Podcast appearances and mentions of april glaser

KVMR's April Glaser takes a close look at a PG&E bill, line by line, to help listeners understand what each charge means. 

KVMR public affairs correspondent April Glaser sits down to interview Liz Pelly, author of a new book and hard-hitting investigation into Spotify entitled Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify & The Cost of the Perfect Playlist. Joining the conversation as well is local composer Alexis Alrich.Spotify pays artists fractions of pennies per stream. But Liz Pelly's book goes even deeper to reveal how Spotify has quietly worked to remove bands and artists from its most popular playlists and replaced them with fake or ghost content commissioned for cheaper than paying actual artists. What happens when we think we're listening to a band, but it's actually just content made by a company to keep us streaming for longer?Many thanks to Alexis Alrich for providing her original composition for this story, "Bell and Drum Tower," recorded in 2020 by the Janacek Philharmonic. Learn more about Alexis' work at her website.More information on Liz Pelly's book can be found at her publisher's website here. 

KVMR News correspondent April Glaser took off for Elko, Nevada this year to attend the 40th anniversary of the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, where people from ranches and lovers of cowboy culture from across the country gather every year to keep this rich oral tradition of cowboy poetry and song alive. Drawing from original interviews with some of the greatest living cowboy poets and archival audio from the gathering, April produced a KVMR Public Affairs special radio documentary.--The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is a production of the Western Folklife Center in Elko, Nevada. Thank you to the Western Folklife Center Archives for the audio of works by Andy Hedges', Buffalo Kin, Amy Hale and Dom Flemons.To learn more about the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, visit nationalcowboypoetrygathering.org.The recording of Gail Steiger's song My Son was from a 1987 PBS documentary made by the Steiger Bros called Ranch Album. Works used:“Goodbye Old Paint” by Charlie Willis. Performed by Jess Morris in 1942“From Town” by Charles Badger Clark. Performed by Andy Hedges in 2025“Tennessee Stud” performed by Buffalo Kin in 2025“The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry. Performed by Amy Hale in 2016 at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering“My Son” written and performed by Gail Steiger for the 1987 PBS documentary Ranch Alum“Lone Ranger” written and performed by Dom Flemons in 2017 at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering

KVMR News correspondent April Glaser explores the history of Black life in rural California through the lens of a new exhibit Rood Administrative Center in Nevada City, entitled We Are Not Strangers Here. Glaser interviews Susan Anderson, history curator of the African American Museum of California, and Linda Jack of the Nevada County Historical Society about the history of slavery in California, rural Black family life in the state, and one prominent family of Grass Valley, The Sanks.We Are Not Strangers Here was made possible by a local partnership with the Nevada County Arts Council, Grass Valley-Nevada City Cultural District, the County of Nevada, Nevada County Historical Society and the Nevada County Historical Commission. The broader exhibit represents a collaboration between the California Institute for Rural Studies, Susan Anderson of the California African American Museum, the California Historical Society, Exhibit Envoy, and Dr. Caroline Collins from UC San Diego.

April Glaser talks with bestselling author and artist Obi Kaufman and Cordi Craig, the prescribed fire program manager at the Placer Resource Conservation District.

PG&E has raised its rates 4 times in 2024. What does the extra money pay for? April Glaser reached out to Katherine Blunt, a Wall Street Journal energy reporter, to find out. If you are having trouble paying your energy bill, you can find help on PG&E's website, or by calling 2-1-1. 

Firefighters respond to a fire at the Kharkiv National University, which was recently shelled. March 2, 2022. | Image by photoserg On today's show: 0:08 – Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock), managing editor at the English-language edition of Meduza discusses the extinction of Russian independent media. 0:24 – Kseniya Kharchenko, a Kyiv evacuee joins us from Poland. 0:34 – April Glaser (@aprilaser), Senior Internet Policy Fellow at The Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School discusses research on how social media companies are handling the war in Ukraine. 1:08 – Tim Redmond (@timredmondsf), long-time San Francisco investigative reporter and founder of 48 Hills discusses the Gann Limit and why California would choose not to spend its budget surplus to save public schools. 1:25 – Max Orozco, an OUSD parent whose daughter attends La Escuelita Elementary discusses how the impending school closures would affect his community. 1:33 – Moses Omolade @craft_ed._x, Westlake Middle School administrator and Timothy Killings, a teacher at Westlake Middle School and community organizer joins us to continue our coverage of the OUSD school closures. Event: A march to protest the school closures is scheduled in East Oakland this Saturday, March 5 at 11 AM — 1390 66th Avenue, Oakland  94621. The post The extinction of Russian independent media; Kyiv evacuee flees to Poland; Plus more on the crisis facing public schools appeared first on KPFA.

