
Techdirt
The Techdirt Podcast, hosted by Michael Masnick.
Latest episodes

Apr 24, 2024 • 34min
Copyright Conundrum
This week, we've got another cross-post episode for you. Mike recently appeared on the Sidebar podcast from Courthouse News as part of an episode taking an in-depth look at why copyright is actually the biggest free speech restriction in the US and the various questions, implications, and problems that arise from this. You can listen to the whole thing here on this week's episode.

Apr 18, 2024 • 10min
Ctrl-Alt-Speech: Facebook's New AI Content Policy (Teaser)
Check out Ctrl-Alt-Speech, Mike Masnick's brand new podcast with Ben Whitelaw, creator of the Everything in Moderation newsletter.
In this teaser excerpt from last week's episode, Ben and guest host Alice Hunsberger discuss Meta/Facebook's new policy for labeling AI-generated content.
Listen to the whole episode covering all the week's biggest news in online speech - and get ready for this week's episode, releasing tomorrow - by visiting ctrlaltspeech.com or subscribing to Ctrl-Alt-Speech on your podcast platform of choice!
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ctrl…ch/id1734530193
Overcast: overcast.fm/itunes1734530193
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/1N3tvLxUTCR7oTdUgUCQvc
Amazon Music: music.amazon.com/podcasts/9384201…e51-218433a7e647
YouTube: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLc…Hqqc3ZjufeEw2AS7Z
More: www.ctrlaltspeech.com/

Apr 16, 2024 • 44min
Abolishing Section 230 Would Abolish Wikipedia
Rebecca MacKinnon, Wikimedia's VP, discusses the importance of Section 230 in maintaining an open internet. The podcast highlights the role of Section 230 in safeguarding platforms like Wikipedia and the potential negative impact of modifying it. The discussion also explores the disproportionate focus on Section 230 compared to privacy laws and the evolving perceptions of internet platforms.

Apr 9, 2024 • 49min
Democratic Design For Online Spaces
Media studies professor Nathan Schneider discusses democratic design for online spaces in his book. Topics include contrasting offline and online democratic structures, navigating community standards and trolls, democracy versus feudalism in online communities, rethinking financialization, and balancing decentralization and centralization in online spaces.

Apr 4, 2024 • 11min
Ctrl-Alt-Speech: The Most Moderated Word on Meta (Teaser)
Ben Whitelaw, creator of the Everything in Moderation newsletter, joins Mike Masnick to discuss the recent decision from the Oversight Board revealing the most moderated word on Meta's social media sites. They delve into the complexities of content moderation, trade-offs, and the challenges of making policy decisions during conflicts like the one in the Middle East.

Apr 3, 2024 • 50min
How Important Will The Murthy Case Be?
We've written a lot about the Murthy case at the Supreme Court, and especially how poor of a job the states did in making their argument. Now, as we await the ruling, there are a lot of questions about what it will look like and how consequential it will be. This week, we're joined by law professor Kate Klonick to discuss what happened, what's likely to come next, and what kind of impact it will have.

Mar 28, 2024 • 10min
Ctrl-Alt-Speech: Elon Musk & Stonetoss (Teaser)
Check out Ctrl-Alt-Speech, Mike Masnick's brand new podcast with Ben Whitelaw, creator of the Everything in Moderation newsletter.
In this teaser excerpt from last week's episode, Mike and Ben discuss the latest curious and contradictory content moderation decisions by Elon Musk, and a recent article about the risks and challenges associated with how different countries approach internet regulation.
Listen to the whole episode covering all the week's biggest news in online speech - and get ready for this week's episode, releasing tomorrow - by visiting ctrlaltspeech.com or subscribing to Ctrl-Alt-Speech on your podcast platform of choice!
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ctrl-alt-speech/id1734530193
Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1734530193
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1N3tvLxUTCR7oTdUgUCQvc
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/93842011-b662-430a-8e51-218433a7e647
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcky6_VTbejGkZ7aHqqc3ZjufeEw2AS7Z
More: https://www.ctrlaltspeech.com/

Mar 26, 2024 • 1h 4min
Cognitive Liberty Is The End Goal Of Decentralization
Danny O'Brien, a key figure in founding Techdirt, joins for a discussion on decentralization and 'cognitive liberty'. Topics include trends in online content creation, managing information overload, mobile setup evolution, terminal and instrumental values, cognitive liberty in modern tech, data privacy rights, and the challenges of decentralization.

Mar 18, 2024 • 14min
Ctrl-Alt-Speech: The TikTok Ban (Teaser)
Check out Ctrl-Alt-Speech, Mike Masnick's brand new podcast with Ben Whitelaw, creator of the Everything in Moderation newsletter.
In this teaser excerpt from the debut episode of Ctrl-Alt-Speech, Mike and Ben discuss the US bill that aims to ban TikTok, or at least force ByteDance to divest from it.
Listen to the whole episode, covering all the week's biggest news in online speech, by visiting ctrlaltspeech.com or subscribing to Ctrl-Alt-Speech on your podcast platform of choice!
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ctrl-alt-speech/id1734530193
Overcast: https://overcast.fm/itunes1734530193
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1N3tvLxUTCR7oTdUgUCQvc
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/93842011-b662-430a-8e51-218433a7e647
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcky6_VTbejGkZ7aHqqc3ZjufeEw2AS7Z
More: https://www.ctrlaltspeech.com/

Mar 13, 2024 • 44min
Gaming Like It's 1928!
As is tradition, now that we've announced the winners of our latest public domain game jam, Gaming Like It's 1928, it's time for a special episode of the podcast taking a closer look at them. Just like in past years, Mike is joined by myself and our game design partner Randy Lubin to discuss our thoughts on the winners in all six categories, and a bunch of other great games that didn't quite make the cut.
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