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Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover.In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover:India summons Meta executives over briefly restricted Modi Facebook post (Reuters)‘No explanation given': Arvind Kejriwal claims Meta restricted his account in India (The Times of India)Meta apologises to India for restricting PM Modi's post (Reuters)India temporarily bans Telegram over exam paper leak concern (BBC)eBay agrees $56m settlement with bloggers over harassment case (BBC)Artist starts legal case against Meta for deleting her Instagram account (The Art Newspaper)And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters, they cover:Telegram CEO says an extortionist planted CSAM in a chat to get it pulled from the App Store (The Verge)TikTok Withheld a Safety Feature From Millions. One Died by Suicide (Bloomberg)TikTok Says ‘Moderator Error' Kept Perez Hilton Livestream Up (Wired)Our fun links this week are the Nintendo gameplay counsellors and a revamped app for sharing your toilet flushing habits. If you're already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon.Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It's co-hosted by Mike Masnick (Techdirt) and Ben Whitelaw (Everything in Moderation).
Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover.In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover:The U.S. Is About to Design an AI Regulator. Here's How to Get It Right (Council on Foreign Relations)Mark Zuckerberg Says U.S. Should Accelerate AI Development, Not Restrict It (WSJ)Want AI you can trust? Start by building the right institutions (Atlantic Council)Anthropic Says It's Against A Ban On Open Weight Models. It Just Wants To Ban Everything That Makes Them Good (Techdirt)The High Stakes Behind the EU's €890M Google DMA Fine (Tech Policy Press)Europe bears its teeth, political panic about OpenAI hack and YouTube refines partner policy (Everything in Moderation)Trump vows new tariffs on the E.U. after Brussels fines Google $1 billion (Qz)And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters, they cover:Elon Musk's xAI sues Minnesota over law banning ‘nudification' technology (The Guardian)The Worst Person You Know Just Filed A Good First Amendment Lawsuit Against A Very Badly Drafted Nudify App Ban (Techdirt)Our fun links this week are a replica of Scooby Doo's Mystery-Machine and the Saltburn cricket scandal because we need more satire right now.If you're already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon.Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It's co-hosted by Mike Masnick (Techdirt) and Ben Whitelaw (Everything in Moderation).
Our third annual Live at TrustCon recording of Ctrl-Alt-Speech! Ben was back this year! Mike and Ben were joined live on stage with Kat Duffy, senior fellow for digital and cyberspace policy at the Council on Foreign Relations and Zoe Darme, Director for Trust, Knowledge and Information Products at Google. They cover:Security incident disclosure — July 2026 (Hugging Face)OpenAI and Hugging Face partner to address security incident during model evaluation (OpenAI)An OpenAI test model escaped and broke into a real company's servers (CNN)France Joins a Global Move Toward Restricting Social Media for Children (NY Times)xAI sues user for exploiting AI tool to sexualise minors (Al Jazeera)Special thanks to the Trust & Safety Professionals Association (TSPA) and all the work they do each year in putting on TrustCon, and for allowing us to host the live podcast as the closing session again this year.Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It's co-hosted by Mike Masnick (Techdirt) and Ben Whitelaw (Everything in Moderation).
In this sponsored Spotlight episode of Ctrl-Alt-Speech, host Ben Whitelaw speaks to PwC's Dan Hays at TrustCon about the firm's recently published Trust & Safety Outlook report.They discuss: How AI is simultaneously creating new risks and reshaping the tools used to address them;What the rise of autonomous agents means for governance, accountability and the future of the internet; andHow platforms should respond to an increasingly fragmented regulatory landscape.The conversation also explores how Trust & Safety is becoming a more strategic function inside companies, how automation could change the role of practitioners and vendors, and which emerging risks remain most underestimated.This episode is brought to you in conjunction with our sponsor, PwC. Download the report today.Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It's co-hosted by Mike Masnick (Techdirt) and Ben Whitelaw (Everything in Moderation).
Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover.In this week's roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Ben is joined by Niklas Eder, co-founder and co-CEO of User Rights, a designated out of court dispute settlement body under the Digital Services Act which reviews complaints from users whose social media posts have been deleted or moderated. Together, Ben and Niklas discuss:UK to lay out social media curbs for 16 and 17 year-olds (POLITICO)‘What's the point?' Teenagers give their verdict on Britain's social media curfew (The Guardian)EU moves towards social media ban for children (Financial Times)They Helped Women Fight Online Abuse. They Were Barred From the U.S. (The New York Times)Discord confirms AI moderators have banned thousands over harmless images (Mashable)Federal Court Suspends Trump Immigration Policy Targeting Technology Researchers (Knight First Amendment Institute)And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters, they cover:EU threatens Meta with fines over 'addictive' Facebook and Instagram (BBC News)Commission preliminarily finds the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook in breach of the Digital Services Act (European Commission)The Question of Legality and the Function of the Commission's Preliminary Findings Against Meta (Verfassungsblog)Our fun links this week are a lawn mowing game for post-World Cup stress relief and the Center for the Alignment of AI Alignment Centers because we need more satire right now. This episode is sponsored by PwC, whose upcoming 2026 Trust and Safety Outlook Report explores the forces reshaping how organizations are approaching online safety and integrity. In our special bonus chat, Ben sits down with Dan Hays, Principal Partner of Strategy& (part of the PwC network), to talk about the future of trust and safety and get a sneak peek at some of the themes in their report before its release next week at TrustCon.If you're already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon.Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It's co-hosted by Mike Masnick (Techdirt) and Ben Whitelaw (Everything in Moderation).
