In honor of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we’re discussing critical cybersecurity issues, diving into topics around data privacy, encryption, and the impact of current and proposed regulations on digital security. Developer and ACT | The App Association member representative Mitchel Volkering joins the discussion to provide insights on encryption, the importance of secure platform-provided tools, and the risks posed by underregulated app marketplaces, especially for vulnerable users like children and teens. Join us for more on practical steps policymakers and users alike can take to enhance digital security.

Guardians of Privacy: Platform Protections vs. Policy Pressures

We’re breaking down the top policy issues shaping the app economy ahead of ACT | The App Association’s Global App Economy Conferences in the EU and UK next month. From data privacy and AI regulation to mergers, digital trade, and SEPs, we’re unpacking what’s at stake for independent developers and small businesses and how smart policies can drive innovation, competition, and global market access.

Global App Economy Conference EU & UK PREPisode

We’re bringing you a special Deep Dive episode featuring our SXSW 2025 panel discussion on the rise of data breaches, the critical role of encryption, and the policy challenges shaping global cybersecurity. From the UK’s recent actions around encryption oversight and high-profile attacks like Salt Typhoon to the impact of weak security measures on disenfranchised communities, we’re unpacking what’s at stake for independent developers, small businesses, and consumers worldwide. Listen in as our panel of experts explores how smart policies can protect sensitive data while ensuring innovation and competition thrive.

Immediate Action Required: Data Breaches and Encryption

We’re breaking down the top policy issues shaping the app economy ahead of ACT | The App Association’s Global App Economy Conferences in the U.S. next month. From data privacy and AI regulation to mergers, digital trade, and SEPs, we’re unpacking what’s at stake for independent developers and small businesses and how smart policies can drive innovation, competition, and global market access.

Global App Economy Conference U.S. PREPisode

At the start of the 119th Congress, we held a webinar that mapped the key opportunities and risks for small tech in a new legislative landscape. Now, with Congress actively advancing bills on AI, data privacy, and economic competitiveness, the insights from this discussion are no longer speculative; they’re a playbook. We’re revisiting the policies that are gaining traction, the strategies small businesses can use to stay ahead, and what’s on the table as the session continues to unfold.

Congress Is Moving. Are Small Businesses Being Heard?

In this Deep Dive episode of Tech Swamp, we’re putting the spotlight on artificial intelligence and what it actually looks like in the hands of innovators building the future of work. As the EU launches the world’s first AI law, the UK fine-tunes its light-touch approach, and the U.S. walks away from national guardrails, startups are left navigating a maze of global rules with no clear map.


From Policy to Payroll: How AI Is Reshaping the Future of Work

How are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), startups, and scaleups driving progress toward the EU’s Digital Decade goals? Hear directly from the startups and businesses behind the wheel as ACT | The App Association’s Maria Goikoetxea moderates a discussion with member company representatives examining how targeted, innovation-friendly policies can help amplify their impact and boost European competitiveness. Representatives of member companies will include Jonas Almeling, Ecosystem Entrepreneur and ACT EU Ambassador, Jason Culloty, CEO of Skillsvista, and Federico Roviglioni, COO of Bufaga.

Note on Audio Quality: We experienced some unexpected microphone issues toward the end of the live panel discussion, resulting in lower volume levels, especially during the final few minutes. We recommend checking out the full transcript in our show notes for anything you may have missed. Thanks for tuning in, and we appreciate your patience!

The Digital Decade: How SMEs are Powering Europe’s Innovation Potential

In the evolving age of artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT), and emerging technologies, the standard-essential patent (SEP) licensing process can significantly impact whether startups have a fair shot or face new barriers. In this episode, we explore how the global SEP licensing landscape affects small innovators, from their ability to launch new products and attract investment, to the risks of regulatory approaches that drive up compliance costs instead of lowering barriers. You’ll hear what’s at stake for startups and small tech in the SEP licensing space, and why getting it right is critical for the future of innovation.

SEPtember: Standards, Global Innovation, and What’s at Stake

Ahoy, mateys! We’re celebrating International Talk Like a Pirate Day with a special mini-episode. But instead of eye patches and parrots, we’re talking about real piracy...the kind that steals music, apps, and code. We’re joined by ACT | The App Association's president, (Captain) Morgan Reed, to dig into the history of Talk Like a Pirate Day and why piracy and intellectual property protections matter now more than ever, especially in the age of AI.

Talk Like A(I) Pirate Day

Encryption isn’t just a privacy tool; it’s the thing standing between your personal life and the people who would exploit it. And right now, governments around the world are debating whether to weaken it. This episode breaks down why that matters. We’re joined by developer and ACT | The App Association founder Mike Sax to talk about what encryption actually does, why it’s essential for protecting kids and families online, and how current proposals in the EU, UK, and U.S. could reshape the safety of the internet itself.

If encryption is the lock on your digital front door, the question today is: Why are so many people arguing to take that lock off?

Digital Safety Depends on Encryption

In this month’s episode, we’re taking you through our 2025 Tech Policy Year in Review. From encryption and age verification to competition rules, AI implementation, and the fast-moving standard-essential patent (SEP) landscape, we break down the global policy shifts that shaped the year for small developers. We’re zooming in on what changed across the EU, UK, and U.S., how these rules impacted innovation and access to capital, and what it all means for the digital economy heading into 2026.

Guardians of Privacy: Platform Protections vs. Policy Pressures

Tech Swamp by ACT | The App Association

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