Blog

Protect Kids, Not Big Tech’s Market Position

April 17, 2023 | Evan Swarztrauber

Lawmakers across the political spectrum are increasingly focused on reining in the market power and abuses of Big Tech, particularly when it comes to social media. If the history of tech policy is a lack of regulation and firms avoiding responsibility for “moving fast and breaking things,” then there’s perhaps no more illustrative example than

April 11, 2023 | Jonathon Hauenschild

Last week, Arkansas joined the national trend of attempting to kick social media platforms out of the state. The Legislature has passed the Social Media Safety Act, which adds age verification requirements for all new account holders in an effort to prevent cyberbullying and keep inappropriate material from children. But whatever the intention, the approach

OpenAI’s Big Lesson for Science Policy

April 11, 2023 | Samuel Hammond

This piece was originally published at Second Best. The incredible success of Large Language Models like ChatGPT is both a scientific breakthrough and a boon for future scientific discovery. As a recent editorial in Nature explains, …large language and vision models that can digest the literature will be used to identify gaps in knowledge, help summarize and

Winning the Next Space Race

April 6, 2023 | Luke Hogg

Ensuring a Competitive Satellite Internet Market to Compete with China Technical innovation in the delivery of the Internet by satellite has the potential to close the digital divide and improve Internet services for customers in the United States and around the world. With China planning to launch its own “megaconstellation” of internet-providing satellites into low

Quarterly Activities Update, Q1 2023

April 5, 2023 | Zach Graves

Dear friend of Lincoln: I’d like to share with you some of our team’s recent activities, including new research from Lincoln Policy, project updates from Lincoln Studio, and other developments across Lincoln Network. Take a look at what the Lincoln team has been working on over the last few months. Policy Our policy team had

April 3, 2023 | Zach Graves

Lincoln Network is thrilled to announce that today, Samuel Hammond is joining our policy team as Senior Economist. Samuel’s research will focus on innovation and science policy, state capacity, and the impact of disruptive technologies such as AI on U.S. institutions. Samuel was previously Director of Social Policy at the Niskanen Center, where his research

March 28, 2023 | Dan Lips

For more than a decade, the Government Accountability Office has been warning that the federal government is on an unsustainable fiscal path. In March of 2020, for example, days before the pandemic was declared, Comptroller General Gene Dodaro warned Congress that “interest on the debt is the fastest growing element of federal spending” and that

March 24, 2023 | Dan Lips

The United States faces significant economic, national security, and educational challenges in 2023. The federal government remains on an unsustainable fiscal path. The United States faces rising international competition from great power rivals. And American students have suffered historic learning losses following prolonged public school closures that occurred during the pandemic. For more than half

Who Owns the Farm in the U.K.?

March 6, 2023 | Lars Schönander

As U.S.-China competition heats up, lawmakers are realizing the extent to which Chinese companies and investments threaten U.S. national security. But this isn’t just an American issue; British policymakers should be aware of similar risks to their own country. In particular, the U.K. has a chance to learn from the latest U.S. area of focus:

February 14, 2023 | Alex Dubin

The breathtaking launch of Artemis 1 ushered in a new era of American-led human space exploration. The nearly month-long mission to the Moon tested a new heavy-lift rocket (Space Launch System, or SLS) and capsule (Orion), and its success is a triumph for NASA and its partners. The mission comes 11 years after the retirement

February 1, 2023 | Deepesh Chaudhari

Global Internet freedom has declined for the 12th year in a row, according to the latest report from Freedom House. Russia has increased its crackdown on Internet freedom since the start of the war in Ukraine, while the Chinese Communist Party remains the world leader in digital authoritarianism, mandating “new rules that require platforms to

Schoolahoop Launches Across Wisconsin

January 23, 2023 | Brandon Detweiler

We’re excited to announce that Schoolahoop, Lincoln’s free tool to help parents explore and compare schools in their neighborhood, as well as discover scholarships, is officially launching across Wisconsin, thanks to the generous support of the Bradley Foundation. School Choice Wisconsin has partnered with Schoolahoop to be the “boots-on-the-ground” organization for all Wisconsin parents searching

January 10, 2023 | Dan Lips

After electing Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the House of Representatives moved to pass the House rules package for the 118th Congress. The measure shapes how the chamber will conduct its business over the next two years. Americans should be encouraged by an important change that will focus lawmakers’ attention on authorizing federal programs. Unlike the Senate,

