Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy

What Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy does

Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP) is an interdisciplinary academic research center at Princeton University, established in 2008 and operating from 303 Sherrerd Hall in Princeton, New Jersey. The center is an initiative of Princeton's School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), and is structured around three research areas: Artificial Intelligence, Data Science and Society; Privacy and Security; and Digital Infrastructure and Platforms. Programs include a competitive, fully-funded in-person Fellows Program (Postdoctoral, Visiting Research Scholar/Professional, and Microsoft Visiting Research Scholar/Professor tracks); the Siegel Public Interest Technology Summer Fellowship, which places students in paid 8-10 week fellowships at federal, state, and local agencies; the two-year salaried Emerging Scholars Program; the Undergraduate Minor in Computing, Society and Policy (launched in 2025); the Tech Policy Clinic, which engages directly with policymakers; the Non-Resident Technology Fellows Program; and the State AI Policy Forum, which operates under Chatham House Rule.

CITP's research output spans peer-reviewed publications, policy submissions to NIST, NSF, FTC and the International AI Safety Report 2026, the CITP Blog (formerly Freedom to Tinker), a weekly newsletter archived since 2022, social channels across X, LinkedIn, YouTube and Bluesky, and events including the Tech Policy: The Next Ten Years conference and Washington, D.C. congressional briefings. A 2026 research output, the OpenCourier Protocol, defines data formatting and communication across a decentralized ecosystem of community-owned delivery platforms, couriers, and service requesters, illustrating CITP's move into infrastructure-level protocol design. The center's "technology" stack is therefore best understood as a portfolio of research artifacts, fellowship and education programs, and policy engagement mechanisms rather than a commercial product platform.

CITP does not sell products or charge for events, publications, or programs. Funding flows from Princeton University allocations and external grants, supplemented by named philanthropic partnerships — Microsoft funds the Visiting Research Scholar/Professor track, and the Siegel Family Endowment funds the Siegel Public Interest Technology Summer Fellowship. Headcount stands at approximately 15 staff plus a 16-17 fellow cohort, with leadership comprising Director Arvind Narayanan, Executive Director Tithi Chattopadhyay, Tech Policy Clinic Director Mihir Kshirsagar, and Undergraduate Minor Director Aleksandra Korolova. Primary constituents are academic researchers and scholars, undergraduate and graduate students, federal and state policymakers (including U.S. state legislators via the State AI Policy Forum and federal employees via the AI Policy Precepts program), and state/local regulatory bodies that receive technical expertise via the Non-Resident Technology Fellows Program and PIT-SF placements at agencies including the FTC, CFPB, NYC Mayor's Office of the CTO, and state attorney general offices.

Name

Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy

Legal name

Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP), Princeton University

Website

https://citp.princeton.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Princeton University's Center for Information Technology Policy is an interdisciplinary research center studying AI, privacy, and digital platforms. It runs fellowship programs, an undergraduate minor, and policy forums that serve academic researchers, students, and federal and state government policymakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Princeton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. University Funding and Grants: CITP is an initiative of Princeton University's School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), funded through university resources and external grants.
2. Fellowship Programs: Fully-funded fellows program supporting scholars and practitioners. The Siegel Public Interest Technology Summer Fellowship provides stipends to students. Microsoft Visiting Research Scholar/Professor track provides funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CITP is an interdisciplinary academic research center that conducts research and delivers educational programs on the societal implications of digital technology, with three focus areas: AI, Data Science & Society; Privacy & Security; and Digital Infrastructure & Platforms. It offers fully-funded fellowships, an undergraduate minor, post-baccalaureate and graduate research programs, a Tech Policy Clinic, and policy forums that engage directly with federal, state, and local government. Outputs include peer-reviewed publications, policy briefs, and protocol designs such as OpenCourier.

