Duke Sanford Features Tech Policy Month

How can technology be designed and governed to protect and empower the most vulnerable?
 

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This guiding question shapes Kyana Taban's work in the MPP program at Duke Sanford.

Kyana’s path into tech policy began in a middle school classroom, where she saw how digital tools intended to enhance learning could also create new risks and distractions for young students. At Duke Sanford, she found a space where her background in political science, international relations, and hands-on experience with children could meaningfully intersect with technology and policy.

Through the MPP program, Kyana has led FemTech initiatives, organized the Power Summit on women and technology, co-presided over the Duke Tech Policy Club, and partnered with the World Bank on responsible AI in digital public infrastructure for her master's project. 

Read about Kyana's journey

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Better understanding AI

Conversations about AI and tech policy can pop up anywhere -- even during the family Thanksgiving prep call. 

Understanding AI isn't just for experts.

Watch the reel.

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The Afterlives of our Data: A Conversation with Author Mary Ebeling

"We need to see data as our descendants. If we think about data as our descendants and our kin, the goal wouldn’t be to repair the current system but to reimagine it completely." -Mary F. E. Ebeling

Thank you to Mary Ebeling for joining Duke Sanford's Public Interest Technology Book Club to discuss her research and book, "The Afterlives of Data: Life and Debt Under Capitalist Surveillance." Ebeling's research examines the intersections between gender, race, digital technologies, and data privacy with a focus on the healthcare and medical sector.

And thank you to Akil Gore MPP'27 for sharing his interview with Prof. Ebeling, which covered her work, the evolving landscape of data and AI, and what it means to take responsibility for the “afterlives” of our data.

Read the story.

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The intersection of food and technology? This is Public Policy.

Who is looking in your grocery cart? The director of Duke Sanford's World Food Policy Center Norbert Wilson and his colleagues are researching privacy in online grocery shopping to find out.

Read article: Where Food Policy and Technology Policy Intersect

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Research focus: Data Brokerage

Duke Sanford Tech Policy research on data brokers - companies that collect & sell personal information, often without our knowledge or consent - examines the players, practices and implications of this multi-billion-dollar ecosystem. 

Read about data brokerage research.

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research focus: platform accountability

Duke Sanford Tech Policy platform accountability research looks at how digital platforms like Spotify demonstrate responsible behavior and the impact of streaming AI-generated music. 

Explore platform accountability research.

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Cybersecurity Expertise

Duke Tech Policy has expertise in global cybersecurity policy with projects on areas including critical minerals and infrastructure, supply chain, semiconductors, data privacy, and more.

Explore more about cybersecurity research.

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Featured Organization: Deep Tech at Duke

Deep Tech at Duke brings together leaders in science, policy & innovation to shape the technologies defining our future. The team actively collaborates with students to explore breakthrough tech across AI, quantum computing, semiconductors, cybersecurity & climate innovation.

Nobel Prize-winning Guests

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Shaping the future of how personal health data is protected? This is Public Policy.

What does interdisciplinary Tech Policy look like? For Duke Sanford and Duke Law students, it’s exploring the legal and ethical dimensions of cybersecurity and digital privacy together.

Attorneys from Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP visited Duke's Cyberlaw class to give students a rare inside look at the landmark 2025 privacy case Frasco v. Flo Health, which found Meta liable for secretly collecting and monetizing sensitive health data from the popular reproductive health app Flo Health. 

“The students got to see how evidence, ethics, and advocacy intersect in a case that will influence how companies handle personal data for years to come," said David Hoffman, who co-teaches the course with Shane Stansbury.

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Student Voices: Bridging Technology and Policy for the Public Good

Gabriel Toscano MPP'26: "In my Sanford journey, my work in the Master of Public Policy program engages with technological innovation, analyzing how policymakers, technologists, and civic society can work together to guide AI development in the public interest. My goal is to build bridges connecting technology, government, and the public to guide decision-making processes toward pro-social outcomes.

