Podcasts about Techdirt

In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:It's Cool to Have No Followers Now (New Yorker)Introducing Safe for Work? — all about T&S jobs (Everything in Moderation*)Kids Turn Podcast Comments Into Secret Chat Rooms, Because Of Course They Do (Techdirt)Reddit and Kick added to child social media ban (ABC News)X boss explains why ‘horrific' video viewed by Axel Rudakubana wasn't removed (The Independent)Southport Inquiry (YouTube)How Elon Musk is Boosting The British Right (Sky News)arXiv Changes Rules After Getting Spammed With AI-Generated 'Research' Papers (404 Media)TikTok Investigated in France Over Content That Promotes Suicide (Bloomberg) France Moves to Block the Shein Website Over a Sex Doll Scandal (New York Times) EU leaders paper over splits on US tech reliance (Politico) This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Safer by Thorn, a purpose-built CSAM and CSE solution. Powered by trusted data and Thorn's issue expertise, Safer helps trust and safety teams proactively detect CSAM and child sexual exploitation messages. 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:Character.AI is banning minors from AI character chats (Financial Times)Strengthening ChatGPT's responses in sensitive conversations (OpenAI)Senators propose banning teens from using AI chatbots (The Verge)EU accuses Meta, TikTok of breaching digital rules (Politico) Meta and TikTok are obstructing researchers' access to data, European Commission rules (Science.org)Hey Elon: Let Me Help You Speed Run The Content Moderation Learning Curve (Techdirt)China's new law: only degree-holding influencers can discuss professional topics – netizens divided on its impact (IOL) Wizz is like ‘Tinder for kids,' as teens use the app to hook up while adult predators lurk (NY Post) This episode is brought to you by our sponsor WebPurify, an Intouch company. IntouchCX is a global leader in digital customer experience management, back office processing, trust and safety, and AI services. Webpurify has just launched their very first podcast series, Trust Issues - Insights from the People Who Keep the Internet Safe, and Mike and Ben are fans. Listen to all three episodes on Spotify and watch on YouTube. 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:Wikipedia Volunteers Avert Tragedy by Taking Down Gunman at Conference (New York Times)AI-Generated Content a Triple Threat for Reddit Moderators (Cornell Tech)Wikipedia Says AI Is Causing a Dangerous Decline in Human Visitors (404 Media)As social media age restrictions spread, is the internet entering its Victorian era? (The Conversation)Winning with misinformation: New research identifies link between endorsing easily disproven claims and prioritizing symbolic strength (The Conversation)Tinder Launches Mandatory Facial Verification to Weed Out Bots and Scammers (Wired)This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Clavata.ai, a first-of-its-kind, automated content safety platform that allows you to go from defining a policy to enforcement in minutes. In our Bonus Chat, we speak with founder Brett Levenson on how to make T&S more consistent and explainable and the benefits of treating policy as code. 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.

As you know, we talk a lot about decentralization and protocols over platforms. When it comes to decentralized social media in particular, one person who has been working on it since the earliest days is developer Rabble, who was around at the very beginning of what would become Twitter and has worked on many decentralized social media efforts, and recently proposed a new Social Media Bill of Rights in a post here on Techdirt. This week, Rabble joins the podcast to talk all about the history and present state of decentralized social media.

