Technology

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Zuckerberg, Facebook Go Full Public Relations Blitz as Libra Stumbles

This summer, Facebook unveiled their plans to incorporate Libra, a digital cryptocurrency, into the Facebook platform. By the end of 2020, billions of Facebook users will be able to use Libra like any other currency. In previous Right by the Bay post, I wrote about Facebook’s announcement, highlighting some of ...
Commentary

Facing Down the Surveillance State

A ban on facial recognition software used by law enforcement or government agencies that started in San Francisco and Oakland has, in part, gone statewide. The Body Camera Accountability Act passed the California Legislature and was just signed into law by Gov. Newsom. The law puts in place a three-year ...
California

California’s AB 5 will kill the gig economy and force more companies to leave

Proposition 13 was called the political equivalent of a sonic boom by economist Art Laffer. In limiting how much local governments could drain from Californians through property taxes, fed-up voters changed the political landscape with the 1978 ballot measure in a way that few state policies have, before or since. ...
Blog

Is California’s Data Privacy Law a Ticking Time Bomb for Business?

With the deadline for California Governor Gavin Newsom to sign or veto legislation fast approaching, one public policy issue that received little to no attention at the end of California’s legislative session is the state’s pending data privacy law. In 2018, the California Consumer Privacy Act was made law when ...
Commentary

Technology Can Make Rural America Healthier

Recently, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg released a plan to improve health care in rural America. In a statement posted on his campaign website, he wrote, “Rural Americans are getting sicker and dying younger than people in cities.” He is right, but his plan misses the mark. Buttigieg wants to ...
Blog

California and a Global Standard for Innovation

Even though the state has slipped in the rankings over the past several years, California is still an innovation hub with an economy that is firmly grounded in innovative industries from videogames to internet, and technology hardware to movies. There are nearly 43 technology jobs per 1000 people in California.  ...
Blog

Of Dumb Privacy Laws and Smart Speakers

Over the last couple of years, several state legislatures have considered online privacy legislation. Most of these efforts failed, including in California, but the misguided effort was brought back by a San Francisco real estate developer, Alastair MacTaggart, with no expertise in privacy law or legislation. He spent his millions ...
Blog

Yet Another Bad Policy Idea for California: San Francisco Proposes An ‘IPO’ Tax

Anyone thinking that California can’t become more anti-business or add another punitive tax hasn’t seen the recent news out of San Francisco. Political leaders there are campaigning for an increase in the city’s “IPO tax,” which is both unnecessary and counterproductive. The proposal, sponsored by Supervisor Gordon Mar, would hike ...
Featured

Scott Rasmussen – Insights from America’s Top Pollster

Legendary pollster Scott Rasmussen of ScottRasmussen.com joins us to share his insights on all things polling – from how technological changes affect the polling industry today, to the state of the Presidential race and where Americans really stand on socialism and single-payer.
Business & Economics

All Things Tech with Bartlett Cleland

In this podcast, Bartlett Cleland, PRI’s Senior Fellow in Tech and Innovation, discusses the state of tech policy including trade negotiations with China on intellectual property, privacy laws, the debate over the possible break-up of social media companies, internet taxation, and regulating the gig economy and the impact on new ...
Blog

Zuckerberg, Facebook Go Full Public Relations Blitz as Libra Stumbles

This summer, Facebook unveiled their plans to incorporate Libra, a digital cryptocurrency, into the Facebook platform. By the end of 2020, billions of Facebook users will be able to use Libra like any other currency. In previous Right by the Bay post, I wrote about Facebook’s announcement, highlighting some of ...
Commentary

Facing Down the Surveillance State

A ban on facial recognition software used by law enforcement or government agencies that started in San Francisco and Oakland has, in part, gone statewide. The Body Camera Accountability Act passed the California Legislature and was just signed into law by Gov. Newsom. The law puts in place a three-year ...
California

California’s AB 5 will kill the gig economy and force more companies to leave

Proposition 13 was called the political equivalent of a sonic boom by economist Art Laffer. In limiting how much local governments could drain from Californians through property taxes, fed-up voters changed the political landscape with the 1978 ballot measure in a way that few state policies have, before or since. ...
Blog

Is California’s Data Privacy Law a Ticking Time Bomb for Business?

With the deadline for California Governor Gavin Newsom to sign or veto legislation fast approaching, one public policy issue that received little to no attention at the end of California’s legislative session is the state’s pending data privacy law. In 2018, the California Consumer Privacy Act was made law when ...
Commentary

Technology Can Make Rural America Healthier

Recently, Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg released a plan to improve health care in rural America. In a statement posted on his campaign website, he wrote, “Rural Americans are getting sicker and dying younger than people in cities.” He is right, but his plan misses the mark. Buttigieg wants to ...
Blog

California and a Global Standard for Innovation

Even though the state has slipped in the rankings over the past several years, California is still an innovation hub with an economy that is firmly grounded in innovative industries from videogames to internet, and technology hardware to movies. There are nearly 43 technology jobs per 1000 people in California.  ...
Blog

Of Dumb Privacy Laws and Smart Speakers

Over the last couple of years, several state legislatures have considered online privacy legislation. Most of these efforts failed, including in California, but the misguided effort was brought back by a San Francisco real estate developer, Alastair MacTaggart, with no expertise in privacy law or legislation. He spent his millions ...
Blog

Yet Another Bad Policy Idea for California: San Francisco Proposes An ‘IPO’ Tax

Anyone thinking that California can’t become more anti-business or add another punitive tax hasn’t seen the recent news out of San Francisco. Political leaders there are campaigning for an increase in the city’s “IPO tax,” which is both unnecessary and counterproductive. The proposal, sponsored by Supervisor Gordon Mar, would hike ...
Featured

Scott Rasmussen – Insights from America’s Top Pollster

Legendary pollster Scott Rasmussen of ScottRasmussen.com joins us to share his insights on all things polling – from how technological changes affect the polling industry today, to the state of the Presidential race and where Americans really stand on socialism and single-payer.
Business & Economics

All Things Tech with Bartlett Cleland

In this podcast, Bartlett Cleland, PRI’s Senior Fellow in Tech and Innovation, discusses the state of tech policy including trade negotiations with China on intellectual property, privacy laws, the debate over the possible break-up of social media companies, internet taxation, and regulating the gig economy and the impact on new ...
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