Technology and the Public Interest
Books, essays, and commentary from John Palfrey
Essays
Notes from AI Action Summit in Delhi, India, February 2026
Reflections on AI, governance, and the public interest from the AI Action Summit in Delhi.
Read essayConcord Free Public Library 150th Anniversary Celebration
Remarks on libraries, civic institutions, and the enduring importance of public knowledge.
Read essayInvesting in the Arts—in Chicago and Beyond
Thoughts on philanthropy, culture, and why investing in the arts matters for public life.
Read essayCommentary from John Palfrey
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In re Bilski
The CAFC today decided a much-anticipated patent law case, In re Bilski. The opinion: PDF and html. At issue was the patentability of a method for hedging risk in the trading of commodities. – If upheld (i.e., presuming the Supreme Court doesn’t grant cert and then overrule the CAFC’s opinion here), it could mean a significant…
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Live Born Digital Discussion on WILL-580 in Illinois
This morning, WILL will be running a Born Digital segment from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Central time. The host is David Inge. Call-in lines are: 217-333-9455 local or toll-free 800-222-9455.
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State of Affairs, Public Radio in Louisville
This morning, a few of us are talking about Born Digital and related issues on WFPL, public radio in Louisville, KY. It’s a great show, called State of Affairs. They’ve even made a video, hosted on Blip.TV, about how young people use the technologies. For a glimpse into the technology world in Louisville, check out…
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Pushing Forward on the Legal Casebook Idea
There’s a lot of energy coming out of the Collins/Skover/Rubin/Testye workshop of a few weekends ago on the next-generation legal casebook. It’s the sign of a great gathering: after you’ve landed at your home airport, you are still thinking about the issues that you were kicking around at the conference. I think it’s also a sign of…
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The Future of the Legal Course Book
Seattle University School of Law is hosting a workshop on the “Future of the Legal Course Book.” It’s a very nicely organized, timely session, brought together by Prof. David Skover, Ron Collins, and deans Ed Rubin of Vanderbilt and Kellye Testy of Seattle University. On the table: how should we rethink the legal case book in the…
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A Review-in-the-Making of Born Digital
Andy Oram, editor at O’Reilly, has posted something quite extraordinary on the wiki for our book and associated research project. It appears that he has read Born Digital and then posted his review on the wiki for comment before he posts it to the O’Reilly Media web site. I hope others will take up his challenge to…
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Digital Media, Youth, and Credibility
The final book in the MIT Press/MacArthur series on Digital Media and Learning (well, final only in terms of my getting around to writing up a review of it on this blog!) is “Digital Media, Youth, and Credibility,” edited by Miriam J. Metzger and Andrew J. Flanagin. It’s not last because it is the least…
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First Few Reactions to Born Digital
After about four years of planning, research, and writing, Born Digital officially came out this week. Urs Gasser and I have so many people to thank; we have been blessed with such great teammates and friends and helpful critics along the way. (Much of the work that the team has done is recorded, and will…
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Navigate 2008 Day Two Tidbits
Day 2 tidbits from Navigate ’08 by the IAPP and team: JZ told us that Mrs. Beasley, his fabulous and famous dog, has two tracking devices: a RFID chip and a GPS device. Why? They serve distinct purposes. The RFID chip is for if she gets lost and shows up at a vet’s office, in…
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Tidbits from Navigate 2008 Day One
It’s Day One at Navigate 2008. Trevor Hughes and his crack team at the IAPP have established a space for thinking not about what’s urgeny, but about what’s important when it comes to privacy. The key for the event is to think big about privacy. The goal is to contribute to the global dialogue. (For…
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Navigating Privacy
Jonathan Zittrain and I are headed up to seacoast New Hampshire to be the “curators” of the IAPP’s new executive forum, Navigate, for the first few days of the week. It’s a beautifully organized program and a terrific line-up. It promises to be provocative and a lot of fun. Privacy turned out to be a…