This Day in Legal History: Abrams v. United States ArguedOn October 21, 1919, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in Abrams v. United States, a seminal case in the development of First Amendment jurisprudence. The case arose during the post–World War I Red Scare, when the government aggressively prosecuted speech perceived as dangerous or subversive. The defendants were Russian immigrants who distributed leaflets in New York City denouncing U.S. military intervention in the Russian Revolution and calling for a general strike. They were charged and convicted under the Sedition Act of 1918 for allegedly inciting resistance to the war effort.The Supreme Court upheld their convictions in a 7–2 decision, finding that the speech posed a “clear and present danger” to national security. However, it was Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes' dissent, joined by Justice Louis Brandeis, that left the most lasting impression. Holmes argued that only speech intended to produce imminent lawless action should be punished, introducing the enduring metaphor of the “marketplace of ideas” as essential to democratic deliberation.Legally, the case illustrates the government's ability to impose post-speech punishment—penalties after speech has occurred—as opposed to prior restraint, which involves preventing speech before it happens. The distinction is vital in American law: prior restraints are almost always unconstitutional, while post-speech sanctions may be permitted under narrow circumstances. In Abrams, the Court leaned toward deference to governmental wartime authority, but Holmes' dissent marked the beginning of a shift toward greater speech protections.The decision laid the groundwork for the more speech-protective standards adopted in later cases such as Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969). The post-speech punishment principle debated in Abrams remains a cornerstone of First Amendment law, highlighting the tension between state interests and individual liberties in times of political conflict.When two alleged drug traffickers survived a U.S. military strike in the Caribbean, the Trump administration immediately repatriated them rather than detain them — a decision that reveals a troubling logic behind the president's new “war” on narco‑terrorism. The administration has declared the campaign a “non‑international armed conflict,” but legal experts note that this classification offers no real authority for military detention. In other words, the United States can kill suspects under this self‑declared war framework, but it has no clear legal footing to hold survivors.Experts said the administration likely chose the least damaging option: send the survivors home and avoid a courtroom. Detaining them at Guantanamo or on U.S. soil would have triggered habeas corpus challenges, forced disclosure of evidence, and risked exposing the strikes as legally indefensible. One former State Department lawyer said any trial would have “undermined the narrative” that the attacks were lawful military operations. By refusing to hold prisoners, the administration sidesteps both judicial scrutiny and transparency.The result is a perverse incentive structure. If survivors are released but detainees are liabilities, the easiest path for officials is to ensure there are no survivors at all. The legal asymmetry—where killing is simpler than capture—encourages tactics that maximize lethality while minimizing accountability. As a result, Trump's “drug war” risks becoming less about law enforcement and more about ensuring that no one lives long enough to challenge the legality of U.S. actions.In Trump's drug war, prisoners may be too much of a legal headache, experts say | ReutersGlobal pharmaceutical companies are rapidly ramping up U.S. manufacturing in response to a looming Trump administration policy that would impose 100% tariffs on imported branded and patented drugs. While enforcement is delayed for companies that commit to domestic investment, the threat has already triggered a wave of fast-tracked spending, direct-to-consumer sales shifts, and pricing concessions in exchange for temporary tariff exemptions.Major players like Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, and Roche have pledged tens of billions of dollars to build or expand plants across the U.S. to shield themselves from future penalties. Some, like Pfizer and AstraZeneca, secured multi-year tariff exemptions by agreeing to pricing deals and participation in the administration's new TrumpRx.gov program. Others, like Novartis and Sanofi, are spreading investments across multiple states and sites, creating thousands of jobs as part of their strategic insulation.The tariff threat is driving a major reshaping of global supply chains and investment strategies, as companies aim to avoid the legal and financial burden of import duties by domesticating both manufacturing and distribution. While some firms say they are already well-positioned with sufficient U.S. inventory, the broader trend reflects a defensive industry-wide shift to preemptively comply with the administration's protectionist push.Global drugmakers rush to boost US presence as tariff threat looms | ReutersTrevor Milton, the disgraced founder of electric-truck startup Nikola, is somehow back as a CEO—this time leading SyberJet Aircraft, a private jet manufacturer, according to reporting by Techdirt. Milton was convicted of fraud for deceiving investors about Nikola's technology, most famously releasing a misleading video of a prototype truck that was actually rolling downhill, not self-propelled. He was sentenced to four years in prison but never served a day, thanks to a pardon from Donald Trump earlier this year—reportedly after donating millions to Trump-aligned causes and hiring the brother of current Attorney General Pam Bondi as his attorney.Now, just months after that pardon, Milton has been tapped to lead development of a new high-speed jet for SyberJet, with promised performance metrics that already sound suspiciously ambitious. The company, privately backed, won't need to answer to public shareholders—but it will still need investor trust to raise money for a jet not slated for delivery until 2032. TechDirt points out how the company's promotional material leans into rewriting Milton's history, calling him “renowned” rather than acknowledging the full scope of his fraudulent past.The piece underscores a broader theme of “failing upward,” highlighting how white-collar offenders, especially white men with political connections, often land on their feet despite serious criminal convictions–and has some interesting implications for the future career of George Santos. Milton's quick rebound from federal fraud conviction to C-suite leadership is less an exception than a reminder of how accountability gaps persist in American corporate culture.Convicted Fraudster Trevor Milton Rides His Trump Pardon To Another CEO Job, Somehow | TechdirtIn my column for Bloomberg this week, I dive in to the governor's race in my home state. The 2025 New Jersey gubernatorial race has become a tax-policy showdown between Jack Ciattarelli and Mikie Sherrill—both of whom are framing affordability as their central mission, but doing so with deeply flawed approaches. Ciattarelli is offering aggressive tax cuts and structural overhauls that are, frankly, reckless in a state with a delicate and complicated fiscal ecosystem. His plan to flatten income tax brackets and slash corporate rates isn't just optimistic—it's ahistorical. We've seen this movie before in Kansas, where sweeping tax cuts led to revenue collapse, credit downgrades, and bipartisan regret. Ciattarelli is essentially proposing a rerun, but with no clearer escape plan if it fails.Sherrill, by contrast, is pragmatic to the point of inertia. Her emphasis on municipal service sharing and administrative tweaks is fine as far as it goes—but it doesn't go very far. Her promise to freeze utility rates via emergency powers, for instance, isn't just legally questionable, it also misdiagnoses the issue: state governments don't control wholesale energy prices. It's a symbolic gesture dressed up as policy.Neither candidate seems willing to address the structural drivers of New Jersey's notoriously high property taxes, preferring instead to nibble around the edges or promise caps that could backfire. That's a missed opportunity. As I argue in the column, New Jersey doesn't need sweeping cuts or more bureaucratic tinkering—it needs targeted relief for the people who actually feel the pinch. Expanding the state Earned Income Tax Credit and implementing a robust child tax credit would offer immediate, evidence-backed help to those struggling most with affordability. These aren't radical ideas; they're already working in other states.Ciattarelli's plan is built on trickle-down economics and wishful math. Sherrill's is built on competent management, but lacks ambition. The voters deserve more than either of those options.Tax Platforms in NJ Governor's Race Leave Out the Best Ideas This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:Sam Altman says OpenAI isn't ‘moral police of the world' after erotica ChatGPT post blows up (CNBC)Where are all the women on Sora 2? This could be a nightmare for OpenAI. (Business Insider)Musk's AI Is Being Used to Make Hardcore Porn: ‘Grok Is Learning Genitalia Really Fast!' (Rolling Stone)Instagram Will Limit Content for Teenagers Based on PG-13 Ratings (NY Times)UK MPs urged to investigate TikTok's plans to cut 439 content moderator jobs (The Guardian)TikTok ‘directs child accounts to pornographic content within a few clicks' (The Guardian)New AI video tools are fuelling violent racism on TikTok (The Bureau of Investigative Journalism)New York City Sues Instagram Rather Than Teach Kids Filters Aren't Real (Techdirt)Kids who use social media score lower on reading and memory tests, a study shows (NPR)Congress is Asking the Wrong Questions About Discord and Boys (Time)Adolescence star Stephen Graham launches global project asking fathers to write to their sons (The Guardian) 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.

Techdirt recently passed its 28th anniversary as an independent online media outlet. Once, it looked like such outlets might take over, but then most were scooped up by traditional media or grew into more traditional companies themselves. But now we're seeing a new generation emerge, especially via newsletters on platforms like Substack, and one such journalist is Marisa Kabas, creator of The Handbasket. This week, Marisa joins the podcast to talk about the modern rise of independent online journalism.

In this week's roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Ben is joined by Thomas Hughes, CEO of Appeals Centre Europe and former Director at the Oversight Board. Together they discuss:Appeals Centre Europe Transparency Report (ACE)Most people want platforms (not governments) to be responsible for moderating content (Reuters Institute) Happy Birthday, Digital Services Act! – Time for a Reality Check (Algorithm Watch)Proof-of-age ID leaked in Discord data breach (The Guardian)Update on a Security Incident Involving Third-Party Customer Service (Discord)Another Day, Another Age Verification Data Breach: Discord's Third-Party Partner Leaked Government IDs (Techdirt)Exclusive: Apple Quietly Made ICE Agents a Protected Class (Migrant Insider)My Email to Tim Cook (Wiley Hodges — Substack) 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 Dave Willner, founder of Zentropi, and long-time trust & safety expert who worked at Facebook, AirBnB, and OpenAI in Trust & Safety roles. Together they discuss:Masnick's Impossibility Theorem: Content Moderation At Scale Is Impossible To Do Well (Techdirt)UK makes new attempt to access Apple cloud data (Financial Times)Imgur pulls out of UK after data regulator warns of fines (TechCrunch)Leaked Meta guidelines show how it trains AI chatbots to respond to child sexual exploitation prompts (Business Insider)OpenAI's Sora joins Meta in pushing AI-generated videos. Some are worried about a flood of 'AI slop' (ABC News)Flights in Afghanistan grounded after internet shutdown (BBC) 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.

