Technology Pill

Privacy International

Find out how technology is reshaping our lives every day and explore the new powers of governments and companies.

  1. 27 MAR

    Why governments struggle with ID

    This week we're speaking to Professor Edgar Whitley - an expert on the design and implementation of ID systems. Links- More about Edgar: https://www.lse.ac.uk/people/edgar-whitley- More about the London School of Economics and ID: https://www.lse.ac.uk/research/research-impact-case-studies/scrapping-costly-controversial-proposals-identity-cards- Gus and Edgar's joint publications: - Global challenges for identity policies: https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Global_Challenges_for_Identity_Policies.html?id=P7hsCwAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y - Global Identity Policies and Technology:Do we Understand the Question? An open access paper: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1758-5899.2010.00028.x - Book chapter on Aadhaar: https://researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/90490/- Edgar's report on Women and ID: https://silkstart.s3.amazonaws.com/1967006c-a430-414e-9982-75e204478d6e.pdf- More information on Aadhaar in India: https://privacyinternational.org/news-analysis/819/aadhaar-scheme-faq- The Indian Supreme Court decision: https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/2299/initial-analysis-indian-supreme-court-decision-aadhaar and https://www.scobserver.in/cases/beghar-foundation-ks-puttaswamy-aadhaar-review-case-background/- The Windrush scandal: https://jcwi.org.uk/reportsbriefings/windrush-scandal-explained/- Interview with people in Kenya who had been double registered: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz3h0TjXz7gXB4xg4WNdg9_8JyBftx_kP- Yes Minister TV show: https://archive.org/details/yes-minister-1980-1984 including the famous Big Brother episode: https://archive.org/details/yes-minister-1980-1984/Yes+Minister+-+S01E04+-+Big+Brother.mp4- The Clarkson toothpick incident: https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/nationals/jeremy-clarkson-victim-of-id-fraud-after-publishing-bank-details/- The Washington Post raid: https://theintercept.com/2026/01/30/washington-post-hannah-natanson-fbi-biometrics-unlock-phone/Previous podcasts:- Double Registration - The trouble with Identity in Kenya: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65VVbcXVK_0&feature=youtu.be

    1hr 3min

  2. 13 MAR

    Ghosts in the SheLLM: Chatbot ethics with James Muldoon

    This week we're discussing what happens when AI is trained on a dead person's data to bring them back as a chatbot. Find out more from Gus and Caitlin, and their guest James Muldoon, Reader in Management at Essex Business School and Research Associate at the Oxford Internet Institute, about the ethics, the grief, and the companies making it happen. Links - https://jamesmuldoon.org - https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571399277-love-machines/

    38 min

  3. 13 FEB

    Sand in Trump's Gears: Lessons from America

    This week we're talking to Ben Wizner from the American Civil Liberties Union about what the ACLU have been doing in the first year of Trump's second term, what the difference is between this time and last time, and how an earth they can keep up. Links ACLU report: https://www.aclu.org/campaigns-initiatives/aclu-vs-trumpKyllo case: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyllo_v._United_StatesUnderground Empire book: https://henryfarrell.net/underground-empire-2/Swift work between PI and ACLU: https://privacyinternational.org/blog/1355/pi-and-aclu-show-swift-auditor-has-extensive-ties-us-governmentYale lectures on National Security law: https://epe.yale.edu/videos/above-law-or-beneath-it-how-national-security-law-subverts-accountability-and-weakens-0Asylum for White South Africans: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/us/politics/trump-refugee-admissions-white-south-africans.htmlFISA reauth: https://theintercept.com/2026/01/29/nsa-702-fisa-surveillance/

