Armchair Discussion with Stephanie Murphy - Congresswoman representing Florida’s 7th Congressional District (D-FL)

Change can be disruptive, and it’s easy for policymakers to get caught in the present, especially when constituents demand solutions to today’s problems. But it’s also hugely important to understand how we got here. Of course we should look at what policies are wrong and need to be changed, but what have we gotten right? And what is Congress doing now to help foster innovation?

Austin Carson, our Executive Director, led the armchair discussion on what is being done now to ensure that new technologies are fostered, not stifled, by government. What is Orlando doing to become the first “smart city” in the U.S?

Armchair Discussion with Former Congressman Christopher Cox

Change can be disruptive, and it’s easy for policymakers to get caught in the present, especially when constituents demand solutions to today’s problems. But it’s also hugely important to understand how we got here. Of course we should look at what policies are wrong and need to be changed, but what have we gotten right? And what is Congress doing now to help foster innovation?

Austin Carson, our Executive Director, led the armchair discussion with former Chairman of the SEC, Hon. Chris Cox (R-CA), who, as a congressman, co-authored Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act which allowed the user-generated Internet to be born. His and now-Senator Wyden’s foresight unleashed trillions in wealth and opened the door to a vast landscape of content online created by everyday people.

The Frontier: Two Roads Diverging Toward Different Futures

AI, drones, autonomous vehicles, augmented and virtual reality, bioengineering — as William Gibson put it: “The future is already here — it's just not very evenly distributed.” But the well-trodden path is to talk about the downsides of change and dystopian outcomes, not to imagine the benefits of what’s around the corner. What does the less-traveled path of a bright future really look like and what kind of environment leads there? What should we be excited about or prepare for? What are our greatest opportunities and threats? Where is the public commentary dead wrong?

• Steve Koenig - Senior Director of Market Research, Consumer Technology Association
• Adam Thierer - Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center
• Rebecca Mark - Head of Public Affairs and Government Relations, Cruise Automation
• MODERATOR: Marguerite Reardon - Senior Reporter, CNET

Digital Security: Avoiding a Failure of Imagination

After 9/11, the Commission’s report said the greatest failure was a “failure of imagination,” that leaders didn’t understand the nature of the threat, and our security apparatus pivoted to adapt. Now, questions surrounding digital security for both individuals and the U.S. have grown in a way that is again testing our imaginations — as individuals and as a nation. The proliferation of technology platforms, modern connected devices, and the immense amount of data generated make the considerations of a decade ago look like child’s play. As IoT gets further into our personal lives, how should we approach the challenges of national security and law enforcement officials? How can we ensure the sensitive information we entrust to companies isn’t put at risk in the name of security? And how should we respond when bad actors exploit the tools created by digital spies?

• Harley Geiger - Director of Public Policy, Rapid7
• Alex Kreilein - Managing Partner, SecureSet
• Richard Seiersen - Chief Information Security Officer & VP of Trust,Twilio Inc.
• MODERATOR: Katie Bo Williams - Staff Writer, The Hill

Analog to Digital: Building Policy for the American Life of the Future

Staffers are increasingly thinking about how technological change can and will shape the lives of the Americans they and their bosses serve. To that end, more than 200 House and Senate staff joined together to form the Congressional Tech Staff Association to share knowledge and guide their work into the future. What are some of the brightest in Congress doing to ensure that people at home and across the country are going to be able to thrive 5 or 10 years from now? How are they supporting entrepreneurialism, innovation, and quality of life for everyday Americans? What concerns are they hearing, and how can civil society and industry better help address those concerns as they do their work?

• Nick Leiserson - Legislative Director, Office of Congressman James Langevin (D-RI)
• Sam Love - Legislative Assistant, US Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO)
• Mike Flynn - Counsel to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
• MODERATOR: Evan Swarztrauber - Director of Public Affairs, TechFreedom

The Foundation: Making the Government a Friend of the Future

As technology transforms our lives, how will it transform our thinking about the law? Headlines scream about the government misunderstanding, breaking, or intruding into our favorite gadgets and services — but is that a symptom of a larger problem? How can we write laws that protect us from real threats without stifling technological change? And how will the institutions that enforce those laws actually keep up with ever-changing paradigms?

• Veronique de Rugy - Senior Research Fellow, Mercatus Center
• Dr. Michael Mandel - Chief Economic Strategist, Progressive Policy Institute
• Virginia Postrel - Writer
• MODERATOR: Berin Szoka - President, TechFreedom