Tech Policy
The Joint Center’s tech policy program analyzes how data privacy, AI, and other tech policy issues affect Black communities. See below for research, analysis, and activities related to tech policy.
Big Tech CEOs Must Do More than Admit Misinformation is Harmful to Communities of Color
As Congress reckons with misinformation plaguing online platforms, Black communities continue to face discrimination, anti-Blackness, and material harm facilitated by agitators on social media platforms. We know that tech can exacerbate and facilitate harm towards Black communities. We don’t know to what extent the government needs to regulate Big Tech to prevent harm and bias.…
Joint Center and 24 Tech Policy and Civil Rights Groups Call on the FTC to Quickly Confirm Commissioners Who Will Advance Equity and Racial Justice
The Joint Center joined a coalition of 24 tech policy and civil rights groups calling on the Federal Trade Commission to quickly nominate and confirm commissioners who will advance equity and racial justice. The FTC should commit the agency to addressing data abuses that disproportionately affect marginalized communities. Read the letter here.
Joint Center Hosts Roundtable on Data Privacy & Black Communities
The Joint Center hosted an invite-only roundtable to identify key data privacy concerns for Black communities. Attendees explored critical privacy issues and big data practices that produce discriminatory outcomes for Black communities. The meeting was organized around two themes: 1). Big Data and Black Communities and 2) The Role of Federal Agencies & Anti-Discrimination Laws.…
Joint Center Joins Senate Broadband Caucus Virtual Discussion on ‘Broadband Priorities for 2021 and Beyond’
Joint Center Technology Policy Director Dr. Dominique Harrison joined the Senate Broadband Caucus for a virtual discussion on “broadband priorities for 2021 and beyond.” Other panelists included NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association CEO Shirley Bloomfield and Schools Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition CEO John Windhausen. Pew Charitable Trusts Manager Kathryn de Wit moderated the…
Joint Center Presents on Digital Infrastructure in the Black Rural South
Joint Center Technology Policy Director Dr. Dominique Harrison presented research on the importance of broadband access in the Black Rural South for the SC Digital Equity Collaborative. The Joint Center’s research on the future of work in the Black Rural South can be found here.
Joint Center Joins HTTP Panel on Tech Policy & Equity Within the First 100 Days of the Biden-Harris Administration
Joint Center Director of Technology Policy Dr. Dominique Harrison joined the Hispanic Technology & Telecommunications Partnership’s digital forum entitled Building Back Better – Diversity, Equity & Accessibility: a Civil Rights Tech Policy Framework for the First 100 Days. The conversation centered on “tech and telecommunications policy and its role in expanding civil rights, diversity, digital…
Joint Center Presents on Tech Policy to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Racial Disparities Working Group
Joint Center Director of Technology Policy Dr. Dominique Harrison gave a presentation and had a discussion with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Racial Disparities Working Group led by Energy and Commerce Committee Vice Chair Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY) and Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust Chair Robin Kelly (D-IL). During the presentation, Dominique discussed…
Joint Center Joins Sadie Collective Panel on AI Bias and Black Communities
Joint Center Director of Technology Policy Dr. Dominique Harrison participated in a panel at the Sadie Collective Third Annual Conference exploring how AI bias can negatively affect Black communities. Other panelists included UC Berkeley Computer Science Assistant Professor Dr. Rediet Abebe and Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology Ph.D. Student Jordan Harrod. See highlights from the…
Joint Center Moderates Public Knowledge Panel on Diversity in Early-Career Tech Policy Roles
Joint Center Director of Technology Policy Dr. Dominique Harrison joined Public Knowledge’s panel discussion on a report entitled Diversity in Early-Career Tech Policy Roles: Challenges and Opportunities. The discussion explored “the types of early career opportunities available in tech policy nonprofits and the diversity within these roles, as well as the steps organizations are taking…
Joint Center Moderates FCC Roundtable With HBCU Presidents
Joint Center Director of Technology Policy Dr. Dominique Harrison moderated the FCC’s HBCU Presidents’ Roundtable on “what solutions need to be implemented to ensure students, faculty, staff, and surrounding communities of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) get connected to affordable, reliable broadband during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.” The panelists included Delaware State University President…