Sarah (Jessika Van) and Molly (Courtney Pouroso) receive some unfortunate marketing data in Grind (2026) Intensity:
When a recommendation system pushes child sexual abuse material to a user, who answers for it: the algorithm or the company behind it? Host Anirban Chowdhury speaks with Supreme Court of India lawyer Sajan Poovayya, who breaks down India's evolving liability framework for platforms, from the strict liability standard around CSAM ( Child Sexual Abuse Material) to the tricky question of proving corporate intent through POCSO, the IT Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He unpacks the Supreme Court's take on constructive possession, why safe harbor may not apply when engagement-driven design pushes harmful content, and how India's dark pattern penalties could offer a blueprint for regulating platform accountability.You can follow Anirban Chowdhury on his social media: X and LinkedinCheck out other interesting episodes like: Mythos Blocked: When AI Becomes a Weapon of State, India wants manufacturing at 25% of GDP — will AI in factories help?, The Gold That Wasn't There: Inside SEBI's Case Against Rajesh Exports, Hills of Brew, Semaglutide Goes Generic: Big Pharma’s Moat Breaks and much more. Catch the latest episode of ‘The Morning Brief’ on The Economic Times Online, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Amazon Music and Youtube.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Watch this episode ad-free by joining the ITBR Patreon! patreon.com/ivorytowerboilerroom-----Author of the novel Moderation Elaine Castillo is here! We had a super informative talk about the leaps and bounds moderation has made on the internet since its conception in the 90's. What's it like moderating the internet now that it's designed to keep people addicted or depressed?Do tech oligarchs use similar exploitive labor practices that we've seen used by white imperialist nations throughout history? These are the loaded questions we discuss here on ITBR so tune in and check out Elaine Castillo and her new novel Moderation down below!Girlie Delmundo is the greatest content moderator in the world, and despite the setbacks of financial crises, climate catastrophe, and a global pandemic, she's going places: she's getting a promotion... Despite the isolation that virtual reality requires from colleagues, friends, and family, the unbelievable perks of her new job mean she can solve a lot of her family's problems with money and mobility...But when she meets William Cheung, Playground's wry, reticent co-founder (now Chief Product Officer) and slowly unearths some of his secrets, and finds herself somehow falling in love, she'll learn that history might be impossible to moderate and the future utterly impossible to control.Elaine CastilloModeration by Elaine Castillo: 9780593489680 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books-----Follow ITBR on IG @ivorytowerboilerroom and TikTok @dr.andrewrimbyBe sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can watch video episodes of the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@ivorytowerboilerroomThanks to our following sponsors! To subscribe to The Gay and Lesbian Review visit glreview.org. Click Subscribe and enter promo code ITBRChoice to get a free issue with a subscription purchase. Follow them on IG @theglreview and TikTok @g_and_lrHead to Broadview Press, an independent academic publisher, for all your humanities related books. Use code ivorytower for 20% off your broadviewpress.com order. Follow them on IG @broadviewpress.Thanks to the ITBR team! Dr. Andrew Rimby (Host and Director), Mary DiPipi (Chief Contributor), and Sean Penta (Editor)
Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover.In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover:‘It's not like we knowingly have bad ads': Meta on ad fraud, teen safety, and why AI will not replace agencies (The Media Leader)Instagram running ads promoting child sexual abuse material in India (BBC)Meta Now Lets Anyone Use Your Instagram Photos in AI Images—Unless You Opt Out (Wired)At 17, She Sued Meta and Google, and Won. Now She's Ready to Tell Her Story (Bloomberg)And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters, they cover:Beijing is looking at curbing overseas access to China's top AI models, sources say (Reuters)Fable 5 Is Back After Anthropic Irons Out Security Concerns With US Government (PC Mag)AI Giants Are Handing Out Tons of Free Computing Power to Grab Startup Share (WSJ)Introducing Tokens to the Future: Token Grants to AI Builders (LinkedIn)OpenAI proposes handing Trump administration 5% stake (Financial Times)Our fun links this week are Roost, the “slow-cial” messaging app, and PlotLines for visualizing classic novels on a map.If you're already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon.Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It's co-hosted by Mike Masnick (Techdirt) and Ben Whitelaw (Everything in Moderation).