Photo from PBS Frontline film “Covid's Hidden Toll” On this show: 0:08 – Donald Trump has signed a memorandum to exclude undocumented people in the U.S. from census tallies that determine the apportionment of seats in Congress. We break this down with Ari Berman, a senior reporter for Mother Jones covering voting rights. He is also the author of the book Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America. 0:34 – A major tech company has landed a federal contract for contact tracing that raises major concerns over privacy — because the same company works with ICE to help speed up its deportation machine. April Glaser (@aprilaser) reports on technology for NBC News. Read her latest story: “Palantir's pandemic contracts stir concern ahead of IPO” 0:45 – A brutal raid on Black prisoners has taken place at Soledad State Prison in California. We talk with Tasha Williams, who wrote about the raid for the San Francisco Bay View; her husband is incarcerated there. Read Tasha's piece here. 1:08 – Portland independent journalist Tuck Woodstock gives an update on the nightly protests and says the media needs to focus its coverage on the protesters and bystanders injured by law enforcement munitions, not just the deployment of federal agents to the city. 1:20 – Chicago police brutally beat a crowd including youth activists last weekend in Chicago, knocking out the teeth of a teenage girl named Miracle Boyd. Mayor Lori Lightfoot barricaded her house from protesters and is facing intense criticism for embracing the prospect of federal agents being deployed to the city to address “crime.” For more on the organizing underway in Chicago and Mayor Lori Lightfoot's response, we speak with Tynetta Hill-Muhammad, a BYP 100 chapter member in Chicago.  1:34 – Daffodil Altan (@daffodilaltan) is a investigative journalist with Frontline PBS, which just released a stunning new documentary about COVID and agricultural workers called “Covid's Hidden Toll.” You can watch it here.   The post A stunning new film shows “Covid's Hidden Toll” on agricultural workers; Chicago activists condemn Mayor Lori Lightfoot's embrace of law enforcement appeared first on KPFA.

On this episode, Jared Holt speaks to Slate technology writer April Glaser about Mark Zuckerberg's speech to Georgetown University about free speech on Facebook. Then, Holt is joined by The Daily Beast reporter Will Sommer to chat about the state of MAGA in wake of the impeachment inquiry. Follow April Glaser: https://twitter.com/aprilaserFollow Will Sommer: https://twitter.com/willsommerSHOW NOTES: https://shtpostpodcast.com/75-mods-mods-10-21-19-ft-april-glaser-will-sommer/ Get on the email list at shtpost.substack.com

In this episode, April Glaser catches up with her former co-host Will Oremus. Then the two of them are joined by Future Tense editor Torie Bosch and New York Times opinion writer Farhad Manjoo to discuss why tech journalism has become far more critical in recent years. Plus, April and Will discuss futuristic science fiction scenarios on this week’s edition of Don’t Close My Tabs.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, April Glaser catches up with her former co-host Will Oremus. Then the two of them are joined by Future Tense editor Torie Bosch and New York Times opinion writer Farhad Manjoo to discuss why tech journalism has become far more critical in recent years. Plus, April and Will discuss futuristic science fiction scenarios on this week’s edition of Don’t Close My Tabs.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode April Glaser talks to Chris Urmson, CEO of Aurora, a company that builds the technology for self-driving cars. Urmson offers a timeline for when we might see autonomous vehicles on the road and lists the different hurdles the industry still needs to overcome. According to Urmson, driverless cars shouldn’t require a lot of extra infrastructure or government funding. Instead, they should work within our existing system.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode April Glaser talks to Chris Urmson, CEO of Aurora, a company that builds the technology for self-driving cars. Urmson offers a timeline for when we might see autonomous vehicles on the road and lists the different hurdles the industry still needs to overcome. According to Urmson, driverless cars shouldn’t require a lot of extra infrastructure or government funding. Instead, they should work within our existing system.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, April Glaser revisits an interview with Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee who released a policy paper proposing possible regulations for U.S. social media and technology companies. In the interview, April and her former co-host Will Oremus talk to Senator Warner about what worries him most about the largely unregulated tech industry, which can’t seem to keep our data private and stop muddying our elections. They also ask him what he thinks congress can do to rein in these companies and why lawmakers haven’t been quick to act.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, April Glaser revisits an interview with Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee who released a policy paper proposing possible regulations for U.S. social media and technology companies. In the interview, April and her former co-host Will Oremus talk to Senator Warner about what worries him most about the largely unregulated tech industry, which can’t seem to keep our data private and stop muddying our elections. They also ask him what he thinks congress can do to rein in these companies and why lawmakers haven’t been quick to act.