Book Forum 

# *Disrupting Politics:*

### *A Front Row Seat to the Collision of Technology & Democracy* 

Published By Simon & Schuster • 2026 

##### Watch the Event 

Submit questions in the comment box on this page. For event updates, follow [@CatoInstitute](https://x.com/catoinstitute) on X. If you have questions about the event or your registration, please email [events@​cato.​org](mailto:events@cato.org).

#### Submit a Question 

Date and Time 

November 12, 2026 11 AM - 12 PM EST 

Location 

Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 

Share This Event 

[Register](https://register.cato.org/disrupting-politics/register) 

##### Featuring 

![Katie Harbath_cropped](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2026-10/Katie%20Harbath_cropped.jpg?itok=O4iN0Zqv) 

Katie Harbath 

Founder and CEO Anchor Change

[ 

](https://x.com/katieharbath) 

![Adam Conner_cropped](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2026-10/Adam%20Conner_cropped.jpg?itok=QOOegiNs) 

Adam Conner 

Vice President, Technology Policy, Center for American Progress

[ 

](https://x.com/adamconner) 

[![David-Inserra-cropped.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2023-11/David-Inserra-cropped.jpg?itok=UVcZA19i)](/people/david-inserra) 

[David Inserra](/people/david-inserra)

Fellow for Free Expression and Technology, Cato Institute

[ 

](https://x.com/dr_inserra) 

[![Jennifer-Huddleston-img-cropped2.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2023-06/Jennifer-Huddleston-img-cropped2.jpg?itok=nA04B0o7)](/people/jennifer-huddleston) 

[Jennifer Huddleston](/people/jennifer-huddleston)

Senior Fellow, Cato Institute

[ 

](https://x.com/jrhuddles) 

Katie Harbath was at the center of some of the biggest controversies involving political speech and social media. During her decade at Facebook, where she led the company’s global election-related work, she helped navigate consequential decisions involving political advertising, election interference, misinformation, and content moderation. From the 2016 presidential election and the Cambridge Analytica scandal to growing concerns over online censorship, Harbath was directly involved as Facebook confronted questions about its influence over political speech and public debate.

In her new book, *Disrupting Politics*, Harbath takes readers behind the scenes of these controversies, recounting the decisions facing Facebook as it navigated competing pressures from politicians, government officials, activists, and the public. Her account raises important questions about the power of technology platforms, who should decide what speech is permitted online, and the role of government in regulating political expression.

Please join us for a discussion of these controversies, emerging challenges involving artificial intelligence and political misinformation, and what lessons Facebook’s experiences offer for today’s debates over free expression, government pressure on social media platforms, and the influence of technology companies in shaping public discourse.

**Lunch to follow.**

![Disrupting Politics: A Front Row Seat to the Collision of Technology & Democracy - promo book cover](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/promo_block_book_cover_1x/public/2026-10/disrupting_politics.jpg?itok=4Ho6z_sW) 

### *[Disrupting Politics](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1969935480?tag=catoinstitute-20)*

What happens to democracy when technology moves faster than we can govern it?

For Katie Harbath, that question isn’t theoretical-it has defined her career, her conscience, and the sleepless nights in between for 25 years. From helping invent digital campaign tactics to shaping elections that impacted billions as a Facebook executive, she was inside the rooms where the future was being decided before anyone knew the cost.

In this candid memoir, Harbath takes readers from dolphin-suit RNC stunts to Silicon Valley operation centers, from debate stages to congressional hearings. With unflinching honesty about the 2016 election, Cambridge Analytica, and the dismantling of integrity teams, she brings readers into the defining moments that reshaped the relationship between platforms and politics.

[Purchase Book](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1969935480?tag=catoinstitute-20) 

[![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) 
This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).