“AI for All.” That's what Canada's federal government is calling its national AI strategy. It makes the case for building AI with confidence: a homegrown supercomputer by 2031, 60 per cent adoption by 2034. But the new strategy offers little about how it will govern the technology. Ottawa attempted to answer those concerns with two landmark bills: the Safe Social Media Act, which regulates social media platforms and AI chatbots, and the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, which brings Canada's privacy laws into the AI era. Together, these bills give the country something it's never had: a single digital regulator with power to hold companies responsible. It's the most ambitious tech policy move this country has seen. And it's drawing fire from every direction. Critics say a superregulator gives too much power to the government, that privacy and data should be treated separately, and that this is part of a wider government effort to control speech. To dig into the details, we sat down with Evan Solomon, Canada's first Minister of Artificial Intelligence and the architect of this agenda. We talk about why data means something new in the age of AI, how this regulator would actually work, and whether it could have stopped something like Grok's controversial nudification feature – a case the current Privacy Commissioner says he's powerless to stop. Mentioned: Canada's National Artificial Intelligence Strategy: AI for All Backgrounder: Government of Canada introduces legislation to Protect Canadians' Privacy in the Digital Age Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act Elon Musk's Grok AI tool under fire over digital undressing Canada's privacy commissioner expands investigation into ‘X' over ‘Grok' Yes, Musk's Grok chatbot is 'digitally undressing' women and children • FRANCE 24 English Privacy Commissioner of Canada investigation into the Grok chatbot and sexualized deepfakes finds companies violated privacy law Commissioner-initiated complaints concerning X Corp.'s and X.AI LLC's compliance with PIPEDA Canada has access to Anthropic's powerful Mythos AI model, minister says Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover.In this week's roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Ben is joined by Cori Crider, executive director of the Future of Technology Institute, an independent non-profit focusing on technology that serves the public. She previously co-founded legal non-profit Foxglove and led national security litigation at human rights organisation, Reprieve. Together, Ben and Cori discuss:Australia to double potential fines for Facebook and Instagram (ABC News)85% of kids are still using social media despite ban. But we need a new measure to judge its success (The Conversation)German expert panel suggests social media ban for under-13s (Reuters)EXCLUSIVE: EU could announce social media ban for kids in September (Euractiv)The EU Wants To Grow Homegrown Tech. Its Courts Keep Making That Impossible (Techdirt)Eurosky x Funk (German pub broadcaster youth programme) partnership (Linkedin)And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters, they cover:TikTok announce major redundancies amid push for AI content moderation (The Independent)Meta looks to AI to review harmful content in cost-cutting drive (Financial Times)Our fun links this week are the rise of dopamine sites (Ben) and Polaroid's billboard campaign (Cori).If you're already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon.Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It's co-hosted by Mike Masnick (Techdirt) and Ben Whitelaw (Everything in Moderation).
Theodora Skeadas has spent her career at the messy, consequential intersection of technology, governance, and harm reduction, long before "responsible AI" became a job title. She studied philosophy and government, witnessed the Arab Spring firsthand, spent years at Twitter facilitating the Global Trust and Safety Council, and now heads AI red teaming at Humane Intelligence while also serving as a PhD researcher at King's College London, board co-chair of the Integrity Institute, and advisory board chair of All Tech is Human. As she put it: she sleeps occasionally! We get into what red teaming is and why everyone, not just researchers and AI labs, should be doing it. We also talk about how trust and safety and AI governance are more connected than the headlines suggest, what social scoring actually means (yep, like that Black Mirror episode), the human cost of Meta pulling its content moderation contracts, what it takes to get into responsible tech right now, and how companies should be thinking about AI in hiring and performance reviews. We didn't even get into all of our questions, so we had to do a part 2... stay tuned! Chapters 00:00 - Felicia and Rachel get into it... Knicks win, New York City, and the need for human connection 09:30 - Theo's origin story: philosophy, the Arab Spring, and landing in responsible tech 14:51 - Twitter's Trust and Safety Council, AI governance, and why they're more connected than you'd think 19:01 - Red teaming: what it is, who does it, and why everyone should be involved 24:30 - Guardrails: from social media deny lists to the EU AI Act 30:33 - Meta, BPO contracts, and the global human cost of cutting content moderation 32:34 - Social scoring: from Black Mirror to reality 37:31 - Online fraud, vulnerable populations, and the case for critical thinking 42:07 - Getting into responsible AI: honest advice for a crowded, shrinking field 50:33 - AI in the workplace and the global picture: governance, bias, language gaps, and what's next Visit us at InclusionGeeks.com to stay up to date on all the ways you can make the workplace work for everyone! Check out Inclusion Geeks Academy and InclusionGeeks.com/podcast for the code to get a free mini course.
In a special bonus episode for our Patreon supporters, Mike and Ben discuss some of their favorite must-read books about online speech, platform power, and content moderation. This free teaser covers their first two picks: It's Complicated by Danah Boyd and Behind the Screen by Sarah T. Roberts. To hear the full episode with all six books, become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter on Patreon.Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It's co-hosted by Mike Masnick (Techdirt) and Ben Whitelaw (Everything in Moderation).
Die Expertenkommission hat geliefert - und dabei rausgekommen sind 56 Handlungsempfehlungen auf 115 Seiten, die sagen: “Wir als Expert:innen WÜRDEN es so machen, aber you do you.” Und wie die Regierung jetzt handelt, wird die nächste spannende Frage werden. Außerdem schielt Meta auf das Geschäftsfeld “prediction markets” und Musk ist kein Billionär mehr. ➡️ Mit der "Haken Dran"-Community ins Gespräch kommen könnt ihr am besten im Discord: http://hakendran.org
Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover.In this week's roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Ben is joined by Jen Weedon, a T&S veteran of Meta and Niantic. She is currently consulting and teaching at Columbia school of International and Public Affairs. Together, Ben and Jen discuss:Jen Weedon on anticipating platform threats and how to manage burnout (Everything in Moderation)AI Slop and the Information Ecosystem (Columbia University)UK examines steps to stop children circumventing social media ban (Financial Times)Social media ban for UK's under 16s will go even further than Australia's policy (BMJ)The split-screen reaction to the UK social media ban (Everything in Moderation)Anthropic shuts down newest AI model after U.S. bans foreign use (The Washington Post)India blocks Telegram messaging app until June 22, government says (Reuters)And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters, they cover:Spotify removed 57,000 fake podcast episodes selling illegal drugs after congressional pressure (TNW)Spotify chief defends AI-generated music (Financial Times)Our fun links this week are the How Alberta eradicated rats (Ben) and Mogwooooo's Instagram account (Jen).If you're already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon.Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It's co-hosted by Mike Masnick (Techdirt) and Ben Whitelaw (Everything in Moderation).