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode April Glaser is joined by Max Read, an editor and writer at New York Magazine who writes the column Life in Pixels. First, April and Max talk to Patri Friedman, founder of the Seasteading Institute, which he started in 2008 with seed funding from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. Seasteading is the process of forming new societies on the open ocean, and it’s getting a lot of attention from Silicon Valley.  Then Robert Vicino joins the show to talk about his company, Vivos, which designs and builds high-end bunkers to help people ride out natural disasters and other potential catastrophes. Vicino talks about his clientele and the concerns that drive people to buy fancy underground apartments.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode April Glaser is joined by Max Read, an editor and writer at New York Magazine who writes the column Life in Pixels. First, April and Max talk to Patri Friedman, founder of the Seasteading Institute, which he started in 2008 with seed funding from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel. Seasteading is the process of forming new societies on the open ocean, and it’s getting a lot of attention from Silicon Valley.  Then Robert Vicino joins the show to talk about his company, Vivos, which designs and builds high-end bunkers to help people ride out natural disasters and other potential catastrophes. Vicino talks about his clientele and the concerns that drive people to buy fancy underground apartments.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode April Glaser is joined by co-host Kim-Mai Cutler, a partner at Initialized Capital, an early-stage venture firm. She’s also a former full-time journalist at TechCrunch.  First, April and Kim-Mai discuss the lack of affordable housing in California and the political battles that are hindering progress.  Then they talk about the upcoming wildfire season with Faith Kearns from the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Lizzie Johnson from the San Francisco Chronicle.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode April Glaser is joined by co-host Kim-Mai Cutler, a partner at Initialized Capital, an early-stage venture firm. She’s also a former full-time journalist at TechCrunch.  First, April and Kim-Mai discuss the lack of affordable housing in California and the political battles that are hindering progress.  Then they talk about the upcoming wildfire season with Faith Kearns from the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Lizzie Johnson from the San Francisco Chronicle.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, April Glaser is joined by guest co-host Max Read, an editor at New York magazine who covers technology and the internet. First, April and Max talk about Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes’ apostasy. Last week, Hughes wrote a long op-ed in the New York Times about why he thinks the company that made him so wealthy should be broken up. Then Katherine Lo joins the hosts to discuss how Facebook’s redesign will change how we communicate on the platform. These days she leads the content moderation team at a nonprofit called Meedan, which works with journalists on disinformation. While we talk a lot about how large social networks are governed—and misgoverned—it’s less frequent that we talk about how these platforms are designed, and how that can lead to toxic behavior. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, April Glaser is joined by guest co-host Max Read, an editor at New York magazine who covers technology and the internet. First, April and Max talk about Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes’ apostasy. Last week, Hughes wrote a long op-ed in the New York Times about why he thinks the company that made him so wealthy should be broken up. Then Katherine Lo joins the hosts to discuss how Facebook’s redesign will change how we communicate on the platform. These days she leads the content moderation team at a nonprofit called Meedan, which works with journalists on disinformation. While we talk a lot about how large social networks are governed—and misgoverned—it’s less frequent that we talk about how these platforms are designed, and how that can lead to toxic behavior. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode April Glaser is joined once again by guest co-host Meredith Broussard, a data journalism professor at NYU and author of Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World.  First, historian Mar Hicks joins the show to talk about the tech industry’s long-time aversion to organized labor and how that’s clashing with recent worker actions at major tech companies like Google and Uber.  Then Alexis Madrigal joins the hosts to talk about his recent piece in the Atlantic called “The End of Cyberspace” where he argues that the 90s dream of an unregulated internet is starting to fade. According to Madrigal, it’s time to create a new alluring vision for what cyberspace should be.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode April Glaser is joined once again by guest co-host Meredith Broussard, a data journalism professor at NYU and author of Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World.  First, historian Mar Hicks joins the show to talk about the tech industry’s long-time aversion to organized labor and how that’s clashing with recent worker actions at major tech companies like Google and Uber.  Then Alexis Madrigal joins the hosts to talk about his recent piece in the Atlantic called “The End of Cyberspace” where he argues that the 90s dream of an unregulated internet is starting to fade. According to Madrigal, it’s time to create a new alluring vision for what cyberspace should be.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode April Glaser is joined by co-host Meredith Broussard, a data journalism professor at NYU and author of Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World.  