Last week, we published three separate posts that looked at the FTC's recent settlement with Aylo, the parent company of multiple adult websites including, most famously, Pornhub. Those posts, written by Stanford HAI policy fellow Riana Pfefferkorn, examined the legally complicated but very important issues that arise from the settlement forcing Aylo to scan for CSAM. This week, Riana joins us on the podcast alongside TechFreedom president Berin Szoka, to go even deeper into the legal weeds and explain how this settlement could doom criminal CSAM cases. Posts on Techdirt: https://www.techdirt.com/2025/09/15/the-trump-ftcs-war-on-porn-just-ensured-that-accused-csam-offenders-will-walk-free/ https://www.techdirt.com/2025/09/15/the-ftcs-settlement-with-aylo-this-isnt-really-about-fighting-csam-and-revenge-porn/ https://www.techdirt.com/2025/09/18/the-worlds-most-popular-porn-site-is-a-government-agent-now-does-it-matter/

In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:How platforms are responding to the Charlie Kirk shooting (The Verge)Bluesky Issues Warning to Any Users Celebrating Charlie Kirk Assassination (Newsweek)Right-Wing Activists Are Targeting People for Allegedly Celebrating Charlie Kirk's Death (Wired)Charlie Kirk Was Shot and Killed in a Post-Content-Moderation World (Wired)Has Britain Gone Too Far With Its Digital Controls? (New York Times)The Censorship Alarm Is Ringing in the Wrong Direction (Public Knowledge)We now know who the new owners of TikTok will be - if Trump gets his deal done with Xi (CNN)Nepal's Social Media Ban Backfires as Politics Moves to a Chat Room (New York Times) 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:Nepal to block some social media including Facebook (Reuters)Why Nepal Banned 26 Social Media Platforms And What It Means (Medianama)A parliament in flames, a leader toppled. Nepal's Gen-Z protesters ask: What comes next? (CNN)When Trolls Take On Tyrants: 4chan and Kiwi Farms Sue the UK Over Extraterritorial Censorship (Techdirt)Wikipedia is resilient because it's boring (The Verge)Former Meta employees say they saw child abuse in VR before company blocked research (NBC News)Mark Zuckerberg sues Mark Zuckerberg (Techcrunch) 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 what feels like something of a throwback to much earlier days of Techdirt, the Supreme Court is getting into the weeds of the DMCA. Cox v. Sony is a case centered around questions of repeat infringers and intermediary liability, and we've submitted an amicus brief from the Copia Institute, written by Cathy Gellis. This week, Cathy joins the podcast to discuss the Supreme Court's opportunity to fix the first amendment problems with platform copyright liability. Copia Institute brief: https://www.techdirt.com/2025/09/05/something-good-the-supreme-court-could-do-finally-fix-the-first-amendment-problems-with-platform-liability-for-copyright-infringement/

In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:Jordan escalates global tech argument, with Farage's help (Politico) Farage's rules for free speech: talk about anything but your lunch (The Times)Is Jonathan Haidt right about smartphones? (TES)My mom and Dr. DeepSeek (Rest of World)AI 'deadbots' are persuasive — and researchers say they're primed for monetization (NPR)OpenAI co-founder calls for AI labs to safety-test rival models (TechCrunch)Privacy-Preserving Age Verification—and Its Limitations (Steven M. Bellovin) 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 is the second of our special episodes for the month of August. Last time, we talked a bit about the past and future of Ctrl-Alt-Speech; this time, Mike and Ben answer some questions from our listeners, and also share a few of the latest reviews. We're taking one more week off after this, then we'll be back in the first week of September with a return to our regular weekly news roundups!  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.

We're taking a little break from our regular weekly news roundups this month, but we've got a couple special episodes lined up in the mean time, starting with a conversation all about the past and future of Ctrl-Alt-Speech. This week, Mike and Ben talk about how the podcast got started, how we create the episodes, our philosophy about sponsorship, and what we need to make Ctrl-Alt-Speech sustainable in the long run. We hope you enjoy it!  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.

We've got a bunch of brand new episodes of the Techdirt podcast coming over the next few weeks, but first we've got one special cross-post from our other podcast made in partnership with Ben Whitelaw from Everything in Moderation: Ctrl-Alt-Speech. As we take a little break from that podcast for the month of August, we're posting a few special episodes, starting with this conversation about how it got started, how we create the episodes, our philosophy about sponsorship, and what we need to make Ctrl-Alt-Speech sustainable in the long run. We're cross-posting it here on the Techdirt podcast feed, and we hope you enjoy it!

Our second annual live at TrustCon recording of Ctrl-Alt-Speech! Ben was unable to make the trip halfway around the world, but Mike was joined by trust & safety influencer Alice Hunsberger from Musubi and Ashken Kazaryan, a Senior Legal Fellow at the Future of Free Speech at Vanderbilt University. They cover:As millions adopt Grok to fact-check, misinformation abounds (Al Jazeera)Analysis Of Grok's Epstein Comments Show How This AI Chatbot Is Learning (Forbes)People With Body Dysmorphia Are Spiraling Out After Asking AI to Rate Their Looks (Rolling Stone)Can A Chatbot Be Your Therapist? Casper's Neil Parikh Launches A New $93 Million-Backed Startup To Try (Forbes)A Realist Perspective on Trust & Safety (Tech Policy Press)This week's sponsor is Modulate. In our bonus chat Mike Masnick talks with Modulate founder and CEO Mike Pappas, live at TrustCon, about the kinds of voice scams they're seeing, with a focus on scams using social engineering techniques to pressure people to do things they probably shouldn't do. 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:a16z-Backed AI Site Civitai Is Mostly Porn, Despite Claiming Otherwise (404 Media)Hugging Face Is Hosting 5,000 Nonconsensual AI Models of Real People (404 Media)Ofcom head says age checks are ‘really big moment' for children's online safety (The Guardian)New online safety rules not 'the end of the conversation', says minister (BBC)Commission's guidelines for online child safety target platforms of all sizes (Euractiv)I met the sextortion scammers destroying young lives for £1 a day (The Times)“Why me?” On shame, self-blame, and feeling so. damn. Stupid. (Blockparty)If It Breaks Wikipedia, It's Probably Bad Policy (InternetExchange)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund and by our sponsor, the Digital Trust & Safety Partnership. In our bonus chat Mike talks with DTSP Executive Director David Sullivan to talk about their new Safe Framework Specification, which is an official ISO standard (available for free download) which will help everyone better understand best practices and concepts around online trust & safety work. 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:Jack Cable calls out Cluely over bogus DMCA (X)The cofounder of the viral AI 'cheating' startup Cluely says he only hires people for 2 jobs (Business Insider)Missouri AG: Any AI That Doesn't Praise Donald Trump Might Be “Consumer Fraud” (No, Really) (Techdirt)Instagram wrongly accuses some users of breaching child sex abuse rules (BBC)Elon Musk's Grok AI chatbot praises Adolf Hitler on X (FT)Grok Becomes ‘MechaHitler,' Twitter Becomes X: How Centralized Tech Is Prone To Fascist Manipulation (Techdirt)See the leaked teen social media ban tech trial report that has experts worried (Crikey)New anti-fraud system is labelling hospital texts and other legitimate messages as ‘likely scam' (Irish Independent)Why Ireland's New “Scam Likely” Labels Might Actually Make SMS Fraud Worse for Banks and the Public (Medium)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund. 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 Misleading Panic over Misinformation (Cato Institute) Claims that Online Misinformation Fears Are Overblown ‘Radically Understates' the Scale of the Threat (Byline Times)EU Disinformation Code Takes Effect Amid Censorship Claims and Trade Tensions (Tech Policy Press)Content Moderation Is Not Censorship (Law & Liberty)Asked to think like a paedophile or act suicidal: Workers training Meta's AI in Ireland speak out (The Journal)The Hidden Human Cost of AI Moderation (Jacobin)Brazil rules that social media platforms are responsible for users' posts (Rest of World)X opens up to Community Notes written by AI bots (The Verge)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund. 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 guest host Bridget Todd, a technology and culture writer, speaker and trainer and host of two great podcasts, There are No Girls on the Internet and IRL: Online Life is Real Life. Together, they cover:AI Models And Parents Don't Understand ‘Let Him Cook' (404 Media)Trial reveals flaws in tech intended to enforce Australian social media ban for under-16s (The Guardian)Inside /r/SGExams: Meet the young volunteers behind 1 of S'pore's largest online forums for students (Straits Times)The people who clean up your TikTok feed are starting to fight back (Rest of World)Man with real-life girlfriend and child proposes to AI chatbot after programming it to flirt: ‘I think this is actual love (New York Post)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund. 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 week, we've got a cross-post episode of Mike's appearance on Kevin Williamson's How The World Works podcast. Kevin conducted a wide-ranging interview that covers some of the earliest days of Techdirt, the blog's evolution, and many of the important topics we cover today — and you can listen to the whole conversation here on this week's episode.

In this week's roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Ben is joined by guest host Mercy Mutemi, lawyer and managing partner of Nzili & Sumbi Advocates. Together, they cover:Meta can be sued in Kenya for human trafficking and for algorithmic amplification of harm (Open Democracy)Billy Perrigo on investigating Facebook's 'ethical' outsourced content moderation in Kenya (Everything in Moderation)A first look at Meta's Community Notes (Indicator Media)Get Noted (Columbia Journalism Review)The Meaning of Being an African YouTuber: Big Audiences, No Big Money + Is TikTok Excluding Africans From its Creator Economy? (Fast Company)Is TikTok Excluding Africans From its Creator Economy? (OkayAfrica)I was tricked, tortured, finally freed: inside a Burmese scam farm (The Times)Tanzania announces shutdown of X because of pornography (BBC)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund. 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.

What's happened to Twitter, or now X, is the clearest example of why it's actually not great that so much of our digital communication is controlled by just a few firms and, through them, the whims of guys like Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg. These single points of control not only mean a product we love today can be unlovable, or just gone, tomorrow, but also give more dangerous actors, like governments, avenues to use that centralization against us.The alternative is to revive what the internet once was: a decentralized and much more open place. I think this is really important, not just because it makes our digital communication less subject to arbitrary will, but also because it enables us to carve out communities for ourselves.My guest today wrote what is probably the most important essay about this need for decentralization, called "Protocols, Not Platforms," which inspired some of the most exciting current developments, including Bluesky. Mike Masnick is an expert in technology and technology policy and the editor of the indispensable blog, Techdirt. He's also on the board of directors of Bluesky.Join the ReImagining Liberty community and discuss this episode with your fellow listeners.Support the show and get episodes ad-free.Produced by Landry Ayres. Podcast art by Sergio R. M. Duarte. Music by Kevin MacLeod. 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:He's a Master of Outrage on X. The Pay Isn't Great. (NY Times)The vulnerable teen drawn into far-right extremism online (Financial Times)X, Bluesky and Reddit in France's crosshairs amid porn clampdown (Politico)EU sidesteps Macron's ultimatum to ban social media for kids under 15 (Euractiv)Commission seeks feedback on the guidelines on protection of minors online under the Digital Services Act (European Commission)OnlyFans releases stern statement as it DEACTIVATES Bonnie Blue's account for defiant reason (The Tab)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund. 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 guest host Zeve Sanderson, the founding Executive Director of the NYU Center for Social Media & Politics. Together, they cover:If algorithms radicalize a mass shooter, are companies to blame? (The Verge)Large Language Models Are More Persuasive Than Incentivized Human Persuaders (Arxiv)A dangerous plan to ‘win' the AI race is circulating (Washington Post)Texas governor signs law to enforce age verification on Apple, Google app stores (Reuters)AB 853: California AI Transparency Act.(CalMatters)Regulators Are Investigating Whether Media Matters Colluded With Advertisers (NY Times)Anthropic's new AI model turns to blackmail when engineers try to take it offline (TechCrunch)Why Anthropic's New AI Model Sometimes Tries to ‘Snitch' (Wired)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund, and by our sponsor Modulate. In our Bonus Chat, we speak with Modulate CTO Carter Huffman about how their voice technology can actually detect fraud. 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 Day in Legal History:  The Killing of Maximum JohnOn May 29, 1979, U.S. District Judge John H. Wood Jr. was assassinated outside his home in San Antonio, Texas. Nicknamed “Maximum John” for his reputation of handing down the harshest possible sentences in drug-related cases, Wood had become a prominent figure in the federal judiciary's war on narcotics. His assassination marked the first killing of a sitting federal judge in the 20th century, a grim milestone that shocked the legal community and raised urgent concerns about judicial security. The investigation into Wood's murder quickly became the most extensive and expensive federal inquiry of its time.Attention soon turned to Jamiel “Jimmy” Chagra, a wealthy drug trafficker facing trial before Judge Wood. Fearing a life sentence, Chagra orchestrated the murder by hiring Charles Harrelson, a known hitman and the father of actor Woody Harrelson. Harrelson was reportedly paid $250,000 for the job. Chagra's wife, Elizabeth, played a key role in facilitating communication between her husband and Harrelson, and was later convicted in connection with the plot. Authorities used wiretaps, surveillance, and confidential informants to build their case.Charles Harrelson was eventually convicted of murder and sentenced to two life terms, though he maintained his innocence for years. Jimmy Chagra was acquitted of the murder charge but later admitted his involvement in exchange for a lighter sentence in other cases. The killing of Judge Wood underscored the dangerous intersection of the judiciary and organized drug crime in the late 1970s. It prompted significant reforms in judicial security, including increased protection for judges handling high-risk cases. The case remains one of the most chilling examples of retaliation against a federal judge in American legal history.The Trump administration announced it is rescinding a 2022 Department of Labor (DOL) directive that had discouraged the inclusion of cryptocurrency options in 401(k) retirement plans. The original Biden-era guidance had urged employers to exercise "extreme care" when considering crypto investments for employee retirement accounts. It signaled a shift away from the legally required neutral stance of the DOL's Employee Benefits Security Administration. The 2022 policy had also threatened an investigative program targeting plan sponsors who offered cryptocurrency, either directly or through self-directed brokerage windows.This earlier approach significantly dampened growing interest in crypto within retirement planning, despite companies like Fidelity exploring such offerings. With the Biden guidance now repealed, the Trump administration hopes to renew momentum in this area. However, broader market enthusiasm for alternative investments in 401(k)s has lessened in recent years, making the potential impact of this policy shift uncertain.Trump Boosts Cryptocurrency in 401(k)s by Axing Biden GuidanceThe Trump administration instructed U.S. embassies and consulates to halt the scheduling of new student and exchange visitor visa appointments. This pause comes as the State Department, under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, prepares to implement expanded social media vetting for foreign applicants. According to an internal cable, appointments already scheduled will still be honored, but unfilled slots should be withdrawn. The administration is conducting a review of the screening processes for F, M, and J visa applicants, which is expected to result in new vetting procedures.This decision aligns with the administration's broader immigration agenda, which includes increased deportations and visa revocations. Critics argue that these actions infringe on free speech, particularly in cases where student visa holders have expressed pro-Palestinian views. A Turkish student from Tufts University, for example, was detained for weeks after co-authoring an article critical of Israel.Meanwhile, protests erupted at Harvard University, where students and faculty opposed both the visa freeze and the administration's recent move to revoke Harvard's ability to host international students—who make up about 27% of the student body. The government has accused Harvard of resisting policy reforms and challenged its global academic role.Trump administration halts scheduling of new student visa appointments | ReutersIn a great piece by Mike Masnick over at Techdirt, the spotlight falls on an unusual and troubling scenario at the U.S. Supreme Court: five Justices recused themselves from a single case, Baker v. Coates, because of overlapping financial ties to the same book publisher, Penguin RandomHouse. Four of the recused Justices—Sotomayor, Gorsuch, Barrett, and Jackson—have publishing deals with Penguin, which is a named plaintiff in the case. Alito also recused, though no reason was provided. While watchdogs like Fix the Court praised this as a rare display of ethical self-restraint, Masnick (to my mind, rightly) questions the broader implications.If recusals due to publishing ties become the norm, the Court may be unable to hear any case involving Penguin RandomHouse—a massive player in media litigation. The publisher is involved in major lawsuits, including ones against the Internet Archive and various state book bans, and could soon be in litigation involving AI training data. If too many Justices are conflicted out of hearing such cases, key legal battles may be effectively resolved by lower courts, potentially leading to inconsistent outcomes across jurisdictions.Masnick argues this is a symptom of deeper flaws in Supreme Court ethics. Justices have long accepted book deals, speaking fees, and gifts, often without disclosing or recusing appropriately. Now that some are finally acknowledging conflicts, the Court risks becoming dysfunctional. His provocative solution? Expand the Court to around 100 Justices who rotate in panels, limiting the influence of any one Justice and allowing recusals without impairing the Court's ability to function. Until systemic reform occurs, we're left with a Supreme Court that either ignores ethics or freezes itself into inaction—neither of which bodes well for public trust.When Half The Supreme Court Has Book Deals With The Same Publisher, Who Decides Its Cases? | Techdirt This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