In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover:Tech bosses threatened with prison if they fail to protect children (The Times)Apple and Google given three months to ban nude images on children's devices (BBC News)Keir Starmer's social media ban for under-16s could backfire, experts warn (OpenDemocracy)Apple previews new child safety features (Apple)Apple's WWDC keynote was very different, but this will be the new normal (9to5mac)Ottawa introduces bill to restrict social media for teens, regulate AI chatbots (Globe and Mail)Australia builds enforcement layer behind age assurance laws (Biometric Update)NCAC Welcomes Meta Oversight Board's New Account Recommendations (NCAC)And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters, they cover:Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5 (Anthropic)Microsoft restricts Claude Fable for employees over data retention concern (The Verge)The Rise of the Compliant Speech Platform (Lawfare)Policy on the AI Exponential (Dario Amodei)Our fun links this week are the 7-0 World Cup game (Ben) and Chipotlai Max (Mike).If you're already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon.Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It's co-hosted by Mike Masnick (Techdirt) and Ben Whitelaw (Everything in Moderation).
Der SpaceX-IPO ist da - ein guter Anlass, nochmal darauf zu schauen, wen er eigentlich noch reicher macht, als ohnehin schauen. Und was Elon Musk in dieser Woche angefeuert hat - und wieso. Aber wir sprechen auch über Mario Voigt und KI-generierte Reden zum Holocaustgedenktag, darüber, wie die Content Moderation durch KI die Gewaltandrohungen in Kommentarspalten explodieren ließ - und über Mu. ➡️ Mit der "Haken Dran"-Community ins Gespräch kommen könnt ihr am besten im Discord: http://hakendran.org
Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover.In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover:New 13+ Content Settings for Teen Accounts Expanding Globally on Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger (Meta)Meta Expands Safety Features for Teenagers (New York Times)Hackers Used Meta's AI Support Bot to Seize Instagram Accounts (Krebs on Security)Everyone In This LEGO Dispute Should Have Spoken To A Lawyer Earlier Than They Did (Techdirt)Can you go 82-0? (82-0)My toddler's version of a silent disco (Instagram)And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters, they cover:Enshittification, Despotification, and the Open Internet (Liberalism)If you're already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon.Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It's co-hosted by Mike Masnick (Techdirt) and Ben Whitelaw (Everything in Moderation).
Social media has a content problem. Some posts incite violence or hatred; others spread misinformation or promote self-harm. The instinctive response is removal, but is that always the right tool? A new paper argues that platforms should often demote rather than remove problematic content, reducing its visibility rather than taking it down entirely. Drawing on international human rights law, it sets out a framework for when demotion is justified, when removal goes too far, and what transparency obligations platforms owe their users. The argument has implications for everything from climate misinformation to eating disorder content to the regulation of use of social media by under 16s. Joining host Emily McTernan is Jeff Howard, Professor of Political Philosophy and Public Policy at the UCL Department of Political Science and the founding Director of the Digital Speech Lab. Mentioned in this episode: Remove or Reduce: Demoting Content Moderation and Human Rights by Jeff Howard and Beatriz Kira, published in Law and Philosophy. The Machine Stops: Should We All Quit Social Media? UCL Uncovering Politics S17E06 with Rob Simpson
Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover.In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover:The Boring Internet (Terry Godier)Orkney Library & Archive (Bluesky)Silicon Valley takes its AI pitch to the pope (Politico)Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah's remarks on Pope Leo XIV's encyclical "Magnifica humanitas" (Anthropic)Vance calls Pope Leo's AI warnings ‘profound' (NBC News)American heresy: should Peter Thiel be burned at the stake? (Le Grand Continent)Spotify chief defends AI-generated music (Financial Times)OpenAI readies cyber, misinformation defenses ahead of elections (Axios)And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters, they cover:In a surprise, Meta increases funding to the Oversight Board (Platformer)Spotlight: Five Years of the Oversight Board, from Experiment to Essential Institution (Ctrl-Alt-Speech)If you're already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon.Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It's co-hosted by Mike Masnick (Techdirt) and Ben Whitelaw (Everything in Moderation).
In this week's roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike is joined by civil liberties lawyer Jennifer Granick. Together they discuss:Kickstarter rolls back its mature content policy after outcry (Engadget)Apple gives update on the App Store and its key protections (9to5 Mac)Thoughts on the £1,000,000 SaSu Fine (Preston Byrne)Pushing back from Big Tech: Africa's hard road to AI sovereignty (Rest of World)America's dangerous, messy deepfakes crackdown is here (The Verge)X accounts are limited to 50 posts and 200 replies a day unless they pay for a blue checkmark (Engadget)Support the podcast by joining our Patreon, with special founder membership available until May 28th.Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It's co-hosted by Mike Masnick (Techdirt) and Ben Whitelaw (Everything in Moderation).
Sophie McDowall explains how terrorist groups use music on platforms like SoundCloud to radicalize new listeners. She details how artists bypass content moderation using coded language and nasheeds featuring battlefield audio. (15/16)1960
In this week's roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike is joined by First Amendment lawyer Ari Cohn. Together they discuss:Pennsylvania sues AI chatbot as state lawmakers wrestle with stricter regulations (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)Children are drawing moustaches on their faces to fool online age checks - and it's working (Euronews)The Online Safety Act: Are children safer online? (Internet Matters)Utah first state to hold websites liable for users who mask their location with VPNs — law goes into effect, designed to prevent bypassing age checks (Tom's Hardware)Three Justifications—and the AI Accelerant—of India's Digital Censorship Infrastructure (Tech Policy Press)Did School Cellphone Bans Work? New Study Finds Mixed Results.(NY Times)Support the podcast by joining our Patreon, with special founder membership available until May 28th. Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.
