotal moments and gradual shifts in the tech sector

Reflections on pivotal moments and gradual shifts in the tech sector

Event
Oct 22, 2019 @ 5:00 PM

Contesting Algorithms

Featuring Niva Elkin-Koren, Professor of Law at the University of Haifa and Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University.

VIDEO & PODCAST: Professor Elkin-Koren proposes to address AI-based content moderation by introducing an adversarial procedure.

Event
Sep 10, 2019 @ 12:00 PM

Can Tech be Governed?

BKC Luncheon Series: Public Kickoff featuring Jonathan Zittrain

VIDEO & PODCAST: How different is this technology from what preceded it, and do we need new ways to govern it? If so, how would they come about?

News
Apr 10, 2019

The Law and the Digital World

The AGTech Forum at Harvard Law gives state attorneys general a place to learn about technological changes and strategize about how the law can keep up

Insight for Attorney Generals into privacy and emerging technologies

News
Feb 25, 2019

Tech Giants, Profs Push Justices To Take Google-Oracle Case

The Oracle - Google case. Setting legal norms and a global precedent for software copyrights and infringement. 

Event
Feb 5, 2019 @ 12:00 PM

A History of the Internet

featuring Scott Bradner

VIDEO & PODCAST: Why has the Internet had such a powerful impact? What are the challenges that may cause the Internet of tomorrow to be significantly less revolutionary than the…

Event
Jan 31, 2019 @ 6:00 PM

Cyberlaw and Human Rights

Intersections in the Global South

VIDEO & PODCAST: Academics and civil society representatives from across the Global South will discuss emerging legal challenges to human rights in digitally networked spaces,…

News
Dec 14, 2018

Get to Know Berkman Klein Fellow Armando Guio-Espanol

a spotlight on one of our 2018-2019 BKC Fellows

by Tanvi Kanchinadam This interview is part of a collaborative effort between the summer 2018 BKC interns and the Communications team to showcase the tremendous&nbsp…

News

It’s not enough for AI to be “ethical”; it must also be “rights respecting”

On the importance of thinking about both the human rights implications and the ethics of AI.

Oct 9, 2018
Event
Sep 12, 2018 @ 4:00 PM

Book Launch: Big Data, Health Law, and Bioethics

When data from all aspects of our lives can be relevant to our health - from our habits at the grocery store and our Google searches to our FitBit data and our medical records -…

News
Jul 24, 2018

Apply Now to Join Our Assembly Cohort in 2019!

At the Berkman Klein Center and MIT Media Lab. Applications are due Sunday, September 2, 2018!

Seeking technologists with diverse skill sets to confront the concrete and constantly emerging problems related to artificial intelligence and governance. Applications are due…

News
Jul 11, 2018

Global Governance and Inclusion

Reframing the Global Debate Around AI

A look at lessons we’ve learned in our work as part of the Ethics and Governance of AI Initiative,

Event
May 31, 2018 @ 9:00 AM

Symposium on Trust in Autonomous Vehicles

A symposium that brings together scientists, engineers, lawmakers, and car manufacturers to discuss ethical considerations and trust in autonomous vehicles.

Event
Apr 23, 2018 @ 4:00 PM

Blockchain and the Law

The Rule of Code

Blockchain technology is ultimately a dual-edge technology that can be used to either support or supplant the law. This talk looks at the impact of blockchain technology of a…

Event
Mar 6, 2018 @ 12:00 PM

The Accuracy, Fairness, and Limits of Predicting Recidivism

featuring Julia Dressel

COMPAS is a software used across the country to predict who will commit future crimes. It doesn’t perform any better than untrained people who responded to an online survey.

Publication
Nov 20, 2017

A Layered Model for AI Governance

​AI-based systems are “black boxes,” resulting in massive information asymmetries between the developers of such systems and consumers and policymakers.

Publication
Nov 9, 2017

An Open Letter to the Members of the Massachusetts Legislature Regarding the Adoption of Actuarial Risk Assessment Tools in the Criminal Justice System

This open letter — signed by Harvard and MIT-based faculty, staff, and researchers— is directed to the Massachusetts Legislature to inform its consideration of risk assessment…

Event
Oct 17, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Will Wikipedia exist in 20 years?

Featuring Katherine Maher, Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation, in conversation with Harvard Law School Professor Yochai Benkler

Join us for a stimulating conversation highlighting different perspectives of the question, "Will Wikipedia exist in 20 years?"

Event
Sep 28, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Vish Viswanath, Ph.D.

This is a talk in the monthly Digital Health @ Harvard Brown Bag Lunch Series, which is co-hosted by the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy,…

Event
Sep 19, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

The Line Between Hate and Debate

featuring Monika Bickert, Facebook’s Head of Global Policy Management in conversation with Professor Jonathan Zittrain

As society figures out what is acceptable and what is harmful, can technology play a role in improving online debate?

Aug 14, 2017

Perspectives on Harmful Speech Online

This collection of short essays and opinion pieces on harmful speech online covers a broad spectrum of thought and ideas from the Berkman Klein community.

Event
Jul 11, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Weapons of Math Destruction

How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy

Please join us for a timely discussion of the role of data science in public life. All are welcome at this free event open to the public!

News
Jul 10, 2017

The Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Fund Commits $7.6 Million to Support the Development of AI in the Public Interest

With the Berkman Klein Center and  MIT Media Lab as academic anchor institutions, the Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Fund announced today funding for nine…

Event
Jun 26, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Expanding Access to Medicines and Promoting Innovation

A Practical Approach

Global Access in Action: Conversations in Global Health, Innovation, & the Digital World

News
Jun 20, 2017

Join Our 2018 AI Assembly Cohort!

At the Berkman Klein Center and MIT Media Lab

The Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and the MIT Media Lab are excited to announce the launch of the 2018 Assembly program, a program…

Jun 6, 2017

Children’s Rights and Digital Technologies:

Introduction to the Discourse and Some Meta-Observations

An introduction to the relatively nascent, but quickly evolving children’s digital rights discourse

May 16, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

How to regulate the future of finance?

featuring John Schindler from the Federal Reserve, Jeff Bandman from the CFTC, and Valerie Szczepanik from the SEC

Event Description US market regulators offer perspectives on the benefits and risks of the financial technology revolution from distributed ledgers, p2p marketplaces and…

Event
May 11, 2017 @ 8:30 AM

Next Gen Podcast Distribution Protocols

Innovation and Governance in Open Development Initiatives

The goals of the symposium include furthering cooperation among various players in the world of podcast creation and distribution and consideration of recommendations on standards…

Event
May 2, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

The Quantified Worker

with Berkman Klein Fellow, Ifeoma Ajunwa

To apply to Futurecorp, please submit your resume, list of references, and a genetic profile. Once hired, we'll make an appointment for you to receive a sub-dermal tracking…

Event
Apr 25, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Digital Expungement

Rehabilitation in the Digital Age

Can digital technology lead to the extinction of criminal rehabilitation? How should policymakers strike a balance between protecting civil rights and public safety while ensuring…

Event
Apr 18, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Internet Access as a Basic Service

Inspiration from our Canadian Neighbors

Join the Berkman Klein Center and the HLS Canadian Law Student Association as Mr. Blais speaks about broadband, internet, and the future of connectivity in Canada and around the…

Event
Apr 17, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

JP Onnela

This is a talk in the monthly Digital Health @ Harvard Brown Bag Lunch Series, which is co-hosted by the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy,…

Event
Apr 14, 2017 @ 5:00 PM

In Dialogue with Loomio & Enspiral

Moving Platform Cooperativism from Theory to Practice

Join some of the worker-owners of the Loomio co-op for an inside look at some of the more mature experiments under the “Platform Cooperativism” umbrella.

Event
Apr 4, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Algorithmic Consumers

with Professors Michal Gal, University of Haifa, and Niva Elkin-Koren, Visting Professor of Law at HLS

Hate shopping? The next generation of e-commerce will be conducted by digital agents, based on algorithms that will not only make purchase recommendations, but will also predict…

Event
Mar 28, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Virtual Competition

The Promise and Perils of the Algorithm-Driven Economy

The changing market reality is already shifting power into the hands of the few. Join us to explore the resulting risks to competition, our democratic ideals, and our economic and…

Publication
Mar 22, 2017

Organization & Structure of Open Source Software Development Initiatives

Challenges & Opportunities Concerning Corporate Formation, Nonprofit Status, & Governance for Open Source Projects

A collection of case studies and organizational models for those who manage and participate in open source development initiatives.

Event
Mar 7, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Embedded Dangers

Revisiting the Year 2000 Problem and the Politics of Technological Repair

What really happened in the Y2K crisis and did it matter? With a growing consensus that the United States is in a state of infrastructural crisis, the Y2K bug and its aftermath…

Event
Feb 21, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Internet Designers as Policy-Makers

Sandra Braman, Abbott Professor of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University

Those responsible for technical design of the Internet are essential among the policy-makers for this large-scale sociotechnical infrastructure. Based on analysis of the…

Event
Feb 7, 2017 @ 12:00 PM

Bottom-up Constitutionalism: The Case of Net Neutrality

with Christoph Graber, Berkman Klein Faculty Associate

Can we observe the emergence of a new fundamental right that is protecting the Internet? Can such a constitutionalisation process originate from civil society?

News
Jan 10, 2017

Berkman Klein Center and MIT Media Lab to Collaborate on the Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence

Supported by the Knight Foundation, Omidyar Network, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, Hewlett Foundation, and more

Several foundations and funders today announced the Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Fund, which will support interdisciplinary research to ensure that AI develops…

Publication
Dec 8, 2016

Understanding Harmful Speech Online

This paper offers reflections and observations on the state of research related to harmful speech online.