Kevin D. Williamson is joined by Mike Masnick, founder and editor of Techdirt. They discuss the evolving challenges of content moderation, the day-to-day realities of running an independent tech publication, and how the internet has changed over time from its early decentralized roots to a more complex and structured environment.

In this week's roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike is joined by guest host Hank Green, popular YouTube creator and educator. After spending some time talking about being a creator at the whims of platforms, they cover:Crash Course Coin (Complexly)Everyone Is Cheating Their Way Through College (NY Mag)The Professors Are Using ChatGPT, and Some Students Aren't Happy About It (NY Times)How Miami Schools Are Leading 100,000 Students Into the A.I. Future (NY Times)We Shouldn't Have To Explain To The FTC Why Content Moderation Is So Crucial To Free Speech, But We Did (Techdirt)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund. 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 guest host Cathy Gellis, an internet and First Amendment lawyer. Together, they cover:The Copyright Office Issues A Largely Disappointing Report On AI Training, And Once Again A Major Fair Use Analysis Inexplicably Ignores The First Amendment (Techdirt)Trump fires Copyright Office director after report raises questions about AI training (TechCrunch)Elon Musk's X caves to ‘censorship' demand from India as tensions build with Pakistan (AFP)In the government's war on ‘disinformation', facts are collateral damage (The Hindu)Elon Musk's Twitter: Indian government has asked us to block 8,000 accounts, however, we disagree as (Times of India)Elon Musk's Grok AI Can't Stop Talking About ‘White Genocide' (Wired)White Afrikaner brought to US by Trump administration has history of antisemitic posts (The Guardian)U.S. says it is now monitoring immigrants' social media for antisemitism (NPR)Kanye's Nazi Song Is All Over Instagram (404 Media)Instagram and Facebook Blocked and Hid Abortion Pill Providers' Posts (NY Times)Wikipedia fights the UK's ‘flawed' and ‘burdensome' online safety rules (The Verge)What Attacks on Wikipedia Reveal about Free Expression (Tech Policy Press)Missouri AG Thinks Supreme Court Ruling Lets Him Control Social Media Moderation (It Doesn't) (Techdirt)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund. 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 Day in Legal History: Civil Rights Act of 1960On May 6, 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1960 into law, marking a cautious but critical step forward in the long legal battle over voting rights in America. The Act was designed to address the persistent and systemic barriers that prevented African Americans, particularly in the South, from registering to vote—barriers that had proven stubbornly resilient despite the Civil Rights Act of 1957.The 1960 law authorized federal inspection of local voter registration rolls, giving the Department of Justice a tool to challenge discriminatory practices on the ground. It also criminalized interference with court orders regarding school desegregation and established penalties for anyone found obstructing an individual's attempt to register to vote. These measures were modest by today's standards but politically bold in an era where states' rights rhetoric often served as a smokescreen for maintaining Jim Crow.Though limited in scope and enforcement power, the Act signaled growing federal willingness to intervene in what had long been considered local matters. It provided legal infrastructure that civil rights lawyers would use as levers in federal court battles over the next half-decade. More importantly, it laid the legislative foundation for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965—two landmark laws that would reshape American democracy.By signing the Act, Eisenhower reaffirmed the federal government's role in protecting constitutional rights, even if the law fell short of what civil rights advocates demanded. It represented progress not through sweeping change, but through incremental legal gains—a strategy that would define much of the civil rights movement's legal approach during the 1960s.In retrospect, May 6, 1960, stands not as the culmination of voting rights reform, but as a necessary mile marker on the road toward more expansive and enforceable civil rights protections.Apple is facing a new class action lawsuit from app developers who allege the company defied a federal court order meant to reduce its App Store control and fees. Filed by developer Pure Sweat Basketball in California federal court, the suit follows a ruling by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers that Apple willfully violated a 2021 injunction issued in the Epic Games case. That injunction allowed developers to guide users to alternative, potentially cheaper payment methods outside of Apple's in-app system.Instead, Apple allegedly imposed a new 27% fee on such external purchases, effectively undermining the injunction and preserving its App Store revenue stream. Pure Sweat claims Apple's actions cost developers “hundreds of millions or even billions” of dollars in excessive commissions. The proposed class could include as many as 100,000 developers.Judge Rogers recently referred Apple and one executive to federal prosecutors for potential criminal contempt, escalating the stakes. Apple maintains it did not violate the court order and has filed a notice of appeal. The lawsuit argues Apple deliberately ignored the injunction's intent, continuing to block apps—like Pure Sweat's workout video platform—that included outside purchase links.This latest case adds to Apple's growing legal troubles, including other antitrust suits from consumers and government entities over its App Store and smartphone practices.Apple hit with app developer class action after US judge's contempt ruling | ReutersAs reported by Techdirt, Washington is set to become the eighth U.S. state to pass Right to Repair legislation, signaling continued momentum for the consumer-driven movement despite an overall climate of weak enforcement. Two bills passed with overwhelming bipartisan support: HB 1483, which covers personal electronics and home appliances, and SB 5680, which targets repair access for wheelchairs and mobility devices. Both measures aim to force manufacturers to make spare parts, diagnostic tools, and repair information more accessible to users and independent technicians.Advocates from consumer rights, disability, and environmental groups played a major role in pushing the bills forward. One supporter, Marsha Cutting, shared how her experience with a malfunctioning wheelchair underscored the stakes of the fight—arguing that, with this law in place, she could have fixed her chair instead of waiting months for a replacement.Washington's move highlights the cross-party frustration with corporations that monopolize repairs—especially in sectors like agriculture, where companies like John Deere have drawn scrutiny. Ohio may soon follow suit as the ninth state.Still, as Techdirt notes, many of the states that passed such laws have yet to enforce them meaningfully. In some cases, like New York, the legislation was weakened after passage. Without enforcement teeth, these bills risk being symbolic victories. And with mounting political and fiscal pressure during Trump's second term, there's concern that ambitious consumer protections could quietly fall off the legislative agenda.Washington The Eighth State To Pass ‘Right To Repair' Law | TechdirtMy column for Bloomberg Tax this week looks at the resurgence of Republican-backed proposals for a so-called “millionaire tax” and argues that, far from being a step toward fairness, these marginal rate hikes risk cementing the very inequities they claim to address. I contend that celebrating superficial tweaks to the top marginal tax rate—while leaving the broader tax base untouched—burns valuable political momentum and can make real structural reform less likely in the future.The problem isn't just that the ultrawealthy pay too little tax—it's that we're taxing the wrong things in the wrong ways. A new bracket on reported income doesn't reach the vast majority of economic income for the ultrawealthy, which comes from unrealized gains, pass-through structures, and other vehicles that avoid ordinary income classification. A serious reform agenda would prioritize taxing that hidden wealth: ending stepped-up basis, closing the carried interest loophole, and addressing partnership opacity.Superficial changes like a new tax bracket can create the illusion of progress while leaving the architecture of tax avoidance intact. Worse, these symbolic victories often sap the will for deeper, more consequential change. Once lawmakers can declare they've “done something,” it becomes harder to make the case that more action is needed. As I argue in the piece, this is how inequality persists—not just through resistance, but through the misdirection of well-intentioned but shallow reform. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:The group chats that changed America (Semafor)Curtis Yarvin Says Democracy Is Done. Powerful Conservatives Are Listening (New York Times) Meta faces Ghana lawsuits over impact of extreme content on moderators (The Guardian) Social media moderators' lives are getting worse. Big Tech needs to take responsibility (The Bureau of Investigative Journalism)Meta's ‘Digital Companions' Will Talk Sex With Users—Even Children (Wall Street Journal)Kids should avoid AI companion bots—under force of law, assessment says (CalMatters)I'm a mom who works in tech, and AI scares me. I taught my daughter these simple guidelines to spot fake content (Business Insider) Playing ‘whack-a-mole' with Meta over my fraudulent avatars (Financial Times)Meta slowest to remove scam content, says City watchdog (The Guardian)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund, and by our sponsor Modulate. In our Bonus Chat, we speak with Modulate CEO Mike Pappas about the evolving landscape of online fraud and how the company's work detecting abuse in gaming environments is helping identify financial misconduct across different types of digital platforms. 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:4chan is dead. It's Toxic Legacy is everywhere (Wired)Wide-Ranging Decisions Protect Speech and Address Harms (Oversight Board)Meta's oversight board rebukes company over policy overhaul (Reuters)Why Techdirt Is Now A Democracy Blog (Whether We Like It Or Not) (Techdirt)Most young Aussie men are turning to masculinity influencers, and it's impacting their mental health (ABC News)Young Men's Health in a Digital World (Movember)Teens, Social Media and Mental Health (Pew Research Center)National Science Foundation cancels research grants related to misinformation and disinformation (Nieman Lab)Bluesky Is Rolling Out Official Verification (Wired)Government censorship comes to Bluesky, but not its third-party apps … yet (TechCrunch)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund. 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:Inside Mark Zuckerberg's Failed Negotiations to End Antitrust Case (Wall Street Journal)Mark Zuckerberg once suggested wiping all Facebook friends lists to boost usage (The Verge) Would You Give PornHub Your ID? (The Atlantic) How Social-Media Sites Can Fight Hate Without Censorship (The Atlantic) Facebook Banned Me for Life Because I Help People Use It Less (Slate, 2021)ASML Fellow Launches CLR:SKY (Berkman Klein Center)Block Party deep cleans your social media, notifications, settings, and more in one clickLiz Truss to launch ‘uncensored' social network to counter mainstream media (The Guardian)OpenAI is building a social network (The Verge)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund. 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.