In this week's roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike is joined by Jess Miers, law professor at University of Akron School of Law. Together, they discuss:AI Chatbots: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)OpenAI's Sam Altman apologizes to Canadian community after failing to flag mass shooter's conversations with its AI chatbot (CNN)OpenAI And Sam Altman Could Face Dozens More Lawsuits Over School Shooting In British Columbia, Lawyer Says (Forbes)Manitoba premier addresses province's plan to ban youth from social media, AI chatbots (CTV News)Turkey Passes Legislation Barring Children Under 15 From Social Media (NY Times)How YouTube Took Over the American Classroom (WSJ)Support the podcast by joining our Patreon, with special founder membership available until May 28th. Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.
In this special episode, Mike and Ben reflect on 100 episodes of the podcast, followed by an important announcement: we're launching a Patreon and making some changes to Ctrl-Alt-Speech!Starting on May 28th, Patreon members will get early access to extended weekly episodes with in-depth coverage of an extra major story. The free episodes will continue here on this feed, just slightly shorter and released one day later. You can become a member now at one of two levels: Supporters get early access to the extended episodes, and for a limited time Founders get that plus the opportunity to send us news stories that you think we should cover each week. After the new episodes begin at the end of May, the Founder tier will become the Insider tier with all the same benefits at a slightly higher price, so act now if you don't want to miss out (you'll also get bragging rights as a founding member!)We're immensely grateful to the incredible audience we've found over these past 100 episodes, and this is our way of helping make the podcast sustainable for the next 100! Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.
In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:The Darkest Web (BBC)Federal agencies skirt Trump's Anthropic ban to test its advanced AI model (Politico)Anthropic Opposes the Extreme AI Liability Bill That OpenAI Backed (Wired)Europe should regulate Big Tech instead of banning kids from social media, Estonia says (Politico EU)Statement by President von der Leyen with Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on the digital age verification app (European Commission)Apple threatened to remove Grok from the App Store over sexualized deepfakes, letter says (NBC News)A fake Ledger app on the Apple App Store drained $9.5 million in crypto (Coindesk)India's Decentralized System of Internet Censorship (Tech Policy Press)As Social Media Tears Society Apart, a New Crop of Scary Movies Focuses on the Horror of Content Moderation (Variety)We're still yet to find a Ctrl-Alt-Speech 2026 Bingo Card winner — could this week be your lucky day? Play along! Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.
In this week's roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Ben is joined by Fadzai Madzingira, a digital policy expert with a decade of experience at Meta, Salesforce, Ofcom and currently Twitch, where she leads the policy, outreach and education teams. Together, they discuss:Exclusive: Meta has discussed ending funding to the Oversight Board (Platformer)Spotlight: Five Years of the Oversight Board, from Experiment to Essential Institution (Ctrl-Alt-Speech)What Teens Are Doing With Those Role-Playing Chatbots (The New York Times)Early Lessons from Australia's Teen Social Media Ban for the Rest of the World (Tech Policy Press)Stuck in the Middleware with Youth with Vaishnavi J (Ctrl-Alt-Speech)Greece to ban social media for under-15s from 2027, calls on EU action (Reuters)The Family Tech Cycle: Navigating Screens, Devices, and Social Media (Joan Ganz Cooney Center)We're still yet to find a Ctrl-Alt-Speech 2026 Bingo Card winner — could this week be your lucky day? Play along. Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.
When Brett Levenson left Apple in 2019 to lead business integrity at Facebook, the social media giant was in the thick of the Cambridge Analytica fallout. At the time, he thought he could simply fix Facebook's content moderation problem with better technology. The problem, he quickly learned, ran deeper than technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Wie häufig reden wir hier über Mediensucht - ohne genau zu wissen, was das bedeutet? Umso schöner, dass mit Saskia Rößner eine ausgewiesene Expertin da ist, die mit uns die neun Kriterien einer (Medien-)sucht durchgeht. Dass sie dabei auch noch Social Media-Brain ist und zu unseren Thema unendlich viele Gedanken hat, macht das ganze noch schöner! Schöne Ostern!
In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:It's official: Australia's teen social media ban isn't working, yet (Crikey)Social Media Minimum Age - Compliance update (eSafety Commision)Blunder from Down Under (Ctrl-Alt-Speech)April 3 could create a dangerous gap in child safety across Europe (Thorn)Commissioners pile pressure on Parliament to pass child sexual abuse bill (POLITICO)Weeks After Denouncing Government Censorship On Rogan, Zuckerberg Texted Elon Musk Offering To Take Down Content For DOGE (Techdirt)What Is YouTube's Dominance Doing to Us? We Asked Its C.E.O. (The New York Times)This Episode is Broadly Safe To Listen To (Ctrl-Alt-Speech)Meta will "substantially reduce" describing Instagram teen accounts as PG-13 (Engadget)Rated R for Ridiculous (Ctrl-Alt-Speech)If you've got Elon Musk in your Ctrl-Alt-Speech 2026 Bingo Card this week, you're in luck. Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.
In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:How London become a T&S hub (Everything in Moderation) Everyone Cheering The Social Media Addiction Verdicts Against Meta Should Understand What They're Actually Cheering For (Techdirt)Supreme Court Sides With Internet Provider in Copyright Fight Over Pirated Music (New York Times)US settles social media censorship case, bars agencies from threatening penalties (Reuters)Meta's latest AI improves its terrible content moderation (The Register)Transparency Report 2025 (User Rights)An automated moderation error left Tumblr users panicked (The Verge)Don't forget to listen along with Ctrl-Alt-Speech's 2026 Bingo Card and drop us a line if you win or have ideas for new squares. Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.