First they talk about the history of  Silicon Valley’s decades-long quest to replace teachers with computers. Then the hosts have a conversation with Nellie Bowles, tech reporter for the New York Times, about a Kansas town that’s struggling with the implementation of Summit Learning, a personalized web-based education program funded by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan.  Also joining the show is Tom Henning, a parent in Kansas who pulled his son out of his local public school after Summit Learning was adopted. Henning discusses how he and other parents organized to try to bring human-centered learning back to their schools, citing the physical and emotional problems their kids came home with after being stuck in front of a computer all day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode April Glaser is joined by co-host Meredith Broussard, a data journalism professor at NYU and author of Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World.  First they talk about the history of  Silicon Valley’s decades-long quest to replace teachers with computers. Then the hosts have a conversation with Nellie Bowles, tech reporter for the New York Times, about a Kansas town that’s struggling with the implementation of Summit Learning, a personalized web-based education program funded by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan.  Also joining the show is Tom Henning, a parent in Kansas who pulled his son out of his local public school after Summit Learning was adopted. Henning discusses how he and other parents organized to try to bring human-centered learning back to their schools, citing the physical and emotional problems their kids came home with after being stuck in front of a computer all day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode April Glaser is joined once again by co-host Siva Vaidhyanathan, director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia. They start by talking about the Sri Lankan government’s shutdown of Facebook and WhatsApp after the Easter attacks on churches and hotels.  Then they talk to Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, a staff writer for Motherboard and producer for CYBER, a Motherboard podcast about hacking. In their conversation Franceschi-Bicchierai talks about the time he corresponded directly with hackers who infiltrated the servers of the Democratic National Committee. Those hackers initially tried to pass themselves off as a lone Romanian hacker named Guccifer 2.0.  Then slate writer Rachelle Hampton joins the show to talk about her cover story, The Black Feminists Who Saw the Alt-Right Threat Coming.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode April Glaser is joined once again by co-host Siva Vaidhyanathan, director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia. They start by talking about the Sri Lankan government’s shutdown of Facebook and WhatsApp after the Easter attacks on churches and hotels. Then they talk to Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai, a staff writer for Motherboard and producer for CYBER, a Motherboard podcast about hacking. In their conversation Franceschi-Bicchierai talks about the time he corresponded directly with hackers who infiltrated the servers of the Democratic National Committee. Those hackers initially tried to pass themselves off as a lone Romanian hacker named Guccifer 2.0. Then slate writer Rachelle Hampton joins the show to talk about her cover story, The Black Feminists Who Saw the Alt-Right Threat Coming. This episode is brought to you by Proper Cloth.  Save $20 on your first custom shirt at propercloth.com/ifthen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode April Glaser is joined by guest host Siva Vaidhyanathan, director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia and author of several books about social media and the internet, including a recent one on Facebook, “Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy.”  First they talk about the ongoing elections in India and how fake news and propaganda on Facebook and WhatsApp is wreaking havoc on an electoral process that’s otherwise celebrated for working quite well in the world’s largest democracy. Then they discuss Uber’s recent IPO filing and the litany of ways the company’s reliance on a contractor workforce and business in only a handful of major cities could destabilize the rideshare company’s hopes of ever being profitable.  After that, author and WIRED writer Andy Greenberg joins the show to talk about the recent indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, threats the case poses to press freedom, and how Assange’s ideology has been much more fluid than his alleged co-conspirator, Chelsea Manning. Greenberg is the author of This Machine Kills Secrets: Julian Assange, the Cypherpunks, and Their Fight to Empower Whistleblowers. This episode of IF Then is brought to you by LinkedIn. Post a job today at LinkedIn.com/IFTHEN and get fifty dollars off your first job post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode April Glaser is joined by guest host Siva Vaidhyanathan, director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia and author of several books about social media and the internet, including a recent one on Facebook, “Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy.”  First they talk about the ongoing elections in India and how fake news and propaganda on Facebook and WhatsApp is wreaking havoc on an electoral process that’s otherwise celebrated for working quite well in the world’s largest democracy. Then they discuss Uber’s recent IPO filing and the litany of ways the company’s reliance on a contractor workforce and business in only a handful of major cities could destabilize the rideshare company’s hopes of ever being profitable.  After that, author and WIRED writer Andy Greenberg joins the show to talk about the recent indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, threats the case poses to press freedom, and how Assange’s ideology has been much more fluid than his alleged co-conspirator, Chelsea Manning. Greenberg is the author of This Machine Kills Secrets: Julian Assange, the Cypherpunks, and Their Fight to Empower Whistleblowers. This episode of IF Then is brought to you by LinkedIn. Post a job today at LinkedIn.com/IFTHEN and get fifty dollars off your first job post. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

