Podcast – Cory Doctorow's craphound.com

A look at how apps copied Facebook’s old playbook to steal social graphs and why that matters now. Tales of OG App’s Insta-scraping and the history of platform bridging. The rise of the Eurostack and European moves toward digital sovereignty. How Threads’ technical and legal choices create an opening for privacy-respecting alternatives.

The discussion reveals why code is seen as a liability rather than an asset. Maintainers face the misconception that code doesn't require ongoing maintenance. As technology evolves, software ages and breaks, leading to continual fixes. The podcast critiques AI's role in coding, emphasizing its inability to replace nuanced software engineering. Legacy systems are also highlighted, showing how technical debt leads to vulnerabilities. Ultimately, there's a warning about the future workforce needed to tackle the 'digital asbestos' of AI-generated code.

This week on my podcast, I play the audio from (Digital) Elbows Up: How Canada Can Become a Nation of Jailbreakers, Reclaim Our Digital Sovereignty, Win the Trade-War, and Disenshittify Our Technology, a speech I delivered on November 27, 2025 at OCADU in Toronto, Canada (video here, transcript here). I recognize that this is all very abstract, so let me make it concrete. When you buy a printer from HP, it becomes your property. What’s property? Well, let’s use the standard definition that every law student learns in first year property law, from Sir William Blackstone’s 1753 treatise: “Property: that sole and despotic dominion which one man claims and exercises over the external things of the world, in total exclusion of the right of any other individual in the universe.” The printer is yours. It’s your property. You have sole and despotic dominion over it in exclusion of any other individual in the universe. But HP printers ship with a program that checks to see whether you’re using HP ink, and if it suspects that you’ve bought generic ink, the printer refuses to use it. Now, Congress never passed a law saying “If you buy an HP printer, you have to buy HP ink, too.” That would be a weird law, given the whole sole-and-despotic dominion thing. But because HP puts an “access control” in the ink-checking code, they can conjure up a brand new law: a law that effectively requires you to use HP ink. Anticircumvention is a way for legislatures to outsource law-making to corporations. Once a corporation adds an access control to its product, they can create a new felony for using it in ways that benefit you at the expense of the company’s shareholders. MP3

A dynamic speech explores the concept of a post-American internet, highlighting how Trump's tariffs inadvertently opened doors for global digital liberation. It addresses the historical roots of tech monopolies and the critical need for anti-circumvention laws to be lifted. By promoting jailbreak markets, new economic opportunities could arise, challenging the dominance of tech giants. The importance of collaborative action among activists and entrepreneurs is emphasized, alongside the call for open software as essential public infrastructure.

This week, 17-year-old Poesy Taylor Doctorow shares her journey from high school graduation to starting college at UC Santa Cruz, highlighting her dance triumphs and upcoming adventures. She offers a fun tutorial on Egyptian War, revealing gameplay strategies and the social atmosphere of card games. Poesy discusses the impact of her mother's career shift to the BBC and the family’s holiday traditions, all while reminiscing through a lively rendition of Jingle Bells. This charming exchange showcases their unique bond and Poesy's exciting new chapter.

Explore the concept of 'inshittification' and discover how choice is systematically stripped away in modern society. Learn how policies limit personal freedom, from no-fault divorce to digital rights management. Delve into the dubious economics of 'revealed preference' and why it's not the consumers at fault. Examine the role of tech giants and policymakers in perpetuating these issues. Ultimately, find out why genuine change requires profound policy reform, not just a shift in leadership.

Ed Zitron, a technology commentator and host of the Better Offline podcast, dives into the concept of 'enshittification'—the decline of tech quality driven by profit motives. He and Cory Doctorow discuss how Google’s decline is linked to ad-driven incentives and what creates a 'rot economy.' They explore whether this degradation is inevitable, emphasizing that systemic issues require collective political action rather than just consumer choices. Zitron warns of an impending AI bubble, while urging practical skills for future resilience.

Lina Khan, former Chair of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and a leading voice in antitrust, dives deep into her concepts of 'Enshittification'. She and Cory discuss how digital platforms worsen over time due to systemic policy failures. They explore the harmful surveillance business model and its implications for privacy law. The duo emphasizes the necessity of coalition-building for privacy reform and compares current regulatory landscapes with European standards. Khan also examines AI's role in exacerbating these issues, posing risks while presenting potential remedies.

This discussion dives into the looming threat of an AI investment bubble, driven by monopolistic companies. There's a stark warning that this bubble could lead to widespread economic collapse, as many AI firms lack a path to profitability. The flawed narrative that growth will come from replacing workers is also examined. It emphasizes the fragile state of AI supply chains and the unrealistic revenue expectations for these companies. Ultimately, the focus is on practical solutions to mitigate the impending damage of this speculative excess.

The discussion dives into Frank Wilhoit’s Law, illustrating how conservatism creates legal protections for in-groups while binding out-groups. Insights into how this concept connects petty grievances to radical politics highlight the troubling decline into fascism in America. The host critiques the role of monopolies in perpetuating systemic inequality and emphasizes the urgent need for vigilance against rising authoritarianism. Personal anecdotes of travel challenges and creative projects enrich the narrative, reflecting on technology's impact and social issues.