skeptechs

In this episode, Josh and Nayana discuss new rules and responsibilities for platforms in Europe's Digital Services Act, explore a legal fight over a pair of popular Indian photoblogs, and react to updated social media guidelines for BBC presenters. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skeptechs.substack.com

Josh and Nayana are back for season 6 of skeptechs! And there's lots to catch up on, including rumours that the platform-formally-known-as-Twitter will get a paywall, the latest fragmentation in platform governance, and whether the Hollywood writing and acting strike will limit the use of AI in filmmaking. Note: this episode involves discussion of the allegations of sexual assault recently made against Russell Brand. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skeptechs.substack.com

In a first for the show, in this episode Josh and Nayana discuss their own PhD research. First, Josh discusses his recently-completed PhD on the app store governance of fringe platform Parler, before Nayana explains her work on digital storytelling in India. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skeptechs.substack.com

In the final episode of the Behind the Mirror miniseries, Josh and Nayana cover the final two episodes of Black Mirror: Mazey Day and Demon 79. They also discuss reactions to the season as a whole and speculate what the future might hold for Black Mirror. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skeptechs.substack.com

This episode, Josh and Nayana are joined by Jon Nash and Charlie Smith, authors of an insightful new report for Demos on the future of data sharing online. Jon and Charlie argue for a new device-based approach to data sharing that prioritises consent, privacy and interoperability. You can read Jon and Charlie's report here: https://demos.co.uk/research/rewiring-the-web-the-future-of-personal-data/Jon is @jonjnash and Charlie is @charliehrysmith on Twitter. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skeptechs.substack.com

In the next episode of our Black Mirror miniseries, Josh and Nayana review the third episode of the new season, “Beyond the Sea”—which sees two astronauts face challenges back at home. Contains spoilers for this and earlier episodes of Black Mirror. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skeptechs.substack.com

In the second episode of the Behind the Mirror miniseries, Josh and Nayana discuss “Loch Henry”, which sees a pair of filmmakers investigate a serial killer in a Scottish town and try to generate some great content. Contains spoilers for the second episode of the new season of Black Mirror. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skeptechs.substack.com

In an exciting twist, we're launching a new miniseries—Behind the Mirror—to recap each episode of the new season of dystopian tech sci-fi Black Mirror! In this first episode, Josh and Nayana break down Joan is Awful, which touches on pervasive surveillance, online shaming, and a barely disguised satire of Black Mirror's real-life “engagement”-obsessed distribution platform Netflix. Contains spoilers of Episode 1 only. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skeptechs.substack.com

This week, Josh and Nayana are joined by friend and University of Bologna PhD student Emmie Hine, who studies the ethics and human rights of extended reality. It's a timely conversation given Apple's unveiling of the Reality Pro headset, its first foray into the extended reality space. But if this is a new era of computing, what does it mean for society, culture, and human rights? Listen to find out!Find more of Emmie's thoughts on technology ethics at ethicalreckoner.substack.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skeptechs.substack.com

In a special episode, Josh and Nayana discuss the series finale of Succession, a show which satirised old and new media through the lives of the super-wealthy and emotionally unhealthy. *Be warned: spoilers throughout.* This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skeptechs.substack.com

Josh and Nayana are joined by fellow OII PhD student Jess Morley to discuss Jess's wide-ranging research in the field of digital health—including Covid-19 contact tracing apps, the use and misuse of health data, and why we shouldn't expect AI-powered chatbots to replace doctors anytime soon. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skeptechs.substack.com

Josh and Nayana are back to cover the biggest stories in tech. This week: the decline of Twitter's blue-tick system, new details about the EU's Digital Services Act, and the demise of BuzzFeed News. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skeptechs.substack.com

This week, Josh and Nayana are joined by Ben Goldacre and Nick De Vito from the Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science at the University of Oxford. In a wide-ranging conversation, they explore how the Bennett Institute develops tools and platforms to enable safe, secure health analyses and promote open science.The Bennett Institute can be found online at https://www.bennett.ox.ac.uk and @BennettOxford on Twitter. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skeptechs.substack.com

This week, Josh and Nayana are joined by fellow OII PhD student Prathm Juneja to discuss the impact of digital technology on democracy. Prathm's academic work spans voter registration and online voting, and the use of tech in campaigns and government, and builds on Prathm's experience working on a presidential campaign.You can find Prathm on Twitter @PrathmJ. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skeptechs.substack.com

In this week's episode, Josh and Nayana cover the lay-offs across big tech, Microsoft's latest investment in ChatGPT creator OpenAI, and the removal of a critical documentary from the internet in India.To sign up for new episodes and access our archive, visit skeptechs.substack.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skeptechs.substack.com

To kick off Season 5 of skeptechs, we're joined by Oguz Alyanak and Robbie Warin, who are participatory researchers from the Fairwork project, based at the Oxford Internet Institute. They tell Josh and Nayana about how ethnographic methods, podcasting, and visual materials can help to understand and amplify the interests and experiences of people working in the platform economy around the world. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skeptechs.substack.com

Josh and Nayana are back with a brief update on what to expect from the new season of skeptechs! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit skeptechs.substack.com

It's three years since skeptechs launched, during which time the world of tech—and the world at large—has changed beyond measure. Josh and Nayana mark the occasion by covering two of the biggest stories of the past week in tech, before tackling the topics and trends that have loomed largest over the past three years.