April Glaser is joined by Gizmodo investigative reporter, Kashmir Hill, to talk about an ambitious British proposal to regulate content on social media sites. Then they discuss Airbnb’s efforts to kick White Nationalists off its platform ahead of a national summit in Tennessee.  After that they talk to Pat Brown, CEO and founder of Impossible Foods, about his company’s eerily realistic fake meat products and his vision for a more environmentally sustainable food system.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

April Glaser is joined by Gizmodo investigative reporter, Kashmir Hill, to talk about an ambitious British proposal to regulate content on social media sites. Then they discuss Airbnb’s efforts to kick White Nationalists off its platform ahead of a national summit in Tennessee.  After that they talk to Pat Brown, CEO and founder of Impossible Foods, about his company’s eerily realistic fake meat products and his vision for a more environmentally sustainable food system.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

April Glaser and Will Oremus discuss a recent report in Bloomberg that says executives at YouTube ignored employees who raised concerns about the spread of harmful videos. The company’s algorithm often recommends conspiracy videos, which lead viewers down rabbit holes they might not otherwise explore.  Then journalism professor Emily Bell talks about Google and Facebook’s recent efforts to revive the local news industry. Since the tech giants are partially complicit in harming local news in the first place, Bell says it’s akin to asking a bull that broke everything in a China shop to come back and piece things back together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

April Glaser and Will Oremus discuss a recent report in Bloomberg that says executives at YouTube ignored employees who raised concerns about the spread of harmful videos. The company’s algorithm often recommends conspiracy videos, which lead viewers down rabbit holes they might not otherwise explore.  Then journalism professor Emily Bell talks about Google and Facebook’s recent efforts to revive the local news industry. Since the tech giants are partially complicit in harming local news in the first place, Bell says it’s akin to asking a bull that broke everything in a China shop to come back and piece things back together. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, April Glaser and Will Oremus first talk to two researchers who’ve uncovered new information about the way the U.S. government trains its facial recognition software. According to their findings, the government uses photos of immigrants, children, and even deceased prisoners to train their programs.  Then NBC News reporter Ben Collins talks about the role of online extremism in last week’s New Zealand attacks, specifically with regard to Facebook and other platforms that allow live broadcasting. Collins also discusses how the shooter left a manifesto riddled with white supremacist signals from online communities and the difficulty of reporting on these racist communities without broadening their reach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, April Glaser and Will Oremus first talk to two researchers who’ve uncovered new information about the way the U.S. government trains its facial recognition software. According to their findings, the government uses photos of immigrants, children, and even deceased prisoners to train their programs.  Then NBC News reporter Ben Collins talks about the role of online extremism in last week’s New Zealand attacks, specifically with regard to Facebook and other platforms that allow live broadcasting. Collins also discusses how the shooter left a manifesto riddled with white supremacist signals from online communities and the difficulty of reporting on these racist communities without broadening their reach. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, April Glaser kicks things off by talking about Facebook’s long-overdue crackdown on anti-vaccination groups. The social media platform announced it will stop allowing advertisements that peddle misinformation about vaccines, and they’ll make anti-vaxxer groups and pages harder to find. What took them so long?    Then Will Oremus talks to Olivia Solon, Editor of Tech Investigations at NBC, about facial recognition technology, and how some companies are collecting online photos without getting explicit permission from photographers or subjects.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, April Glaser kicks things off by talking about Facebook’s long-overdue crackdown on anti-vaccination groups. The social media platform announced it will stop allowing advertisements that peddle misinformation about vaccines, and they’ll make anti-vaxxer groups and pages harder to find. What took them so long?    Then Will Oremus talks to Olivia Solon, Editor of Tech Investigations at NBC, about facial recognition technology, and how some companies are collecting online photos without getting explicit permission from photographers or subjects.