From the category archives:

Podcast



Surprisingly Free Conversations is a weekly podcast from the Technology Policy Program of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Hosted by Jerry Brito, the show features in-depth one-on-one discussions with an eclectic mix of authors, professors, entrepreneurs, and other thinkers and doers at the intersection of technology, policy, and economics.


Thomas Hazlett on telecommunications policy and economics

by Jerry Brito on March 15, 2010 • View Comments

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Thomas Hazlett, Professor of Law & Economics and Director of the Information Economy Project at George Mason University School of Law, discusses telecommunications policy and economics. The discussion also turns to the history of spectrum regulation, ongoing inefficiencies in the current system, and suggestions for possible improvements.

Ethan Zuckerman on internet censorship and the limits of circumvention

by Jerry Brito on March 8, 2010 • View Comments

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Ethan Zuckerman, Senior Researcher at Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society, discusses internet censorship and the limits of circumvention technology. The discussion also turns to censorship in China and other countries, Twitter’s role in last year’s disputed Iranian elections, and online public spaces.

Rob Frieden on internet applications, content providers, and net neutrality

by Jerry Brito on March 1, 2010 • View Comments

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Rob Frieden, Pioneers Chair and Professor of Telecommunication and Law at Penn State University, discusses internet applications, content providers, and net neutrality. The discussion also turns to the history of telecom regulation, the Comcast/BitTorrent controversy, and the limits of the FCC’s regulatory authority.

Daniel H. Kahn on social intermediaries, identity, and code-backed norms

by Jerry Brito on February 22, 2010 • View Comments

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Daniel H. Kahn, a recent Harvard School of Law graduate and clerk on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, discusses social intermediaries and their potential to radically improve the social life of the Web. The discussion also turns to portable identities, code-backed norms, and trolling.

Jim Harper and Berin Szoka on privacy and Google Buzz

by Jerry Brito on February 16, 2010 • View Comments

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Jim Harper, Director of Information Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, and Berin Szoka, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Internet Freedom at the Progress and Freedom Foundation, discuss privacy and Google Buzz.

Johannes Bauer on economic incentives and cybersecurity

by Jerry Brito on February 8, 2010 • View Comments

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Johannes Bauer, Professor of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media at Michigan State University and director of Special Programs at the Quello Center for Telecommunication Management and Law, discusses economic incentives facing Internet users and providers in addressing cybersecurity risks. The discussion also turns to the differences between cybercrime and cyberwarfare and recent examples of cyberattacks.

Edmund J. Walsh and Andrew J. Tibbetts on the benefits and risks of Open Source software

by Jerry Brito on February 1, 2010 • View Comments

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Edmund Walsh and Andrew Tibbetts on the legal risks of incorporating Open Source software into commercial products.

John Wonderlich on government transparency and accountability

by Jerry Brito on November 17, 2009 • View Comments

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John Wonderlich, the Policy Director at the Sunlight Foundation, discusses the government transparency movement. The discussion also turns to the work of the Sunlight Foundation and Lawrence Lessig’s recent article on “naked transparency.”

Michael S. Sawyer on user-generated content, fair use, and the DMCA

by Jerry Brito on October 13, 2009 • View Comments

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Michael S. Sawyer, a fellow at the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, discusses the impact of the DMCA on user-generated content. The discussion also turns to the principle of fair use and competing solutions for dealing with copyright infringements on user-generated content sites.

Tim Lee on bottom-up processes, innovation, and the future of news

by Jerry Brito on September 26, 2009 • View Comments

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Tim Lee, a graduate student in computer science at Princeton and adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, discusses bottom-up processes, the theme of his new blog. The discussion also turns to the innovators dilemma, the link economy, and the future of newspapers.