51 episodes
Debugger Bob Sullivan
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- News
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4.4 • 9 Ratings
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A podcast about technology and democracy, sponsored by Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy.
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The Center for Latin American Convergence
The Latin American tech industry is growing….fast…and so is the region’s cybersecurity needs. There’s an ambitious plan to bring together all the various interested parties for discussion at an organization called the Center for Latin American Convergence – also known as CCLATAM. Today’s guest is Piero Bonadeo, president and co-founder of the Miami-based organization.
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'We need a lot of people to protect the world'
There's a shortage of cybersecurity professionals all around to world -- and that includes Costa Rica, home of today's guest, Carolina Taborda. She heads a new project there called the CyberSec Cluster which aims to deal with this issue, among others. Taborda joins us just a few days before a Cybersecurity Leadership Program in Costa Rica that will be co-hosted by Duke University.
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White House takes aim at data brokers
The White House issued an executive order recently that takes on data brokers who might try to sell sensitive personal information on Americans to foreign adversaries like China and Russia. A recent study by Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy demonstrated how intelligence agencies might buy personal information on American soldiers, or diplomats, or politicians, and perhaps use it for blackmail or strategic advantage. Justin Sherman, an adjunct professor at Duke, led the study, and he is today's guest.
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Is the digital divide actually getting bigger? This office is trying to help
Think about the last time you lost your smartphone … even for a few minutes, or worse, for a whole day. Now, imagine living your whole life this way. The digital divide, which feels like a tired phrase from the early days of the Internet, is still quite real. Maggie Woods runs North Carolina’s Office of Digital Equity, which is trying to tackle this problem.
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'Why weren't we prepared for a superpower like this being unleashed?'
Facial recognition is one of the most controversial frontiers of the tech world, and if you've read any story about facial recognition in the past decade or so, it's probably been written by this episode's guest, Kashmir Hill, a New York Times reporter who has a new book out called Your Face Belongs to Us.
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The Frances Haugen interview: Two years after Facebook, what now?
Whistleblower Frances Haugen joins host Bob Sullivan to talk about life after taking on Facebook: the slow pace of change, the research she is conducting (some with Duke students) and why she's become interested in Ralph Nader's battle for automobile safety.
Customer Reviews
Debugger
Music in the background is extremely annoying. It’s difficult to listen to this podcast. I was very interested in this topic and to learn more in depth big techs disregard for all of us.
Innocently misdirected
The series harps on the idea that government can force companies like Facebook to police themselves and/or allow themselves to be policed. That’s never going to happen given the sheer amount of money and power these platforms have. There is no “public policy” solution to these problems, whether we’re talking about ransom ware attacks or the illegal sale of our private information. The host draws parallels between regulating airlines, but that’s apples and oranges. It’s in airlines interests not to crash. Facebook makes money to a great degree by selling our information. They will never stop. What would be far more useful and realistic is a focus on how we can protect ourselves. Do VPNs make a difference? If I quit Facebook entirely will that help? It doesn’t help that the host uses horribly dated words like “cyberspace” or that the people he interviews are often utterly confused by his ivory tower questions. Finally, the series starts with a total non-séquitor about the .com bubble in Ireland. We are told over and over that the podcast is NOT about Ireland or Facebook but in truth the podcast focuses on Facebook, never explains why Ireland is mentioned, and assumes that the “smart people” in the world can fix all this stuff. In sum, a terrible, poorly organized and overly academic look at evil perpetrated online with no applicable solutions.