Serving as the co-president of the Technology Policy Club has allowed me to practice what I preach. In my role, I’m able to work with a group of motivated, kind, and knowledgeable Sanfordites to bring forth conversations that help us understand how to build a more desirable technological future."

Read Gabriel's story.

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Heading on a road trip? explore podcast series on tech policy.

In "AI Music is Singing Like a Canary in a Coal Mine," Grammy-nominated musician Tift Merritt shares her raw reaction to hearing an AI song made “in her style." She joins professor David Hoffman to discuss what AI-generated music could mean for the future of work beyond just the creative sphere. 

We rely on data centers for everything from streaming to email to AI — but they also carry a substantial environmental footprint. What if these centers, in collaboration with policymakers and stakeholders, could drive clean technology deployment and grid modernization instead? Listen to "Yes, the Data Center Next Door Can Be a Good Neighbor."

From deepfakes to the growing importance of social media verification, professor Robyn Caplan talks to Anna Gassman-Pines about the role of AI today in "Will AI Prompt a New Golden Era?"

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Alumni Story: Protecting People Through Tech Policy

At Duke, Brady Kruse MPP ’24, JD ’27 is exploring how law and policy can protect users in an increasingly data-driven world. As an MPP student working in Sanford’s Tech Policy Lab, he helped lead research on the sale of personal data about U.S. military personnel — work that reached policymakers and media outlets. Now, as a Duke Law student, he's focusing his studies on data governance and AI regulation. After graduation, he'll join a Washington, D.C. law firm to work on data privacy and cybersecurity regulatory issues, blending his passions for technology, law and public policy.

Read Brady's story

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Cross-Campus Opportunities

Sanford students’ diverse backgrounds and fields of expertise provide a tremendous benefit to Duke’s interdisciplinary classrooms, and groups like the Tech Policy club create opportunities for connection, mentorship and learning across campus."

 - Jolynn Dellinger, senior lecturing fellow, Duke Law School

Tech research that identifies needs for the common good? This is Public Policy.

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“The truth is, when it comes to data brokers, they know significantly more about you than you might like and do significantly more with it than you might think,” John Oliver said in a 2022 episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on HBO. The segment featured work by Duke Sanford researchers on data brokers — companies that collect and sell personal information, often without our knowledge or consent 

Oliver went on to highlight how federal agencies — from the FBI to ICE — have purchased this data without warrants, public disclosures or robust oversight, for everything from criminal investigations to deportations.

Duke's data brokerage research examines the players, practices and implications for civil rights, consumer privacy, personal safety, national security, and democracy itself. 

Flexible Pathways to Study Tech Policy

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At Duke Sanford, we offer flexible pathways to explore the intersection of technology and public policy. Our programs connect law, engineering, computer science, and policy through deep cross-campus collaboration, equipping students to shape how technology impacts society. Discover how you can specialize in AI governance, data privacy, platform regulation, and innovation policy through coursework, research, and hands-on projects.

We’re especially excited to include our newest opportunity: the Master of Public Affairs (MPA) Tech Policy concentration, available to applicants this fall.

Examining bias in AI? This is public policy.

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The brilliant tech policy speakers who come through Duke Sanford each year are truly remarkable. Take Dr. Joy Buolamwini who came to campus in the spring. The Algorithmic Justice League founder has dedicated her life to exposing the biases embedded in artificial intelligence and advocating for more equitable technology. In her Rubenstein Lecture, she emphasized that justice must be at the core of AI's development, ensuring that technology serves humanity rather than exploits it. 

 

Using tech to explore tech policy? This is Public Policy.

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All this month, we are highlighting Duke Sanford + tech policy. One of our favorite stories is about the groundbreaking National Security Simulation: Domestic Terrorism, Migration and Misinformation course led by Professor David Schanzer and Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, CEO of ExpertTheory. One student called the game “shockingly real,” and others indicated that the class spurred a new interest in pursuing a career in the national security field, including intelligence, cybersecurity and homeland security. 

