CDT Tech Talks

In this episode of Tech Talks, we dive into the growing debate over online age verification. While often framed as a way to protect children, these policies carry major implications for how everyone, adults and children alike, accesses the internet. Unlike showing an ID at a bar, online age checks can require the collection and even long-term storage of sensitive personal data, raising serious privacy and security concerns. The UK’s Online Safety Act has already pushed millions of users to prove their age across thousands of sites, from adult content to everyday topics like current affairs and even knitting. In the U.S., states including Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi are rolling out their own requirements, while federal lawmakers weigh new proposals that could expand these mandates even further. Joining this conversation are Zeve Sanderson of NYU’s Center for Social Media and Politics, CDT Research Fellow Michal Luria, and guest host Aliya Bhatia, CDT Senior Policy Analyst. Together, they explore what users really think about age verification, how it changes online behavior, and what’s at stake for balancing child safety with privacy and free expression.

Can AI ever truly be “neutral”? A new Executive Order takes aim at so-called “Woke AI,” raising constitutional concerns and surfacing big technical challenges. In this episode of Tech Talks, CDT’s Amy Winecoff, Senior Technologist, Becca Branum, Deputy Director for the Free Expression Project, and Quinn Anex-Ries, Senior Policy Analyst for the Equity in Civic Technology project, join the conversation to explore why “anti-woke AI” may be more political mirage than technical reality, and what it could mean for the future of technology, policy, and free expression. Attribution: Applause 27 seconds, Audience c. 200. Large Hall. by iainmccurdy -- https://freesound.org/s/681093/ -- License: Attribution 4.0 applause_and_whistle.flac by ondrosik -- https://freesound.org/s/187673/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

In this episode, we explore the vital role public interest technologists play in shaping policy. How do technical experts influence legislation around the internet, cybersecurity, AI, and more? What challenges do they face, and how can we encourage more technologists to engage in public policy? Joining the conversation are Chinmayi Sharma, Associate Professor at Fordham Law School and CDT Non-Resident Fellow, and Nick Doty, CDT’s Senior Technologist. Tune in as we unpack the intersection of technology and policymaking—and why it matters now more than ever.

On January 27th, the Trump Administration made headlines with a controversial move to dismiss three Democratic members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), an independent agency responsible for ensuring transparency and accountability in U.S. surveillance practices. With the attempted removal of these members, including the Chair, the board now lacks a quorum and is unable to function effectively, leaving just one member behind. As the future of the board remains uncertain, it could take months for replacements to be appointed, leaving the agency non-operational for the foreseeable future. On February 24th, two of the removed members filed a lawsuit in federal court, claiming their firing was illegal. In this episode, Greg Nojeim, Senior Counsel and Director of CDT’s Security and Surveillance Project, joins us to discuss the ramifications of the Trump Administration’s actions, the legal battle ahead, and what this all means for the future of privacy and trans-Atlantic data flows.

In today’s episode, we dive into an often overlooked but incredibly important issue: content moderation in non-dominant languages, specifically Maghrebi Arabic dialects. Recently, CDT released a groundbreaking report titled "Moderating Maghrebi Arabic Content on Social Media," which explores the challenges, gaps, and opportunities in ensuring fair and effective moderation of Arabic content on social platforms. To unpack these insights, we’ll be joined by two leading experts in the field: Mona Elswah, a researcher in digital rights and content moderation, and Fellow of the Content Moderation for Languages in the Global South Project at CDT; and Emna Mizouni, a Tunisian digital rights advocate, community leader, and founder-CEO of Digital Citizenship. We’ll discuss the unique hurdles faced by Maghrebi Arabic speakers online, why it's critical for platforms to address these gaps, and what needs to change to make content moderation more inclusive and equitable for all users.