The president's on-again, off-again tariffs are wreaking havoc on the economy. On this week's On the Media, how the press is struggling to keep up with covering the chaos. Plus, the CEO of Bluesky, an alternative to Twitter, shares her vision for a better internet.[00:00] Host Micah Loewinger breaks down a wild week in the economy–why the press can't keep up, and what we can learn from the rollercoaster of tariffs the Trump administration has implemented.[00:00] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Jay Graber, the CEO of Bluesky, a competitor to Twitter/X that's seen massive growth recently, about how Bluesky is structured in a fundamentally different way than other social media platforms, and why that might make it “billionaire-proof.” Plus, TechDirt founder and editor Mike Masnick documents the surprising role that his wonky paper played in the founding of Bluesky.[00:00] Host Brooke Gladstone sits down with Douglas Rushkoff, whose many books probe the practice and philosophy of digital technology, about whether the apocalypse survival fantasies of tech billionaires are actually viable.Further reading/listening:Protocols, Not Platforms: A Technological Approach to Free Speech, by Mike MasnickSurvival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires, by Douglas Rushkoff On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

In this week's roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Ben is joined by guest host Prateek Waghre, former executive director at the Internet Freedom Foundation and currently a fellow at Tech Policy Press. Together, they cover:BookMyShow Restores Kunal Kamra's Profile After Controversy (Medianama)Kunal Kamra show audience members served notices (The Times of India)Cops force banker to cut short vacation to join Kamra probe (The Times of India)Unblock Vikatan Website – Madras High Court Orders Central Government (Vikatan)A Lack of Sense, and Censor-ability in India (Tech Policy Press)India befriends Big Tech as Trump tariffs knock on door, aided by a string of biz-friendly moves (Livemint)Meta can be sued in Kenya over posts related to Ethiopia violence, court rules (Reuters)US to screen social media of immigrants, rights advocates raise concerns (Reuters)In Karnataka HC, Centre defends use of IT Act for takedown notices (Hindustan Times) This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund. 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:Zuckerberg Tries to Enlist Trump in Fight Against Meta EU Ruling (WSJ)EU set to limit Apple and Meta fines to avoid ire of Donald Trump (Financial Times)Adolescence hard to watch as a dad, Starmer tells creators (BBC)‘Adolescence' on Netflix: A painful wake-up call about unregulated internet use for teens (The Conversation)Adolescence hits Netflix's Top 10 Global chart in just three weeks as it reaches over 96MILLION views (Daily Mail)Online ‘Pedophile Hunters' Are Growing More Violent — and Going Viral (NY Times)ESPN's Pat McAfee and others amplified a false rumor. A teenager's life was ‘destroyed' (NY Times)Myanmar's Internet Censorship Limits Information About Quake (NY Times)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund, and by our sponsor Internet Society, a global nonprofit that advocates for an open, globally connected, secure and trustworthy Internet for everyone. In our Bonus Chat, Internet Society's Natalie Campbell talks about issues around US leadership on digital trade and an open internet, related to a letter the Internet Society sent this week to the US Trade Representative. 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.

