Spence Purnell
Director of Technology Policy, Reason Foundation
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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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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Annual Highway Report: Ranking each state’s highway conditions and cost-effectiveness
The Annual Highway Report examines every state's pavement and bridge conditions, traffic fatalities, congestion delays, spending per mile, administrative costs, and more.
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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.
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Online retail sales haven’t grown as fast as you may think, report says
Census data reveal online sales still only make up about 15% of total retail sales.
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Medical marijuana users have Second Amendment rights, deserve the right to self-defense
Due to federal drug laws, medical marijuana patients are losing their Second Amendment gun rights.
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Congress Needs to Stop Blocking Legal Marijuana Sales in Washington, D.C.
The answer isn't more police enforcement, the answer is to enable legal marijuana markets in the city.
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Missouri Law Restores Medical Marijuana Users’ Second Amendment Rights
Due to federal regulations, legal medical marijuana cardholders are unable to legally purchase or own firearms under federal law.
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President Biden Says Drug Users Shouldn’t Go To Jail
“No one should go to jail for a drug offense, no one should go to jail for the use of a drug," President Joe Biden said.
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Drug Policy Newsletter: Federal Marijuana Reform, Expunging Cannabis Convictions, and More
Plus: How state and local marijuana market regulations often lead to corruption, states fighting voter-approved marijuana legalization, and more.
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25th Annual Highway Report
The 25th Annual Highway Report measures the condition and cost-effectiveness of state-controlled highways in 13 categories, including pavement condition, traffic congestion, fatalities, and spending per mile.