Quarterly Activities Update

January 4, 2023 | Zach Graves

December 14, 2022 | Deepesh Chaudhari

The Bureau of Industry and Security recently announced new export control rules regarding anti-terrorism and regional stability, which will significantly affect the trade of high-end AI chips. As with any complex regulatory change, there is a risk of unintended consequences and surprise challenges in its implementation. The Bureau has therefore rightly encouraged comments and collaborative

December 6, 2022 | Grace Meyer

Lincoln Network was founded to help bridge the gap between policymakers and innovators, and advance a more perfect union between technology and the American republic. We see our value proposition in cross-pollination, network building, and translation between groups that don’t speak the same language. Our work includes helping innovators understand the policy world, and bringing

The Unmasking of Manipulative AI

November 10, 2022 | Deepesh Chaudhari

The potential for automated influence operations, in which AI systems are designed to manipulate humans, is real and deserves our attention. As AI systems proliferate in creating media and interactive experiences, the opportunities for manipulative persuasion and harmful social consequences will increase. In particular, machine learning (ML) progress in text and video generation could dramatically

October 21, 2022 | Lars Schönander

In a time of pronounced volatility in energy markets as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war and recent production cuts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC+), it’s important that we have reliable data on the operations of energy companies. Thanks to a successful Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, we’re one step

October 11, 2022 | Deepesh Chaudhari

AI has the potential to significantly improve our lives in many ways, but it also poses significant risks. On the one hand, technological advances in how computer systems can execute tasks that traditionally require human intelligence have an unprecedented potential to benefit humanity in countless ways. AI has already led to medical, transportation, and education

October 10, 2022 | Ryan Khurana

On September 22, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) called on the National Security Advisor (NSA) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to restrict access to open-source generative AI models in response to the release of Stable Diffusion by Stability AI. Stable Diffusion is an open-source text-to-image AI that allows for the creation of

Quarterly Activities Update

October 5, 2022 | Zach Graves

Dear friend of Lincoln: I’d like to share with you some of our team’s recent activities, including new research from Lincoln Policy, project updates from Lincoln Studio, and other developments across Lincoln Network. As we prepare for next week’s Reboot conference, take a look at what the Lincoln team has been working on over the

September 30, 2022 | Zach Graves

We’re excited to announce Lincoln Network’s third cohort of Policy Hackers: ten tech professionals from around the country who are passionate about bridging the gap between innovators and policymakers. Fellows will remain in their current roles while engaging with policy experts, lobbyists, academics, and government officials throughout the year-long program. The programming is aimed at

September 16, 2022 | Jonathon Hauenschild

As Congress returns from the August and Labor Day recess, competition policies may be high on the priority list, with Sen. Klobuchar reintroducing the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act and likely lobbying Sen. Chuck Schumer for a vote on her American Innovation and Choice Online Act. Before considering legislation, though, Congress should take a close

September 8, 2022 | Jonathon Hauenschild

With the Federal Trade Commission’s recent effort to block the merger between Meta and fitness app developer Within, the Democratic leadership of the FTC is showing its preference for playing politics rather than protecting consumers. The Commission argues that the merger would give Meta a dominant position in the market for “dedicated VR fitness apps.”

August 29, 2022 | Robert Bellafiore

Last week, Senior Fellow Geoff Cain joined Prolegis on its podcast, the Congressional Record, to discuss the policy concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection and storage, and what Congress might do in response. Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, or Spotify.

Antitrust Reform After AICOA

August 22, 2022 | Luke Hogg

Despite months of pressure on leadership to bring antitrust legislation to the floor, the Senate left town for the August recess without voting on the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA). While Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has stated that AICOA could still receive a vote this fall, Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s signature effort to rein

Quarterly Activities Update

August 9, 2022 | Zach Graves

Dear friend of Lincoln: I’d like to share with you some of our team’s recent activities, including new research from Lincoln Policy, project updates from Lincoln Studio, and other developments across Lincoln Network. In April, we welcomed two new members to our board of directors: Michael Solana, Vice President at Founders Fund, and Laurent Crenshaw, Global Head of Policy

