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Caveat

Caveat

N2K Networks 345 Episodes Aug 20, 2026

Join us for thought provoking conversations on surveillance, digital privacy, and cybersecurity law and policy in the information age. Each week, hosts Dave Bittner and Ben Yelin break down the headlines, legal cases, and policy battles that matter most.

Episodes

When companies can hack back.
When companies can hack back. Aug 20, 2026 2399 This week, Dave and Ben discuss how the Trump administration has dramatically changed the cybersecurity landscape after signing a new memorandum, which allows private companies to hack malicious threat actors. Additionally, the two look at the concept of "AI constitutions," and what these policies entail. While this show covers legal topics, and Ben is a lawyer, the views expressed do not const
Surveillance rulings and social media scrutiny.
Surveillance rulings and social media scrutiny. Aug 13, 2026 2427 This week, Ben and Ethan discuss two major stories. The first looks deeper into the Supreme Court's recent ruling on the Chatrie case and the long-term impacts this decision could have on privacy within the nation. The second dives into another court case decision, which exposes social media companies to greater liability for allegedly addictive design features on their platforms and those featu
Tracking people, training AI.
Tracking people, training AI. Aug 6, 2026 2381 This week, Ben and Ethan discuss two major stories. The first involves an incident where a police officer was abusing his access to Flock camera databases to track a former partner's movement. The second looks at recent research that found that Chinese military research units have been accessing US frontier AI models to train their own models through a process called model distillation. While th
AI’s latest security wake-up call.
AI’s latest security wake-up call. Jul 30, 2026 3164 This week, Dave and Ben discuss two major stories. The first story assess the recent incident where a rogue OpenAI agent escaped its environment and successfully targeted Hugging Face. Additionally, the two also look at an incident where a man was targeted after he reportedly wiped his phone using GrapheneOS. Afterwards, Dave sits down with Asha Palmer, SVP of Compliance Solutions at Skillsoft,
AI’s political and copyright reckoning.
AI’s political and copyright reckoning. Jul 23, 2026 2330 This week, Dave and Ben look at two stories centered around AI. The first involves how politicians are trying to combat how AI chatbots spread inaccurate or incomplete information on their campaigns to voters. The second story looks at how existing copyright laws are not robust enough to handle how AI models are ingesting content. While this show covers legal topics, and Ben is a lawyer, the view
The future of transatlantic data sharing.
The future of transatlantic data sharing. Jul 16, 2026 2381 This week, Dave and Ben look at how the Supreme Court's recent decision could impact data-sharing efforts with the European Union (EU). Additionally, they discuss how the LA Police Department has let its contract with Flock expire after reports emerged that the company was found to be investigating and surveilling innocent people. While this show covers legal topics, and Ben is a lawyer, the view
AI sovereignty and surveillance.
AI sovereignty and surveillance. Jul 9, 2026 2351 This week, Dave and Ben examine two developments shaping the future of technology policy. First, they break down the European Union's proposed Cloud and AI Development Act and what it means for technological sovereignty and global competition. Then, they turn to the US, where advances in surveillance, facial recognition, and digital tracking are rapidly expanding government and commercial monitori
Drawing a digital line for geofencing.
Drawing a digital line for geofencing. Jul 2, 2026 3850 This week, Dave and Ben take a look at the Supreme Court's recent ruling that has significantly changed how the law enforcement must approach collecting user location data. Alongside this conversation, Ben also sits down with former Congressman and current President of Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI) Brad Carson to talk about how US/China trade relations could shape the future of AI dev
Encore: HR1 and the future of U.S. tech security.
Encore: HR1 and the future of U.S. tech security. Jun 25, 2026 2883 We hope you enjoy this encore of Caveat while our team is away. This week on Caveat, Dave and Ben welcome back N2K’s own ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ethan Cook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for our latest policy deep dive segment. As our lead analyst, Ethan shares his knowledge of law, privacy, and surveillance on the latest policy developments shaping the cybersecurity and legal landscape. While this show covers legal topics, and Ben is a la
A world without Section 702.
A world without Section 702. Jun 18, 2026 2734 This week, Dave and Ben take a look at a recent ruling against Google by a German court holding them liable for any false statements generated by its AI Overviews. Additionally, the two examine how Congress failed to extend Section 702. While this show covers legal topics, and Ben is a lawyer, the views expressed do not constitute legal advice. For official legal advice on any of the topics we co
Changes to US AI policy landscape.
Changes to US AI policy landscape. Jun 11, 2026 2751 This week, Dave and Ben sit down with N2K's lead analyst Ethan Cook to examine President Trump's recent Executive Order centered on AI. With this order, the Trump administration is looking to increase its oversight of new AI models to better account for potential security vulnerabilities before public releases, marking a key development in the administration's AI policy stance. While this show c
Florida vs OpenAI.
Florida vs OpenAI. Jun 4, 2026 2290 This week, Dave and Ben sit down to Florida's recent lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman. In the suit, Florida alleges that the company placed profits over safety needs. Additionally, the two cover a story on an ad-based surveillance network. While this show covers legal topics, and Ben is a lawyer, the views expressed do not constitute legal advice. For official legal advice on any of the topi

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