The spread of COVID-19 has forced many Americans to conduct their daily routines from home, but the rapid pace of technological innovation over the last decade has allowed many to continue to work or study. The United States’ largely hands-off approach to regulating technology — whether new innovations or social media — has enabled the rapid proliferation of the technologies that many rely on in this crisis, writes AAF’s Director of Technology and Innovation Policy Jennifer Huddleston. Policymakers should note the benefits of such innovation-friendly policies, and they should consider further reforms to allow technology innovators to respond to the pandemic, she argues.

An excerpt:

The United States has been a leader in innovation and many emerging technologies thanks to an approach that encourages experimentation and limits barriers to entry. The current crisis is only demonstrating the value of such a regulatory approach to technology. After the pandemic, policymakers should seek to continue the United States’ generally permissionless approach that has allowed technologies to emerge and flourish.

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