If you're a Techdirt reader, you're probably familiar with Senator Ron Wyden. In January, he released his new book It Takes Chutzpah, offering up a call for political boldness that feels even more relevant with every day that passes. This week, Senator Wyden joins Mike on the podcast to talk about the book and the political moment we find ourselves in.

 On Tuesday, March 25th, Tech Policy Press hosted a webinar discussion to talk shop with others on the tech and democracy beat. We gathered seven colleagues from around the world to explore how tech journalists are grappling with the current political moment in the United States and beyond. In this episode, you'll hear the first session of the day, which features a discussion with Michael Masnick from Techdirt, Vittoria Elliot from Wired, and Emmanuel Maiberg from 404 Media.This session explored the intersection of technology and the current political situation in the US. Key questions included: How are tech journalists addressing the current situation, and why is their perspective so crucial? What critical questions are journalists covering the intersection of tech and democracy currently asking? How does the field approach reporting on anti-democratic phenomena and the challenges journalists face in this work?

In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:X takes Indian govt to court, alleges arbitrary censorship of content (Business Standard)India criticises X for calling compliance website a censorship tool (Reuters)Musk's X suspends opposition accounts in Turkey amid civil unrest (Politico)Elon Musk pressured Reddit's CEO on content moderation (The Verge)Snapchat CEO Talks Zuckerberg, Content Moderation, AR Glasses and More (SocialMediaToday)YouTube CEO on content moderation: ‘Where the world was five years ago is very different' than today (Semafor)Porn on Spotify Is Infiltrating the Platform's Top Podcast Charts (Bloomberg)Ofcom fines provider of OnlyFans £1.05 million (Ofcom)A New Social Media App Punishes Users for Rage-Baiting (Wired)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund.  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:Twitter Inc. Official 'Bird Logo' Fascia Sign - An Iconic Fixture from the Company's Market Square Headquarters in San Francisco (RR Auction)AI Slop Is a Brute Force Attack on the Algorithms That Control Reality (404 Media)Spain to impose massive fines for not labelling AI-generated content (Reuters)China Announces Generative AI Labeling to Cull Disinformation (Bloomberg) After Axing Fact-Checkers, Meta's Community Notes Will Have Help From X (Adweek)UK to crack down on illegal content across social media (Financial Times)Lobsters and the Online Safety Act (Lobste.rs)We are sorry. The forum has closed down (The Hamster Forum)‘Kids can bypass anything if they're clever enough!' How tech experts keep their children safe online (The Guardian)The Snapchat Move That Leaves Teen Girls Heartbroken (WSJ)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund. If you're in London on Thursday 27th March, join Ben, Mark Scott (Digital Politics) and Georgia Iacovou (Horrific/Terrific) for an evening of tech policy, discussion and drinks. Register your interest. 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.

Chair of the Federal Communications Commission Brendan Carr has quietly positioned himself as one of the most dangerous figures in the Trump administration's ongoing war on free speech.Carr is using his government position to intimidate journalists, punish media outlets, and pressure tech companies into cracking down on free expression. And he has done all of this while building his profile as a "free speech" influencer on X. If left unchecked, Carr's censorship crusade could fundamentally reshape our information ecosystem and have massive consequences for anyone seeking to speak freely without fear of government retaliation. Mike Masnick, founder of TechDirt, joins me to break down who Carr is, why his agenda is so dangerous, what exactly he's doing to dismantle free speech protections in America, and how it all fits into a much bigger movement to control who can speak freely online. SUBSCRIBE TO MY YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/taylorlorenzFOLLOW ME ON IG: https://instagram.com/taylorlorenzREAD TECHDIRT: https://www.techdirt.com

In this week's roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike is In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:Bluesky's CEO on the Future of Social Media (YouTube)The Take It Down Act isn't a law, it's a weapon (The Verge)Trump Promises To Abuse Take It Down Act For Censorship, Just As We Warned (Techdirt)Ex-Facebook employee alleges sexual harassment and human rights failures in new memoir (NBC News)Meta goes to arbitrator to prevent whistleblower from promoting tell-all book (CNBC) Reddit's rule check feature will help users avoid breaking subreddit rules (Engadget)Users Make Voices Heard as Appeals Centre's First Decisions Overturn Platforms (Appeals Centre Europe) 'Pretty Vile:' Spotify Removes Andrew Tate 'Pimping Hoes' Class After Employees Complain (404 Media)Keep kids off Roblox if you're worried, its CEO tells parents (BBC)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund, and by our sponsor Resolver, the leading provider of risk intelligence and advisory services. In our Bonus Chat, Karley Chadwick, head of platform Trust and Safety Delivery at Resolver, talks about emerging safety trends in gaming and augmented reality and reflects on her experience as a threat analyst.If you're in London on Thursday 27th March, join Ben, Mark Scott (Digital Politics) and Georgia Iacovou (Horrific/Terrific) for an evening of tech policy, discussion and drinks. Register your interest. 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.

