Ryan Calo
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rcalo.bsky.social
Ryan Calo
@rcalo.bsky.social

I am a law professor and information scientist at the University of Washington. I have a new book about law and technology that I hope you read. 💙

Ryan Calo is an American legal scholar, internationally recognized within the fields of emerging technology, especially privacy, robotics, and artificial intelligence. He is a co-founder of the University of Washington Tech Policy Lab and the Center for an Informed Public which focuses on combating misinformation. .. more

Political science 27%
Computer science 24%

That wasn’t even close

2026 Super Bowl Champions

I’m sorry our football team is better than yours

Reposted by Ryan Calo

The Trump administration is pushing the Federal Trade Commission to override state AI consumer protection laws, but the agency’s power is constrained by federalism, says TechFreedom’s Andy Jung. And any preemption effort must clear several hurdles, including a lengthy rulemaking process.
The FTC’s AI Preemption Authority is Limited
Andy Jung takes argues the Trump administration’s effort to use the FTC to preempt state AI consumer protection laws will run into significant constraints.
www.techpolicy.press

Reposted by Ryan Calo

This Thursday!

@techpolicylab.bsky.social Co-Director @rcalo.bsky.social will be presenting on Law & Technology: A Methodical Approach as a part of @uw-cnc.bsky.social's Future Tense Seminar Series.

RSVP today!

www.eventbrite.com/e/future-ten...
Future Tense: Ryan Calo
Join us for a discussion with UW Law professor Ryan Calo on his new book discussing legal approaches to guide emerging technology
www.eventbrite.com

In a new Columbia Law Review paper, Daryl Levinson and David Posen "offer[] a typology of legal strategies available to those who wish to shore up specific types of consent or accommodate their failure." papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Disconsents
Consent is an indispensable standard and organizing principle in any liberal legal order that prizes self-directed autonomy, self-identified preferences, and co
papers.ssrn.com

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Mariana Mazzucato, Stephen M. Walt , and 181 more

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

Stay free
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be

Reposted by Ryan Calo

UW Society + Technology initiative panelists @rcalo.bsky.social (Information School, UW Law), Martin Kaste (@npr.org) and Brie McLemore (UW Poli Sci) recently had a lively discussion on privacy, facial recognition tech, and differing attitudes toward surveillance. ischool.uw.edu/news/2026/01...
Society + Tech initiative leads lively talk on privacy, surveillance
Would you want police to use facial recognition technology to identify you while you walk down the street? While it’s prohibited in King County, some cit...
ischool.uw.edu

No :( These are all in person and off the record

Personal Robots: Is It Finally Time? Monday, February 9 in #Seattle

Reposted by Ryan Calo

NEW: Data brokers, ad-tech surveillance, and ICE enforcement are among factors, according to @EPIC.org, causing a “health privacy crisis” in the United States, eroding trust and deterring people from seeking medical care.
Surveillance and ICE Are Driving Patients Away From Medical Care, Report Warns
A new EPIC report says data brokers, ad-tech surveillance, and ICE enforcement are among the factors leading to a “health privacy crisis” that is eroding trust and deterring people from seeking care.
www.wired.com

Reposted by Ryan Calo

If you are organizing folks in Minneapolis right now, you may find this guide to Signal for beginners by @mshelton.bsky.social useful: freedom.press/digisec/blog...
Signal, the secure messaging app: A guide for beginners
Also available in Spanish.
freedom.press

💀
Wow, talk about unprecedented.
The Fed Chairman makes official statement that the President is using criminal charges to threaten him over monetary policy.

Reposted by David H. Kaye, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Brian Keegan , and 88 more

Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
Statement by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell
YouTube video by Federal Reserve
www.youtube.com
Just came across this listing for an (AI and) tech policy lead at King County. I'm under-qualified I think, but @rcalo.bsky.social @katestarbird.bsky.social, @techpolicylab.bsky.social can you amplify for other Seattle area tech policy folks? www.governmentjobs.com/jobs/5182127...
AI & Technology Policy Lead Advisor in Seattle, WA | GovernmentJobs.com
Apply for AI & Technology Policy Lead Advisor position in Seattle, WA through GovernmentJobs.com. Join our team and become a part of King County community.
www.governmentjobs.com

The woman ICE murdered was a poet 😔

🤦🏻‍♂️

Reposted by Ryan Calo

Anthropomorphizing language conceals the limitations of AI, promoting misplaced trust. @emilymbender.bsky.social & @nannainie.bsky.social suggest focusing on a system’s functionalities: instead of saying a model is “good at” something, say what it is “good for." www.techpolicy.press/we-need-to-t...
We Need to Talk About How We Talk About 'AI' | TechPolicy.Press
We share a responsibility to create and use empowering metaphors rather than misleading language, write Emily M. Bender and Nanna Inie.
www.techpolicy.press

🤣

😭

“Zervas remains single” 🙃

If you’re in Seattle.

Reposted by Ryan Calo

EPIC @epic.org · Jan 5
We're thrilled to welcome three new privacy experts to our Board of Directors: @dbrody.bsky.social, @rcalo.bsky.social, and Katherine Strandburg! We're looking forward to their guidance as we continue fighting to protect the fundamental right to privacy in 2026. epic.org/press-releas...
PRESS RELEASE: EPIC Welcomes Three Distinguished Members to its Board of Directors
epic.org

Reposted by Ryan Calo

Wyden and Cox have said that section 230 protections probably don't apply to chatbot output anyway. The "generative" in "generative AI" means that the chatbot is (most of the time) not presenting content from others, but rather spewing up its own.

fortune.com/2023/09/07/a...
The Lawfare Podcast: Cox and Wyden on Section 230 and Generative AI
Among the many issues AI products raise is whether or not their outputs are protected by Section 230, the foundational statute that shields websites from liability for third-party content.
www.lawfaremedia.org