Koustubh “K.J.” Bagchi

Senior Director, Federal Public Policy at Chamber of Progress

Koustubh “K.J.” Bagchi is Senior Director, Federal Public Policy at the Chamber of Progress. He is a veteran of Capitol Hill and public interest organizations, having served most recently as Senior Policy Counsel at New America’s Open Technology Institute. He was previously the tech policy attorney for the national civil rights organization Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. Prior to working in civil society, he led Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) & small business engagement at the DNC and held development positions at the AAPI Victory Fund and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

He has over ten years of experience in public policy and legislative strategy at the local, state, and federal levels. In addition to advising members of the Washington State Senate, he worked as Legislative Counsel for a D.C. City Councilmember and former Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), a Member of Congress who served on the influential House Appropriations Committee. K.J. graduated from the University of California Davis and received his law degree from Seattle University School of Law.

After living in Washington, D.C. for almost a decade and recently moving to Northern Virginia, he enjoys exploring new food spots with his wife and seeking out the perfect iced coffee.

Panel Information

Thursday, December 16

7:15 PM EST

What Does Free Speech Mean?

The First Amendment protects individuals from government censorship. Social media platforms are private companies and can censor what people post on their websites as they see fit. But given their growing role in disinformation, it’s essential to ask ourselves – what exactly are their censorship policies? How do they compare to each other and the First Amendment’s protections? What is the relationship between Section 230 and the First Amendment?