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TechStuff

The Story: Ask Lots of Questions w/ Meredith Whittaker

Feb 5, 2025
Meredith Whittaker, president of the Signal Foundation and co-founder of NYU’s AI Now Institute, dives into the pressing issues of data privacy and ethical AI. She shares her transition from Google, reflecting on her role in the 2018 Google walkouts. The conversation touches on the ethical dilemmas surrounding algorithm-driven warfare and the dangers of automated AI in military operations. Whittaker emphasizes the essential role of secure communication in today's digital landscape, advocating for user rights amidst profit-driven tech giants.
42:41

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Meredith Whittaker emphasizes the importance of advocating for ethical technology use and data privacy in the face of pervasive surveillance.
  • The podcast discusses the dual-use nature of technology, highlighting the ethical concerns surrounding AI's application in both beneficial and harmful contexts.

Deep dives

Innovative Cybersecurity Approaches

A new approach to cybersecurity emphasizes the importance of allowing only trusted applications to run within an organization's network. Through a strategy known as ThreatLocker Allow Listing, users can define which applications are deemed trustworthy, blocking everything else by default. This proactive stance minimizes the chances of cyber threats, such as ransomware, infiltrating systems by fundamentally restricting access to unknown or unverified software. By fostering a zero-trust environment, organizations can significantly enhance their defense against increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks.

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