Josh and Nayana are back for another conversation with special guests. This time, they sit down with returning guest Felix Simon, doctoral researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute, and Kirsten Eddy, postdoctoral researcher at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. Together they cover questions about the study of mis- and disinformation and what the future holds for this rapidly changing subject.

This week, Josh and Nayana are joined by fellow PhD student Maggie McGrath (@maggieselfie), to discuss Maggie's research, which looks at how algorithms perpetuate misinformation. There's also time to discuss the news that Elon Musk has finally bought Twitter, and what it might mean for the platform.

Josh and Nayana are back to discuss the latest tech news, including the planned purchase of Parler by Ye, the adoption of workers' councils by TikTok employees, and the outage of the South Korean megaplatform Kakao. Plus, our reaction to the resignation of Liz Truss!

Josh and Nayana are back from a summer break with the latest tech news and research. This week, they sit down with Hannah Kirk (@hannahrosekirk) and Paul Röttger (@paul_rottger) to discuss their research, which asks how AI can be used to detect online hate speech. We've got many more episodes and conversations with more guests lined up for the coming weeks so stay tuned, and remember to rate and recommend the podcast if you enjoy it!

Josh and Nayana are back to beat the heat, illness and dodgy wifi to discuss news involving Uber and Twitter. Last week Uber was hit with revelations about its corporate practices and cosiness with politicians after a leak, and faces a new lawsuit over scores of sexual assault allegations. Meanwhile, Twitter is suing the Indian government to protest against censorship, and is suing Elon Musk to force him to close a deal to buy the company.

Josh and Nayana are back to cover the latest stories in the world of tech. This week: new revelations over TikTok's cross-border data sharing, the unintended consequences of using Strava on secret military bases, and victories for Apple's retail workers in Maryland and women employees of Google in California.

Josh and Nayana are back to cover three big stories from the world of tech: a lawsuit in Kenya regarding the treatment of Meta's contracted content moderators, the use of social media to rehabilitate the image of the Marcos family during the Philippines presidential election, and the ways that digital data may worsen the danger posed by the threatened repeal of abortion rights in the US.

Josh and Nayana are back with a recap of the big news in the world of tech: Elon Musk's deal to buy Twitter and take it private. They discuss the possible impact of Musk's pledges for Twitter's future, including safeguarding "free speech", open-sourcing Twitter's algorithms, and authenticating users. If you'd like to hear us answer other tech questions you have, reach out to us @skeptechs on—where else—Twitter.

This week Josh and Nayana are joined by fellow OII PhD student Hubert Au (@HubertDAu) to catch up on the latest updates on Elon Musk's bid to take over Twitter and news on various tech unionisation efforts. Then, they discuss (in spoilery detail) the exciting first season of the Apple TV+ dystopian thriller Severance.

Josh and Nayana are back to discuss the latest in tech. This week: a union victory for Amazon warehouse workers in New York, why Elon Musk joined the board of Twitter, and a round of "quick takes" on breaking stories about Meta, Russian app stores and climate misinformation on Pinterest.

Josh and Nayana are back with a show that inevitably has the war in Ukraine as its focus. They discuss the banning of Instagram in Russia following changes to rules for violent speech in Ukraine, debates over a change to search engine DuckDuckGo's ranking of disinformation, and efforts to use Tinder and other unconventional means of changing opinions about the war within Russia.

Josh and Nayana are back to discuss the week's biggest stories in tech. This time, they discuss opposition to Spotify's Joe Rogan podcast, Amazon's retreat from an ill-fated public relations campaign, and the alleged manipulation of an Indian opposition figure's Twitter feed. Plus one or two words (or perhaps four or five) about Wordle's sale to the New York Times.

This week Josh and Nayana discuss attempts in the US to break up Facebook parent company Meta—while the company files new patents for the collection of sensitive personal data in the 'metaverse'. Then they turn to Nigeria, where the government has just agreed to allow Twitter to return to the country.

It's a new year and a new season of Skeptechs, as Josh and Nayana return to cover the latest news in tech. This time, they discuss the suspension of a US politician from social media, unacceptable working conditions at an iPhone assembly plant in India, and a new cooperative which reimagines the relationship between people and their data.