I’m teaching child safety cases to my class today, and it’s super hard to distill down key points in the deluge. But maybe I’ll just start by quoting @corbinkbarthold.bsky.social.

What does meaningful work look like in a world of genius machines? On a new Tech Policy Podcast, Brent Orrell (AEI) and @corbinkbarthold.bsky.social explore and debate how AI will disrupt the job market. podcast.techfreedom.org/episodes/429...

“‘having lawyers get up and give speech contests in front of a jury’ is one of the worst ways he can imagine of settling the scientific disputes about social media and its effects on mental health.” — @corbinkbarthold.bsky.social www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...

Nothing says "there will be no technical glitches with age verification so need to worry about privacy!" like the guy from the age verification trade association being surprised when each new slide he shows starts playing music while a small dog yaps incessantly in the background

LIVE today: FTC Age Verification Workshop. I'll livestream commentary here, starting at 9 ET/6 PT www.ftc.gov/news-events/...

Relax, they just want the discretion to reward friends and punish enemies. On a new Tech Policy Podcast, Thom Lambert (Mizzou Law) and @corbinkbarthold.bsky.social discuss the Trump II administration’s new right antitrust regulators. podcast.techfreedom.org/episodes/428...

5 year old at bedtime: “You‘re the best dad ever. I hope you never die. But you will.”

Wrote about Rand Paul totally flipping his position on Section 230... because someone was mean to him on the internet. But also, he's blatantly violating the law he himself proposed to make it illegal for gov't employees to demand internet companies remove any content.

You should maybe look at this piece bc it has my thoughts on a hypocritical (possibly theocratic?) FTC commissioner named Mark Meader. But you should definitely look at it bc I convinced @mmasnick.bsky.social to put a picture (!) on top of a Techdirt article. www.techdirt.com/2026/01/20/c...

It is fair to say that @corbinkbarthold.bsky.social and I don't always see eye to eye, but I think he's dead on with this one. open.substack.com/pub/corbinkb...

This is a must-read from friend of the show @corbinkbarthold.bsky.social about the state of the FTC (not great, Bob!) and the hypocritical balls-and-strikes, finger-wagging rhetoric coming from one of its most politicized actors. Go check it out! corbinkbarthold.substack.com/p/can-you-tr...

🚨 SO MUCH STATE TECH POLICY 🚨

Ring in the new year with (what else?) a tech policy podcast. (Ahem, *the* Tech Policy Podcast.) First: Some thoughts from me on the tech + kids moral panic. Then: We revisit an epic 2025 episode on age verification, featuring the great @ericgoldman.bsky.social. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/n...

🇦🇺: 67% support the new legal ban on all social media for minors under 16 BUT only 29% will actually enforce that for their own kids “Bans for thee and thine, but not for me and mine!”🤦‍♂️

Attention Internet law nerds! The legendary Pamela Samuelson joined me this week to talk about Cox v. Sony -- a SCOTUS case in which Internet access is under threat from rampaging copyright law. It was an honor to have her on the show. Do check it out. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/4...

New Tech Policy Podcast! @pamelasamuelson.bsky.social (UC Berkeley) and @corbinkbarthold.bsky.social discuss the Supreme Court oral argument in Cox v. Sony, a copyright case that could have major ramifications for the internet. podcast.techfreedom.org/episodes/426...

Two amazing First Amendment litigation spots are open at Protect Democracy. Deadline is December 7th. This is someone's dream job and they may not know about it, so please send to good lawyers you know! protectdemocracy.recruitee.com/o/counsel-fi...

Hey folks: this morning we're launching a monthlong fundraiser for @techdirt.com. Over the last year, we've been steadfast in not self-censoring, not capitulating, not sanewashing bullshit. But that's come at a cost. And we need help: rtb.techdirt.com/products/fri...

In which Mike Masnick and I have a long talk about the state of social media, and Mike still finds a way to wrap things up with a note of optimism.

Crossover time! On a new Tech Policy Podcast, @corbinkbarthold.bsky.social heads over to the @techdirt.com Podcast, hosted by the one and only @mmasnick.bsky.social, for a wide-ranging discussion about the state of social media. podcast.techfreedom.org/episodes/425...

This is, of course, a fascinating thread from Kate asking why Google is effectively cannibalizing its own market for both digital ads on third party properties and search ads, by effectively taking away the incentive to click through to third party sites. I have a theory as to why they're doing it.

They promised us free speech—but all they’ve given us is hypocrisy! On a new Tech Policy Podcast, @aricohn.com (@thefireorg.bsky.social) and host @corbinkbarthold.bsky.social survey the Trump administration’s many attacks on the First Amendment. podcast.techfreedom.org/episodes/423...

I couldn’t be more delighted to announce that I’ve accepted an offer to join the faculty of Tulane Law School. law.tulane.edu/news/tulane-...

