Episodios

  • Outrage For The Machine
    Jun 12 2025

    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.

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    51 m
  • Algorithm Shrugged
    May 29 2025

    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.

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    1 h y 2 m
  • Moderation Without Representation
    May 23 2025

    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.

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    54 m
  • Hypocritical Infrastructure
    May 15 2025

    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.

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    53 m
  • Look What The Chat Dragged In
    May 1 2025

    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.

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    54 m
  • Red Pills & Blue Checks
    Apr 24 2025

    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.

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    53 m
  • Why Can't We De-Friend
    Apr 17 2025

    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 click
    • Liz 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.

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    54 m
  • Can't Take(down) A Joke?
    Apr 10 2025

    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.

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    50 m
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