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, hosts April Glaser and Will Oremus take a look at an increasingly popular online privacy tool--that has some serious trust issues of its own. We’re talking about VPNs, or virtual private networks, and why the average user might have a very hard time figuring out which one to trust. The hosts will also look at privacy blunder number one billion from our friends at Facebook. This one involves two factor authentication, a feature to ostensibly help keep your account safer that turns out to be another good way for Facebook to keep track of you, wherever you go. Mark Zuckerberg told Congress, “you own your data”--but once you give Facebook your phone number, good luck ever taking it back. 1:11 - Interview with Will Oremus 24:00 - Don’t Close My Tabs Stories discussed on the show: Slate: Do You Trust Your VPN? Are You Sure? Don’t Close My Tabs: April: Wired: Are Men at Google Paid Less than Women? Not Really. Will: Instagram: Nathan W Pyle Podcast production by Max Jacobs You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, hosts April Glaser and Will Oremus take a look at an increasingly popular online privacy tool--that has some serious trust issues of its own. We’re  talking about VPNs, or virtual private networks, and why the average user might have a very hard time figuring out which one to trust. The hosts will also look at privacy blunder number one billion from our friends at Facebook. This one involves two factor authentication, a feature to ostensibly help keep your account safer that turns out to be another good way for Facebook to keep track of you, wherever you go. Mark Zuckerberg told Congress, “you own your data”--but once you give Facebook your phone number, good luck ever taking it back. 1:11 - Interview with Will Oremus 24:00 - Don’t Close My Tabs Stories discussed on the show: Slate: Do You Trust Your VPN? Are You Sure? Don’t Close My Tabs: April: Wired: Are Men at Google Paid Less than Women? Not Really. Will: Instagram: Nathan W Pyle Podcast production by Max Jacobs You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com. If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter. Listen to If Then via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, host April Glaser looks at the continuing battle between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the Securities and Exchange Commision. Earlier this week, the SEC asked a judge to hold Musk in contempt for tweets he’s made about Tesla’s performance. The SEC says Musk violated a settlement he reached with the commission last year, which required him to have his tweets reviewed before sending them. Then, Will Oremus speaks with journalist Casey Newton about an investigation he published this week on the tech site The Verge. The article is headlined, “The Trauma Floor: The secret lives of Facebook moderators in America.” Newton talked to current and former employees of a moderation facility in Arizona that contracts with Facebook, about the working conditions there. And, in particular, the psychological toll of scrutinizing hundreds of Facebook posts each day that feature extreme violence, hate speech, and conspiracy theories. 5:57 - Interview with Casey Newton 23:23 - Don’t Close My Tabs Stories discussed on the show: CNN: SEC Asks Judge to Hold Musk in Contempt The Verge: The Trauma Floor: The secret lives of Facebook moderators in America Wired: The Laborers Who Keep Dick Pics and Beheadings Out of Your Facebook Feed Don’t Close My Tabs: April: Mercury News: Facebook, Google Bikes Lead to Tensions with Neighbors Will: Vox: How a coat on Amazon took over a neighborhood — and then the internet Podcast production by Max Jacobs You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com. I f Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter. Listen to If Then via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, host April Glaser looks at the continuing battle between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the Securities and Exchange Commision. Earlier this week, the SEC asked a judge to hold Musk in contempt for tweets he’s made about Tesla’s performance. The SEC says Musk violated a settlement he reached with the commission last year, which required him to have his tweets reviewed before sending them. Then, Will Oremus speaks with journalist Casey Newton about an investigation he published this week on the tech site The Verge. The article is headlined, “The Trauma Floor: The secret lives of Facebook moderators in America.” Newton talked to current and former employees of a moderation facility in Arizona that contracts with Facebook, about the working conditions there. And, in particular, the psychological toll of scrutinizing hundreds of Facebook posts each day that feature extreme violence, hate speech, and conspiracy theories. 5:57 - Interview with Casey Newton 23:23 - Don’t Close My Tabs Stories discussed on the show: CNN: SEC Asks Judge to Hold Musk in Contempt The Verge: The Trauma Floor: The secret lives of Facebook moderators in America Wired: The Laborers Who Keep Dick Pics and Beheadings Out of Your Facebook Feed Don’t Close My Tabs: April: Mercury News: Facebook, Google Bikes Lead to Tensions with Neighbors Will: Vox: How a coat on Amazon took over a neighborhood — and then the internet Podcast production by Max Jacobs You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com. I f Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter. Listen to If Then via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, host Will Oremus looks at the fallout from Amazon’s announcement last week that they’re abandoning plans for a new headquarters in New York City. Some celebrated it as a victory; others mourned a missed opportunity; still others were mad that Amazon took its ball and went