Uh, we've literally gone to bat for countless students protesting against Israel's actions in Gaza. Immense money? Do you know how nonprofits work? I could easily be making 3-4x as much, at a minimum, in private practice.

This is so unhinged.

Oh hell yes. This is like in a movie when two giant, comically inept, and heavily armed bad guys face off.

Techdirt Podcast Episode 437: Social Media Is Always Changing Support us on Patreon » For two decades, the landscape of social media has been constantly changing, and the discourse about "free speech" has been changing alongside it. This week, we've got a bit of an open-ended discussion with…

She’s back! On the latest Tech Policy Podcast, former host Ashkhen Kazaryan (@ashkhen.bsky.social) of @futurefreespeech.org returns for a wide-ranging discussion about powerful algorithms, attacks on Section 230, and much, much more. podcast.techfreedom.org/episodes/422...

Join EFF as a legal intern and fight for privacy, human rights, and freedoms! Your work can make a real difference. www.eff.org/about/oppor...

NEW: "American rhetoric doesn’t just shape diplomacy; it shapes the rhythm of the war itself. Russian planners watch press briefings and tweets as intently as they monitor radar returns. They calibrate escalation to the tempo of U.S. ambiguity." www.thebulwark.com/p/mixed-sign...

New Tech Policy Podcast! Sri Muppidi of @theinformation.com discusses OpenAI’s effort to overhaul its corporate structure—and the resulting power struggle over the company’s future. podcast.techfreedom.org/episodes/421...

Will America remain a magnet for researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs? On a new Tech Policy Podcast, Jeremy Neufeld (Institute for Progress) discusses why it should, why it might not, and how to make sure it does. podcast.techfreedom.org/episodes/420...

1/ The FCC has no authority to police content for bias or balance. We—and more than seventy other organizations and scholars—warned FCC Chairman Brendan Carr. techfreedom.org/wp-content/u...

Do tech optimists have a political home? On a new Tech Policy Podcast, @adamkovac.bsky.social, founder and CEO of @chamberofprogress.bsky.social, discusses the populist / anti-tech turn in politics, and what can be done about it. podcast.techfreedom.org/episodes/419...

People are blaming social media for Charlie Kirk's murder. History shows us that's wrong.

Pretty wild to see the Solicitor General come right out and say, YEAH, DUDE'S A MAD KING. www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/25...

New Tech Policy Podcast! @aricohn.com (@thefireorg.bsky.social) and Tom Kurland (Patterson Belknap) discuss the spate of product-liability lawsuits against social-media and AI companies. podcast.techfreedom.org/episodes/418...

If you haven’t had time to follow the Internet crackdown and subsequent violent upheaval of govt in Nepal, here’s a recap. In addition to being an awful story about real people’s lives, it’s also an amazing microcosm or synechdoche or something for the bigger picture.

It is incredibly simple to acknowledge that violence in any form is awful and erodes society.

Shutting down all the social media in Nepal seems to have gone really well.

The Trump FTC has already hopped on board a right-wing outrage campaign claiming that Gmail treated political $$ messages with WinRed links as spammier than messages with links to ActBlue, with filtering consequences. But the factual claims advanced so far are flimsy, reports Jack Nicastro.

This is SO problematic: * If imperfect content moderation is a deceptive-prong violation, then any UGC platform is a target, bc perfection is impossible. * Big 4A govt agent problems if this means Aylo must monitor uploads. * 18 USC 2257 is not the FTC's to enforce. www.ftc.gov/news-events/...

I went on a rant about Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton and all the damage it's already doing. Tune in if you're a fan of the First Amendment, excruciating legal wonkery, or both.

New Tech Policy Podcast: Host @corbinkbarthold.bsky.social discusses the mess that is the Supreme Court’s ruling in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, as well as the wider harm the decision is already causing. podcast.techfreedom.org/episodes/417...

House Republicans Want To Doxx Wikipedia Editors Over Bogus ‘Bias’ Complaints Congress has absolutely zero constitutional authority to investigate a private website for its editorial decisions. Zero. None. This is First Amendment 101. Yet House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and…

The GOP has long complained that its spam emails get flagged or blocked because of anti-conservative cEnSoRsHiP, not because it refuses to follow Google's clear anti-spam rules. The FTC has never before policed political bias and for good reason: the First Amendment bars it from meddling in speech

Don't listen to the Tech Policy Podcast? We forgive you. But it's time to tune in! Here are ten standout episodes to get you started. AI, content moderation, encryption, age verification, cybersecurity, and more. corbinkbarthold.substack.com/p/more-tech-...

Thanks to Colin for reposting this. I often made students read it when I was teaching writing classes.

Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton is wreaking havoc.

So, rather than fighting back against the Trump admin, @klobuchar.senate.gov @amyklobuchar.com is focused on giving them new internet censorship tools because some idiot made a parody video of her on TikTok.