Publication
Dec 8, 2016

Defining Hate Speech

This essay seeks to review some of the various attempts to define hate speech, and pull from them a series of traits that can be used to frame hate speech with a higher degree of…

Publication
Dec 8, 2016

Grassroots Perspectives on Hate Speech, Race, and Inequality in Brazil and Colombia

Through interviews with leaders of civil society organizations (CSOs) and a review of existing literature, this study discusses efforts and interventions that CSOs have employed…

Publication
Dec 8, 2016

Preliminary Findings on Online Hate Speech and the Law in India

This briefing paper outlines preliminary issues that we noted while conducting a detailed study of hate speech laws in India. It teases out some of the major concerns that arise…

Publication
Sep 15, 2016

Hammering Square Pegs into Round Holes

The Geographical Scope of Application of the EU Right to be Delisted

In this paper, Michel Reymond explores the extraterritorial effects of the Google Spain decision rendered in May 2014 by the European Court of Justice. Through a methodology…

News
May 9, 2016

Computers Gone Wild: Impact and Implications of Developments in Artificial Intelligence on Society

A summary of the second “Computers Gone Wild: Impact and Implications of Developments in Artificial Intelligence on Society” workshop, which took place on February 19, 2016 at…

Event
Apr 27, 2016 @ 9:00 AM

Digital Racist Speech in Latin America: Narratives and Counter-Narratives

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society hosts a conference to explore the dynamics of hate speech targeted toward Afro-descendent populations in Latin America, and the existing…

News
Apr 14, 2016

Cyberlaw Clinic and Lumen Project Reps Contribute to Section 512 Study

On April 1st, the Copyright Office closed the initial comment period for a public study undertaken to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the Digital Millennium…

Publication
Mar 31, 2016

The Transparency Reporting Toolkit:

Best Practices for Reporting on U.S. Government Requests for User Information

The Transparency Reporting Toolkit is a project by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University and New America’s Open Technology Institute (OTI). Using…

Publication
Feb 16, 2016

Cloudy with a Conflict of Laws

How Cloud Computing Has Disrupted the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty System and Why It Matters

This paper describes how the fractal complexity of cloud computing’s physical geography has fractured the system of Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) that arose during the…

Publication
Nov 9, 2015

Towards Digital Constitutionalism? Mapping Attempts to Craft an Internet Bill of Rights

The idea of an “Internet Bill of Rights” is by no means a new one: in fact, serious efforts to draft such a document can be traced at least as far back as the mid-1990s. In this…

News
Nov 8, 2015

Berkman at the Internet Governance Forum

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multistakeholder forum for policy dialogue on issues of Internet governance. The Berkman Center and our colleagues from the Network of…

Publication
Aug 10, 2015

Designing Successful Governance Groups

Lessons for Leaders from Real-World Examples

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society, together with the Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers (NoC), is pleased to announce the release of a new publication…

Publication
Jul 6, 2015

Interoperability in the Digital Ecosystem

The Berkman Center is pleased to announce the publication of a new paper, "Interoperability in the Digital Ecosystem." The paper builds upon our previous interoperability work,…

Publication
Feb 18, 2015

Governance of Online Intermediaries: Observations From a Series of National Case Studies

This project examines the rapidly changing landscape of online intermediary liability at the intersection of law, technology, norms, and markets, and is aimed at informing and…

Publication
Jan 15, 2015

Multistakeholder as Governance Groups: Observations from Case Studies

The project explores existing multistakeholder governance groups with the goal of informing the future evolution of the Internet governance ecosystem. The research effort…

Publication
Mar 17, 2014

Governments and Cloud Computing: Roles, Approaches, and Policy Considerations

In this paper, Urs Gasser and David O'Brien synthesize findings from a multi-year cloud computing research initiative led by the Berkman Center in close collaboration with the…

Publication
Mar 17, 2014

Cloud Innovation and the Law: Issues, Approaches, and Interplay

“Cloud Innovation and the Law: Issues, Approaches, and Interplay,” authored by Berkman Center Executive Director and Harvard Law School Professor of Practice Urs Gasser, draws…

Publication
Aug 15, 2013

Interoperability Case Study: From Crowdsourcing Potholes to Community Policing

Applying Interoperability Theory to Analyze the Expansion of “Open311”

Following the four primary applications of interoperability theory laid out by Palfrey and Gasser, this paper is organized into five Parts: (1) Part One introduces the topic; (2)…

Publication
Jun 23, 2013

Interoperability Case Study: The European Union as an Institutional Design for Legal Interoperability

This case study is part of an ongoing series developed in support of a larger text on interoperability by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly…

Publication
Dec 13, 2012

Interoperability Case Study: Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

This case study is part of an ongoing series developed in support of a larger text on interoperability by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly…

Event
Dec 6, 2012 @ 9:30 AM

Symposium on Internet-Driven Developments: Structural Changes and Tipping Points

Towards a Global Network of Internet and Society Centers

On December 6-8, 2012, the Berkman Center for Internet & Society hosted an international Symposium on Internet-Driven Developments: Structural Changes and Tipping Points (SCTP),…

Publication
Sep 12, 2012

Interoperability Case Study: Mobile Phone Chargers

This case study is part of an ongoing series developed in support of a larger text on interoperability by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly…

Publication
Aug 16, 2012

Interoperability Case Study: Cloud Computing

This case study is part of an ongoing series developed in support of a larger text on interoperability by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser - Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly…

Publication
Jul 15, 2012

Interoperability Case Study: The Bar Code/UPC

This case study is part of an ongoing series developed in support of a larger text on interoperability by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly…

Publication
Jul 8, 2012

Interoperability Case Study: The Smart Grid

This case study is part of an ongoing series developed in support of a larger text on interoperability by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly…

Jun 11, 2012 @ 6:00 PM

The Intention Economy: When Customers Take Charge

Doc Searls

Whether your interest is in preserving Internet freedom and opportunity, changing the economic power structure, new challenges for cyberlaw, or just turning the tables on privacy…

Publication
Jun 5, 2012

Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly Interconnected Systems

In Interop, technology experts John Palfrey and Urs Gasser explore the immense importance of interoperability—the standardization and integration of technology—and show how this…

Publication
May 31, 2012

Interoperability in Information Systems in the Furtherance of Trade

Urs Gasser and John Palfrey have continued to contribute to the World Trade Institute’s NCCR Trade Policy project with a particular focus on the interoperability as an enabler of…

Publication
May 31, 2012

Fostering Innovation and Trade in the Global Information Society: The Different Facets and Roles of Interoperability

Urs Gasser and John Palfrey have continued to contribute to the World Trade Institute’s NCCR Trade Policy project with a particular focus on the interoperability as an enabler of…

Publication
May 31, 2012

Mapping Cloud Interoperability in the Globalized Economy: Theory and Observation from Practice

Urs Gasser and John Palfrey have continued to contribute to the World Trade Institute’s NCCR Trade Policy project with a particular focus on the interoperability as an enabler of…

Event
May 30, 2012 @ 6:00 PM

Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly Interconnected Systems

John Palfrey and Urs Gasser

John Palfrey and Urs Gasser discussed their new book on Interoperability book and its themes.

Publication
Mar 31, 2012

Interoperability Case Study: Internet of Things (IoT)

This case study is part of an ongoing series developed in support of a larger text on interoperability by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly…

Publication
Mar 1, 2012

Interoperability Case Study: Intermodal Containers and Global Cargo Transport

This case study is part of an ongoing series developed in support of a larger text on interoperability by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser Interop: The Promise and Perils of Highly…

Publication
Feb 23, 2012

Youth and Digital Media: From Credibility to Information Quality

Building upon a process- and context-oriented information quality framework, this paper seeks to map and explore what we know about the ways in which young users of age 18 and…

Event
May 16, 2011 @ 9:00 AM

Global Interoperability and Linked Data Workshop

On May 16-17, 2011, the Berkman Center together with Open Knowledge Commons and the Institute for Information Law at the University of Amsterdam convened a group of technical and…

Publication
Nov 3, 2010

Accountability and Transparency at ICANN: An Independent Review

In August 2010, selected faculty and researchers at the Berkman Center initiated an independent, exploratory study analyzing ICANN’s decision-making processes and communications…

Event
Aug 26, 2010 @ 9:00 AM

VRM + CRM 2010

The first VRM+CRM workshop will take place on 26-27 August, at Harvard Law School. It’s free. The purpose is to get VRM and CRM developers and other interested parties (such as…

Publication
Jun 22, 2010

Sexting: Youth Practices and Legal Implications

This document addresses legal and practical issues related to the practice colloquially known as sexting. It was created by Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Clinic, based at the…

Publication
Jun 15, 2010

Working Towards a Deeper Understanding of Digital Safety for Children and Young People in Developing Nations

An Exploratory Study by the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, in Collaboration with UNICEF

This paper's main objectives are: to raise awareness about issues related to digital safety for youth in developing nations; to provide a tentative map of these issues and give…

Publication
Apr 28, 2010

How the COPPA, as Implemented, Is Misinterpreted by the Public: A Research Perspective

Statement to the United States Senate, Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Statement by danah boyd, Urs Gasser, and John Palfrey, urging consideration of the gap between the intentions of COPPA and how children and their parents perceive its…

Publication
Apr 12, 2010

Youth, Privacy and Reputation (Literature Review)

The scope of this literature review is to map out what is currently understood about the intersections of youth, reputation, and privacy online, focusing on youth attitudes and…

Publication
Feb 24, 2010

Response to FCC Notice of Inquiry 09-94 “Empowering Parents and Protecting Children in an Evolving Media Landscape”

The response synthesizes current research and data on the media practices of youth, focusing on three main areas -- 1) Risky Behaviors and Online Safety, 2) Privacy, Publicity and…

Publication
Feb 15, 2010

Next Generation Connectivity

A review of broadband Internet transitions and policy from around the world

The FCC announced that the Berkman Center would conduct an independent expert review of existing literature and studies about broadband deployment and usage throughout the world…

Oct 12, 2009 @ 9:00 AM

VRooM Boston 2009

As with earlier Vendor Relationship Management (VRM) workshops, this is a free unconference, organized on the open space model. Participants choose the topics, move those topics…

May 15, 2009 @ 9:00 AM

ProjectVRM West Coast Workshop 2009

ProjectVRM, an initiative lead by Berkman Fellow Doc Searls, will host its first West Coast Meeting in Palo Alto.

Mar 24, 2009 @ 12:30 PM

The Intention Economy: What Happens When Customers Get Real Power

Doc Searls, Berkman Fellow

In these dawn years of the Information Age, when individuals have more choice than ever about what they can do with their time and money, big companies still talk about "capturing…

Jul 14, 2008 @ 9:00 AM

ProjectVRM Workshop

Day 2 of ProjectVRM's first workshop is underway...

