Ctrl-Alt-Speech

Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly news podcast co-created by Techdirt’s Mike Masnick and Everything in Moderation’s Ben Whitelaw. Each episode looks at the latest news in online speech, covering issues regarding trust & safety, content moderation, regulation, court rulings, new services & technology, and more. The podcast regularly features expert guests with experience in the trust & safety/online speech worlds, discussing the ins and outs of the news that week and what it may mean for the industry. Each episode takes a deep dive into one or two key stories, and includes a quicker roundup of other important news. It's a must-listen for trust & safety professionals, and anyone interested in issues surrounding online speech. If your company or organization is interested in sponsoring Ctrl-Alt-Speech and joining us for a sponsored interview, visit ctrlaltspeech.com for more information. Ctrl-Alt-Speech is produced with financial support from the Future of Online Trust &

Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a technology podcast hosted by Mike Masnick & Ben Whitelaw, with 121 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Mike Masnick & Ben Whitelaw hosts Ctrl-Alt-Speech, a technology show with 121 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #120

  Duty of Careful What You Wish For

  Sep 11, 202641 minS1

  Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover. In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover: Australians will be able to switch off social media algorithms under planned legislation (BBC News) Australia’s social media ban has an enforcement problem. These new laws aim to fix it (The Conversation) The Netherlands forced Meta to let users ditch algorithmic feeds. Here’s what happened (The Conversation) What We Know About Prosocial Feed-Ranking Algorithms (Prosocial Design Network) Anthropic researcher quits over AI labs ‘gambling with our lives’ (Financial Times) AI Agents Are Not Going “Rogue,” But Recent Developments Lead Increasingly-Concerned Researchers To Call For AI Slow Down (Techdirt) “We will not be silenced”: Imran Ahmed responds to court ruling (Center for Countering Digital Hate) And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters , they cover: USA: Terrorism designation has global consequences for open internet and free expression (Article 19) Rubio Uses Terrorism Law To Ban Secure Email Service (Reason) Our fun links this week include the multi-view website browser and the internet roadtrip . If you’re already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon . Follow us on Instagram , YouTube , and Bluesky . Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It’s co-hosted by Mike Masnick ( Techdirt ) and Ben Whitelaw ( Everything in Moderation ).

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  Episode #119

  License to Spill

  Sep 4, 202642 minS1

  Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover. In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover: FBI Probes Service Selling 153M+ Drivers Licenses (Krebs on Security) Introducing ChatGPT for Teens: Built for learning, backed by protections (OpenAI) OpenAI Says ChatGPT Is Safer for Teens. Now It Needs to Show Proof (RAND) 'AI is less judgmental' (Washington Post) And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters , they cover: AI safety is designed in the West, and failing users everywhere (Rest of World) Why the global push to break free from Big Tech keeps falling short (Rest of World) Meta accepts U.S. safety rules while pitching softer tools abroad (Rest of World) How AI is mapping the tree of life (Basecamp Research/Microsoft) Our fun links this week include a Korean AI dance generator and defrag your Windows PC . If you’re already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon . Follow us on Instagram , YouTube , and Bluesky . Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It’s co-hosted by Mike Masnick ( Techdirt ) and Ben Whitelaw ( Everything in Moderation ).

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  Episode #118

  Move Fast and Settle Things

  Aug 28, 202635 minS1

  Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover. In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover: Meta Just Paid Nearly $17 Billion To Make Sure It Gets To Write The Kid Safety Rules For Every Other Social Media Platform (Techdirt) Mark Zuckerberg Wants to Make Sure His Competitors Share His Pain (New York Times) Meta settlement opens new front in global fight over social media harm (Reuters) And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters , they cover: UK expects Meta to match US child safety measures after $18bn settlement (The Guardian) What Meta’s US Settlement on Child Safety Means for Europe (TechPolicy.Press) Did Meta’s Big Settlement Actually Help It? (New York Times) Our fun links this week include a new table format for food recipes and Rainbolt’s tear-jerking Geoguessr video . If you’re already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon . Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It’s co-hosted by Mike Masnick ( Techdirt ) and Ben Whitelaw ( Everything in Moderation ).

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  Episode #117

  School of Hard Blocks

  Aug 21, 202642 minS1

  Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover. In this week’s roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike is joined by Chris Messina, inventor of the #hashtag in social media, who has worked on internet and social media efforts for decades. Together they discuss: Oakland Unified Announces New Cell Phone Policy Now in Effect; Policy is Based on New State Law Requiring Cell Phone-Free School Days (Oakland Unified School District) In conversation with Jonathan Haidt, author of ‘The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness’ (Left to Their Own Devices) French court blocks social media ban for under 15s (Politico) Whistleblower Arturo Béjar leads testimony in landmark trial against Meta (NPR) Discord halts livestreams in Brazil after watchdog cites child safety failures (ABC News) And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters , they cover: AI Companion Legislation in the United States (Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law) In China, treatment for mental-health problems is a luxury (The Economist) I Don’t Trust A.I. But I Told it Everything (NY Times) Our fun links this week include Berd , the open source anthropomorphic agent management tool from Jack Dorsey and Block, and Dopamine Shop , Fake Eats , and other places to shop without shopping. If you’re already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon . Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It’s co-hosted by Mike Masnick ( Techdirt ) and Ben Whitelaw ( Everything in Moderation ).

  ListenShow Notes
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  Episode #116

  Watermark My Words

  Aug 14, 202641 minS1

  Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover. In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover: Claude will apply invisible watermarks to AI text and images (The Verge) Claude-inspired copypasting (LinkedIn) Anthropic investors bet on $2tn valuation in record IPO (Financial Times) The Future is for Everyone (Meta) OpenAI’s head of ethics leaves start-up less than a year after joining (Financial Times) US court rules Meta, other tech firms must face thousands of lawsuits over social media addiction (Reuters) Ninth Circuit Rewrites Section 230 To Remove The Part That Actually Mattered (Techdirt) Otherwise Obectionable podcast (Techdirt) And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters , they cover: Breton calls for EU disinformation inquiry over Ceuta (Euractiv) Meta and TikTok agree to fact-check content on Spain border crossings after deadly rush (Reuters) Social media rumours spark biggest migration crisis between Morocco and Spain in years (Euronews) Thierry Breton: “Ceuta? La minaccia viene dall’algoritmo che guida gli arrivi” (La Stampa) Our fun links this week are this typing website for tiny fingers and a museum for your favourite memes — and the thinking behind it . If you’re already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon . Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It’s co-hosted by Mike Masnick ( Techdirt ) and Ben Whitelaw ( Everything in Moderation ).

  ListenShow Notes

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