    53 min

  4. 12/12/2025

    Moving Stories: Border Violence and Surveillance

    Join us as we discuss Border Externalisation - what is it, and why does it drive violence at the border? We're joined by two fantastic guests - Dan from the Border Violence Monitoring Network to discuss the EU's Border Externalisation, and Kathy from Al Otro Lado to discuss the America's. Border Violence Monitoring Network’s work BVMN's website https://borderviolence.eu/Surveillance Tech Serbia Report: https://borderviolence.eu/reports/surveillance-technologies-at-european-borders-serbiaCyprus Borderscape: https://cyprusborderscape.com/BalkanDac: https://borderviolence.eu/reports/decoding-balkandac-navigating-the-eu-s-biometric-blueprintSamos CCAC : https://borderviolence.eu/reports/controlled-and-confined-unveiling-the-impact-of-technology-in-the-samos-closed-controlled-access-centreUse of mercenaries for pushbacks in Cyprus. https://borderviolence.eu/reports/submission-to-the-ohchr-for-the-upcoming-visit-of-the-working-group-on-the-use-of-mercenaries-to-cyprusAl Otro Lado: Al Otro Lado’s Programs: https://www.alotrolado.org/our-programsMerch: https://www.bonfire.com/al-otro-lado/?srsltid=AfmBOoqZMoeVG0Ggysn-YhlXQ7YPehx_4tnFPY5O2K236THD3U7p7_SGPI work Drivers of Surveillance: http://privacyinternational.org/challenging-drivers-surveillanceWhen Spiders Share Webs: EU-Funded INTERPOL policing programme in West Africa: https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/5346/when-spiders-share-webs-unveiling-privacy-threats-eu-funded-interpol-policingMigration and borders: https://privacyinternational.org/learn/migration-and-borders

    1hr 11min

  5. 14/11/2025

    End of Life: Time to X goodbye to Windows 10

    This week we're discussing the end of support (kind of) for Windows 10 - find out more from Chris and Tom about what you should worry about and what you can do now Windows 10 is officially (mostly) End of Life. Links - Read more about your options: https://privacyinternational.org/news-analysis/5686/end-line-windows-10 - Learn more about PI's position on the Cyber Resilience Act: https://privacyinternational.org/advocacy/5060/our-position-eu-cyber-resilience-act-cra

    1hr 6min

  6. 17/10/2025

    Militarisation of Tech: Redefining the Battlefield

    This week we talk to Ilia and Serhat about the creeping militarisation of technology, and with it our societies. Links All of our militarisation work: https://privacyinternational.org/campaigns/militarisation-of-tech What is Militarisation of Tech?: https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/5668/what-militarisation-techKey Concerns Regarding Governance in the Era of Militarisation of Tech: https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/5671/key-concerns-regarding-governance-era-militarisation-tech“Killer Robots”: Read PI statement during informal consultations on autonomous weapons systems in New York: https://privacyinternational.org/advocacy/5589/pi-statement-during-informal-consultations-autonomous-weapons-systems-new-yorkHow Data Drives the Militarisation of Tech: https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/5667/how-data-drives-militarisation-techOn the Applicable Legal Frameworks and Regulatory Gaps: International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law: https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/5670/applicable-legal-frameworks-and-regulatory-gaps-international-humanitarian-law-andWe have a mailing list specifically for our militarisation work that you can find here: https://action.privacyinternational.org/user/register

    39 min

  7. 19/09/2025

    What's News? Back to work!

    This week we're back to discussing stories that have been in the news over the past few months - in particular the stories that have stayed with us and kept us thinking about them. Links - Expansion of ICE biometrics - ⁠Dean Cain joins ICE ⁠ - ICE access to medicaid data - Industry Day at the US Customs and Border Protection - Inquiry by Microsoft - Investor concerns about Microsoft use by Israeli government - Israeli government use of Google services - Data sovereignty and Data Localisation across Africa and Asia - Meta violates California's wiretap law - PI's original app data investigation - PI's most recent look at period apps - Amazon Alexa ads? - Grok advertisers - Pew researchers study Google AI summaries - 404 media's experience with Google AI - Cloudflare experimenting with pay per crawl feature for AI companies - You can donate to PI! - Pilot programme - drones in Florida schools - Axon's ethics board resignations over taser drones - UK facial recogntion database searches - ICO complaint

    53 min

  8. 15/08/2025

    Rewilding the Internet with Maria Farrell

    This week Gus and Caitlin are rewilding the Internet with Maria Farrell. What do you want using the internet or your devices to feel like? What can ecology teach us about unwinding corporate capture of the digital commons? How do we take back our home online? Links - Maria's original rewilding article, with Robin Berjon, in Noema: https://www.noemamag.com/we-need-to-rewild-the-internet/ - Maria's article 'This is your phone on feminism': https://conversationalist.org/2019/09/13/feminism-explains-our-toxic-relationships-with-our-smartphones/ - A talk Maria gave about rewilding: https://www.noemamag.com/we-need-to-rewild-the-internet/ - Maria's website where you can keep an eye to find out when her book is coming out! http://mariafarrell.com/ - More about PI's work on competition: https://privacyinternational.org/learn/competition-and-data

    1hr 5min
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5
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11 Ratings

About

Find out how technology is reshaping our lives every day and explore the new powers of governments and companies.

Information

  • Creator
    Privacy International
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    99
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Privacy International
  • Show Website
    Technology Pill

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