Last week, in response to protests by farmers outside New Delhi, India, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi restricted access to the mobile web in areas where the protests were unfolding. The move is the latest in the Indian government’s long history of throttling internet access and censoring speech online. Why is the Modi government increasingly shutting down the internet and stifling digital dissent? And what does the party’s history of internet shutdowns tell us about India’s future?Guest: Pranav Dixit, correspondent for Buzzfeed NewsHostLizzie O’Leary  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The story of how GameStop went from the verge of a bankruptcy to a $15 billion market value isn’t an easy one to wrap your head around. But it helps to go back to the beginning; almost three years ago, in a subreddit called r/wallstreetbets.Guests: Brandon Kochkodin, reporter at BloombergHostLizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people thought developing the vaccine in record time would be the hard part. That, or shipping millions of doses at subzero temperatures to every corner of the country. But nobody--or, almost nobody--guessed that the biggest barrier between U.S. citizens and vaccination would be … online scheduling. What went wrong with the vaccine websites? And what will it take to get them right?Guests: Raphael Lee, director of USDR’s Health Program Hana Schank, director of Strategy for Public Interest Technology at New AmericaJessica AllenHostLizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Facebook and Twitter banned thousands of accounts in the wake of the Capitol riots, fringe groups are flocking to platforms like Signal and Telegram. With the inauguration just days away, and government officials warning of violence, QAnon believers and Stop the Steal protesters are now communicating in encrypted spaces. What, if anything, is being planned? Guest: Will Sommer, politics reporter at the Daily BeastHostLizzie O’Leary  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, in the wake of violent protests at the Capitol, the social media platforms took unprecedented steps to rein in the president. Facebook banned his account at least through Inauguration Day. Twitter removed tweets and locked his account for 12 hours. Will these measures really make a difference? And how is it that two CEOs came to have so much power over the president’s reach?Guest: Danielle Citron, professor at UVA Law School and vice president of the Cyber Civil Rights InitiativeHostLizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Timnit Gebru, renowned AI ethics researcher and co-founder of Black in AI, discusses the controversy surrounding her departure from Google, focusing on topics like ethics, AI, and racism in the tech industry. She also delves into the significance of representation in AI research and expresses frustration with Google's lack of action and diversity initiatives.

This week, the FTC and more than 40 state attorneys general brought antitrust lawsuits against Facebook. And they’re not pulling their punches. They are calling for Facebook to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp into independent companies. In other words, breakup.The lawsuits represent some of the most significant antitrust action in the United States in the last 40 years. Will they get results?Guest:Tony Romm, tech policy reporter at the Washington PostHostLizzie O’Leary  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ransomware attacks--when hackers break into digital systems, encrypt files, and demand payment to unlock them, isn’t new. But 2020 has seen an explosion in the frequency of these hacks, which are often targeted at schools and hospitals. Who is behind this recent spate of attacks? And is there anything schools and hospitals can do to protect themselves?Guests:Jessica Beyer, teacher at Baltimore County Public SchoolsDave Uberti, cyber security reporter at the Wall Street JournalHostLizzie O’Leary  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Joe Biden takes office in two months, the federal government will take on a new stance in its fight to contain the coronavirus. The broad strokes of that strategy have been outlined in debates and on campaign websites, but now the real work begins.Two weeks ago, the president-elect appointed a team of 13 advisers to answer some key questions. How can the new government win the trust of the 73 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump? What would a national mask mandate look like? How will the different vaccines be distributed?A member of President-elect Biden’s COVID-19 council takes us behind the scenes.Guest: Celine Gounder, member of the Joe Biden’s COVID-19 Advisory Board, and host of the American Diagnosis and Epidemic podcasts.HostLizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Barack Obama first won the White House, back in 2008, with Joe Biden as his vice president, the executive branch’s stance towards tech and tech companies was seen as cooperative, progressive, and forward-thinking. This time around, the tech giants can expect a very different relationship.Will Biden be the president to finally rein in big tech?Guest: Cecilia Kang, technology reporter at The New York TimesHostLizzie O’Leary  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices