In beta

Follow In beta
Share on
Copy link to clipboard

In beta is a podcast which investigates the big questions facing human rights in the digital environment. It's created and delivered by Global Partners Digital (GPD) – a social purpose company dedicated to fostering a digital environment underpinned by human rights and democratic values.

Podcast by GPD

  • Jul 15, 2020 LATEST EPISODE
  • every other week NEW EPISODES
  • 25m AVG DURATION
  • 25 EPISODES


Search for episodes from In beta with a specific topic:

Latest episodes from In beta

EPISODE 13: Online content: possible futures w/ Jason Pielemeier

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2020 30:23


We speak to Jason Pielemeier, Policy Director at the Global Network Initiative (GNI), for a big picture discussion on the rapidly involving debate around online content regulation. Find out more about GNI's upcoming policy brief on online content regulation here: globalnetworkinitiative.org/dsa-roundtable-june4/ Follow Jason on Twitter here: twitter.com/pielemeier And sign up to our monthly Digest here: https://gp-digital.us11.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=3f454c6af66e369bd02cf4ac4&id=82e2b17857

EPISODE 12: Contact tracing apps & human rights w/Sharon Bradford Franklin

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2020 15:59


In this episode, we speak to Sharon Bradford Franklin, Policy Director at New America's Open Technology Institute, about a new report contact tracing apps: 'Digital Tools for COVID-19 Contact Tracing: Identifying and Mitigating the Equity, Privacy, and Civil Liberties Concerns.' Read the report here: https://www.newamerica.org/oti/policy-papers/digital-tools-covid-19-contact-tracing-identifying-and-mitigating-equity-privacy-and-civil-liberties-concerns/

EPISODE 11: Tracking disinformation in Sub Saharan Africa w/ CHR

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 30, 2020 21:00


We discuss the recently launched www.disinformationtracker.org with the team at the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria (CHR)—Hlengiwe Dube, Marystella Simiyu, and Tomiwa Ilori Ilori. Find out more about CHR here: https://www.chr.up.ac.za/

EPISODE 10: Power, politics and artificial intelligence w/ Ivana Bartoletti

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2020 26:13


In this episode, we speak to Ivana Bartoletti, author of the recent book, An Artificial Revolution: Power, Politics and AI. Buy the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Artificial-Revolution-Power-Politics-Indigo-ebook/dp/B0874WLS4L/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Take a look at our new tool to track disinformation responses in Sub Saharan Africa here: https://www.disinformationtracker.org/

EPISODE 9: Content moderation in fast moving times w/ Barrie Sander

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2020 26:06


We speak to Barrie Sander, Fellow at Fundacao Getulio Vargas (FGV) Direito Rio in Brazil, about current trends in content moderation by online platforms. Read his recent article, "Freedom of Expression in the Age of Online Platforms" here: https://www.fordhamilj.org/new-blog/2020/5/19/freedom-of-expression-in-the-age-of-online-platforms-the-promise-and-pitfalls-of-a-human-rights-based-approach-to-content-moderation Find out more about the recent advocacy efforts of the The Africa Internet Rights Alliance (AIRA): https://cipesa.org/2020/06/african-internet-rights-alliance-aira-denounces-restrictions-on-freedoms-in-kenya-and-nigeria/ Subscribe to GPD's monthly Digest here: https://gp-digital.us11.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=3f454c6af66e369bd02cf4ac4&id=82e2b17857

EPISODE 8: What can we expect from Facebook's Oversight Board? [S2]

Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2020 22:53


We speak to Evelyn Douek, a leading commentator on online content moderation by platforms, about Facebook's Oversight Board—which recently unveiled its first slate of members. Recent work by Evelyn: https://lawreviewblog.uchicago.edu/2020/05/11/fb-oversight-board-edouek/ https://www.lawfareblog.com/covid-19-and-social-media-content-moderation Other resources mentioned in this episode: https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/05/20/1001927/podcast-who-watches-the-pandemic-watchers-we-do/? https://hrdn.eu/covid-19/

EPISODE 7: Multilateralism in the age of social distancing w/ Sheetal Kumar [S2]

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2020 20:09


We speak to GPD Senior Programme Lead Sheetal Kumar about how COVID-19 is affecting discussions on cyber norms at the international level. Sign up to receive GPD's monthly digest here: https://gp-digital.us11.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=3f454c6af66e369bd02cf4ac4&id=82e2b17857 Resources mentioned in this episode: https://www.globalencryption.org/events/

EPISODE 6: The pandemic in India w/ Prasanth Sugathan [S2]

Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2020 14:05


We speak to Prasanth Sugathan of the Software Freedom Law Center in India (SFLC.IN) about how the COVID-19 pandemic is playing out in India, and its impacts on human rights in the digital environment. Resources mentioned in this episode: https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/05/07/1000961/launching-mittr-covid-tracing-tracker/ https://www.accessnow.org/privacy-and-public-health-the-dos-and-donts-for-covid-19-contact-tracing-apps/

EPISODE 5: African trends in the pandemic w/ Ashnah Kalemera [S2]

Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2020 20:45


We speak to CIPESA's Ashnah Kalemera about responses to COVID-19 on the African continent. Explore CIPESA's work here: https://cipesa.org/ Sign up to receive GPD's monthly Digest here: Other resources mentioned in this episode: https://freedex.org/wp-content/blogs.dir/2015/files/2020/04/A_HRC_44_49_AdvanceEditedVersion.pdf https://ict4peace.org/activities/a-human-centric-framework-to-evaluate-the-risks-raised-by-contact-tracing-applications-2/ https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/digitaliberties/we-cant-let-tech-companies-use-algorithms-to-police-us-after-covid-19/

EPISODE 4: COVID-19 data collaboratives w/ Stefaan Verhulst [S2]

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 28, 2020 14:30


We speak to Stefaan Verhulst about GovLab's new repository of COVID-related data initiatives. Explore the repository here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JWeD1AaIGKMPry_EN8GjIqwX4J4KLQIAqP09exZ-ENI/edit And find out more about The GovLab's Global AI Ethics Consortium (GAIEC) here: https://medium.com/data-stewards-network/the-global-ai-ethics-consortium-gaiec-on-ethics-and-the-use-of-data-and-artificial-intelligence-f3dfcdee3771 Other resources mentioned in this episode: https://cdt.org/insights/covid-19-content-moderation-research-letter/ http://www.freespeechhistory.com/2020/04/17/special-edition-monika-bickert/ https://botpopuli.net/covid19-coronavirus-technology-rights https://www.adalovelaceinstitute.org/our-work/covid-19/covid-19-exit-through-the-app-store/

EPISODE 3: Data colonialism w/ Professor Nick Couldry [S2]

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2020 18:55


We talk to Nick Couldry, Professor of Media and Communications and Social Theory at LSE, about the concept of data colonialism, and how it can help us understand the present moment. Find out more about Professor Couldry's latest book, The Cost of Connection, here: https://www.sup.org/books/title/?id=28816 Subscribe to GPD's monthly email digest here: gp-digital.us11.list-manage.com/subscribe…2e2b17857 Links for the other resources mentioned in this episode: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/sign-our-coronavirus-democracy-watch-newsletter/ https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/14/21219907/medium-coronavirus-covid-19-news-misinformation-conspiracy-theories-best-worst https://medium.com/data-policy/mapping-how-data-can-help-address-covid19-a7be2e631aec

EPISODE 2: Tracking civic freedom in a pandemic w/Lisa Vermeer [S2]

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2020 16:50


We speak to Lisa Vermeer of the International Center for Not-For-Profit Law (ICNL) about the COVID-19 Civic Freedom Tracker (https://www.icnl.org/covid19tracker/), a new tool which monitors government responses to the pandemic that affect civic freedoms and human rights. Subscribe to GPD's monthly email digest here: https://gp-digital.us11.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=3f454c6af66e369bd02cf4ac4&id=82e2b17857 Links for the other resources mentioned in this episode: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/COVID-19.aspx http://opiniojuris.org/2020/04/01/covid-19-symposium-covid-19-cyber-surveillance-normalisation-and-human-rights-law/ https://www.gsma.com/publicpolicy/resources/covid-19-privacy-guidelines

EPISODE 1: COVID-19 and the fight against disinformation w/ Richard Wingfield [S2]

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 8, 2020 15:40


We talk to our Head of Legal, Richard Wingfield, about recent measures taken by governments and tech companies to counter disinformation in the context of COVID-19. Links for the resources mentioned in this episode: https://www.icnl.org/covid19tracker/ https://www.privacyinternational.org/examples/tracking-global-response-covid-19 https://www.derechosdigitales.org/14301/civil-society-from-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-demands-to-respect-human-rights-when-governments-deploy-digital-technologies-to-fight-against-covid-19/ https://www.accessnow.org/releases-recommendations-on-privacy-data-protection-covid-19/ https://twitter.com/cipesaug/status/1239559687948959744 https://cipesa.org/2020/03/covid-19-in-africa-when-is-surveillance-necessary-and-proportionate/ https://www.gp-digital.org/a-human-rights-based-approach-to-disinformation/

EPISODE 12: Is the internet "killing democracy"?

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2018 30:20


In the wake of the 2016 US election, and more recent incidents like the Cambridge Analytica scandal, media and political narratives increasingly posit digital technologies as a threat to democracy. Are they? We speak to Jamie Bartlett, author of a new book which makes this argument, to unpack and explore this question.

EPISODE 11: How should we approach "fake news"?

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2018 47:05


Governments and other institutions are increasingly avoiding the term "fake news", preferring disinformation. But if the term has fallen out of fashion, policy responses to the issues it evokes show few signs of abating. In Singapore, the government has just signalled their intention to develop a new law to tackle “online falsehoods.” This follows an extensive public consultation which, on paper, seems like an admirable commitment to openness, transparency, and accountability. The reality, according to local activist Kirsten Han, was somewhat different. She tells us what happened in this episode, which also features an in-depth look at a new report on disinformation with Fanny Hidvegi of Access Now.

EPISODE 10: Do bots have rights?

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2018 42:42


In California, a landmark piece of legislation recently passed which regulate the usage of internet bots in certain contexts. The original version of the bill was broader, and attracted significant opposition from human rights defenders – who argued that it posed a risk to freedom of expression. To find out more about this story, and the questions it raises, we spoke to Jeremy Gillula of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and lawyer, author and Slate columnist John Frank Weaver. This episode – the first in the second season of GPD's In beta podcast – is also the first in a three-part focus on identity in the digital age.

EPISODE 9: Why do four billion people still not have access to the internet? (S1)

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2018 36:09


GPD's Charles Bradley talks to Sonia Jorge, Executive Director of A4AI and head of digital inclusion programmes at the Web Foundation, about the challenge of achieving universal access to the internet.

EPISODE 8: Should the tech giants of Silicon Valley be broken up? (S1)

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2018 29:00


In 1982, the Bell telecommunications monopoly in the US was broken up after a landmark antitrust suit, ushering in a wave of innovation and competition. Today, companies like Alphabet and Facebook are capturing an unprecedented – and increasing – share of the world’s attention. Should we be thinking about breaking them up, too? We ask Gene Kimmelman of Public Knowledge.

EPISODE 7: Can stakeholders find common ground on cybersecurity? (S1)

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2017 20:17


GPD's executive director Charles Bradley talks to Gaus Rajnovic, chief financial officer and board member at the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST), and GPD's Lead Strategist Matthew Shears, about multistakeholder approaches to cybersecurity.

EPISODE 6: Who gets to decide when online content should be removed? (S1)

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2017 25:56


GPD's executive director Charles Bradley talks to Emma Llansó, Director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) about the role of intermediaries like Facebook and Twitter, and how growing pressure on them to remove user content might affect our freedom of expression.

EPISODE 5: Is civil society in the global South sustainable? (S1)

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 3, 2017 34:02


GPD's executive director talks to Julie Broome, director of Ariadne, Andrew Puddephatt, executive chair of GPD's advisory board, and Khilen Nathwani of the Kays Foundation, about growing challenges to civil society sustainability in the global South.

EPISODE 4: Are we missing the bigger picture behind network disruptions? (S1)

Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2017 24:07


GPD's Executive Director talks to Deji Olukotun from Access Now, Julie Owono from Internet San Frontiers and Arthur Gwagwa from Strathmore University and the Open Technology Fund, about the bigger picture behind the growing trend of network disruptions. This episode was recorded on the margins of the 2017 Internet Freedom Forum in Lagos, Nigeria.

EPISODE 3: Can a business be a human rights defender? (S1)

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2017 32:58


GPD's Executive Director interviews Michael Samway, former Vice-President and Deputy General Counsel for Yahoo! and current adjunct professor at Georgetown University.

EPISODE 2: How should human rights defenders approach cybercrime? (S1)

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2017 26:49


In the second episode of In beta, GPD's executive director Charles Bradley interviews Alice Munyua, the founder of the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) and an advisor to the African Union Commission (AUC), asking – 'how should human rights defenders approach cybercrime?'

EPISODE 1: Is policymaking stuck in the 19th century? (S1)

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2017 24:31


GPD's Executive Director interviews Stefaan Verhulst, co-founder and Chief Research and Development Officer of the Governance Laboratory at New York University.

Claim In beta

In order to claim this podcast we'll send an email to with a verification link. Simply click the link and you will be able to edit tags, request a refresh, and other features to take control of your podcast page!

Claim Cancel