New America

I’m excited to share a new report on privacy-enhancing technologies (#PETs) and their role in balancing data use with privacy. Privacy isn’t a barrier to using data—it’s the foundation for doing it responsibly. Too often, policy practitioners face a false choice: protect #privacy or unlock #data for policymaking. Some use this narrative to justify unrestricted access to government data, treating privacy protections as obstacles. But data can be both useful and secure. PETs can help achieve this balance by reducing risks while preserving data utility. Techniques like zero-knowledge proofs and federated learning allow for valuable insights without exposing sensitive information. Instead of weakening protections for convenience or allowing unchecked access, privacy and security should be embedded in data use from the start. The challenge is that PETs can seem complex and inaccessible. To help, I created a practical guide for government workers, designed to simplify these technologies with clear explanations, guiding questions, and fun metaphors to make the concepts easier to understand (Joel Yong's brilliant suggestion). In the spirit of those metaphors, think of navigating data use and privacy like hiking to an unfamiliar destination. On a new trail, you need both a compass and a map to stay on course. This guide acts as that map, helping you navigate the complexities of PETs while ensuring privacy protections are maintained. It’s designed for those working with data or shaping data policy, helping them unlock data’s value while safeguarding privacy. Here’s the link in case it's useful: https://lnkd.in/eDTtxeyH And as ever, incredibly grateful to my colleagues at New America and the Open Technology Institute, especially Joel Yong, Emma Semaan, Prem M. Trivedi, Nat Meysenburg, Jodi N., Kelley Gardner, Alex Bri?as, Elena Gooray, and Stephen Darling.

In "Mothering the Bay," author Deji O. takes readers aboard a crowded BART train that screeches to a halt in a tunnel underneath the San Francisco Bay. Searching for answers—injured and scared passengers turn to personalized #AI agents. But when those agents begin to sow confusion, a new mother and her young daughter need to seek information the old-fashioned way. Digital Futures Reimagined, a salon series by New America's Technology and Democracy programs and Future Tense Fiction, brings together diverse thinkers to explore a sustainable digital future. After each event, Future Tense Fiction publishes a fictional short story that imagines new possibilities and a corresponding essay highlighting an expert’s exploration of the story’s key themes. ?? Read "Mothering the Bay": https://lnkd.in/eRpkDQ5t

New America’s Open Technology Institute is unpacking the Trump administration’s approach to tech governance in a series of short reads. In the second piece, I focus on the administration’s alarming hand-in-glove partnership with many private tech firms. The administration is bending speech platforms to its will, picking winners and losers of government contracts, and generally using enormously powerful tech companies to augment state capacity. Many firms are displaying a striking willingness to act as appendages of the executive branch. Despite claims to the contrary, what is unfolding is a public-private sector alignment against the public interest. Democracy can’t work that way, and that is precisely the intent. Companies need to resist becoming junior partners of the state before they wake up one day soon to realize they no longer call any shots. The same goes for Congress. https://lnkd.in/ekmApCnQ #techpolicy #competition #privacy #democracy

How can we create easier and safer avenues for accessing and sharing highly sensitive documents online? Allison Price and Ryan Ko of New America's Digital Impact and Governance Initiative introduce My File, an open-source software designed to meet essential public service delivery needs with secure storage and sharing capabilities. ?? https://lnkd.in/ees_Deza

Today, on World Poetry Day, we celebrate the profound impact of poetry, not only as a form of artistic expression but as a mirror to our shared human experiences. In a new article for The Thread, we highlight the incredible work of New America Fellows and acclaimed poets Sarah Kay and Clint Smith and their reflections on the craft, their inspiration, and the personal and societal power of poetry. ?? https://lnkd.in/eXPaM2vi

As the saying goes “its takes a village to raise a child,” but how can that village help if it doesn’t know who you are or what you need? This is the story of many parenting students in the U.S. higher education system. Despite making up over 3 million of the student population, parenting students are often overlooked in higher education policies. In my new piece out on New America’s The Thread, I share one way Congress can support this population and allow colleges to become the village parenting students need to raise their children and succeed in school. Check it out ?? https://lnkd.in/ewzfQuTT

Digital Futures Reimagined, a salon series by New America's Technology and Democracy programs and Future Tense Fiction, brings together diverse thinkers to explore a sustainable digital future. After each event, Future Tense Fiction publishes a fictional short story that imagines new possibilities and a corresponding essay highlighting an expert’s exploration of the story’s key themes. First up, we have author Deji Olukotun's "Mothering the Bay" and education technology expert Babe Liberman's accompanying response. ?? https://lnkd.in/eUvEXqqP

"Managing this moment means balancing the immediate crisis with the important big picture." Edward Conroy of New America – Education Policy Program highlights the importance of staying focused in the midst of public policy chaos for The Thread. ?? https://lnkd.in/ennKN5fz

"Managing this moment means balancing the immediate crisis with the important big picture." Edward Conroy of New America – Education Policy Program highlights the importance of staying focused in the midst of public policy chaos for The Thread. ?? https://lnkd.in/ennKN5fz

Digital Futures Reimagined, a salon series by New America's Technology and Democracy programs and Future Tense Fiction, brings together diverse thinkers to explore a sustainable digital future. After each event, Future Tense Fiction publishes a fictional short story that imagines new possibilities and a corresponding essay highlighting an expert’s exploration of the story’s key themes. First up, we have author Deji Olukotun's "Mothering the Bay" and education technology expert Babe Liberman's accompanying response. ?? https://lnkd.in/eUvEXqqP