My guest in this episode is Joel Bailey, product and service director at Arwen.ai, a four-year-old marketing technology startup that uses AI to help brands to manage and moderate their social media comments at scale.Joel brings 25 years of experience working in service design roles, leading change and building new stuff for a diverse range of organisations. We talked about his journey into Service Design, Service Design and AI, navigating AI and social media, the future of design and much more.Note: Given the fast pace of developments in AI, I should point out that we recorded this in June 2025. I had a big backlog...Timestamps00:00 Introduction to Service Design and AI 04:50 The Journey to Service Design 10:00 Understanding Service as an Outcome 15:08 The Role of AI in Social Media Management 20:11 Challenges of Moderation on Social Media 25:32 The Evolution of Business Models 26:36 The Role of AI in Startups 29:13 Navigating AI and Content Moderation 30:20 Understanding AI Bias and Ethics 31:43 Engaging with AI in Social Media 35:11 The Future of Design and AI 40:21 Creativity in a Fast-Paced Environment 44:56 The Importance of Service in DesignLinks Joel====- Arwen: https://arwen.ai- Joel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelbaileyuk/Andy====- Website: https://www.polaine.com- Newsletter: https://pln.me/nws- Podcast: https://pln.me/p10- Design Leadership Coaching: https://polaine.com/coaching- Courses: https://courses.polaine.com- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/apolaine/- Bluesky: https://andypolaine.bsky.social- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@apolaine
Today's MadTech Daily covers Meta announcing reduced reliance on third-party vendors as it expands its AI tools, Walmart securing two new patents for algorithmic pricing, and OpenAI planning a desktop superapp.
In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:Gamblers trying to win a bet on Polymarket are vowing to kill me if I don't rewrite an Iran missile story (Times of Israel)Maybe Turning War Into a Casino Was a Bad Idea? (The Atlantic)French music streamer Deezer battles deluge of AI fraud (Financial Times)I hacked ChatGPT and Google's AI - and it only took 20 minutes (BBC)US to Receive $10 Billion Fee for TikTok Deal, WSJ Reports (Bloomberg)'AI Is African Intelligence': The Workers Who Train AI Are Fighting Back (404 Media)‘Another internet is possible': Norway rails against ‘enshittification' (The Guardian)Play along with Ctrl-Alt-Speech's 2026 Bingo Card and get in touch if you win! Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.
This episode dives into the complexities of legislation affecting dog sports, the impact of social media on public perception, and strategies for advocacy. Guests discuss recent bills targeting greyhound racing and coursing, the role of social media in shaping opinions, and how hunters and dog owners can navigate these challenges. In this episode, Buddy Woodberry and Ross delve into the complexities of social media, content moderation, and the future of hunting communities online. They explore how algorithms and platform policies impact hunters, the risks of relying on social media for building followings, and potential solutions for maintaining hunting culture in the digital age. We would like to thank those who support this podcast. Special thanks to Double U Hunting Supply for sponsoring this episode. www.dusupply.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@DoubleUHuntingSupply/podcasts
In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:Grammarly turned me into an AI editor against my will and I hate it (Platformer)Grammarly has disabled its tool offering generative-AI feedback credited to real writers (Engadget)Grammarly Is Facing a Class Action Lawsuit Over Its AI ‘Expert Review' Feature (Wired)Who's a Better Writer: A.I. or Humans? Take Our Quiz. (NY Times)Molly vs the Machines review – a powerful story of love, loss and the dangers of social media (Guardian)UK: New Molly Russell documentary provides further evidence that social media needs complete redesign (Amnesty International)WhatsApp is launching parent-linked accounts for pre-teens (TechCrunch)Meta urged to boost oversight of fake AI videos (BBC)Play along with Ctrl-Alt-Speech's 2026 Bingo Card and get in touch if you win! Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.
In a special episode of Ctrl-Alt-Speech, Ben and Mike discuss (with apologies to Tay-Tay) the three eras of content moderation in the media and what comes next. Their conversation builds on Ben's essay in the soon-to-be-published Trust, Safety, and the Internet We Share Multistakeholder Insights, a new book looking at the evolution of the Trust & Safety industry and how platform policies decisions are made. The pre-print is available online.Together, they unpack three distinct phases: The Strange Fascination Era (2003–2015), when newsrooms powered platform growth and treated social media as an exciting new frontier; The “We're Watching You” Era (2016–2020), when investigative reporting exposed online harms and pushed platforms to formalise Trust & Safety; and The Mask Off Era (2021–present), as platforms retreat from working with the media and the commitment to moderation waned.We'll be back next week with our regular episode. Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.
Kobiety z Ameryki Łacińskiej walczą z przemocą w sieci, tworząc własną, sprawiedliwą sztuczną inteligencję. To opowieść o technologii, która zamiast służyć zyskowi korporacji, wspiera lokalne społeczności i dba o nasze bezpieczeństwo w myśl idei, że prawo do etycznej technologii to fundament równości, a nie luksus dla wybranych.
