CDT’s Tech Talk is a podcast where we dish on tech and Internet policy, while also explaining what these policies mean to our daily lives. You can find Tech Talk on SoundCloud and on iTunes.
In this episode, we welcome Sarah Granger, the author of The Digital Mystique. She shares great advice on how anyone, from the most tech savvy to a social media newbie, can better navigate the complex digital world and get the most out of being online.
We also jump back into the world of internet governance and hear from CDT’s Matthew Shears. October 1 marked the the first day that ICANN had stewardship of the so-called IANA functions. Some called it the US giving away the internet. Find out of that is really case and if you should expect any changes in your online experience. Hint: no and no.
CDT Comment Welcomes NIST Effort to Develop Zero Draft
Drawing on CDT’s previous comments on this NIST effort and our prior research on documentation, our submission welcomes NIST’s effort to develop the zero draft, which provides a much-needed step toward more standardized, high-quality guidance on how developers of AI system components should document key properties and potential sources of AI risk. This guidance will be a valuable resource for organizations to improve interoperability, build more performant AI products, and more effectively identify and mitigate AI risks.
On September 15, 2026, the Center for Democracy & Technology and Electronic Frontier Foundation filed an amicus brief along with the Wikimedia Foundation in Meta Platforms v. Bonta, challenging California’s SB 976.
Coalition Urges Senate Not to Let Companies Waive Financial Regulations for AI
CDT joined AI Now Institute, American Civil Liberties Union, and several organizations dedicated to tech policy, consumer protection, and civil rights in a letter to Senate leadership and the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee opposing the “AI Innovation Labs” language in Sec. 10509 of the CLARITY Act.
As concern about risks and harms related to AI systems continue to grow, a growing chorus of policymakers, industry leaders, and advocates have called for independent AI assessments. This explainer provides an overview of recent proposals for third-party assessment in the United States, including state and federal legislation, executive actions, and industry proposals.
