Foundering

In 1987, a young couple was killed in Washington state. This case, and others like it, were unsolved for decades — until a new technology emerged. This week on Decrypted, Bloomberg's Kristen V. Brown visits CeCe Moore, who's at the forefront of using genetic genealogy to hunt killers. Her work is made possible by consumers who upload their DNA test results to the internet to learn about their family lineages and their own health. But did these consumers intend for that information to be used to track down criminals?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The e-cigarette maker Juul has seen stratospheric sales since early 2017, making it one of the buzziest startups in Silicon Valley. But now a backlash over the company's popularity with teenagers could jeopardize that. This week on Decrypted, Olivia Zaleski and Pia Gadkari trace the company's story from its origins. Juul says it only ever wanted to help adults quit smoking. Instead, it's become a social media sensation. And critics fear teen vaping is nothing short of a new public health crisis in the making.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Facebook is used to dealing with rogue actors antagonizing politicians on its platform. But what happens when a country's own government is the one bending the rules? This week on Decrypted, Bloomberg Technology's Sarah Frier and Pia Gadkari look at what happened when officials in Sri Lanka reached out to Facebook to help build the government's online presence, and Facebook's responsibility when ambitious world leaders start using the platform for their own political ends.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For years, Elon Musk had been testing the limits of acceptable decorum for a public company CEO. This summer, he may have finally gone too far. This week on Decrypted, Bloomberg Technology's Brad Stone and Dana Hull trace how the two words "funding secured" helped trigger a more than 20 percent decline of Tesla's stock price, and led the government to open two separate investigations into the company. Musk has never seemed to care much about consequences, but now that strategy could have big implications for the future of Tesla.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Advances in photo and video editing technology have enabled fake news, birthed viral hoaxes and even empowered corrupt governments. But they've also had a less publicized consequence: complicating mankind's search for extraterrestrial life. This week on Decrypted, Bloomberg Technology's Austin Weinstein and Pia Gadkari examine the recent boom in UFO sightings -- and how they've become more convincing than ever. This is part of a special season of Decrypted, where we examine the unintended consequences of modern technology.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Andrew Friedman pulled out an old Flip Video camera to watch a cherished video of his newborn son, his camera wouldn't turn on. It's happened to many of us: we buy the latest new app or gadget, but within a few years it becomes obsolete as the tech industry moves on, often leaving our files behind with it. So Andrew turned to Bloomberg Technology's Brad Stone for help. This week on Decrypted, Brad and Kristy Westgard go on a mission to get the videos back. It's part of a special season exploring the unintended consequences of technology.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ocean Falls in Canada had been mostly abandoned for the last 40 years—until an entrepreneur started building a facility to mine bitcoin there. Residents hoped the new business would help revive the struggling community. This season on Decrypted, we'll be exploring the unintended consequences of technology. In this episode, Bloomberg Technology's Joshua Brustein travels to Ocean Falls to see whether bitcoin's arrival has actually been good for the Canadian town. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The third season of Decrypted launches Sept. 4, and we're dedicating the entire season to exploring the unintended consequences of technology. We'll be releasing new episodes every Tuesday.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have a new host on Decrypted! Aki and Brad welcome Pia Gadkari to the mic, and Aki fills us in on some exciting news of her own.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last month, the world's most far-reaching data privacy regulation took effect in Europe. Consumers there can now not only ask companies to delete or hand over their data, but they can also sell that data to other businesses. This week on Decrypted, Bloomberg Technology's Nate Lanxon sets out to get his data back from several businesses and see whether anyone will pay him for his personal information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.