Tech Policy Podcast

New host Ari Cohn sits down with Taylor Lorenz to unpack the latest push for the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), the SCREEN Act, and online age verification. They discuss the free speech and privacy implications of these laws, how government pressure can lead platforms to over-censor, the risks of mandatory identity verification, and why protecting kids online can have consequences for everyone. Ari and Taylor also explore the political forces and moral panic driving tech regulation—and why anonymous speech and the freedom to read may be more important than ever.

Links:

User Mag Substack

User Mag: ICE’s Plan to Monitor Social Media 24/7

The KIDS Act Is Just as Unconstitutional as KOSA ... Just in Different Words

KOSA Still Poses a Grave Threat to First Amendment Rights 

Kids Online Safety Act Threatens the First Amendment and Minors’ Well-Being

The Anti-LGBTQ Internet Censorship Bill Is Back - Taylor Lorenz’s Power User Podcast

Wall Street Journal: How ICE is Weaponizing Social Media Against Its Critics

Corbin is signing off as host. To mark the occasion, he and new host Ari Cohn go on one final super rant about the state of social-media and AI regulation.

Links:

Supreme Court to Hear Violent Video Game Case (https://tinyurl.com/y969cv6r)

India’s Republic of Uncles (https://tinyurl.com/22xbx668)

Save Us, Digital Cronkite! (https://tinyurl.com/35sess4r)

Judge Glock (Manhattan Institute) joins the show to discuss the past, present, and future of data center construction in the United States.

Links:

The Surprising Heart of the Data-Center Boom

Dr. Mekhi Dhesi is a space industry executive at Slingshot Aerospace and a space communicator. She joins the show to discuss orbital mechanics, rocket science, black holes, the Fermi paradox, and more. Follow her on Instagram @cosmic_mekhi!

Host Corbin Barthold heads to New York to speak at FIRE’s Free Speech Future event series. The panel features Kmele Foster (The Fifth Column), Nico Perrino (FIRE), and Prof. Christopher Ferguson (Stetson University).

Links:

Free Speech Future: Episode III – Cycles of Censorship: Emerging Technologies

Free Speech Future