August 1, 2022 | Luke Hogg

With the battle over the ownership of Twitter making its way into the courtroom, conservatives’ hopes that tech magnate Elon Musk would swoop in and solve the quagmire of free speech online have been put in jeopardy. As members of Congress debate legislation that fails to address conservatives’ core concerns, it is time for lawmakers

Lincoln Welcomes New Fellow

July 18, 2022 | Zach Graves

Lincoln Network is thrilled to announce the appointment of Jessica Seale as a nonresident fellow. In this position, she will contribute to Lincoln’s work on congressional modernization. Jessica’s experience in the federal government makes her a perfect addition to Lincoln’s policy team. She previously led technology design and implementation for the Paycheck Protection Program at

June 27, 2022 | Deepesh Chaudhari

Note: The author previously submitted an anonymous comment to NIST. This blog post summarizes material from that comment. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)’s recent initial draft of its AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) provides an important reminder for the future of AI: advances in artificial intelligence have the potential to provide

We’re Hiring: Operations Manager

June 22, 2022 | Grace Meyer

To apply, answer a few questions and submit your resume and cover letter here: https://form.typeform.com/to/P01ufl4V The Operations Manager will work closely with Lincoln Network’s Head of Development and COO and will be responsible for assisting with donor relations, event planning/promotions, and operations support; as well as other administrative tasks as needed. This is a full-time

Don’t Rush a Bad Bill

June 17, 2022 | Luke Hogg

Democrats’ poorly-drafted antitrust bill will do little for Republicans, and its consumer backlash will undermine future legislative efforts Republicans and Democrats alike have grown increasingly mistrustful of large online platforms in recent years. But the basis for this mistrust comes from two conflicting lines of thinking. Whereas Democrats are primarily concerned with market power and

June 15, 2022 | Dan Lips

The Department of Education recently reported that public schools spent on average more than $15,000 per student as of 2019. But Americans continue to estimate that public schools spend much less. A May survey commissioned by EdChoice found that Americans think public schools are spending roughly $5,000 per child. Colyn Ritter has the details: Parents

Lincoln Welcomes New Senior Fellows

May 23, 2022 | Zach Graves

Lincoln Network is thrilled to announce the appointment of two nonresident senior fellows: Jon Askonas and Richard Reisman. Each brings a wealth of policy expertise, augmenting Lincoln’s growing roster of experts. RICHARD REISMAN Richard Reisman is a nonresident senior fellow at Lincoln Network. Richard is an independent media-tech innovator and frequent contributor to Tech Policy Press, who blogs on

May 9, 2022 | Luke Hogg

For decades, immigration reform has been a white whale for Congress. Despite bipartisan legislative efforts, executive branch buy-in, and broad agreement that the current system is broken, immigration reform legislation has proven elusive. Now that a bipartisan group of Senators has once again begun legislative discussions on the topic, there may soon be opportunities to

Lincoln Studio Launches BIPBounty.org

May 5, 2022 | Brandon Detweiler

Lincoln Studio is proud to announce the launch of BIPBounty.org, a new project to support the open source development of Bitcoin. This new project incentivizes the research development and vetting of Bitcoin Improvement Proposals (BIPs) by creating a system for crowdsourcing tax-deductible bug bounties and distributing them to bounty winners. Lincoln Network has partnered with

April 27, 2022 | Luke Hogg

As if like clockwork, the beginning of campaign season means that immigration is once again taking center stage in Washington. Amidst record breaking migration at the southern border and President Biden’s decision to end the Title 42 public health order, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, have been thrust back

How (Not) to Waste A Crisis

April 21, 2022 | Evan Swarztrauber

In 2008, with the economy in free-fall, then-chief of staff to president-elect Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel, told the Wall Street Journal, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.” The line has become

April 11, 2022 | Zach Graves

Lincoln Network is excited to announce two new members of its board of directors starting in May: Mike Solana, vice president at Founders Fund; and Laurent Crenshaw, global head of policy at Patreon. Mike Solana Mike is a vice president at Founders Fund focused on community and brand. He runs creative programming including Symposium (F50),

April 11, 2022 | Zach Graves

Lincoln Network is thrilled to announce the appointment of two nonresident senior fellows: Roslyn Layton and Jimmy Soni. Each brings a wealth of expertise in tech and innovation and policy, augmenting Lincoln’s growing roster of experts. Roslyn Layton Roslyn Layton, PhD is an international technology expert who explains the economics, security, and geopolitics of broadband