home, rather than negotiating a fairer deal. Then, April Glaser talks with Faine Greenwood from the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, where she focuses on the role of drones and data intensive foreign aid projects. Her latest piece for Slate is headlined “Why Humanitarians Are Worried About Palantir’s New Partnership With the U.N.” 6:02 - Interview with Faine Greenwood 23:15 - Don’t Close My Tabs Stories discussed on the show: Slate: New York’s Anti-Amazon Movement Is Now a Blueprint for Critics of Big Tech Slate: Why Humanitarians Are Worried About Palantir’s New Partnership With the U.N. Don’t Close My Tabs: April: The New Yorker: Private Mossad for Hire Will: Wired: AR Will Spark The Next Big Tech Platform-Call It Mirrorworld Podcast production by Max Jacobs You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com. If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter. Listen to If Then via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, host Will Oremus looks at the fallout from Amazon’s announcement last week that they’re abandoning plans for a new headquarters in New York City. Some celebrated it as a victory; others mourned a missed opportunity; still others were mad that Amazon took its ball and went home, rather than negotiating a fairer deal. Then, April Glaser talks with Faine Greenwood from the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, where she focuses on the role of drones and data intensive foreign aid projects. Her latest piece for Slate is headlined “Why Humanitarians Are Worried About Palantir’s New Partnership With the U.N.” 6:02 - Interview with Faine Greenwood 23:15 - Don’t Close My Tabs Stories discussed on the show: Slate: New York’s Anti-Amazon Movement Is Now a Blueprint for Critics of Big Tech Slate: Why Humanitarians Are Worried About Palantir’s New Partnership With the U.N. Don’t Close My Tabs: April: The New Yorker: Private Mossad for Hire Will: Wired: AR Will Spark The Next Big Tech Platform-Call It Mirrorworld Podcast production by Max Jacobs You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com. If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter. Listen to If Then via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, hosts April Glaser and Will Oremus talk about the implications from last week’s bizarre, but also serious, showdown between Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and American Media INC, the owner of the Trump-friendly National Enquirer. Bezos claimed the Enquirer was blackmailing him by threatening to release private and quite racy photos between him and the woman he was having an affair with. Bezos stood up to the alleged extortion by publishing his account of the situation, complete with threatening emails from AMI. At the same time Bezos was fighting for his own privacy, his company was making a deal that could have serious privacy implications for the rest of us. This week, Amazon announced it was acquiring Eero, the mesh WiFi router startup. To sort through this mesh, the hosts are joined by Stacey Higginbotham, who writes all about the internet of things. They ask her about what this move means for smart home users’ privacy, and where we should draw the line on what in our home should be smart, and what should be...well, dumb. 8:08 - Interview with Stacey Higginbotham 21:15 - Don’t Close My Tabs Don’t Close My Tabs: April: The Baffler: The Whitest News You Know Will: The New Republic: The False Promise of Silicon Valley’s Quest to Save the World Podcast production by Max Jacobs You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com. If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter. Listen to If Then via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, hosts April Glaser and Will Oremus talk about the implications from last week’s bizarre, but also serious, showdown between Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and American Media INC, the owner of the Trump-friendly National Enquirer. Bezos claimed the Enquirer was blackmailing him by threatening to release private and quite racy photos between him and the woman he was having an affair with. Bezos stood up to the alleged extortion by publishing his account of the situation, complete with threatening emails from AMI. At the same time Bezos was fighting for his own privacy, his company was making a deal that could have serious privacy implications for the rest of us. This week, Amazon announced it was acquiring Eero, the mesh WiFi router startup. To sort through this mesh, the hosts are joined by Stacey Higginbotham, who writes all about the internet of things. They ask her about what this move means for smart home users’ privacy, and where we should draw the line on what in our home should be smart, and what should be...well, dumb. 8:08 - Interview with Stacey Higginbotham 21:15 - Don’t Close My Tabs Don’t Close My Tabs: April: The Baffler: The Whitest News You Know Will: The New Republic: The False Promise of Silicon Valley’s Quest to Save the World Podcast production by Max Jacobs You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com. If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter. Listen to If Then via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, hosts April Glaser and Will Oremus check in on net neutrality. Last Friday a DC court of appeals heard oral arguments for the biggest court challenge to the repeal of the open internet rules that happened last year––with all the challenges against the FCC’s gutting of net neutrality rolled into one. And on the week of Facebook’s 15th birthday, the hosts talk about (surprise!) Facebook’s latest privacy scandal. This one involved paying people--including teens--to use a special research app that gave Facebook backdoor access to their mobile phones. But in honor of the anniversary, they’ll also talk a bit about where the company came from, where it’s going, and why all the doomsaying predictions about it haven’t seemed to come true. At least not yet. Then, the hosts will discuss PACER, the Federal judiciary's electronic records system that has been raking in millions in fees to give people access to public court records. They’ll be joined by Deepak Gupta, an attorney who is leading the class action lawsuit against PACER, that alleges the system grossly overcharges. 