Public Safety
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As every sector of the global economy and nearly every facet of modern society undergo digital transformation, ITIF advocates for policies that spur not just the development of IT innovations, but more importantly their adoption and use throughout the economy. In the area of public safety, ITIF studies how technological advances in areas such as data analytics and high-quality video can enhance national security and emergency response to promote public safety.

Vice President and Director, Center for Data Innovation
Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
Read BioMore Publications and Events
April 15, 2026|Reports & Briefings
The Promise of Wearable AI: Opportunities Across Emergency Response
Wearable AI improves safety and outcomes for both first responders and the public they serve. Broader adoption of wearable AI for the emergency services industry will protect the health of first responders, improve emergency response, and create safer communities.
April 10, 2026|Blogs
CPSC Is Tough on Chinese Factories, but Should Get Tough on Chinese Platforms Too
The Consumer Product Safety Commission should shift more enforcement focus toward Chinese e-commerce platforms—like Temu and SHEIN—because, despite widespread safety violations linked to Chinese-made goods, these high-scale marketplaces face disproportionately little scrutiny despite posing significant risks to U.S. consumers.
April 8, 2026|Blogs
Calling Timeout on Social Media Time Limit Policies
Virginia’s one-hour social media limit for minors is a misguided policy that undermines parental authority, raises constitutional concerns, and fails to effectively address the real drivers of youth online harm.
March 23, 2026|Blogs
AI and Kids’ Safety Need Separate Solutions, Not New Problems
The TRUMP AMERICA AI Act combines AI regulation with children’s online safety legislation in a single bill, creating overbroad, ill-suited policies that increase compliance burdens and ultimately weaken both innovation and effective protection of minors. These issues should be addressed separately with targeted approaches.
March 6, 2026|Blogs
Alipay Presents Real Risks—But Don’t Rush to Ban It
Congress is right to flag Alipay over national security and data risks, but a blanket ban without first conducting audits or establishing reciprocity safeguards would be premature. Regulators should investigate the platform before Congress considers banning it.
February 19, 2026|Blogs
The Flawed Narrative Driving Tech Bans for Kids
Jonathan Haidt’s claims that smartphones and social media are the primary drivers of the youth mental health crisis overstate the evidence and ignore broader social, economic, and developmental factors. Rather than imposing blanket bans, policymakers should focus on teaching digital literacy and supporting age-appropriate, responsible technology use.
February 12, 2026|Blogs
App Stores Shouldn’t Have to Parent the Internet
App store–level age verification laws pose privacy, security, and free-speech risks while leaving websites unregulated, whereas device-level, opt-in parental controls offer a more comprehensive and safer way to protect children online.
January 23, 2026|Blogs
Protecting Children Online in the UK Requires Smarter Tools, Not Blanket Bans
The UK’s proposed under-16 social media ban reflects a recurring moral panic about new technologies and would undermine youth connection, parental choice, and online privacy without evidence that blanket bans address the real causes of harms to children.
January 8, 2026|Blogs
Ten Ways Policymakers Should Respond to the Grok Bikini Fiasco
The Grok bikini controversy highlights real harms from AI misuse, but it also shows that the right response is enforcing existing laws, holding bad actors accountable, and pursuing tech-neutral, proportionate policies—rather than rushing into broad, AI-specific regulation that risks undermining free expression and innovation.
January 7, 2026|Blogs
New York’s AI Safety Law Claims National Alignment but Delivers Fragmentation
New York’s AI safety law claims alignment with California, but its small deviations create duplicative state requirements that fragment U.S. AI policy and increase compliance costs without improving safety.


