ACM Global Technology Policy Council
ACM’s global Technology Policy Council sets the agenda for ACM’s global policy activities and serves as the central convening point for ACM's interactions with government organizations, the computing community, and the public in all matters of public policy related to computing and information technology. The Council’s members are drawn from ACM's global membership. It coordinates the activities of ACM's regional technology policy groups and sets the agenda for global initiatives to address evolving technology policy issues.
Technology Policy Council Co-Chairs Virginia Dignum and Jeanna Matthews
Virginia Dignum and Jeanna Matthews have been appointed Co-Chairs of ACM's Technology Policy Council, which addresses global technology policy. Dignum is a Professor of Computing Science / Responsible Artificial Intelligence and the Director of the AI Policy Lab at Umeå University, Sweden. Matthews is a Professor in the Department of Computer Science, Coulter School of Engineering & Applied Sciences at Clarkson University.
TPC Member Testifies before Congress on Election Security
Latanya Sweeney, Professor and Director of Harvard University's Data Privacy Lab and a member of ACM’s Technology Policy Council, testified before a joint hearing of the oversight and research subcommittees of the US House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. The hearing addressed “Election Security: Voting Technology Vulnerabilities.” Sweeney discussed her research on voter information website vulnerabilities, conducted at Harvard’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science.
Europe Technology Policy Committee Chair, Michel Beaudouin-Lafon
The ACM Europe Technology Policy Committee promotes dialogue and the exchange of ideas on technology and computing policy issues with the European Commission, governmental bodies in Europe, and the informatics and computing communities. Chaired by Michel Beaudouin-Lafon of Université Paris-Saclay, the Committee engages in policy issues related to the importance of technology in boosting jobs, economic growth, competition, investment, research and development, education, inclusive social development, and innovation.
US Technology Policy Committee Chair, Larry Medsker
Larry Medsker has been named Chair of the ACM US Technology Policy Committee effective July 1, 2023. USTPC serves as the focal point for ACM's interaction with US government organizations, the computing community, and the US public in all matters of US public policy related to information technology. Medsker is Research Professor in the Human-Technology Collaboration Lab and PhD program at George Washington University, and Founding Director of its Master's Program in Data Science. He is also Policy Officer for ACM's Special Interest Group on Artificial Intelligence.
USTPC Statement on CrowdStrike Incident
ACM's US Technology Policy Committee has released a “Statement on Mass Cybersecurity Incidents Likely to Recur.” On July 18, 2024, CrowdStrike, a US-based cybersecurity technology company, released a sensor configuration update which caused a global outage affecting an estimated 8.5 million computers. Several critical infrastructure sectors including airlines, 911 emergency systems, banks, government agencies, healthcare, and hospitals around the world were impacted. ACM USTPC urges that all the details be thoroughly and publicly investigated.