How to communicate who you are online.You may not think of yourself as a content creator, but in the creator economy, Angèle Christin says we all have to learn how to communicate who we are online.Christin is an associate professor of communications at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI. According to her, “we are all content creators now.” We may not all be influencers or podcast hosts, but “We are all putting content out there and creating a public persona,” says Christin. In the digital age, “that plays an increasingly important role in hiring, promotions, and of course, getting laid off.”In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Christin and host Matt Abrahams explore how to navigate the creator economy — whether as a full-time influencer or a professional managing your online presence. From building on your area of expertise to understanding the trade-offs between short-term hype and long-term trust, Christin explains what it takes to show up online without losing yourself in the algorithm.Episode Reference Links:Angèle ChristinEp.225 Speaking Fluent Internet: How Algorithms Are Changing the Way We Speak Connect:Premium Signup >>>> Think Fast Talk Smart PremiumEmail Questions & Feedback >>> hello@fastersmarter.ioEpisode Transcripts >>> Think Fast Talk Smart WebsiteNewsletter Signup + English Language Learning >>> FasterSmarter.ioThink Fast Talk Smart >>> LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTubeMatt Abrahams >>> LinkedInChapters:(00:00) - Introduction (02:21) - Why Metrics Reward Drama (05:48) - Building A Professional Online Presence (10:05) - What Makes A Good Story? (13:54) - The Reality Of Creator Work (18:23) - The Final Three Question (21:33) - Conclusion ********Thank you to our sponsors. These partnerships support the ongoing production of the podcast, allowing us to bring it to you at no cost.Strawberry.me. Get 50% off your first coaching session today at Strawberry.me/smartJoin our Think Fast Talk Smart Learning Community and become the communicator you want to be.
Thirty years ago, as part of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, Section 230 became law. The law was the result of a bipartisan effort that saw the potential of the internet and sought to encourage innovation and opportunities for online speech. Thirty years later, the law remains crucial to users and innovators of all sizes; however, it has been criticized by both the left and the right.Join us for a day featuring panels on the history of Section 230, the current impact, debates, and legal challenges around the law, and how it might interact with future content moderation strategies including decentralization and technologies such as artificial intelligence. The event will also feature a live virtual conversation with one of Section 230's co-authors, Senator Ron Wyden (D‑OR). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Ben is joined by Casey Newton, founder and editor of Platformer and co-host of Hard Fork, a podcast that makes sense of the rapidly changing world of tech. Together, they discuss:After a deadly raid, an AI power struggle erupts at the Pentagon (Washington Post)Following: Anthropic vs. The Pentagon (Platformer)Anthropic Drops Flagship Safety Pledge (TIME)Hackers Expose Age-Verification Software Powering Surveillance Web (The Rage)Discord is delaying its global age verification rollout (The Verge)Reddit fined £14m by UK data watchdog over age verification checks (BBC News)How to evaluate Trust & Safety vendors (Everything in Moderation*)Regulate platforms, not children – Commissioner urges caution over social media bans (Commissioner for Human Rights)MPs reject total ban, want data housed locally (The Star)Exclusive: US plans online portal to bypass content bans in Europe and elsewhere (Reuters)Play along with Ctrl-Alt-Speech's 2026 Bingo Card and get in touch if you win! Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.
Big Tech is finally facing a major legal reckoning—and the outcome could reshape the internet as we know it. On this episode of The Tudor Dixon Podcast, Tudor is joined by Media Research Center VP Dan Schneider to break down the landmark lawsuits targeting social media giants over alleged harm to teens and children. They dive into the legal battle unfolding in California and New Mexico, the limits of Section 230, and whether tech platforms can still claim immunity while controlling content. Is social media truly “addictive by design”? Where does personal responsibility end and corporate accountability begin? And could new evidence expose Big Tech companies for knowingly allowing harmful or even illegal content? Plus, Tudor and Dan explore media bias in platforms like Apple News and Wikipedia, raising serious questions about information control, censorship, and the future of free speech in America.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this week's roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Ben is joined by Dr Blake Hallinan, Professor of Platform Studies in the Department of Media & Journalism Studies at Aarhus University. Together, they discuss:On Section 230's 30th Birthday, A Look Back At Why It's Such A Good Law And Why Messing With It Would Be Bad (Techdirt)An 18-Million-Subscriber YouTuber Just Explained Section 230 Better Than Every Politician In Washington (Techdirt)Discord Launches Teen-by-Default Settings Globally (Discord)Media Literacy Parent's study (GOV.UK)EU says TikTok must disable ‘addictive' features like infinite scroll, fix its recommendation engine (Techcrunch)We Didn't Ask for This Internet with Tim Wu and Cory Doctorow (The New York Times)Despite Meta's ban, Fidesz candidates successfully posted 162 political ads on Facebook in January 9 (Lakmusz.hu)Claude's Constitution Needs a Bill of Rights and Oversight (Oversight Board)Account Closed Without Notice: Debanking Adult Industry Workers in Canada (ResearchGate)Play along with Ctrl-Alt-Speech's 2026 Bingo Card and get in touch if you win! Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.
In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:House Judiciary Releases EU X Fine Details (House Judiciary X Account)New Report Exposes European Commission Decade-Long Campaign to Censor American Speech (House Judiciary Committee)X offices raided in France as UK opens fresh investigation into Grok (BBC)Hey Gavin Newsom! Investigating TikTok's Moderation Is Just As Unconstitutional As When Texas & Florida Tried It (Techdirt)Spain Aims to Ban Social Media for Children Under 16, Prime Minister Says (NY Times)TikTok Keyword Analysis (LinkedIn)Why newsrooms are taking comments seriously again (New_ Public)Whoops, Websites Realize That Killing Their Comment Sections Was A Mistake (Techdirt)Play along with Ctrl-Alt-Speech's 2026 Bingo Card! Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.
