Publications: Daniel Castro

A patchwork of state and local retail delivery fees that act as hidden taxes on everyday purchases. Without federal action, these fees could spread rapidly—making it more expensive for Americans to buy everything from groceries to school supplies.

Congress should act to preempt state laws that impose broad requirements on the development and use of AI.

While the U.S. government is right to prevent U.S. companies from selling advanced AI technology to the Chinese military, cutting U.S. companies off from the entire Chinese market is a cure worse than the disease. It will ultimately harm both U.S. national security and economic interests.

In an era when AI is poised to improve everything from crop yields to cancer detection, Canada’s central priority should be accelerating AI adoption to enhance economic prosperity and quality of life, not erecting barriers to innovation through overly precautionary regulation.

Advancements in AI are creating many opportunities to use the technology for beneficial purposes across virtually every sector, and people will undoubtedly find many useful applications for AI in elections and government agencies in the years ahead.

With the right infrastructure and vision, the United States can become a global leader in AI-enabled diplomacy. The State Department should seize this moment—not just to experiment with AI and increase organizational efficiency, but to embed AI at the core of how it conducts diplomacy in the 21st century.

The magnitude of the total fines against U.S. companies is extraordinary. To put the amount in perspective, it is roughly the same as the GDP of Fiji. It could cover the cost of sending five rovers to explore Mars. It would be enough to build two new football stadiums in Washington, DC. It could even pay for every household in America to buy six dozen eggs.

The Foreign Anti-Digital Piracy Act (FADPA) would let U.S. courts block access to foreign piracy sites that profit off stolen American content, aligning the U.S. with over 40 countries that already take similar action. Despite critics' claims of censorship, the bill targets only sites primarily designed for copyright theft, offering a lawful, narrow solution to a billion-dollar problem.

A reasonable compromise on federal data privacy should protect and promote innovation by minimizing compliance costs and restrictions on data use, as well as address concrete privacy harms, improve transparency requirements, and strengthen oversight and enforcement.

Congress should craft federal privacy legislation that protects consumers without undermining the responsible use of data that drives innovation, supports small businesses, and fuels economic growth. A balanced approach—emphasizing clear rules, transparency, and compliance over punitive enforcement—will safeguard privacy while preserving data’s value to society.