The Biden administration made history earlier this year by elevating the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to a cabinet-level post. There have long been science advisory bodies within the White House, and there are a number of executive agencies that deal with science, some of them cabinet-level. But this will be the first time in U.S. history that the president’s science advisor will be part of his cabinet.
It is a welcome effort to restore the integrity of science, at a moment when science has been thrust onto the center-stage of public life as something indispensable to political decision-making as well as a source of controversy and distrust. Some have urged the administration to go even further, calling for the creation of a new federal department of science. Such calls to centralize science have a long history, and have grown louder during the coronavirus pandemic, spurred by our government’s haphazard response.
. maybe they'll actually do something about them.
Remember the Democratic and Republican party debates that were held just before that major international meeting about climate change, participated in by every country in the world? Of course you do. Do you remember the candidates' responses to the questions about climate change posed during those debates? No, you don't. Not a single question about climate change, or any other big science issue, was asked.
There is no shortage of extremely capable tech workers who want to help solve the biggest issues facing society. Will we give them the legitimate space and opportunity to conquer those problems?
Vermont Rep. Peter Welch proposes new regulatory agency to oversee Big Tech by Christopher Hutton Print this article
In a move that comes outside the box, Rep. Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat, recommended that Congress consider investing in a government agency for regulating social media companies. On March 25, the House Energy and Commerce Committee hosted a hearing on social media, extremism, and misinformation. The hearing featured Facebook s Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter s Jack Dorsey, and Google s Sundar Pichai as key witnesses.
Welch suggested that Congress form a new government agency that would provide oversight for social media companies. Welch described the theoretical agency as an entity that has rule-making and enforcement authority to be an ongoing representation of the public to address these emerging issues [of privacy, content standards, and misinformation]. The agency would resemble the Federal Trade Commission and employ technology experts