"When you've voted for a political candidate -- be it federal, state, or local -- did you ever take into consideration their stances on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, or data privacy? You probably didn't, but it's time tech policy took its place in the spotlight for voters. In this talk former technology journalist and longtime media executive Caroline McCarthy offers a basic overview of what makes tech policy different from all the other political issues out there, and a framework for learning about it and getting involved with elected officials.

Speaker bio: Caroline McCarthy was a member of TED’s Residency in the spring of 2018, tackling the ad industry’s role in the misinformation crisis. She spent years as a print and TV journalist for CNET before working for Google and other tech companies. Named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Media in 2012, Caroline has also held advisory roles with the Center for Democracy and Technology, the International Center for Not-For-Profit Law, and youth tech education nonprofit Mouse. She is also the media and technology columnist for The Spectator USA." Caroline McCarthy is a digital media executive, writer, and advocate for an ethical approach to digital communications and content. She was part of TED’s Residency cohort for the spring of 2018, creating the talk “How advertising is dividing us.” Caroline is currently a vice president at true[X] (acquired by 21st Century Fox in 2015 and The Walt Disney Company in 2019). She is also the media and technology columnist for The Spectator's US edition. Prior to true[X], Caroline worked as a product marketer at Google and a print and on-camera journalist for CNET, where she was one of the first reporters to have a full-time focus on then-emerging social media companies like Facebook and Twitter. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx