Spence Purnell is director of technology policy at the Reason Foundation.
Prior to joining Reason, Spence worked as director of business development at Florida startup Dealers United and as an analyst for the state of Florida's Executive Office of the Governor (Florida Gubernatorial Fellowship).
Spence graduated from Stetson University with a bachelors degree in political science and is working on an MPA at Florida State, where his research has focused on database infrastructure and analytics, economic development, and policy evaluation methods.
Purnell is based in Florida.
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House TikTok ban is unconstitutional and would not make America safer
Policymakers should address national security without infringing upon free trade and the right of free speech.
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Florida should be skeptical of age-based social media ban
Blanket bans on social media use for minors under the age of 16 represent a misguided approach that overlooks the complexities of the digital age and violates the First Amendment.
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Gallup shows how parenting supervision on social media use impacts youth mental health
Before politicians pass constitutionally dubious laws, they should consider other options to reduce the negative outcomes of teen social media use.
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The FTC’s case against Amazon is built on bad economics
The FTC’s claims about seller fees do not paint an accurate picture of the price interactions between Amazon and the third-party sellers who use the platform.
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One of the flaws in DOJ’s anti-trust case: People overwhelmingly choose Google
Even the European Union's 'choice screen' regulations haven't dented Google's dominant market position.
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The DOJ’s weak antitrust case against Google
Consumers have plenty of choices regarding search and other software products, but they often choose Google because they believe it provides the best results.
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Policymakers should examine the economics of data privacy
American policymakers implementing data privacy laws should consider the negative economic impact that overly burdensome frameworks like GDPR could induce.
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States should think twice before regulating AI
AI is already being used in important ways that would be harmed by an AI freeze or a rollback.
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Florida’s Digital Bill of Rights is a regulatory trojan horse
Florida's heavy-handed government regulations would make the internet less friendly for consumers and do damage to Florida’s small businesses.
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The pitfalls of regulating app stores
Policymakers should continue to let app stores innovate and evolve without policy intended to force them into certain practices.
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Florida should learn from the mistakes of California and European privacy laws
Florida can start to strike the correct balance by excluding a private right of action and providing clear guidelines for data sharing.
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Report says big tech monopoly claims are overblown
Paper says to look at Amazon, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Apple, Amazon and others by the level of firm concentration in the economy.
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Social media companies are free to make bad decisions
Social media companies are free to set their terms of service and moderate content as they choose. But this doesn’t mean their policies are smart.
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Florida bill to expunge juvenile records headed to Gov. DeSantis’ desk, again
In response to Florida Gov. Ron Desantis' claims, the new state bill, House Bill 195, clearly excludes forcible felonies from being expunged.
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Florida’s proposed data privacy law would hurt consumers and businesses
While trying to give consumers more control over their data, House Bill 9 violates several of the best practices for good consumer privacy laws.
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The SEC’s proposed exchange rule change would stifle innovation and technology growth
The ramifications of so many changes are likely not well understood by all parties involved and could alter the market in unpredictable or unhealthy ways.
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Texas social media law violates the First Amendment
Prohibiting social media companies from engaging in content moderation would harm consumers.
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States Reform Act would automatically expunge federal criminal records for marijuana offenses
Decriminalization and legalization of marijuana should go hand-in-hand with expunging past cannabis-related criminal records.