Product overview

Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP) is an academic research center that offers a portfolio of educational programs, fellowships, and research initiatives rather than a traditional product. The center's offerings include: an Undergraduate Minor in Computing, Society and Policy; the Siegel Public Interest Technology Summer Fellowship (PIT-SF) for undergraduate students; the Emerging Scholars post-baccalaureate program; the main Fellows Program with postdoctoral and visiting scholar tracks; the Non-Resident Technology Fellows Program for government technologists; the Tech Policy Clinic providing nonpartisan research to policymakers; and the State AI Policy Forum for legislators. CITP also runs the Integrated Ethics in Computer Science initiative and maintains a blog (formerly Freedom to Tinker). Research focuses on three areas: Artificial Intelligence, Data Science & Society; Digital Infrastructure & Platforms; and Privacy & Security.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Siegel Public Interest Technology Summer Fellowship (PIT-SF): A paid fellowship program for rising juniors and seniors at U.S. universities to gain experience working on technology policy at federal, state, and local levels.
• CITP Tech Policy Clinic
• Non-Resident Technology Fellows Program
• State AI Policy Forum

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Princeton School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCITP is an initiative of Princeton University's School of Engineering and Applied Science, providing academic infrastructure and faculty connections.
• Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCITP is jointly an initiative of Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs, enabling interdisciplinary collaboration between technology and policy research.
• Federal Trade CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPIT-SF fellows have been placed with the FTC to gain hands-on experience in technology policy enforcement and regulation.
• Consumer Financial Protection BureauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast PIT-SF fellow placement location providing experience in consumer protection and financial technology policy.
• NYC Mayor's Office of the Chief Technology OfficerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPast PIT-SF fellow placement location providing experience in municipal technology policy.
• State Attorney Generals OfficesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with state attorney general offices for PIT-SF placements and State AI Policy Forum participation.
• Keller CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCITP partners with the Keller Center for the Technology and Society Certificate Program offered jointly with CITP.
• Civic Software InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdam Pickersgill, a Non-Resident Technology Fellow, serves as Executive Director at Civic Software Initiative, which works to provide tech policy expertise for nonprofits.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): A large bipartisan policy research organization that covers technology policy alongside defense, security, and economic issues — comparable to CITP's policy engagement and congressional briefing model at greater scale.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - Technology Program: Carnegie's technology and international affairs program produces AI policy research and engages global policymakers — overlapping with CITP's mission of informing AI policy through nonpartisan research.
• Brookings Institution - Center for Technology Innovation (CTI): A broader think tank with a dedicated technology policy center producing reports and convening policymakers — overlapping with CITP's policy research and government engagement, though broader in scope than just technology.

Direct peers

• MIT Schwarzman College of Computing: MIT's flagship interdisciplinary computing-and-society college conducting AI policy research, training students, and engaging government — a clear institutional peer to CITP in academic AI/society research.
• Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society (Harvard): Harvard's interdisciplinary research center on technology, law, and society. Operates fellowship programs and produces policy-relevant research on AI, privacy, and digital platforms — overlapping heavily with CITP's privacy/security and digital infrastructure domains.
• AI Now Institute: An independent research institute producing policy research on AI's social implications, with a strong focus on AI governance, accountability, and public-interest advocacy — a close functional peer to CITP's policy research output.
• Center for AI Safety (CAIS): A research organization focused on AI safety research and policy. Publishes research on AI risk and engages policymakers — comparable to CITP's AI safety and policy work.
• Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI): Stanford HAI is a university-based interdisciplinary AI research and policy institute that produces research, advises policymakers, and runs fellowship/educational programs — directly comparable to CITP's mission of bridging AI research and public policy.

Emerging players

• New America - Open Technology Institute: A think tank program focused on internet, technology, and public interest policy issues, with research, fellowships, and direct policy advocacy — comparable in mission scope to CITP's Tech Policy Clinic.
• GovAI (now based at Austin, TX): A research organization focused on AI governance, policy, and safety research, with a fellowship program training future AI policy researchers — directly comparable to CITP's research and training mission in the AI governance niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PrincetonCITP
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@citpprinceton
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/princeton-citp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy