TechSequences

TechSequences
  • 5.0 (11)
  • Technology
  • Updated Monthly

Technology and Consequences

Episodes

  1. Sep 23

    The Right to be Forgotten: Erasing the Past, Unequally (105)

    Have you ever tried to Google yourself and wished you could erase an embarrassing link or an old mistake from search results? When Spanish citizen Mario Costeja González successfully sued to remove a decade-old newspaper clipping about his past debts, he secured a landmark 2014 European Union ruling: the digital “Right to Be Forgotten.” But while celebrated as a victory for personal privacy, allowing individuals to selectively scrub history introduces profound economic and societal risks. When high-risk individuals can conceal past defaults or misconduct, how do we protect the public from opportunistic history-laundering? If hiding information forces decision-makers to rely on imperfect—or even discriminatory—proxies, where is the line between human redemption and rewriting reality? Join us for a conversation with Christopher S. Yoo, the Imasogie Professor in Law and Technology at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, holding joint appointments at the Annenberg School for Communication and the Department of Computer and Information Science. One of the nation’s leading authorities on technology law, regulatory policy, and Internet governance, he helps us unpack the economics of hidden information, the limits of digital erasure, and the delicate balance between personal privacy and the public good. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: The Guardian (Landmark Ruling Article): EU Court Backs ‘Right to be Forgotten’: Google Must Amend Results on Request Yoo, Christopher S., The Overlooked Systemic Impact of the Right to Be Forgotten: Lessons from Adverse Selection, Moral Hazard, and Ban the Box (University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School Research Paper No. 22-25) SSRN Link EU Case Law: Google Spain SL v. Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD), Case C-131/12 (Court of Justice of the European Union, 2014) EU Regulation: General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Regulation (EU) 2016/679, Article 17 (“Right to erasure / ‘right to be forgotten'”) Statistical Discrimination Research: Agan, Amanda & Starr, Sonja, Ban the Box, Criminal Records, and Racial Discrimination: A Field Experiment, Quarterly Journal of Economics (2018) U.S. First Amendment Precedent: Sorrell v. IMS Health Inc., 564 U.S. 552 (U.S. Supreme Court, 2011) The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

  2. Sep 2

    The Unwitting Accomplice: Renting Your Internet

    Have you ever come across an enticing offer for a 100% free VPN, or a chance to earn passive income simply by sharing your unused Internet bandwidth? The moment you click “Accept,” your home Wi-Fi can be quietly transformed into a silent Residential Proxy for global threat actors. To a fraud detection system or a law enforcement subpoena, a cybercriminal operating halfway across the globe suddenly looks identical to an innocent homeowner checking email from their couch. How can network operators identify compromised home devices without violating customer privacy? And with manufacturers abandoning cheap smart hardware long after the sale, can the tech industry self-regulate, or are government security mandates now inevitable? Join us for a conversation with Jason Livingood, Vice President of Technology Policy, Product & Standards at Comcast. A long-standing industry leader who has served on the Internet Architecture Board and the FCC’s Technological Advisory Council, Jason brings three decades of network architecture and tech policy expertise to unpack the defender’s dilemma and the real consequences of hijacked household networks for unsuspecting consumers. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Press Release:911 S5 Botnet Disrupted and Administrator Arrested FBI Official Alert & Guidance:Inside the FBI Podcast & Notice: The 911 S5 Cyber Threat(Official FBI advisory listing the bad VPN apps and advising consumers how to check if their device was turned into a botnet node). FBI Cyber Security Alert on Residential Proxies:Evading Residential Proxy Networks: Protecting Your Devices Malwarebytes Threat Analysis:How to tell if a VPN app added your Windows device to a botnet(Technical breakdown showing how the proxy malware executed silently on Windows devices). Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Case Report: Why IP Addresses Alone Don’t Identify Criminals (The Nolan King Case) The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

  3. Aug 12

    The Kids the Algorithm Chose

    Remember when a viral video of a kid doing something funny was just an innocent, isolated moment of Internet joy? Today, those organic sparks are the fuel for a $8 billion kidfluencer advertising industry. From Ryan Kaji’s multi-million-dollar toy unboxing empire to the highly polished, curated worlds of teen creators, childhood has shifted from a phase of development into an industrialized, platform-driven global market. As the kidfluencer market swells to a valuable industry, the line between authentic family memories and commercial exploitation has entirely blurred. When parents act simultaneously as guardians, employers, and bankers, traditional labor laws completely fail. How do we protect minors when their entire developmental history is being systematically commodified by algorithms? Where should the responsibility lie—with the parents holding the camera, the platforms engineering the incentives, or the regulatory systems trailing behind? Join us for a conversation with Dr. Crystal Abidin, a Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University and Director of the Influencer Ethnography Research Lab. A world-renowned digital anthropologist and incoming Editor-in-Chief of New Media & Society, Crystal has published 5 books and over 250 articles on internet celebrity. She also serves on major advisory panels, including TikTok’s Content and Safety team, providing a vital policy voice on the front lines of digital visibility. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: Ryan’s World: How a kid in Hawaii became a YouTube millionaire “Social Media Platforms Generate Billions of Dollars in Revenue from U.S. Youth: Findings from a Simulated Revenue Model” (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Study in PLOS ONE) Child Influencers: How Children Become Entangled with Social Media Fame (Dr. Crystal Abidin, Polity Press)  You’re on Your Own, Kid Influencers – The Regulatory Review TikTok and Youth Cultures (Dr. Crystal Abidin, Emerald Publishing)  “#familygoals: Family Influencers, Calibrated Amateurism, and Justifying Young Digital Labor” (Social Media + Society, Dr. Crystal Abidin) The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

  4. Jun 3

    At work:  Maximizing AI without replacing yourself

    The greatest risk we face today isn’t that AI is becoming “too smart”; it’s that we are beginning to treat this technology as an infallible “oracle” rather than a capable, yet fundamentally fallible, “intern.” As the baseline for production drops to zero, the economy of human value is shifting away from raw output and toward the only two things a machine cannot authentically replicate: judgment and intent. How should we use AI to augment and enhance our professional output, instead of simply automating  and potentially replacing our value? How can we navigate the “Calculator Trap” to ensure our foundational critical thinking doesn’t atrophy?   Join us for a conversation with Ted Yang, an MIT-trained engineer and seasoned entrepreneur who has founded more than twelve companies. A former finance executive at legendary firms like Bridgewater and Citadel, Ted is an Emmy-nominated author and a member of Connecticut’s Board of Regents for Higher Education. His new book, Ageless Peak Performance, provides a practical playbook for professionals looking to thoughtfully adopt AI to expand human capability and opportunity. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: AI won’t make the call: Why human judgment still drives innovation, Harvard Business Review Harvard Business Review: “The Irreplaceable Value of Human Decision-Making in the Age of AI” Forbes: “Leadership-Driven Growth In The Age Of AI Acceleration” iGrafx: “Don’t Automate Chaos: Why Fixing Broken Processes Comes Before Adding AI” Stanford HAI: “Is Generative AI Killing Critical Thinking?” Ageless Peak Performance: The Playbook for AI-Powered Excellence” The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

  5. May 13

    Lived Experience, Synthetic Logic: The Illusion of Moral AI

    Author and journalist Michael Pollan characterizes our era as the “Second Copernican Shock,” a civilizational turning point where the boundary between human empathy and algorithmic calculation is increasingly blurred. From AI companions like ElliQ providing “virtual hugs” to the elderly, to “moral machines” tasked with navigating life-and-death dilemmas, we are entering a global experiment in the outsourcing of ethics and accountability. As we delegate our conscience to systems that exist outside the weight of consequence—systems not haunted by regret nor soothed by redemption—are we experiencing a dangerous “ethical de-skilling”? And if so, what are the consequences? Join us for a conversation with Dr. Robert Sparrow, Professor of Philosophy, and Associate Investigator in the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society at Monash University,  and founding member of the International Committee for Robot Arms Control. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: Michael Pollan warns humanity is on the brink of a radical shift She’s 85, and Her Roommate Is a Robot Why machines cannot be moral Robots and Respect: Assessing the Case Against Autonomous Weapons Systems Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation Minotaurs, Not Centaurs: The Myth of Human-AI Teaming The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

  6. May 6

    From Algorithms to AI: How Reality Got Rewritten in 100 Episodes of TechSequences

    Six years after launching in the uncertainty of April 2020, Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle revisit the origins of TechSequences and the world that shaped it. What began as a conversation about contact tracing, digital privacy, and the early influence of “the algorithm” now reads like a snapshot of a more stable reality—one where truth still felt anchored and shared. In this milestone 101st episode, they reflect on how quickly that foundation shifted, and how the systems we once trusted to inform us have been transformed by an escalating competition for attention. As the Internet evolved from a collaborative frontier into a hyper-optimized commercial ecosystem, the incentives changed—and with them, our experience of reality itself. News became content, attention became currency, and AI accelerated everything: from the rise of synthetic media and “hallucinated” facts to the emergence of fully personalized information environments. Alexa and Leslie explore how these forces have blurred the line between signal and simulation, raising urgent questions about trust, consent, accountability, and whether a shared understanding of truth can still exist in an age of infinite, tailored persuasion. Looking ahead, the conversation turns to what comes next. If the past six years caught us off guard, what are we missing now? From the growing value of human authenticity to the risk of deepening digital divides, and the possibility of new innovation cycles beyond today’s tech giants, this episode is both a reflection and a reckoning. Six years in, TechSequences is no longer just tracking the evolution of technology—it’s grappling with how that evolution is reshaping reality itself, and what it means for the future we’re building. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

  7. Apr 15

    Outpaced by AI: Can Radical Collaboration Save Small Business from Cyber Extinction?

    The human-speed defense of small business is being obliterated by the machine-speed offense of AI-driven cybercrime. Today, what large companies treat as a manageable risk is a terminal expense for small enterprises, with 60% of small enterprises shutting down within six months of a major attack. As AI-crafted phishing lures achieve a 54% click-through rate, traditional “awareness” training has become a shallow defense against an automated tide. We are at a strategic crossroads: do we outsource our security to Big Tech, wait for the government to mandate a minimum level of security, or return to the “radical collaboration” that built the Internet itself? Can we bake immunity directly into the Internet’s plumbing before the 400 million small businesses that form our economic backbone become mere collateral damage? Join us for a conversation with Brian Cute, the CEO of the Global Cyber Alliance. A veteran of Internet governance, he has held leadership roles at ICANN and the Public Interest Registry (the .org registry). He now leads The Global Cyber Alliance’s mission to deliver practical and effective tools to those most at risk in a fractured digital landscape. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report, Verizon 110+ of the Latest Data Breach Statistics to Know for 2026 & Beyond ElectroIQ Small Business Stats 2025 SentinelOne 2026 CVE Forecast GCA Cybersecurity Toolkit for Small Business Cyber Basics: A free three-week training series for small businesses The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