In this week's roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike is joined by Konstantinos Komaitis, Senior Resident Fellow for Global and Democratic Governance at the Digital Forensics Research Lab (DFRLab) at the Atlantic Council. Together, they discuss:Who Owns TikTok in the U.S. Now? (NY Times)TikTok is investigating why some users can't write 'Epstein' in messages (NPR)TikTok users freak out over app's ‘immigration status' collection — here's what it means (TechCrunch)TikTok Is Now Collecting Even More Data About Its Users. Here Are the 3 Biggest Changes (Wired)Social network UpScrolled sees surge in downloads following TikTok's US takeover (TechCrunch)Europe votes to tackle deep dependence on US tech in sovereignty drive (Computerworld)Meta hides followers and following lists for users based in Iran (Iran International)Iran's internet blackout may become permanent, with access for elites only (Rest of World)The ‘Social Media Addiction' Narrative May Be More Harmful Than Social Media Itself (Techdirt)Payment processors were against CSAM until Grok started making it (The Verge) Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.
In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:My year with a flip phone (Financial Times)Claude's Constitution (Anthropic)From the CEO: What's coming to YouTube in 2026 (Youtube)BBC to show programmes on YouTube in landmark deal (Financial Times)Rand Paul: I've changed my mind — Google and YouTube can't be trusted to do the right thing and must be reined in (NY Post)Rand Paul Only Wants Google To Be The Arbiter Of Truth When The Videos Are About Him (Techdirt)Roskomnadzor Denies Reports That It's Throttling Telegram Over Content Moderation Disputes (Moscow Times)Europeans set to launch an alternative to X. It's called W (Cybernews) Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.
From September 9, 2021: Let's say you're a freedom-loving American fed up with Big Tech's effort to censor your posts. Where can you take your business? One option is Parler—the social media platform that became notorious for its use by the Capitol rioters. Another is Gettr—a new site started by former Trump aide Jason Miller.Unfortunately, both platforms have problems. They don't work very well. They might leak your personal data. They're full of spam. And they seem less than concerned about hosting some of the internet's worst illegal content. Can it be that some content moderation is necessary after all?Today, we're bringing you another episode of our Arbiters of Truth series on the online information ecosystem. Evelyn Douek and Quinta Jurecic spoke with David Thiel, the big data architect and chief technical officer of the Stanford Internet Observatory. With his colleagues at Stanford, David has put together reports on the inner workings of both Parler and Gettr. They talked about how these websites work (and don't), the strange contours of what both platforms are and aren't willing to moderate, and what we should expect from the odd world of “alt-tech.”To receive ad-free podcasts, become a Lawfare Material Supporter at www.patreon.com/lawfare. You can also support Lawfare by making a one-time donation at https://givebutter.com/lawfare-institute.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:UK, Canadian watchdogs press on with probes into Elon Musk's Grok chatbot (Reuters)Musk's xAI limits Grok's ability to create sexualized images of real people on X after backlash (CNBC)X claims it has stopped Grok from undressing people, but of course it hasn't (The Verge)State Department Threatens UK Over Grok Investigation, Because Only The US Is Allowed To Ban Foreign Apps (Techdirt)Keir Starmer tells MPs he is open to social media ban for young people (The Guardian)Statement from the Molly Rose Foundation (LinkedIn)Wes Streeting asks US expert Jonathan Haidt to address officials on social media ban for under-16s (The Guardian)Some social media use can benefit teen mental health (AAP)Arlington-focused Facebook group with 25,000 members is removed, angering moderators (ARLnow)Bandcamp becomes the first major music platform to ban AI content (The Verge) Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@ctrlaltspeech.com. Thanks for listening.
A recent proposal by Lina Khan, co-chair of Zohran Mamdani's mayoral transition team, to cap the price of beer at stadiums in New York City sparked a debate on X last month. At the center of that debate was Matthew Yglesias, editor and author the Slow Boring newsletter, who argued that the modern antitrust movement has become "slipshod" and is ignoring basic economic trade-offs in favor of political wins.In this episode, Yglesias joins Luigi and Bethany to discuss his views on the theoretical and practical limitations of the "Neo-Brandeisian" approach to antitrust. He contends that proposals like price caps for complementary goods like stadium concessions reveals a lack of economic rigor, arguing that such measures often result in higher ticket prices rather than consumer savings . He suggests that the movement increasingly attempts to use antitrust law as a universal tool for societal grievances.Bethany and Luigi debate Yglesias on the limits of this modern anti-monopoly movement, arguing that he sounds like a "Chicago economist circa 1970" who assumes markets are always efficient and rational. From the lobbying might of the banking industry to the extractive fees of Amazon, Luigi argues that economic concentration inevitably morphs into political power which standard price theory often ignores. He posits that even if consolidated industries remain price-efficient, their size allows for the capture of the regulatory process—citing the banking and tobacco industries as historical precedents.Of course, antitrust enforcement isn't the only proposal on the table to address people's concerns about price levels, as the current excitement around the "affordability" and "abundance" movements demonstrate. But Yglesias argues neither abundance, affordability nor antitrust is going to drive down nominal prices. As he puts it: the only thing that could do that is “a catastrophic depression…but that's not going to make people happier". Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
While Meta openly claims that they are supportive of 'free expression' around accurate health information, in practice they regularly take down accurate reproductive rights content without transparency. Bridget Todd joins us to sift through Meta's proclaimed standards versus the reality, and why it's such a problem.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.