16:53 - Interview with Deepak Gupta 32:52 - Don’t Close My Tabs Don’t Close My Tabs: Slate: You Should Never Have Trusted Flickr to Protect Your Cherished Photos Deadspin: What Time Does, ‘What Time Does the Super Bowl Start,’ Start Podcast production by Max Jacobs You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com. If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter. Listen to If Then via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, hosts April Glaser and Will Oremus discuss a rather terrifying security flaw from Apple, a company that prides itself on keeping information well-protected. A bug was found in the video chat app Facetime that let snoops listen in on someone by calling them on FaceTime, even if the call wasn’t answered. Then, the hosts are joined by Franklin Foer,  a staff writer for the Atlantic, former editor in chief of The New Republic, and author of a book about what he calls “the existential threat of big tech.” They talk to him about the recent wave of layoffs in the media—including big cuts at BuzzFeed, HuffPost, and Gannett newspapers— and how those tie into the dominance of companies like Google and Facebook over the way we get information now. Don’t Close My Tabs: April: Pandora’s New Corporate Parents Gave Millions to Trump, GOP Will: Wired: Is Big Tech Merging with Big Brother? Kinda Looks Like It. Podcast production by Max Jacobs You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com. If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter. Listen to If Then via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play. This episode is brought to you by Warby Parker. Try their home try-on program for free today at warbyparker.com/ifthen.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, hosts April Glaser and Will Oremus discuss a rather terrifying security flaw from Apple, a company that prides itself on keeping information well-protected. A bug was found in the video chat app Facetime that let snoops listen in on someone by calling them on FaceTime, even if the call wasn’t answered. Then, the hosts are joined by Franklin Foer,  a staff writer for the Atlantic, former editor in chief of The New Republic, and author of a book about what he calls “the existential threat of big tech.” They talk to him about the recent wave of layoffs in the media—including big cuts at BuzzFeed, HuffPost, and Gannett newspapers— and how those tie into the dominance of companies like Google and Facebook over the way we get information now. Don’t Close My Tabs: April: Pandora’s New Corporate Parents Gave Millions to Trump, GOP Will: Wired: Is Big Tech Merging with Big Brother? Kinda Looks Like It. Podcast production by Max Jacobs You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com. If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter. Listen to If Then via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play. This episode is brought to you by Warby Parker. Try their home try-on program for free today at warbyparker.com/ifthen.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, hosts April Glaser and Will Oremus discuss news news that the french government has fined Google close to $57 million for violating the new European privacy laws that went into effect in 2018. This comes as news that the Federal Trade Commision here in the US  is considering levying a record-breaking fine against Facebook for violations to their users privacy following the Cambridge Analytica mess. Corporate fines may well be a theme this year following the great clean up after the 2016 election went awry And then we’re going to talk about Juul, the multibillion dollar e-cigarette company that is dominating the new industry. It’s been quite the year for Juul. Their offices were raided by the FDA. They at least provisionally agreed to stop selling certain fruity flavors of tobacco clearly popular with kids. They accepted a $12.8 billion dollar investment from Altria, the tobacco company that owns Marlboro. And most recently, announced, the vaping brand launched a new $10 million national TV marketing campaign. To help make sense of the company that controls an estimated 70% of the e-cigarette market we’ll be joined by Nitasha Tiku, a senior writer for Wired. Don’t Close My Tabs: April: Bloomberg: Corporate America Is Getting Ready to Monetize Climate Change Will: The Huffington Post: Jack Dorsey Has No Clue What He Wants Podcast production by Max Jacobs If Then plugs: You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com. If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter. Listen to If Then via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play. This episode is brought to you by Slack, the collaboration hub for work. Learn more at Slack.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After we saw April Glaser's article on a local San Francisco ISP connecting low-income housing to high-quality Internet access, we knew we wanted to learn more. Preston Rhea is the Senior Field Engineer for Monkey Brains and someone we knew from his work with the Open Technology Institute at New America. He joins us with … Continue reading "Connecting San Francisco Low-Income Housing with Monkey Brains – Community Broadband Bits Podcast 264" ★ Support this podcast ★