Cybersecurity at Duke Conference

Resilience, innovation, collaboration. This year’s Cybersecurity at Duke Conference explored how industry leaders are building resilience and shaping the future of security across technology, policy and law. Hosted by Duke Engineering and Duke Cybersecurity Masters in partnership with Duke Law, Duke CISO Executive Certificate Program, and Duke Sanford, the annual event included Capture the Flag with Hack the Box, keynotes by IMB’s Jeff Crume and NATO’s Mario Beccia, and sessions such as Legal and Regulatory Requirements for Resilient Organizations with Shane Stansbury (Duke Law), Luke Demosky (Debevoise) and David Hoffman (Duke Sanford & Duke Science and Society).  

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Alumni Story: Leading global efforts to ensure that AI develops responsibly and equitably

Akanksha Ray PPS’20 helps organizations around the world use artificial intelligence in ways that are ethical, transparent, and inclusive. Her work focuses on ensuring that technological progress benefits people and communities, not just institutions.

Read Akanksha's story.

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Leadership in Cybersecurity Education? This is Public Policy

The Duke Cybersecurity programs benefit from a strong partnership between the Sanford School of Public Policy and Pratt Engineering, through which Duke offers the Executive Cybersecurity Certificate Programs, co-directed by Art Ehuan and David Hoffman, JD, Professor of the Practice of Cybersecurity Policy. 

“With our designation as an NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, industry-leading faculty, and a strong mentorship network, Duke prepares students to lead and innovate in the rapidly evolving field of cybersecurity.”- Art Ehuan, Executive Director of the Master of Engineering in Cybersecurity Program

Quantum 101 

The Deep Tech Initiative, in partnership with the Duke Quantum Center (DQC) and The Center for Innovation Policy at Duke University School of Law, hosted Quantum 101 to explore quantum computing, technical innovations and policy implications shaping the field. The event included panel discussions on applications across disciplines, and governance and security considerations, as well as a student poster session showcasing emerging research. Sanford students had the opportunity to connect with peers in Computer Science, Engineering, and beyond — reflecting Duke’s commitment to interdisciplinary learning and innovation.

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Incubating ideas and new solutions in partnership? This is public policy.

By bridging Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy expertise in governance and public policy, and engaging other Duke units such as the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability and Duke University - The Fuqua School of Business among others, Deep Tech at Duke initiative has become a powerful incubator for students eager to engage with the real-world challenges of technology policy and innovation." - David Brown, Snow Family Business Professor and Faculty Director of the Center for Energy, Development and Global Environment (EDGE)

 

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Collaborating across disciplines? This is public policy.

"My lab at Duke focuses on human-centered privacy and security, which naturally aligns with policy," says Pardis Emami Naeini, assistant professor of computer science & director of the Duke InSPIre lab. All of my Ph.D. students have taken multiple courses in the Sanford School of Public Policy, which have deeply enhanced their understanding of why security and privacy must be examined through a human lens rather than solely as technical challenges. These courses also help them recognize how current policies can be improved to better protect the most vulnerable users."

"I regularly have students from Sanford who are passionate to learn how user-centered research can inform policy design. We discuss what questions to ask users, whom to engage with, and how to analyze user data to generate policy-relevant insights.”

 

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Why is Tech Policy important? 

Right now, it’s easy to argue that all public policy is being shaped by tech policy. At Duke University — and particularly at Sanford — the intersection of technology and the public good has become a defining strength. Faculty across Sanford are leading research on platform accountability, AI ethics, cybersecurity, and data governance, while preparing students to lead responsibly in an increasingly digital world.

Watch video: Why is Tech Policy Important Now?

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What is Tech Policy?

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We asked experts at Duke! Tech Policy is at the heart of today’s biggest public policy questions, and in 2025, it’s front and center at Duke Sanford. All through November, we’re shining a spotlight on our amazing faculty, alumni, staff, interdisciplinary research, and student experiences that make Sanford an amazing place to dive into #TechPolicy. Stay tuned!

Watch video: What is Tech Policy?