Nothing is ever wholly good or bad, and technology is no exception. As social media, the internet, and smartphones have become widely accessible, they’ve helped bring people together around the world, connecting us in ways that have been critical. But the same technology that improves our lives has its downsides, distracting us and contributing to burnout and anxiety.
But tech has an even darker side, one that’s especially apparent on the second anniversary of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, a crisis fueled by disinformation and online extremism, and just weeks after the collapse of FTX, one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world. Technology is used by all manner of individuals doing things that many would see as fundamentally against the core tenants of democracy and fairness. And where tech, money, and power intersect, there are opportunities—not all of them legal.
As the shadowy sphere of cybercrime spreads, so do the efforts of those working on the front lines against it. Their missions are increasingly urgent. They are also fascinating enough to keep fans of investigative podcasts and true crime riveted. Set in far-flung locales and featuring procedural twists and outsize characters, from diabolical spies and billionaire hackers to brave whistleblowers and persistent journalists, here are three new Audible Original podcasts at the forefront of exploring tech’s dark side.
Criminal Network: Cybercrime, Espionage, and the Cold War 2.0
In this expertly reported account of global cybercrime, writer Peter McDonnell and former FBI profiler Jim Clemente investigate both individual and geopolitical interference from hackers, including the use of disinformation to destabilize trust in democratic processes, an effort that undermined the 2020 presidential election and led to the January 6 insurrection. Curious about how much Russia’s government and Federal Security Service know about the activities of notorious criminals like Maksim Yakubets, the FBI’s most-wanted hacker? What about the ongoing damage from cyberattacks targeting US corporations and databases? And in worst-case scenarios, how vulnerable are we to cybercrime at the highest levels of military security—could hackers cause a nuclear war? This fast-paced investigation is anchored by rigorous reporting and the testimony of incredible experts in the field.
Undercurrents: Tech, Tyrants, and Us
Tblisi-based journalist Natalia Antelava hosts this eight-episode examination of the struggle between tech, democracy, and dictatorship. An Emmy nominee and a co-founder of the news organization Coda Story, Antelava digs deep into the roots of how tech can and is being used by authoritarian governments across the globe to increase their power. From Russia, China, and Afghanistan to the US, India, and Thailand, Undercurrents explores technological threats that define our age, including Big Brother-style surveillance architecture, data-driven policing, and disinformation campaigns by authoritarian governments and terrorist groups. Anchored by rigorous and ambitious journalism, each episode asks whether tech is making life easier for regular people or for the tyrants among us—and listening to this eye-opening series is a good step toward ensuring a positive outcome on a global scale.
Squid Scam: Hunting the NFT Con Artists
What’s truly universal? Greed. After crypto prices crashed this summer and the cryptocurrency exchange FTX went bankrupt, more folks are thinking twice about investing in crypto and NFTs. But in the market’s earlier boom, even savvy investors were so tempted by fantastic returns that they were vulnerable to fraudulent scams. British tech journalist Janhoi McGregor and tech expert Ciaran O'Connor dive into a particularly diabolical one that was inspired by Netflix’s hit show Squid Game. The scam gained traction from the show’s global fandom, positive media coverage, and one spectacularly misappropriated tweet from Elon Musk, but the “investment opportunity” was a classic rug pull, an increasingly common type of fraud in the NFT space. Unlike Squid Game, where one lucky survivor made off with a massive payday, the only ones to profit were the scammers themselves. McGregor plays digital detective in this techy whodunnit, forging close bonds with victims and committing himself to bring the scammers to justice.