  8. Mar 25

    The Cyber Defense Paradox: Nation-State Threats vs. Domestic Resources

    “The homeland has never been less secure.” This was the testimony of Retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery to the United States Congress on the first day of the Committee for Homeland Security in 2025. Why? We are facing a new era of state-sponsored espionage where foreign adversaries l aren’t just stealing data—they are planting “sleeper bots” deep within our networks, waiting for the signal to strike. But even as US federal budgets rise, front-line defenses at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are struggling with massive staffing attrition and the sudden dissolution of critical advisory structures, such as the Cyber Safety Review Board (CSRB). Is the US equipped to defend against an enemy that is already inside, patiently waiting for the signal to strike? Join us for a conversation with Dr. Nadya Bliss, the Executive Director of the Advanced Capabilities for National Security Institute at Arizona State University. Formerly, she was the founding group leader of the Computing and Analytics Group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, and past chair and current steering committee member of DARPA’s Information Science and Technology Study Group. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: Unconstrained Actors: Assessing Global Cyber Threats to the Homeland: The Committee on Homeland Security Hearing, Jan 22 2025 State-Sponsored Actors Compromise and Maintain Persistent Access to U.S. Critical Infrastructure CISA faces budget cuts, workforce loss amid cyber threats CSET; Securing Critical Infrastructure in the Age of AI Lawfare; The Cybersecurity Patchwork Quilt Remains Incomplete Computing Research Association; The Post-Quantum Cryptography Transition: Making Progress, But Still a Long Road Ahead National Academies Consensus Study Report; Cyber Hard Problems: Focused Steps Toward a Resilient Digital Future (2025) The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

  9. Feb 18

    The Algorithm’s Original Sin: Inside the Legal War Over AI Training Data

    The fundamental rules of creativity and ownership, established in law since the time of the printing press, are now collapsing under the weight of Generative AI. Its rapid-fire creation is built upon billions of human-authored works, leading to the “Original Sin” of the algorithm: the unauthorized copying of protected content for training. This conflict has ignited high-stakes lawsuits—from the New York Times challenging the AI input phase to the music industry battling against the creation of “almost identical” outputs—forcing the legal system to confront the “Authorship Challenge” and the threat of voice cloning. Join us as we explore the legal and ethical price of convenience with our guest, Dr. Andrés Guadamuz, a Reader in Intellectual Property Law at the University of Sussex and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of World Intellectual Property. Dr. Guadamuz’s groundbreaking research illuminates how centuries-old copyright principles must adapt to find a functional middle way that protects human ingenuity while allowing for technological innovation. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: A Scanner Darkly: Copyright Liability and Exceptions in Artificial Intelligence Inputs and Outputs Do Androids Dream of Electric Copyright? Comparative Analysis of Originality in Artificial Intelligence-Generated Works Record Companies Bring Landmark Cases for Responsible AI Against Suno and Udio in Boston and New York Federal Courts, Respectively IP/ENTERTAINMENT CASE LAW UPDATES: New York Times v. Microsoft Corp. The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

  10. Jan 28

    How AI is Solving Medical Imaging’s Biggest Problems

    When the disruptive power of Artificial Intelligence is discussed, the fate of the radiologist is often the cautionary tale: a specialist whose job is supposedly obsolete. In fact, the opposite is true. We face a severe global shortage of medical imaging specialists, worsened by a 10% annual increase in studies. Not to mention burnout, as specialists have to interpret more than one image per second just to keep up. AI is emerging not as a threat, but as a critical complement. AI is poised to offer opportunities beyond better diagnosis and access to care.  Join us as we explore the future of diagnostic imaging  with our guest, Dr. Akshay Chaudhari, Assistant Professor of Radiology and Biomedical Data Science at Stanford, and the co-founder of Cognita Imaging, a pioneering clinical AI company. Hosted by: Alexa Raad and Leslie Daigle. Further reading: The growing demand for imaging services: key trends shaping the future Deep learning in radiology: an overview of the concepts and a survey of the state of the art with focus on MRI Using AI to Catch Aneurysms in Routine, Nonvascular Chest CTs Data-Efficient AI for Accelerating MRI Acquisition Mandating Limits on Workload, Duty, and Speed in Radiology The views and opinions expressed in this program are our own and may not reflect the views or positions of our employers.

  • 10 Episodes

5
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About

Technology and Consequences

Information

  • Creator
    TechSequences
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    TechSequences