Event
Nov 16, 2007 @ 12:48 AM

Breaking Down Digital Barriers

John Palfrey and Urs Gasser Present New Research on Interoperability

This joint report followed the Roadmap to Open ICT Ecosystems released in 2005, as it navigates the nuanced territory of consumer, corporate, and governmental interests in the…

Event
Apr 17, 2007 @ 12:30 PM

Sacked by Copyright: DMCA Takedowns and Free Expression

Wendy Seltzer, Berkman Fellow

Wendy Seltzer, founder of Chilling Effects, discussed "Sacked by Copyright: DMCA Takedowns and Free Expression."

Event
Mar 8, 2007 @ 1:22 AM

Innovation, Interoperability, and IP

Brad Smith, General Counsel of Microsoft

General Counsel of Microsoft, Brad Smith, discussed ", Interoperability, and IP"

Publication
Jan 31, 2007

Interoperability In the New Digital Identity Infrastructure

This paper maps out multiple dimensions of interoperability in the emerging digital identity management infrastructure, with a view to promoting openness in this infrastructure…

Event
Dec 4, 2003 @ 12:30 PM

ICT and Education in Panama

Colin Maclay, Managing Director of the Berkman Center

Berkman Luncheon Series: 12/4/03 - Colin Maclay on ICT and Education in Panama


Community 294

Harvard Law Bulletin

(Anti)Trust Issues

The Biden administration is cracking down on Big Tech. But will Amazon, Apple,
Google, and Meta go the way of Standard Oil?

The dry spell in antitrust litigation appears to be ending.

Oct 1, 2024
OONI

Russia blocked OONI Explorer, a large open dataset on Internet censorship

Maria Xynou details the latest censorship campaign against OONI Explorer.

Sep 25, 2024
Open Observatory of Network Interference

Kazakhstan: TLS MITM attacks and blocking of news media, human rights, and circumvention tool sites

An OONI-sponsored report investigates internet censorship in Kazakhstan.

Sep 19, 2024
Journal of Online Trust & Safety

Algorithmic Impact Assessments at Scale

Practitioners' Challenges and Needs

What challenges do practitioners face when implementing Algorithmic Impact Assessments?

Sep 18, 2024
The New York Times

Why Brazil Banned X

Have the country's efforts to combat fake news gone too far?

Aug 31, 2024
The Nation

Big Tech Is Very Afraid of a Very Modest AI Safety Bill

Despite claiming to support AI safety, powerful tech interests are trying to kill SB1047.

"It’s like saying that a bill addressing wildfire risks should be rejected because it doesn’t address flooding risks."

Aug 30, 2024
LiveNOW

French authorities charge Telegram's CEO

Juan Ortiz Freuler breaks down the latest information on the case against Pavel Durov.

Aug 29, 2024
MIT Science Policy Review

Mapping the space of social media regulation

Nathaniel Lubin, Kalie Mayberry, Dylan Moses, Manon Revel, Luke Thorburn, and Andrew West identify two modes of mapping the space of social media regulation and discuss the trade…

Aug 27, 2024
Fast Company

Why France’s arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has divided tech regulation experts

There’s debate over whether Durov’s arrest is a good way to keep tech execs in check or sets a dangerous precedent.

Juan Ortiz Freuler and Apunam Chander weigh in on the arrest of Pavel Durov.

Aug 27, 2024

Personhood Credentials

Artificial intelligence and the value of privacy-preserving tools to distinguish who is real online

Wendy Seltzer and Tom Zick consider the efficacy of implementing "personhood credentials" as means to deter bad actors online while maintaining users' anonymity.

Aug 26, 2024
MIT Press

Blockchain Governance

A new book co-authored by Primavera De Filippi analyzes the reciprocal relationship between blockchain communities and politico-legal thought.

Aug 20, 2024
Lumen

More Local News Caught in Flood of Unrelated Copyright Takedown Requests

Lumen details a slew of wrongful takedown requests, many of which target local news URLs.

Aug 15, 2024
Defense One

Let's Start Treating Cyber Security Like it Matters

That means a real investigatory board for cyber incidents, not the hamstrung one we’ve got now.

Bruce Schneier and Tarah Wheeler critique the lack of power granted to the White House's Cyber Safety Review Board.

Aug 2, 2024
University of Illinois Law Review

Experimentalism in Digital Platform Markets

Antitrust and Utilities' Convergence

Elettra Bietti suggests that antitrust break-ups and regulation do not operate in conflict.

Jul 20, 2024
The Texas Observer

‘TECH DOESN’T JUST STAY AT THE BORDER’: PETRA MOLNAR ON SURVEILLANCE’S LONG REACH

Petra Molnar discusses her new book and experience traveling around the world investigating the use of technology in migration management.

Jul 11, 2024
Oxford University Press

Data Privacy and Competition Law in the Age of Big Data

Unpacking the Interface through Complexity Science

In a newly-published book, Samson Esayas offers concrete policy proposals to address the legal challenges of big data.

Jul 4, 2024
Duke University Press

Indie Porn

Revolution, Regulation, and Resistance

Zahra Stardust's new book is now available for pre-order from Duke University Press.

Jul 4, 2024
Tech Policy Press

Biden Cannot Protect Privacy or Defend Democracy by Expanding Surveillance Powers

Isadora Borges Monroy writes about the tension between expanding surveillance and protecting democracy.

Jul 3, 2024
Harvard Business Review

How Micro-Choices and Games Motivate Gig Workers

Lindsey Cameron writes about gig workers' agency.

Jun 21, 2024

TikTok offered an extraordinary deal. The U.S. government took a pass.

Anupam Chander provides expert commentary and analysis to Drew Harwell regarding the possible TikTok ban.

May 29, 2024
Harvard Magazine

Harvard Professor Bruce Schneier on AI Regulation and Data Protection Policies

Bruce Schneier speaks on the impact of AI on cybersecurity, democracy, and privacy

May 23, 2024
The Conversation

TikTok law threatening a ban if the app isn’t sold raises First Amendment concerns

Anupam Chander and Gautam Hans discusses the legal challenge filed by TikTok against the U.S. government over the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled…

May 21, 2024
Tech Policy Press

Advancing Trust & Safety in the Majority World

Nadah Feteih, Diletta Milana, and Jenn Louie reflect on RSM and the Integrity Institute's closed-door workshop on trust and safety at tech companies.

May 1, 2024
The New York Times

Congress Passed a Bill That Could Ban TikTok. Now Comes the Hard Part.

Anupam Chander comments on the sell-or-ban TikTok bill, newly signed by President Biden."It's going to be a royal mess."Read more in The New York Times.

Apr 23, 2024
Sustainable Futures

How to unite local initiatives for a more sustainable global future

BKC Faculty Associate Vasilis Kostakis and Nikiforos Tsiouris advocate for a commons-based technology framework, challenging the notion that high-tech will solve major socio…

Apr 16, 2024
Tech Policy Press

The Word Censorship Has An Actual Meaning: A Defense of Content Moderation

Dylan Moses distinguishes censorship and content moderation, arguing that conflating them creates problems and dangers.

Apr 16, 2024
Rest of World

The startup offering free toilets and coffee for delivery workers — in exchange for their data

BKC Affiliate Mariel García–Montes comments on Nippy, the startup that offers gig workers services, like bathroom access, in exchange for their data.

Apr 15, 2024
Open Global Rights

“Nothing about us without us”: People on the move interrogate border tech with the Migration and Technology Monitor

BKC Faculty Associate Petra Molnar advocates for prioritizing the meaningful participation by individuals with lived experiences at border crossings in conversations around border…

Apr 5, 2024
The Harvard Crimson

Biden National Security Official Discusses AI and Cybersecurity at Harvard Law School Talk

BKC Director and Faculty Chair Jonathan Zittrain converses with Deputy National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger about AI and national security. 

Apr 3, 2024
WGBH

Transgender attorney says Musk's handling of X is 'extremely concerning'

Alejandra Caraballo discusses her experiences with content moderation issues on Elon Musk's X and the lack of trust and safety mechanisms on the platform.

Mar 28, 2024
LPE Project

Six Reactions to the Proposed TikTok Ban

In an LPE Project collection, Anupam Chander and Elettra Bietti offer unenthusiastic reactions to the TikTok legislation passed by the US House of Representatives. 

Mar 26, 2024
Tech Policy Press

Policies vs. Enforcement: What’s Up with Meta’s Platforming of Violent Extremist Hate Account “Libs of TikTok”?

Alejandra Caraballo criticizes Meta's lack of enforcement of the company's own bullying, harassment, and hate speech policies.

Mar 21, 2024
Axios

TikTok ban could upend global app economy

2023-2024 RSM Visiting Scholar Anupam Chander comments on the prospect of a TikTok ban or forced sale.

Mar 19, 2024
The Klonickles

Murthy Oral Arguments: Sotomayor Scolds the Louisiana Solicitor General and Platforms Are Like the Press

BKC Faculty Associate Kate Klonick recaps the oral argument in Murthy v. Missouri.

Mar 18, 2024

Battle of the ban: TikTok fight is just getting started

BKC Director Mark Wu explains the U.S.'s ability to crackdown on TikTok.

Mar 14, 2024
Brookings Institute

How public AI can strengthen democracy

Nathan Sanders, Bruce Schneier, and Norman Eisen advocate for a public AI to counterbalance private AI and promote tech that benefits all people, not just corporate interests.

Mar 4, 2024
Harvard Magazine

Facebook’s Failures

BKC Graduate Student Fellow Dylan Moses joins Jeff Horwitz and Latanya Sweeney to discuss Horwitz's book, Broken Code: Inside Facebook and the Fight to Expose Its Harmful Secrets.

Mar 1, 2024
The World

Chile pulls approval for giant Google data center

BKC Fellow Lauren Bridges discusses a Chilean environmental court's decision to suspend the approval for Google to build a giant data center due to water access concerns.

Feb 28, 2024
Harvard Law Today

Compelling speech

BKC Director Rebecca Tushnet comments on the Supreme Court Case NetChoice v. Paxton. 

Feb 21, 2024
TIME

When Love and the Algorithm Don’t Mix

Apryl Williams describes dating app algorithms as a reinforcer of longstanding racial biases that privilege whiteness and deprioritize matching women of color.

Feb 14, 2024
The Boston Globe

Social media can harm kids. Can laws protect them?

BKC Faculty Associate Leah Plunkett coments on whether laws geared towards keeping children safe online will be enforceable.

Feb 12, 2024
Indiana Law Journal

The Trade Origins of Privacy Law

2023-2024 RSM Visiting Scholar Anupam Chander explains the intersection between international trade law and privacy laws.

Feb 2, 2024
Berkeley Technology Law Journal

When the Digital Services Act Goes Global

RSM Visiting Scholar Anupam Chander argues that authoritarians might well exploit various mechanisms in the DSA to enlarge their control over the dissemination of information, and…

Jan 28, 2024
Boston University Law Review

Wearable AI, Bystander Notice, and the Question of Privacy Frictions

Zahra Takhshid makes an argument for mandating “privacy frictions” in wearable technology.

Jan 16, 2024
Nature

Can cities shape future tech regulation?

Aileen Nielsen writes about city lawmaking compensating for national regulations in technology. 

Jan 11, 2024
IEEE

Echo Chambers in Online Social Networks: A Systematic Literature Review

Dariusz Jemielniak and coauthors review the research literature on echo chambers in online social networks.

Jan 11, 2024
Fast Company

Could Microsoft’s new Copilot key be an antitrust headache for the company?

Juan Ortiz Freuler spoke to Fast Company about Microsoft's new Copilot keyboard.

Jan 5, 2024
The Conversation

AI could improve your life by removing bottlenecks between what you want and what you get

Bruce Schneier writes about the potential for AI to remove bottlenecks.

Dec 21, 2023
Business Insider

Big Tech has long avoided responsibility for online content. Generative AI could end that.

Anupam Chander spoke to Business Insider on the potential for generative AI to hold Big Tech responsible for online content. 

Dec 18, 2023
Oxford University Press

Algorithmic Institutionalism

In a new Oxford University Press book, Virgilio Almeida delves into the increasing presence of algorithms in everyday decisions, exploring their social and political impacts…

Dec 18, 2023
RSM

The Right to Information in the Private Sector

Lisa Austin argues for a rethinking of rights to information in the private sector. 

Dec 15, 2023
Carr Center for Human Rights Policy

Making a Movement: The History and Future of Human Rights

BKC Faculty Director Jonathan Zittrain and BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier contribute to the Carr Center's Making a Movement: The History and Future of Human Rights, a collection of…

Dec 11, 2023
Techtonic

Techtonic: AI’s inequality problem

Responsible AI Fellow Rumman Chowdhury discusses the worry that we are giving the keys to our society to a small group of companies that have shown they cannot be fully trusted.

Dec 11, 2023
The New York Times

Sam Bankman-Fried and the People Who Gave Up Their Money for Nothing

Molly White argues that Sam Bankman-Fried and the collapse of FTX exposed the greater fragility of cryptocurrency. "The collapse of the FTX exchange revealed the massive…

Nov 19, 2023
Oxford University Press

Ethical Data Science

Prediction in the Public Interest

A new book from Anne L. Washington showcases how to produce better predictive algorithms for the public interest, and "draws on other disciplines, previous research practices, and…

Nov 16, 2023
LPE Project

HOW NOT TO REGULATE DIGITAL PLATFORMS

BKC Faculty Associate Elettra Bietti argues against “framing the landscape of possibilities as a choice between ‘breaking up’ and ‘democratizing’ Big Tech” in considering how to…

Nov 2, 2023
Prospect Magazine

When the internet becomes unknowable

BKC Faculty Associate Ethan Zuckerman explains the negative effects of the loss of tools for studying social media. 

Nov 1, 2023
The Verge

Harvard professor Lawrence Lessig on why AI and social media are causing a free speech crisis for the internet

BKC Faculty Associate Larry Lessig speaks with The Verge's Nilay Patel about BKC's new Applied Social Media Lab and why AI and social media are causing a free speech crisis for…

Oct 24, 2023
The Conversation

Let the community work it out: Throwback to early internet days could fix social media's crisis of legitimacy

BKC Faculty Associate Ethan Zuckerman and Chand Rajendra-Nicolucci discuss how community governance could benefit online communities.

Oct 24, 2023
Global Economic Governance Programme

Bulelani Jili: "African policymakers should see digital development, data flows, and data governance as mutually reinforcing."

BKC Graduate Student Fellow Bulelani Jili dicusses internet governance in African countries.

Oct 20, 2023
Bloomberg

Ad-Free Versions of Facebook and Instagram Have One Audience in Mind: Regulators

BKC Director Jonathan Zittrain comments on the economics of zero-ad versions of social media sites. 

Oct 16, 2023
SITRA

Enabling the responsible use of technology at scale

BKC Affiliate Paul Fehlinger showcases the critical role of regulatory technology, or RegTech, in powering a regulated yet highly performing digital economy that deploys cutting…

Oct 12, 2023
Tech Policy Press

Kenya Must Update its Regulatory Frameworks to Keep Pace with AI

BKC Graduate Student Fellow Bulelani Jili explains why Kenya needs to update its regulatory framework in light of AI development. 

Oct 2, 2023
The Atlantic

Robots Are Already Killing People

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier and Davi Ottenheimer discuss the need for regulation to enhance safety as robots become more advanced. 

Sep 6, 2023
Tech Policy Press

A Better Approach to Privacy for Third-Party Social Media Tools

Chad Rajendra-Nicolucci and BKC Faculty Associate Ethan Zuckerman argue that fresh approaches to privacy will be necessary for the ecosystem of third-party tools that complement…

Aug 31, 2023
Lawfare

Regulating Commercial Spyware

BKC Faculty Associate Asaf Lubin argues that only a binding multistakeholder legal framework can effectively regulate a legitimate and efficiently controlled market for spyware.

Aug 9, 2023
WIRED

Meta Ran a Giant Experiment in Governance. Now It’s Turning to AI

BKC Affiliate Aviv Ovadya writes about Meta's approach to governance of generative AI.

Jul 18, 2023
Lawfare

How Tech Regulation Can Leverage Product Experimentation Results

BKC Affiliate Nathaniel Lubin writes about how tech regulation could benefit from using the data from companies' private experimentation results.

Jul 11, 2023
New Media & Society

Sex tech entrepreneurs: Governing intimate data in start-up culture

BKC Affiliate Zahra Stardust writes about the data governance approach of prospective sextech industry professionals.

Jul 11, 2023
City University of New York Law Review

High Risk Hustling: Payment Processors Sexual Proxies and Discrimination by Design

BKC Affiliate Zahra Stardust writes about the financial discrimination and barriers to digital financial infrastructure faced by sex workers.

Jul 11, 2023
POLITICO

5 questions for Rumman Chowdhury

BKC Responsible AI Fellow Rumman Chowdhury answers questions about technology and the future.

Jul 7, 2023
Temple Law Review

Collective Data Rights and Their Possible Abuse

BKC Faculty Associate Asaf Lubin reflects on the potential for abuse in the development of collective data rights.

Jul 1, 2023
Center for Democracy and Technology

Report – Sharing the Health: Guidance for Schools When Procuring Mental Health Technologies

The Center for Democracy and Technology, with advice from Sandra Cortesi, Madeline McGee, Leah Plunkett, and Elizabeth Sylvan released a new report to help schools procure…

Jun 27, 2023
The Atlantic

We've Been Thinking About the Internet All Wrong

BKC Affiliate Nathaniel Lubin writes about using the field of public health as inspiration for a new metaphor for the internet.

Jun 21, 2023
Rolling Stone

The Feds Are Coming for Crypto. Can It Survive?

BKC Affiliate Molly White writes about lawsuits filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission against two of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges.

Jun 10, 2023
WIRED

There Will Never Be Another Twitter

BKC Faculty Associate Ethan Zuckerman discusses the fate of Twitter and the future of digital public squares.

May 31, 2023
The Guardian

‘I do not think ethical surveillance can exist’: Rumman Chowdhury on accountability in AI

BKC Responsible AI Fellow Rumman Chowdhury is interviewed about bridging the gap between people and technology.

May 29, 2023
GBH News

Legal questions surround Montana's TikTok ban

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier discusses the practical considerations of Montana's TikTok ban.

May 19, 2023
The Markup

Section 230 Just Survived a Brush with Death

Tweets by Rebooting Social Media Visiting Scholar Kate Klonick are referenced in a discussion of Gonzalez v. Google and Twitter v. Taamneh.

May 18, 2023
Nature

Create an IPCC-like body to harness benefits and combat harms of digital tech

BKC Affiliate Joseph Bak-Coleman, BKC Director James Mickens, and BKC Faculty Associate Zeynep Tufekci write to advocate for an intergovernmental panel to synthesize the evidence…

May 17, 2023
WIRED

Unfair Automated Hiring Systems Are Everywhere

BKC Faculty Associate Ifeoma Ajunwa writes about how algorithms can exacerbate employment discrimination.

May 15, 2023
The Indian Express

A call for algorithmic justice for SC/STs

BKC Affiliate Siva Mathiyazhagan writes about the need to eradicate caste and to build a safe, inclusive, just digital India.

May 14, 2023
Financial Times

Google draws backlash from Brazil with lobbying against ‘fake news’ bill

Rebooting Social Media Visiting Scholar and BKC Faculty Associate David Nemer discusses Google's lobbying against a Brazilian bill aimed at curbing the spread of “fake news.”

May 2, 2023
Rest of World

Twitter is complying with more government demands under Elon Musk

Rest of World reports on analysis of Twitter's compliance with government orders for censorship or surveillance using data from BKC's Lumen database.

Apr 27, 2023
IEEE Spectrum

This Harvard Law Professor is an Expert on Digital Technology

The career of Jonathan Zittrain is profiled by IEEE Spectrum.

Apr 21, 2023
The New York Times

The Future of Social Media Is a Lot Less Social

Jonathan Zittrain comments on BKC's Institute for Rebooting Social Media and its projects creating and experimenting with new social networks.

Apr 19, 2023
Electronic Frontier Foundation

Podcast Episode: Safer Sex Work Makes a Safer Internet

Clinical instructor at the Cyberlaw Clinic Kendra Albert discusses how an internet that is safe for sex workers is an internet that is safer for everyone.

Apr 18, 2023
NBC News

Twitter quietly changes its hateful conduct policy to remove standing protections for its transgender users

Clinical instructor at the Cyberlaw Clinic Alejandra Caraballo comments on changes to Twitter's content moderation rules and enforcement since Elon Musk's takeover.

Apr 18, 2023
The Boston Globe

Twitter is for roasting Donald Trump. Building a democracy? Not so much.

BKC Affiliate Nathan Sanders' policymaking project, the Massachusetts Platform for Legislative Engagement, or MAPLE, is discussed as an alternative to Twitter.