Techdirt has finally accepted the inevitable and gone full democracy blog—because let's face it, politics and tech are now the same dumpster fire. Google rolled out AI Mode for Search, proving once again that the internet is just Clippy with better branding. Meanwhile, Billy McFarland insists Fyre Festival 2 is totally happening, despite Mexican officials pointing out that his coordinates literally lead to the ocean. Speaking of fraud, Tesla sales are in freefall thanks to Elon's alt-right cosplay, and people are setting Teslas on fire in protest. And in rich-guy disconnect news, Google's Sergey Brin thinks engineers should work 60-hour weeks to build the AI that will replace them. That's some late-stage capitalism poetry right there.Elsewhere, Trump Media paid Don Jr. nearly a quarter of its revenue to show up twice, while indie musicians can't afford to tour, proving once again that grifting is more profitable than making art. Technicolor shut down overnight, stranding 10,000 workers because Hollywood's financial planning is apparently as stable as a Starship rocket launch. Oh yeah, SpaceX exploded another one.Meanwhile, Netflix's attempt to upscale A Different World turned it into a Lovecraftian horror show. A quarter of Y Combinator startups now run on “vibe coding,” meaning their software is basically a Ouija board with extra steps. The AI takeover continues as OpenAI plans to charge $20,000 monthly for specialized AI "agents," proving once again that the revolution will be monetized. Meanwhile, Moscow's Pravda network has been poisoning Western AI chatbots with Russian propaganda, because if you can't convince humans, just brainwash the robots that humans increasingly trust.On the bright side, hackers brought the Humane AI Pin back to life after it was bricked, transforming an overpriced paperweight into... a slightly less useless overpriced paperweight. ChatGPT can now directly edit code in macOS development tools, making it easier for AI to introduce bugs you never would have thought of yourself. Over At the Library, check out "The Tempest" by Peter Cawdron for your first contact fix, and if you're worried about where society is heading (and who isn't?), Timothy Snyder's "On Tyranny" offers a survival guide for our slow-motion constitutional collapse. Finally, in "everything is fine" news, 82% of indie artists can't afford to tour anymore.Enjoy the dystopia, kids – at least we still have our sense of humor.Sponsors:DeleteMe - Head over to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use the code "GOG" for 20% off.Private Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/687FOLLOW UPWhy Techdirt Is Now A Democracy Blog (Whether We Like It Or Not)Google announces ‘AI Mode' as a new way to use Search, testing starts todayGovernment Officials for Announced Fyre Festival 2 Location Say Event “Does Not Exist”‘I'm selling the Nazi mobile': Tesla owners offload cars after Musk's fascist-style salutesTesla Just Got Even More Bad NewsTesla Just Got News About Its Sales in Germany, and It Shows That Elon Musk Has Seriously Messed UpArsonists Set Fire to a Dozen Teslas, Charging Stations Amid "Anti-Capitalist Coordination to Target Tesla"Google's Sergey Brin Says Engineers Should Work 60-Hour Weeks in Office to Build AI That Could Replace ThemEx-Amazon VP explains why rich a-holes with helicopters and personal assistants don't get why you hate your commuteTrump Media Paid Donald Trump Jr. Nearly A Quarter Of Its Annual Revenue. He Attended Just Two Board MeetingsIN THE NEWSCinema Giant Technicolor's Abrupt Shutdown Affects 10,000 Workers WorldwideUS employers cut more jobs last month than any February since 2009No part of Amazon is 'unaffected' by AI, says its head of AGIChatGPT doubled its weekly active users in under 6 months, thanks to new releasesHugging Face's chief science officer worries AI is becoming 'yes-men on servers'A well-funded Moscow-based global ‘news' network has infected Western artificial intelligence tools worldwide with Russian propagandaOnlyFans Model Amouranth Held at Gunpoint for Her Crypto in Home InvasionCrypto Soars Then Plunges Following Trump's Post About a Strategic ReserveFact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Establishes the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and U.S. Digital Asset StockpileTrump creates a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve one day ahead of White House crypto summitCFPB drops Zelle lawsuit in latest reversal under Trump administrationCanadian Municpalities and the Canadian Supreme Court to stop using twitter.Ontario once again promises to nix $100 million Starlink deal over Trump tariffsOpenAI reportedly plans to charge up to $20,000 a month for specialized AI 'agents'Kevin Rose, Alexis Ohanian acquire DiggDoes the World Even Want Digg in 2025?Scrolling Through Social Media Has a Unique Effect on Your BodySpaceX's latest Starship test flight ends with another explosionA second Intuitive Machines spacecraft just landed on the moon — and probably tipped overTouch down on the moon with private Blue Ghost lander in this amazing videoMEDIA CANDYHow Many Episodes Should You Watch Before Quitting a TV Show? A Statistical AnalysisNetflix Is Using AI to Upscale a 1980s Sitcom and the Results Are Borderline HorrificDaredevil: Born AgainDavid Duchovny to Explore Real-Life X-Files for History ChannelBeyond Belief: Fact or FictionAncient MysteriesIn Search Of...82% of indie artists can't afford to tour anymoreAPPS & DOODADSThe Humane Ai Pin Has Already Been Brought Back to LifeChatGPT on macOS can now directly edit codeA quarter of startups in YC's current cohort have codebases that are almost entirely AI-generatedThe Vanishing Middle Class of TechWill the future of software development run on vibes?Hallucinations in code are the least dangerous form of LLM mistakesAT THE LIBRARYThe Tempest (First Contact) by Peter CawdronOn Tyranny by Timothy SnyderWarning - DomesticIs Trump preparing to invoke the Insurrection Act? Signs are pointing that waySee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this week's roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike is joined by guest host Kat Duffy, Senior Fellow for Digital and Cyberspace Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations and CEO of RightsDuff Strategies. They cover:Why Techdirt Is Now A Democracy Blog (Whether We Like It Or Not) (Techdirt)America's Global Presence Isn't ‘Soft Power.' It's a Superpower. (Foreign Policy)These teenage boys were blackmailed online – and it cost them their lives (USA Today)United Nations Convention against Cybercrime (UN)Chairman Jordan Subpoenas Big Tech for Information on Foreign Censorship of American Speech (House Judiciary Committee)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund. 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.

On the latest episode of The New Abnormal, Trump is poised to recreate Russia's oligarch system by putting a $5 million price tag on U.S. citizenship with his “gold card” visas. Plus! Mike Masnick, founder and editor of Techdirt, breaks down how Elon Musk's latest DOGE move mirrors his Twitter takeover. Then incoming Center for American Progress president Neera Tanden discusses how Democrats can turn the tables on Trump's agenda. 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:Facebook & Content Moderation (Last Week Tonight with John Oliver)Australia takes enforcement action against Telegram for serious delay in terror and child sexual abuse transparency (eSafety Commission) US judge says Trump Media, Rumble need not follow Brazilian order they deem censorship (Reuters)Why the Rumble Suit Against a Brazilian Justice is Not About Free Speech (Tech Policy Press)Underage Users at Meta, Snap Show Large Australian Breaches (Bloomberg)‘Big Tech Censorship' of Users Targeted by Trump's FTC Chief (Bloomberg)Instagram 'Error' Turned Reels Into Neverending Scroll of Murder, Gore, and Violence (404 Media)Meta's ‘free speech' revamp divides oversight board (Financial Times)Microsoft Hosted Explicit Videos of This Startup Founder for Years. Here's How She Got Them Taken Down (Wired)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund. 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 are joined by a group of students from the Media Law and Policy class at the American University School of Communication. Together they cover:U.K. orders Apple to let it spy on users' encrypted accounts (Washington Post)US lawmakers respond to the UK's Apple encryption backdoor request (Engadget)UK: Encryption order threatens global privacy rights (Human Rights Watch)Analysis: AI Summit emphasizes innovation and competition over trust and safety (DFR Lab)An overdue idea for making the internet safer just got the funding it needs (Platformer)Google-backed public interest AI partnership launches with $400M+ for open ecosystem building (Techcrunch)Britain dances to JD Vance's tune as it renames AI institute (Politico) Section 230 Still Works in the Fourth Circuit (For Now)–M.P. v. Meta (Eric Goldman)TikTok Opts to Not Take Section 230 Immunity Fight to the US Supreme Court (Law.com)Shopify says risk of fraud, not Nazi swastika, was reason for Kanye West store takedown (The Logic)This episode is brought to you with financial support from the Future of Online Trust & Safety Fund. 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.

It may be last call for one of Donald Trump's most controversial nominees—and not for the reasons you may think. Then, author Jared Yates Sexton joins the program to emphasize the fact that nobody is coming to save us from the chaos of a second Trump Administration. Plus! A conversation with founder and editor of the popular blog Techdirt, Mike Masnick, about one of Trump's scariest nominees: Brendan Carr. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.