Richard and Sandi Conniff Leaders in Business Ethics Speaker Series
Disinformation, Fake News and the Role of Technology Companies
A panel discussion featuring:
- Congressman Ro Khanna*
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Congressman Ro Khanna represents California’s 17th Congressional District, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, and is serving in his second term. Rep. Khanna sits on the House Budget, Armed Services, and Oversight and Reform committees and is first vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. He also serves as an Assistant Whip for the Democratic Caucus.
Rep. Khanna is committed to representing the people and ideas rooted in Silicon Valley to the nation and throughout the world. For each job created in the high-tech industry, another four jobs are created. The tech multiplier is even larger than the multiplier for U.S. manufacturing. Rep. Khanna will work to ensure the technology sector is at the forefront of U.S. economic policy and strive to provide opportunities to those our changing economy and technological revolution has left behind. To do so, the U.S. must implement policies that will not only create tech jobs in Silicon Valley but across America. This includes job training programs, economic development initiatives, re-wiring the U.S. labor market, and debt-free college to help working families prepare for the future.
A dedicated political reformer, Rep. Khanna is one of just six elected officials to refuse contributions from PACs and lobbyists. He also supports a 12-year term limit for Members of Congress and a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.
Rep. Khanna was born in Philadelphia, PA, during America’s bicentennial, to a middle-class family. Both of his parents immigrated to the United States in the 1970s from India in search of opportunity and a better life for their children. His father is a chemical engineer and his mother is a substitute school teacher. Rep. Khanna’s commitment to public service was inspired by his grandfather who was active in Gandhi’s independence movement, worked with Lala Lajpat Rai in India, and spent several years in jail for promoting human rights.
Prior to serving in Congress, Rep. Khanna taught economics at Stanford University, law at Santa Clara University, and American Jurisprudence at San Francisco State University. He wrote the book Entrepreneurial Nation: Why Manufacturing is Still Key to America’s Future and worked as a lawyer specializing in intellectual property law. Rep. Khanna served in President Barack Obama’s administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce. In 2012, California Governor Jerry Brown appointed him to the California Workforce Investment Board. He has also provided pro bono legal counsel to Hurricane Katrina victims with the Mississippi Center for Justice, and co-authored an amicus brief on the fair housing U.S. Supreme Court case, Mount Holly v. Mt. Holly Gardens Citizens in Action, Inc.
Rep. Khanna graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago and received a law degree from Yale University. As a student at the University of Chicago, he walked precincts during Barack Obama's first campaign for the Illinois Senate in 1996. In his free time, Rep. Khanna enjoys cheering for the Golden State Warriors, watching movies, and traveling. He and his wife Ritu call Fremont, CA, home.
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- Jonathan Reiber - Former chief strategy officer for cyber policy in the office of
the US Secretary of Defense
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Jonathan Reiber is a writer and security strategist based in Oakland, California. From serving in senior positions in the Department of Defense in Barack Obama’s administration to leading cybersecurity strategy for a company in Silicon Valley, he helps organizations and individuals build resilience to technological and political disruptions in the digital age.
In his work he advises governments, companies, and organizations on the risks of digitization. He has helped manage large bureaucracies; advised cabinet officials and senior leaders across the U.S. government, foreign governments, and the private sector; and developed written products quickly for decision-making and parliamentary deliberations, public communications, and major media engagements. His writing has been published or featured by Foreign Policy, DefenseOne, The Atlantic Monthly, Literary Hub, and Berkeley’s Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity among others.
A former Chief Strategy Officer for Cyber Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Jonathan also served as Special Assistant and Speechwriter to the United States’ Deputy Secretary of Defense, Dr. Ashton B. Carter, and previously as Special Assistant to the United States' Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Dr. James N. Miller. In both positions he focused his work on foreign and defense policy, grand strategy, Middle East and Asia-Pacific affairs, and cybersecurity. He campaigned full-time for Barack Obama in 2007-2008.
Prior to U.S. government service, he worked for the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Sudan, as a Research Manager at a geological intelligence firm, and as a political and communications advisor to the Episcopal Church. He is a graduate of Middlebury College, where he studied religion and creative writing, and The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs.
He has written book-length works and articles about humanity's confrontation with technology and political change, and, with his co-host DJ Skelton, in 2019 he launched a podcast, Beyond the Breach, which engages listeners about the risks and opportunities of our digital life - with a focus on leadership. A selection of Jonathan's writing is available at his webpage, www.jonathanreiber.com.
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- Mike Albertson - Long-time Bay Area technology reporter
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Mark Albertson is an experienced Silicon Valley journalist whose stories have been regularly published for the San Francisco Examiner, Blasting News, and CBS-Bay Area. His coverage of the technology industry made him the Examiner’s top-ranked tech reporter for 2016 in 244 markets across the United States. He is also an experienced video and TV producer, having created Tech Closeup, a nationally syndicated program on technology that aired on ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX affiliate stations over the course of four years.
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- Ann Agee - Associate librarian, SJSU
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Ann Agee is thelibrary liaison for the School of Information, School of Management, and School of Information Systems & Technology.
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*tentative
February 19th - 6:00pm to 7:15 pm - Student Union Theatre
Admission is free, due to limited seating this event
REQUIRES PRE-REGISTRATION.
With social media platforms making the spread of false and misleading information faster and easier, more scrutiny has fallen on the technology companies that provide these platforms. Should tech companies be responsible for the content and/or be making decisions on what is and is not fake news? Are there ethical boundaries for them to consider? And, how can students become better at identifying the fake news and information that proliferates on-line?