Apr 13, 2023
WIRED

The Abortion Medication Ruling Threatens Free Speech Online

Clinical instructor at the Cyberlaw Clinic Alejandra Caraballo writes about how the US district court decision blocking access to the abortion pill mifepristone has also…

Apr 12, 2023
WIRED

AI Desperately Needs Global Oversight

BKC Responsible AI Fellow Rumman Chowdhury advocates for global oversight of AI. 

Apr 11, 2023
Tech Policy Press

What Generative AI Reveals About the Limits of Technological Innovation

BKC Affiliate Joe Bak-Coleman writes about what generative AI has highlighted about technology and innovation. 

Apr 6, 2023
WIRED

Brace Yourself for a Tidal Wave of ChatGPT Email Scams

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier predicts a future wave of email scams that will take advantage of generative AI.

Apr 4, 2023
WIRED

The Internet Is Ruined. The Metaverse Can Still Be Saved

BKC Affiliate Micaela Mantegna spoke about avoiding mistakes made with the internet in the metaverse.

Apr 1, 2023
CNN

Teaching kids how to use social media smartly and safely

BKC Faculty Associate Judith Donath discusses the threat social media poses to children and realistic solutions to mitigate that threat.

Mar 25, 2023
PolCommTech

Meta Oversight Board with Julie Owono

BKC Affiliate Julie Owono discusses Facebook and Instagram content moderation via the Meta Oversight Board, of which Owono is an inaugural member, and freedom of expression.

Mar 8, 2023
The Washington Post

A better kind of social media is possible — if we want it

Jonathan Zittrain is quoted discussing digital governance of social media platforms.

Mar 6, 2023
Lawfare

On AI-Generated Works, Artists, and Intellectual Property

BKC Affiliate Ryan Merkley writes about the relationship between generative AI, art, and intellectual property law.

Feb 28, 2023
WIRED

Platforms Are Fighting Online Abuse—but Not the Right Kind

BKC Responsible AI Fellow Rumman Chowdhury co-writes a piece on the shortfalls of platforms fighting online abuse.

Feb 28, 2023
The Atlantic

I Watched Elon Musk Kill Twitter’s Culture From the Inside

Rumman Chowdhury writes about her time at Twitter as the engineering director of the META team...

Feb 17, 2023
Wired

The Scramble to Save Twitter’s Research From Elon Musk

"We were rightfully worried about what this leadership change would entail...There's a lot of ideology and misunderstanding about the kind of work ethics teams do as being part of…

Feb 15, 2023
Prospect

Tech has an innate problem with bullshitters. But we don’t need to let them win

BKC Faculty Associate Ethan Zuckerman writes about technoculture's unique susceptibility to a mixture of falsehood and persuasive bluffing he refers to as "bullshit." "If we…

Jan 25, 2023
Foreign Policy

What TikTok Has On You

“We’re already used to tech companies having this enormous amount of access to our personal life. By extension, the U.S. government has that access, and so how do we feel about…

Jan 12, 2023
Washington Post

Social media can be polarizing. A new type of algorithm aims to change that.

BKC Affiliate Aviv Ovadya discusses social media algorithms that burst, otherwise known as bridging systems.

Jan 11, 2023
Inside INdiana Business

IU Kelley prof: More TikTok suits likely

BKC Faculty Associate Abbey Stemler was interviewed about TikTok’s legal liability for failing to protect children from inappropriate content.

Jan 4, 2023
The New York Times

The Shameful Open Secret Behind Southwest’s Failure

BKC Faculty Associate Zeynep Tufekci writes about technical debt, the problem at the heart of Southwest’s flight cancellation fiasco.

Dec 31, 2022
Harvard Law Review

Content Moderation as Systems Thinking

Evelyn Douek, BKC Faculty Associate, writes about how to improve content moderation. "Content moderation should be understood as a project of mass speech administration and…

Dec 12, 2022
The Atlantic

The Meta Oversight Board Has Some Genuinely Smart Suggestions

RSM Visiting Scholar Kate Klonick writes about the positive steps Meta’s Oversight Board recently took, and how it can improve separation within platforms.  “The board…

Dec 9, 2022
Vox

We don't need another Twitter

BKC Faculty Associate Judith Donath speaks about Twitter’s demise and the potential of any possible replacements. Whatever rises up to become the new major widespread…

Dec 7, 2022
The Atlantic

How to Decarbonize Crypto

BKC Affiliate Bruce Schneier writes about decarbonizing crypto and the opportunity to curb its massive environmental impact. "The good news is that cryptocurrencies don’t have…

Dec 6, 2022
WIRED

Amazon’s Creep Into Health Care Has Some Experts Spooked

Sandra Wachter, BKC Faculty Associate, spoke about Amazon's shift in the healthcare industry. '“Whenever health data is concerned, we have to be very suspicious,” says Sandra…

Dec 1, 2022
The Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication

How do people react to AI failure? Automation bias, algorithmic aversion, and perceived controllability

In a new paper, RSM Visiting Scholar Yong Jin Park and co-author S. Mo Jones-Jang explore the response of human users to AI failures, and how those failures impact the…

Nov 22, 2022
VICE

These Tiny Greek Islands Have Become Unlikely Laboratories for Global Corporations

BKC Fellow Petra Molnar discusses surveillance and the use of tiny islands as spaces for large tech companies.  Petra Molnar, a lawyer specialising in technology and human…

Nov 18, 2022
Reuters

Would Twitter get online publisher immunity in fake 'blue check' suits?

"Under that reasoning, said Alejandra Caraballo of the Harvard Law School Cyberlaw Clinic, the key question for Twitter is whether tweets from fake corporate accounts would have…

Nov 15, 2022
Global Media and China

The weaponization of private corporate infrastructure: Internet fragmentation and coercive diplomacy in the 21st century

"The weaponization of corporate internet infrastructure by the U.S. government marks a new era of internet governance and is one of the key drivers of what is often discussed as…

Nov 12, 2022
TIME

Elon Musk Has Inherited Twitter’s India Problem

BKC Faculty Associate Evelyn Douek discusses Twitter's content moderation practices in different areas of the world.  Musk has called himself a “free speech absolutist,”…

Nov 11, 2022
Mother Jones

Why Does Every Tech Company Want to “Democratize” Something?

"Kendra Albert, a clinical instructor at Harvard Law School’s Cyberlaw Clinic, has studied “legal talismans”—terms like “free speech” that tech companies use to give legitimacy to…

Oct 30, 2022
Protocol

'People were sucked into schemes': Inside Molly White’s campaign against crypto

BKC affiliate Molly White spoke about her interests, web3, & blockchain. "I'm hoping to keep doing what I'm doing. I feel like the site has been pretty successful…

Oct 20, 2022
Ars Technica

Rights holders got Google to remove 6 billion links from Search over 10 years

Lumen project manager Adam Holland and Rebecca Tushnet spoke about Google’s efforts to take down links considered pirated. “Google's partner in tracking all of its takedown…

Oct 4, 2022
WBUR

How a Texas law could impact First Amendment rights and content moderation online

BKC Harvard affiliate Julie Owono discusses online content moderation. "Is it okay in a modern democratic society to leave two private companies the decision on what we can say…

Sep 30, 2022
Yale Law School

Forgetful Advertising: Imagining a More Responsible Digital Ad System

BKC Faculty Associate Ethan Zuckerman writes about responsible digital ad systems. “As Silicon Valley giants sketch their preferred future for digital advertising, an…

Sep 26, 2022
Bloomberg Law

First Amendment Hurdle Looms for California’s Social Media Law

Rebecca Tushnet discusses the potential challenges to California’s new social media law under the First Amendment.  “Knowing how many reports they got and whether or when…

Sep 16, 2022
Marketplace

Why the First Amendment also protects code

“The First Amendment serves as a check on government intervention into our public expression through, for example, spoken or visually signed speech, writing, protesting and coding…

Sep 14, 2022
The Washington Post

GOP reacts to Trump search with threats and comparisons to ‘Gestapo’

Susan Benesch, faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, said when it comes to “dangerous speech ... what matters most is how…

Aug 9, 2022
The Life Itself Podcast

Samer Hassan & Rufus Pollock on Decentralization, Platform Monopolies and Web3 | Making Sense of Crypto and Web3

In this episode of our Making Sense of Crypto and Web3 series, we talk with blockchain researcher and expert Samer Hassan.

Jul 18, 2022
Crime, Media, Culture: An International Journal

Surveillance does not equal safety: Police, data and consent on dating apps

“As dating apps continue to receive pressure from civil society, media and governments to address a range of safety concerns, technology companies have developed and deployed a…

Jul 10, 2022
APO

Public interest sex tech hackathon: speculative futures and participatory design

“Sex tech has emerged as a site in which sexual pleasure, wellbeing and health are increasingly understood as data. Sex techincludes a diverse range of products from sex therapy…

Jul 6, 2022
Euractiv

Building a sustainable path towards planetary system of knowledge

Juan Ortiz Freuler writes about the risks facing the global internet and information ecosystem.  “But our current information ecosystem, the internet, needs some weeding…

Jun 28, 2022
University of Michigan School of Information

New website provides information for marginalized communities after social media bans

The University of Michigan’s School of Information teamed up with Harvard Law to provide information for marginalized communities after social media bans. “To assist…

Jun 22, 2022
AlJazeera

Why Elon Musk’s Twitter might be (more) lethal

Susan Benesch writes about how Elon Musk buying Twitter may be dangerous. “Dangerous speech forms a category because it is strikingly similar from one case to another, across…

May 5, 2022
McKinsey

In the Balance: Q&A with Janis Wong, PhD researcher in computer science, the University of St Andrews

Janis Wong, who recently completed a research sprint hosted by the Berkman Klein Center, speaks with McKinsey’s Stephanie Spangler about data governance “In our work, we refer…

Apr 5, 2022
Journal of Cyber Policy

Digital identity for development should keep pace with national cybersecurity capacity: Nigeria in focus

Babatunde Okunoye explains why Nigeria's digital identity project has exceeded the country's cybersecurity infrastructure.

Apr 1, 2022
SSRC

Breached! Why Data Security Law Fails and How to Improve It

Daniel Solove and Woodrow Hartzog have devised a series of recommendations to better Internet governance in "Breached! Why Data Security Law Fails and How to Improve It."

