Opinion

Put tech policy on the debate stage

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Andrew Yang, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio are introduced before the second of two Democratic presidential primary debates hosted by CNN in the Fox Theatre in Detroit, July 31. Cybersecurity and technology should be discussed intently during the next debate, Sept. 12. less Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Kamala Harris, ... more Photo: Paul Sancya /Associated Press Photo: Paul Sancya /Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Put tech policy on the debate stage 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

In four nights of Democratic presidential debates this summer, candidates and moderators mentioned artificial intelligence a meager total of three times and omitted the topic of election security altogether. Compare this to health care, which was referenced between 40 and 80 times per debate.

Technology and cybersecurity-related topics may not yet carry the blockbuster appeal of decades-old debate mainstays, but they command widespread public recognition and will increasingly come to embody and define the issues with which the next president must grapple. During the third debate of the 2020 election cycle, moderators should press candidates on cybersecurity and other major technology-related challenges.

Treating technology policy as divorced from the communities and systems with which it intersects is not only misrepresentative of the truth but also downright dangerous. As technology sends powerful ripples across society, candidates must demonstrate their command of the multifaceted issues at play and the range of stakeholder interests and concerns involved.

One fertile ground for technology policy discussion resides in the generous overlap between technology policy and conventional policy issues: Interested in discussing job growth? Address cyber workforce development. Innovation? Look to 5G. Privacy? Consider data protection regulations. Candidates should discuss barriers to accessing technology in low-income areas or their plans to protect critical infrastructure from cyberattacks.

Moderators must also ask candidates the tough questions: Under what circumstances would you consider deploying offensive cyber capabilities against an adversary? Do you support the use of facial recognition systems by law enforcement in U.S. cities?

Given the social, economic and security consequences of these issues, it is paramount the public understands candidate positions on these issues and evaluates who is best equipped to address them.

Furthermore, technology policy issues make for a good debate. Candidate remarks on these topics carry a novelty that may render them even more illuminating than discussions of topics publicly probed day in, day out.

While we have begun to hear inklings of technology policy conversations on the national stage — largely from entrepreneur Andrew Yang in the second round of debates — the number of candidates, pundits and moderators discussing it is too few, and the predominant focus on automation too narrow. The near exclusion of other tech-related topics oversimplifies conversations about the multifarious impacts of technology and leaves critical nuance out of policy discussions. Technology policy need not dominate the debate stage, but it merits greater candidate analysis in keeping with its outsize influence on society and issues important to the public.

The next Democratic debate on Sept. 12 should serve as the invitation for candidates to fully embrace discussions of how technology will affect the society in which they will lead if elected — and the manner in which they will govern with respect to such issues. Let the conversation begin.

Adira Levine is a Cybersecurity Policy Fellow at New America and former consultant to U.S. federal government policymakers.