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Morgan Reed

Morgan Reed

Executive Director

ACT | The App Association

Morgan Reed is a widely known and respected expert on the government impact on technology innovation. As ACT’s Executive Director, Morgan specializes in issues involving application development relating to privacy, intellectual property, competition, and small business innovation.

His expertise and knowledge has been sought by the House and Senate in multiple hearings while his commentary and insight is a major draw for news networks including Fox Business News, MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, and ABC. He is consistently quoted in the trade and popular press, ranging from the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post to Ars Technica and Slashdot.

Morgan has authored and contributed to several white papers dealing with applications development and government, including “A Crash Course on Open Source” and “A Software Developer’s Guide to the DMCA.” He was part of the developer team for the Linux Router Project (LEAF), and remains an active Apple and iOS licensed developer.

His recent work has focused on outreach to app developers to address concerns about privacy in the mobile marketplace. As Congress and the FTC have devoted considerable efforts to rewrite and update online privacy regulations, Morgan has traveled throughout the country to encourage developers to adopt self-regulatory measures, implement privacy policies, and improve data transparency.

Morgan has been appointed to serve on the Advisory Council of mHIMSS, the mobile Health Information Management System Society. mHIMSS serves the health IT community by supporting efforts to embrace and harness the power of mobile health to improve care and control costs. The health care community is seeing dramatic advances in remote care aided by growth in the smartphone and tablet industries.

Morgan has also leveraged ACT’s resources to host innovation workshops across the country. Organizing events with venture capitalists, business leaders and attorneys, he helps to foster innovative new technologies by helping new emerging businesses manage their intellectual property. An organization called Innovators Network emerged from these events and is now comprised of more than 2,000 members.

Before coming to Washington, Morgan worked for a Taiwanese trading company specializing in the manufacture of technology products for the U.S. market. He served as managing director of North American sales, handling bilingual contract negotiation. During his time abroad, Morgan gave lectures in both English and Chinese on various aspects of U.S.-China trade, including building and maintaining long term partnerships in Asia. His expertise on Chinese business practices is regularly sought throughout the administration.

Recent Events and Presentations

February 22, 2017

Is Tech Reporting Too Pessimistic About Tech?

In a new report, ITIF explores how the media has portrayed technology over the past 30 years and finds that there has been a notable shift in the tone of coverage towards a more pessimistic view of technology. Join ITIF for a presentation of the report findings as well as a panel discussion about trends in tech reporting and the way that citizens, businesses, and policymakers should adapt to this changing environment.

March 31, 2016

Decoding the Encryption Dilemma: A Conversation on Backdoors, Going Dark, and Cybersecurity

At this event, ITIF will discuss a new report that analyzes the current proposals put forth to address the “going dark” problem. Following a presentation on the report, panelists will offer their reactions and discuss how policymakers can harness the benefits of encryption and put in place policies that both encourage advances in cryptography and protect the rule of law.

September 10, 2015

The Sky is Not Falling: Understanding the Privacy Panic Cycle

While most people are conditioned to see through the marketing hype surrounding “revolutionary!” and “game-changing!” new technologies, few have the same healthy skepticism when it comes to outsized claims about allegedly dire privacy risks that now routinely accompany many of the very same innovations. Taken at face value, these supposed privacy risks suggest that government should intervene to protect society. A closer look, however, reveals that privacy concerns are often misplaced or unnecessary, and they rapidly dissipate as people come to better understand and appreciate the products and services in question.

September 9, 2014

Resolving Cross-Border Internet Policy Conflicts

ITIF presents a new framework for evaluating cross-border Internet policy conflicts that respects both the global nature of the Internet and national laws and norms.

May 7, 2013

Policy Recommendations for the 2013 America COMPETES Act Reauthorization

An event considering policy priorities for the 2013 America COMPETES Act reauthorization.

October 25, 2012

Revising COPPA: A Discussion of the FTC’s Proposals

A discussion with leading experts on the current state of COPPA.

July 31, 2012

Powering the Mobile Revolution: Principles of Spectrum Allocation

ITIF and select experts discuss ITIF's new spectrum allocation report and the issues policymakers face going forward.

February 28, 2012

Confronting Chinese Innovation Mercantilism

It is time for policymakers in the United States and other countries to wake up to the facts on Chinese trade policies and begin responding to today’s reality.

December 13, 2011

Benefits and Limitations of Industry Self-Regulation for Online Behavioral Advertising

What are the benefits and limitations of self-regulation for online behavioral advertising?

October 5, 2010

Who's Who in Internet Politics: A Taxonomy of Information Technology Policy Perspectives

A presentation and discussion of ITIF's report, "Who's Who in Internet Politics: A Taxonomy of Information Technology Policy Perspectives."

September 28, 2010

The Next Generation of IP Protection: Enhancing Global Economic Growth and Prosperity Event

A discussion of IP enforcement issues with a special keynote from Victoria Espinel, the U.S. IP Enforcement Coordinator.

March 2, 2010

Going Mobile: Technology and Policy Issues in the Mobile Internet

ITIF event discussing a new report that explains how mobile networks are changing.

More Events & Presentations by Morgan Reed

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