Mar 3, 2022
Communications of the ACM

Futures of Digital Governance

Urs Gasser and Virgílio Almeida take a historical look at the evolution of Internet governance to help inform the future.

Mar 1, 2022
Carr Center for Human Rights

Humanitarian Digital Ethics: A Foresight and Decolonial Governance Approach

Aarathi Krishnan explores the ability of humanitarian governance systems to ensure an equitable future.

Jan 18, 2022
Medium

#SOPAPlus10

Babatunde Okunoye assesses the legacy of the ten-year-old campaign against the Stop Online Piracy Act, and charts potential paths forward. "Drawing from the success of the SOPA…

Jan 17, 2022
VICE News

Why You Should Be Worried About Facebook's Metaverse

Jessica Fjeld and other experts reflect on the apparent dangers of Facebook's Metaverse.

Dec 7, 2021
Money Reimagined

New Money and Contemporary Capitalism

Patrick Murck discusses the potential for cryptocurrencies to help shift into an abundance mindset.

Nov 19, 2021
Future

Decentralized Identity: Your Reputation Travels With You

Jad Esber and a colleague explore reputation systems in web3.

Nov 18, 2021
Information, Communication & Society

The decolonial turn in data and technology research: what is at stake and where is it heading?

Nick Couldry and Ulises Ali Mejias trace a trend in research that focuses on how society is transformed by data extraction for profit.

Nov 9, 2021
Media@LSE

It’s time to stop trusting Facebook to engineer our social world

Nick Couldry writes that tighter regulations are needed to ensure that social media companies act in the public interest.

Oct 12, 2021
Harvard Law Today

Is it time to swipe left on social media?

Jonathan Zittrain, evelyn douek, and John Palfrey share insights on the consequences of social media after a Facebook whistleblower dominated headlines last week. "Regulators…

Oct 12, 2021
Stanford Cyber Policy Center

What the multi-stakeholder approach can bring to content policy debates

Julie Owono and Niousha Roshani share their ideas for addressing content governance issues online.

Sep 28, 2021
Tech Policy Greenhouse

The Inexorable Push For Infrastructure Moderation

Jonathan Zittrain writes that the fervor for content moderation will bleed from social media into the Internet's building blocks, posing new threats to civil liberties.

Sep 24, 2021
Hello World

President Biden’s Executive Order on Big Tech

Woodrow Hartzog has a conversation about the impact of President Biden's new executive order. 

Jul 17, 2021
WIRED Middle East

Inside the bizarre, billionaires’ world of NFTs

Will Marks explains why NFTs are so appealing — and so confusing — to many internet users.

Jul 14, 2021
La Nacion

Crisis y renacimiento: la nueva explosión cámbrica de la economía de la creatividad

Micaela Mantegna comments on NFTs and the economy of the "Metaverse."

Jun 20, 2021
The Blockchain Socialist

Decentralizing Power and Value with P2P Models

Samer Hassan shows how blockchain technology can create collaborative economies.

Jun 20, 2021

Towards more interoperable ‘smart’ home devices

Jonathan Zittrain testifies before a Senate subcommittee about the Internet of Things.

Jun 16, 2021
Medium

The Metaverse: A brave, new (virtual) world

Micaela Mantegna defines the ‘metaverse’ and explains how it could be the next phase of the internet.

Jun 10, 2021
Lawfare

The Empire (Facebook) Strikes Back (at the Oversight Board’s Trump Decision)

evelyn douek shares the limitations of the Facebook Oversight Board's ruling on Donald Trump's account.

Jun 10, 2021
The Harvard Gazette

Fixing the Internet will require a cultural shift

A Q&A with Francine Berman

May 28, 2021
Harvard Law Today

Memes for Sale? Making sense of NFTs

Rebecca Tushnet says lockdown boredom may be contributing to the rise of non-fungible tokens, or NFTs

May 19, 2021
MIT Technology Review

What England’s new vaccine passport could mean for covid tech’s next act

Elizabeth Renieris discusses vaccine passports with MIT Technology Review

May 19, 2021
Just Security

Facebook Oversight Board’s Decision on Trump Ban in a Global Context: The Treatment of Political Leaders

Chinmayi Arun examines the Oversight Board’s decision in the context of the options before it.

May 17, 2021
The Markup

Ads Are Impersonating Government Websites in Google Results, Despite Ban

Rebecca Tushnet discusses advertising law with The Markup

May 13, 2021
Wired

Fix Section 230 and hold tech companies to account

Danielle Citron says making social media sites act on content such as nonconsensual porn and violent conspiracies would make the internet more equal and free

May 6, 2021
The Atlantic

Somebody Has to Do It

evelyn douek says Facebook’s made-up court is filling an enormous legal void.

May 6, 2021
Lawfare

It's Not Over. The Oversight Board's Trump Decision is Just the Start.

evelyn douek explains details of Facebook Oversight Board’s recent decision and what they reveal about Facebook’s rules, and the FOB’s role in reviewing them.

May 5, 2021
Centre for International Governance Innovation

The $4 Billion App That Doesn’t Value Privacy, Security or Accessibility

Elizabeth Renieris pens essay about Clubhouse

Apr 28, 2021
Medium

Blockchain for Social Good: A Field in Expansion

Samer Hassan provides an overview of P2P Models’ involvement in a recent EU report

Apr 21, 2021
KQED

What are NFTs (and Why Should We Care)?

Jonathan Zittrain discusses the future of NFTs with KQED.

Apr 20, 2021
Medium

Decolonial Humanitarian Digital Governance

Aarathi Krishnan reflects on her fellowships at BKC and the Carr Center

Apr 15, 2021
Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University

Platform Accountability Through Digital “Poison Cabinets”

Preserving records of what user content is taken down—and why—could make platforms more accountable and transparent

Apr 13, 2021
Politico

Trump faces a narrow path to victory against Facebook suspension

evelyn douek comments on the Facebook Oversight Board

Apr 9, 2021
Protocol

The software industry dodges an API tax in Oracle decision

Kendra Albert weighs in on Supreme Court's fair-use decision

Apr 5, 2021
University of British Columbia

Micaela Mantegna on A.I. & I.P.

2020-2021 affiliate discusses AI copyright and trademark law

Mar 28, 2021
WBUR

Why Facebook Turned Off The News In Australia

Elizabeth Renieris joins WBUR

Feb 24, 2021
Centre for International Governance Innovation

Why Is Facebook’s Decision to Restrict News in Australia So Significant?

Elizabeth Renieris on the importance of Facebook barring news in Australia

Feb 19, 2021
AP

Facebook makes a power move in Australia - and may regret it

Elizabeth Renieris spoke with AP following the announcement that Facebook blocked news in Australia.

Feb 19, 2021
Lawfare

Chinmayi Arun on India and the Future of the Internet

Chinmayi Arun joins the Lawfare podcast to discuss India and the future of the Internet.

Feb 18, 2021
The New York Times

The Internet Is Splintering

Chinmayi Arun and evelyn douek discuss Internet governance in The New York Times.

Feb 17, 2021
MIT Technology Review

How a Democratic plan to reform Section 230 could backfire

Joan Donovan and Jonathan Zittrain weigh in on proposed Section 230 reforms

Feb 8, 2021
Just Security

De-platforming Is a Fix, But Only a Short-Term One

Will Marks discusses the “Great Deplatforming” in Just Security.

Jan 27, 2021
The New York Times

Silicon Valley Workers Have Had Enough

Moira Weigel and colleague describe collective action from within tech platforms.

Jan 26, 2021
Lawfare

Facebook Has Referred Trump’s Suspension to Its Oversight Board. Now What?

evelyn douek puts the referral in context

Jan 21, 2021
The Washington Post

The lawsuits against Facebook don’t go far enough

The site’s business model is the problem, not just which apps it owns, argue Dipayan Ghosh and Nick Couldry

Dec 11, 2020
The Reboot

Toward a Digital Economy That’s Truly Collaborative, Not Exploitative

Overcoming the flaws of an internet controlled by a few major players will enable web services that are more democratic and fair, Samer Hassan says.

Dec 8, 2020
FT

Big Tech’s latest moves raise health privacy fears

Nick Couldry and colleague argue data about intimate details of our lives should not be exploited by corporations

Dec 6, 2020
Slate

Big Tech Needs an Entirely New Business Model

Nick Couldry and Dipayan Ghosh say a “digital realignment” is necessary

Oct 30, 2020
Galley by Columbia Journalism Review

Elettra Bietti talks antitrust with Galley by CJR

BKC affiliate joins Mathew Ingram in conversation

Oct 22, 2020
TED

Civilization on the Moon – and what it means for life on Earth

Jessy Kate Schingler discusses the critical issues that arise when we consider civilization in outer space

Oct 8, 2020
The New York Times

Facebook Must Better Police Online Hate, State Attorneys General Say

Danielle Citron spoke with The New York Times about Facebook’s hate speech policies.

Aug 5, 2020
Justice Collaborative Institute

The Case for Banning Law Enforcement From Using Facial Recognition Technology

New Report from Woodrow Hartzog & Evan Selinger

Aug 4, 2020
Slate

Congress’ Antitrust Hearing Was Actually Pretty OK

Dipayan Ghosh and Stephen Wicker reflect on Congress’ antitrust hearing

Jul 31, 2020
Slate

Don’t Give Up on Your Digital Privacy Yet

A federal data privacy law is still important, argues Dipayan Ghosh

Jul 17, 2020
BKC Medium Collection

Legal Risks of Adversarial Machine Learning Research

Studying or testing the security of any operational system potentially runs afoul of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

Jul 15, 2020
BKC Medium Collection

The GDPR at Two — Global Floor or Global Ceiling?

Elizabeth Renieris on the impact of GDPR on the global data protection landscape

Jul 9, 2020
Digital Privacy News

Facebook’s German Court Loss Opens New Front Against Privacy Violations

Elizabeth Renieris discusses court decision with Digital Privacy News

Jul 9, 2020
Vox

How can we ban facial recognition when it’s already everywhere?

Mutale Nkonde speaks with Vox about facial recognition technology

Jul 3, 2020
GovTech

Ethics in the Balance: AI’s Implications for Government

BKC’s Ethics & Governance of AI Initiative works with government officials, stakeholders

Jul 1, 2020
Omidyar Network

Pathways and Pitfalls for Social Payment Programs and Data Protection

"There is no meaningful choice between compulsory digitization or exclusion."

Jun 30, 2020
Open Democracy

The case for a digital non-aligned movement

The world wide web is on a crash course that could lead to permanent fragmentation, argues Juan Ortiz Freuler

Jun 27, 2020
BKC Medium Collection

Contribution to a European Agenda for AI

Improving Risk Management, Building Strong Governance, Accelerating Education and Research

Jun 26, 2020
Our Data Podcast

Moral Data Markets: Human-Centric Data Protection

Elizabeth Renieris joins Our Data podcast

Jun 24, 2020
Brookings

The dangers of tech-driven solutions to COVID-19

Woodrow Hartzog co-authors essay warning of dangers, offering suggestions for tech and COVID-19

Jun 17, 2020
The Markup

What Does President Trump’s “Crackdown” on Twitter Do?

A forthcoming article by Danielle Citron lends insight to this question

Jun 11, 2020
Slate

How Amazon’s Moratorium on Facial Recognition Tech Is Different From IBM’s and Microsoft’s

Are we ready to have a conversation about racial and social justice in relation to technology? Asks Nani Jansen Reventlow

Jun 11, 2020
Medium

Free Speech is Circular

Trump, Twitter, and the Public Interest

Jun 1, 2020
WIRED

Trump's Executive Order Is the Most Futile Attack on 230 Yet

Though his executive order follows a line of misguided, bipartisan swings at the protections for online platforms, this one is distinctively terrible, John Bowers says.

May 30, 2020
Wired

Trump's Tweets Force Twitter Into a High-Wire Act

evelyn douek cautions against expecting a platform like Twitter to completely solve the problems of political discourse.

May 29, 2020
Dangerous Speech Project

As Twitter Takes on Trump, It Must Explain Itself

Susan Benesch argues that when it comes to Trump's tweets, Twitter must explain clearly how or why a tweet violated its policy.

May 29, 2020
Harvard Law Review Blog

Cyber Civil Rights in the Time of COVID-19

Civil rights protections are as necessary in virtual spaces as in physical ones, Danielle Citron says

May 14, 2020
Centre for International Governance Innovation

Rethinking Digital Platforms for the Post-COVID-19 Era

As long as COVID-19 is a global concern, many aspects of daily life will be mediated by platform companies that see human interactions as content to be moderated, and as sources…

May 12, 2020
The University of Chicago Law Review Online

“What Kind of Oversight Board Have You Given Us?”

evelyn douek explains Facebook’s Oversight Board

May 11, 2020
The New York Times

BKC Community Members Named to Facebook’s Oversight Board

Julie Owono, Nighat Dad, and Ronaldo Lemos will serve on a board tasked with making ultimate content decisions

BKC fellow Julie Owono is named to the Facebook Oversight Board, along with members of the broader BKC community, Nighat Dad and Ronaldo Lemos

May 7, 2020
Medium

Wanted: New Tools To Tame the Wild West of the Internet

It is time for a coordinated effort between government, law enforcement, and developers to create an Internet we can trust.

Apr 28, 2020

Julia Reda testifies before Senate Sub-Committee

Reda says Article 17 doesn’t fit the U.S. context

Mar 10, 2020
Lawfare

Facebook’s White Paper on the Future of Online Content Regulation

evelyn douek reviews a recent white paper from Facebook on online content moderation

Feb 18, 2020
Bloomberg Law

Amazon’s Judging of IP Claims Questioned in Seller Lawsuits

As Amazon expands its reign over e-commerce and gets more aggressive about rooting out counterfeiting, it’s taking a more active role in judging intellectual property disputes

Feb 12, 2020
The New York Times

Pelosi Clashes With Facebook and Twitter Over Video Posted by Trump

The video isn’t legally actionable and shouldn’t be taken down, said Jonathan Zittrain, but Facebook and Twitter should probably label the video

Feb 8, 2020
Medium

Why Americans Should Worry About the New EU Copyright Rules

US academics and activists should be paying close attention

Dec 20, 2019
Centre for International Governance Innovation

Protecting Information Consumers

Jonathon Penney proposes a new comprehensive regulatory framework to hold social media platforms accountable

Oct 28, 2019
Lawfare

New U.N. Report on Online Hate Speech

evelyn douek reviews David Kaye’s latest report

Oct 25, 2019
The New York Times

What Happens When Employers Can Read Your Facial Expressions?

The benefits do not come close to outweighing the risks, writes Woodrow Hartzog

Oct 17, 2019
IEEE Internet Computing

Cyber Peace and Cyber Stability: Taking the Norm Road to Stability

A discussion of norms in the governance of cyberspace.

Oct 17, 2019
OneZero

Is Libra Dead?

Elizabeth Renieris says that might be the wrong question to ask

Oct 15, 2019
WIRED

The Ties That Bind Facebook's Libra

Facebook says its cryptocurrency will be managed by an independent group, but an analysis finds more than half of the members have links back to the social media giant.

Oct 7, 2019
MIT Technology Review

This is how you kick facial recognition out of your town

Mutale Nkonde says a federal ban is unlikely

Oct 4, 2019
The New York Times

Even Trump Can’t Turn Down a Nickelback Joke (but Twitter Did)

Lumen shows why Twitter took down a video posted by President Trump

Oct 3, 2019
Medium

Forget erasure: why blockchain is really incompatible with the GDPR

An assessment of blockchain against the GDPR’s core principles

Sep 23, 2019
The Hindu

Creating a fair digital payments market

Local firms in India will be at a disadvantage if big tech companies are given plum roles, says Padmashree Gehl Sampath

Jul 16, 2019
Harvard Law Today

The hidden labor supporting algorithms

“Ghost Work” reveals labor structures masked by technology

Jul 3, 2019
Columbia Journalism Review

Legislation aimed at stopping deepfakes is a bad idea

US legislators say they want to stop deepfakes at the source, so they introduced the DEEPFAKES Accountability Act.

Jul 1, 2019

A History of IP in 50 Objects: Internet

Perhaps the best physical representation of the genius of the Internet—and in particular, “Internet Protocol”—is found in an hourglass.

Jun 25, 2019
Morning Consult

In Data-Driven World, Consumers Likely to Overestimate Their Information’s Value

Disparity between what people think data is worth, what industry pays for it poses challenge to tech equity talks

Jun 3, 2019
Wired

It’s OK That Amazon Will (Likely) Get the .amazon Domain

ICANN handed over the top level domain .amazon to Jeff Bezos’ Amazon.com, pending a 30 day comment period

May 25, 2019

Thought experiment: a data extraction transparency initiative

Reflections on applying extractives metaphors to data in an international development context

May 24, 2019
The Harvard Gazette

The long, deep ties between Harvard and Germany

BKC Executive Director Urs Gasser serves on Angela Merkel’s German Digital Council

May 21, 2019
Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics

Locked-in Data Production

Elettra Bietti on User-Dignity and Capture in the Platform Economy

May 13, 2019
Washington Post

The hidden global workforce that is still fighting for an eight-hour workday

Millions of workers are doing on-demand work to keep the Internet running smoothly, and they are now fighting for similar rights that full-time employees won decades ago.

Apr 30, 2019
Tufts Global Development and Environment Institute

Do Patents Lead to Market Concentration and Excess Profits?

A first empirical assessment showing that concentration of patents does result in market concentration in certain sectors

Apr 30, 2019
SSRN

Beyond Bias: Re-imagining the Terms of "Ethical AI" in Criminal Law

Do predictive tools reflect and reinforce punitive practices that drive disparate outcomes? How do data regimes interact with the penal ideology to naturalize these practices?

Apr 25, 2019
The Texas Tribune

Texas bill would allow state to sue social media companies like Facebook and Twitter over free speech

The proposal aims to protect users on social media platforms from censorship if a site advertises itself as impartial. Critics say the bill is too restrictive.

Apr 23, 2019
The Boston Globe

So There Are People Behind Alexa’s Curtain. Will Anyone Care?

Making smart speakers and technologies smarter, but what about privacy?

Apr 11, 2019
Slate

The Government’s Computer Fraud and Abuse Act Case Against Assange

Assange is accused of conspiring to violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Proving that may be tricky.

Charges against Assange and implications for journalism

Apr 11, 2019
Tech Empire

The Quantified Worker and Worker Surveillance

Impacts of new tech in the workplace

Apr 9, 2019
MIT Press

The Smart Enough City

Putting Technology in Its Place to Reclaim Our Urban Future

Taking an exclusively technical view of urban life will lead to cities that appear smart but under the surface are rife with injustice and inequality

Apr 8, 2019
BKC Medium

Thoughts on personal data vs non-personal data

How the government, or regulators, can start thinking about privacy and the data economy

Apr 3, 2019
The New York Times

Australia Passes Law to Punish Social Media Companies for Violent Posts

Australia asks social media platforms to take responsibility

Apr 3, 2019
Digital Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School

Can Data Become Part of a Development Strategy?

Data should become an enabler of new models of cooperative growth

Apr 2, 2019
Bruegel.org

How to make Industry 4.0 work for Europe

On the consequences of ‘new manufacturing’ for European industrial policymaking

Apr 1, 2019
the Hill

AirDrop used for sexual harassment on public transit

An unsolicited picture shared over Apple's AirDrop leads to questions over how the technology is governed.

Mar 29, 2019
The Cyberlaw Clinic

Clinic Files Amicus Brief Arguing for Broader Access to Government Databases Through FOIA

Providing aggregate data access to media professionals

Mar 29, 2019
The Hill

Nunes Faces Tough Odds with Twitter Lawsuit

A Twitter lawsuit and protected forms of speech

Mar 23, 2019
Medium

The Ability to Say NO On the Internet

A feminist approach to consent in digital technologies

Feminist research and bridging conversations about consent

Mar 8, 2019
The Guardian

Anti-vaxx 'mobs': doctors face harassment campaigns on Facebook

Medical experts who counter misinformation are weathering coordinated attacks. Now some are fighting back

Facebook's stance on anti-vaccine misinformation, and what public health experts have to say about it.

Mar 6, 2019
The Commons

What might someone else do in five years, when they’re sitting in your chair?

Stopping to think about the ethics and unintended consequences of new technology.

Mar 6, 2019
Wired

How Amazon's Algorithms Curated a Dystopian Bookstore

Amazon and the spread of health misinformation.

Mar 5, 2019
Medium

Digital rights are *all* human rights, not just civil and political

The UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights consults with the field

Bringing into focus the impact that new technologies can have on socio-economic, civil and political rights

Feb 27, 2019
Carnegie Reporter

Secure the Vote

Assessing the integrity, safety, and security of the vote -- the most important element of a truly democratic government

Feb 19, 2019
KCBS

Are Data Dividends Really a Good Idea?

Christine Borgman comments on the feasibility of California's "data dividends" proposal

Feb 14, 2019
EdSurge

The Tech Industry is Hijacking School Data. But Decentralized Systems Can Change That.

When it comes to children’s school data we should ask who controls it, what is it worth and how will it impact their lives.

Feb 13, 2019
Working Paper

A User-Focused Transdisciplinary Research Agenda for AI-Enabled Health Tech Governance

A research agenda for stakeholders to proactively collaborate and design AI technologies that work with users to improve their health and wellbeing

Feb 4, 2019

The Technology 202: Facebook's messaging plans spark privacy, antitrust concerns around the world

Facebook’s plans to stitch together its three main messaging services have put the social network back in the glare of regulators around the world

Jan 29, 2019
#GoodID

African countries must work together for Good ID

Berkman Klein Fellow Titi Akinsanmi discusses how policy for digital ID could develop in 2019 and what she hopes to see globally and on the African continent.

Jan 28, 2019
Bloomberg Law

Crypto Exchanges Left Hanging as Shutdown Sidelines CFTC

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s oversight of the fast-growing cryptocurrency market is on hiatus as the government shutdown lingers.

Jan 15, 2019
World Economic Forum

Dialogue Series on New Economic and Social Frontiers

Shaping the New Economy in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Questions are emerging regarding the adequacy of our current economic policies and practices, the social contract between citizens, businesses and governments and the metrics used…

Jan 14, 2019
New York Times

In High-Tech Cities, No More Potholes, but What About Privacy?

“We increasingly see every problem as a technology-related problem, so the solution is more technology”

Dec 31, 2018
WGBH

In Suing Boston, AirBNB Argues It's Not Responsible For Illegal Listings

AirBnB may be exempt from a local ordinance regulating local short-term rentals by way of the Communications Decency Act

Dec 31, 2018
Just Security

2018 Was A Trying Year For Social Media Platforms–And Their Users

Three Pathways Forward

Data protection standards alone aren’t enough to make social media companies accountable

Dec 27, 2018
Harvard Magazine

Harvard Portrait: Ruth Okediji

Ruth Okediji, Smith professor of law, traces her enthusiasm for intellectual-property law to a childhood love of literature and storytelling.

Dec 21, 2018
Medium

Law and Adversarial Machine Learning

A survey of existing legal remedies for attacks that have been demonstrated on machine learning systems, and suggests some potential areas of exploration for machine learning…

Dec 20, 2018
Open Access Government

Distributed technologies to bootstrap the sharing economy

Professor Samer Hassan explores how blockchain has the potential to help sharing economy projects to overcome several challenges they face at infrastructure, governance and…

Dec 20, 2018
Wired

Yes, Big Platforms Could Change Their Business Models

The few companies that control our digital public sphere—Facebook, Google, and Twitter—are all driven by the same fundamental business model, and it has only grown more pernicious…

Dec 17, 2018
TechCrunch

Senators aim to give internet companies doctor-like duties to protect our data

A new bill would prevent tech companies from knowingly doing harm to their users.

Dec 13, 2018
Global Development and Environment Institute

Industrial Policy 4.0

Promoting transformation in the digital economy

This paper makes a case for comprehensive digital industrial policies that are differentiated and rooted in the broader reality of development and globalization in the fourth…

Dec 7, 2018
Digital HKS

Can Blockchain Facilitate the Governance of Commons-oriented Communities?

A conversation with Berkman Klein Center Faculty Associate Samer Hassan

Hassan thinks of the blockchain within the context of how we use it to manage trust in large, decentralized communities.

Dec 5, 2018
Digital HKS

Big Data, Meager returns?

There is no easy fix to the asymmetries existing between developing and developed countries.

Nov 28, 2018
El Pais

The Leaders of the Big Technology Think Themselves Smarter than Others

Jonathan Zittrain says the chances that the Internet will be a engine for positivity are lower than they were ten years ago

Nov 12, 2018
CNN

We need stronger cybersecurity laws for the Internet of Things

Making Internet-connected devices more secure will require smarter regulations

Nov 8, 2018
Medium

Buying your First AI

or “Never Trust a Used Algorithm Salesman”

A skeptic's guide to the market for AI technologies, especially for government and policymakers

Nov 7, 2018
The Atlantic

We Tested Facebook’s Ad Screeners and Some Were Too Strict

Do big social media platforms have effective ad policies?

Nov 2, 2018
arXiv

Law and Adversarial Machine Learning

When machine learning systems fail because of adversarial manipulation, how should society expect the law to respond?

Oct 26, 2018
CBC Spark

Restaurants have strict standards to protect customers. Tech platforms don't

Online tech platforms should become “information fiduciaries”

Oct 26, 2018
Cyberlaw Clinic

A Victory for Software Preservation

DMCA Exemption Granted for SPN

The HLS Cyberlaw Clinic helped receive an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act anti-circumvention provisions to allow libraries, archivists, museums, and other…

Oct 26, 2018
On Labor

State TNC and MC Legislation

Preemption and Employment Status of Drivers

“What was once a disruptive, ‘easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission’, type of business, have institutionalized its interests in state law."

Oct 19, 2018
IMF

Evolving Technology means Change to Legal Finance

On transformation in the financial services landscape due to globalizing and evolving technologies

Oct 17, 2018
Medium

The Black Mirror Writer's Room

Teaching Technology Ethics through Speculation

Teaching technologists to think critically about responsibility and ethics is one way to keep our lives from into turning into a Black Mirror episode

Oct 15, 2018
Video

FinTech Forward 2018

Domestic and international financial regulators, innovators, and experts examine financial tech topics

Oct 12, 2018
New York Times

Internet Hacking Is About to Get Much Worse

If our devices, information, and institutions are to remain secure, smart government regulation is inevitable

Oct 11, 2018
News

It’s not enough for AI to be “ethical”; it must also be “rights respecting”

On the importance of thinking about both the human rights implications and the ethics of AI.

Oct 9, 2018
Council on Foreign Relations

Three Problems with India’s Draft Data Protection Bill

India is attempting to create a complex new framework for data protection that will require firms to physically host user data, but they might be moving too fast.

Oct 3, 2018
Law360

Harvard Cyberlaw Clinic Backs Airbnb In Rowdy Guest Suit

Our Cyberlaw Clinic has urged the Ninth Circuit court not to touch a lower court decision ending a corporate landlord's lawsuit accusing Airbnb of helping tenants break building…

Sep 28, 2018
Video

Tech Leadership in an Era of Digital (Mis)Trust

New policies aim to protect the privacy and security of personal data. How can trust be strengthened in the digital economy?

Sep 20, 2018
Harvard Business Review

Platforms Should Become Information Fiduciaries

Internet companies need "information fiduciaries" to ensure that the consumer's best interest is kept at heart.

Sep 19, 2018
Intelligence Squared

Blockchain: Quantum leap forward or digital snake oil?

Faculty Associate Primavera De Filippi joins a debate discussing Blockchain, what it is, and whether it is deserving of its current hype.

Jul 2, 2018
SAGE Ocean

How technology fails us, and what we can do about it

Keith Porcaro presents his work on data trusts, a legal tool for governing and protecting digital movements.

Jun 28, 2018
Video

AI Threats to Civil Liberties and Democracy

Chinmayi Arun of the Centre for Communication Governance at National Law University, Delhi

Chinmayi Arun discusses the challenges unchecked AI development could pose to civil liberties in Asia.

Jan 11, 2017

Projects, Programs, and Tools 17

Lumen

Lumen collects and studies online content removal requests, providing transparency and supporting research and analysis of the Web's notice and takedown ecosystem, in terms of who…

Network of Interdisciplinary Internet & Society Research Centers

A collaborative initiative focused on interdisciplinary research on the development, social impact, policy implications, and legal issues concerning the Internet.

Past

AGTech Forum

The AGTech Forum provides opportunities for collaborative engagement among state attorneys general, technology companies, academics, and other stakeholders about innovation,…

Past

AI: Global Governance and Inclusion

In a world challenged by growing domestic and international inequalities, policymakers face hard problems and difficult choices when dealing with AI systems.

Past

Cloud Computing

Led by Executive Director and Harvard Law School Professor of Practice, Urs Gasser, the Berkman Center's cloud computing initiative seeks to identify and evaluate the challenges…

Digital Finance Initiative

A multitude of technical, legal, policy, and economic issues around digital currencies and blockchain technologies have emerged in recent years.

Past

Harmful Speech Online

The Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society is in the third year of a research, policy analysis, and network building effort devoted to the study of harmful speech, in close…

Past

Input to ICANN Accountability and Transparency Review Process

The Berkman Center conducted an independent, exploratory study analyzing ICANN’s decision-making processes and communications with stakeholders.

Internet Governance

A multi-disciplinary, collaborative, and extended investigation into the multi-layered system that defines the function, structure, and operation of the Internet. 

Past

Internet Safety Technical Task Force

The Internet Safety Technical Task Force (ISTTF) is a group of Internet businesses, non-profit organizations, academics, and technology companies that have joined together to…

Past

Interoperability

In early June 2012, Urs Gasser and John Palfrey released Interoperability: The Promise and Perils of Highly Interconnected Systems. The book is inspired by their 2005 study and…

Past

Net Dialogue

The Net Dialogue project strives to encourage greater public access to Net-related rulemaking by intergovernmental organizations, and to engage technologists and policymakers in…

Past

Open Governance/ICANN

The centerpiece of the Berkman Center's early research on Internet governance was the Center's work with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers...

Past

Open ePolicy Group

We formed the Open ePolicy Group in February 2005 with members from every region of the world to share insights from governments, companies and organizations at the forefront of…

ProjectVRM

ProjectVRM seeks to improve markets by equipping customers with tools for both independence from vendors and better engagement with vendors.

Past

Web Integrity Project

The Web Integrity Project (WIP) monitors changes to government websites

Past

eInnovation and ICT Interoperability

This project aims to achieve a better understanding of interoperability—that is, the ability of entities such as software, devices, or components to exchange information—in the…


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