Episode notes
Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover. In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover: What is in the EU's planned KIDS Act? (Reuters)Proposal for EU KIDS Act - 'EU Keeping Internet Digital Spaces Accountable and Trustworthy' (EU Commission)France makes new attempt to ban social media for children under age 15 (Le Monde)Reading scores plummet as ‘digital distraction’ harms students (FT)We are setting...
Podcast
Ctrl-Alt-Speech
Mike Masnick & Ben Whitelaw · Tech & Science · English
Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly news podcast co-created by Techdirt’s Mike Masnick and Everything in Moderation’s Ben Whitelaw. Each episode looks at the latest news in online speech, covering issues regarding trust & safety, content moderation, regulation, court rulings, new services & technology, and
More from Ctrl-Alt-Speech All episodes →
-
S1 · E124 · 9 Oct 2026 · 39 min
Like Herding Chats
Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover. In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover: The Official Sonic Discord Server’s Launch Went About As Poorly As You’d Expect (Kotaku)Vladimir Putin's Forkiverse (Search Engine)They trade child sex abuse material. They find each other on TikTok (Prospect)Meta rolls out new AI tools to detect ads that secretly lead to child sexual abuse material (TechCrunch)Tik...
-
S1 · E123 · 2 Oct 2026 · 39 min
Going to the Ballot Bot
Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover. In this week’s episode, Ben is joined by Katie Harbath, Meta’s former director of public policy for global elections and now founder of technology policy firm Anchor Change. She is also the author of Disrupting Politics, out on Tuesday. Together they discuss: TSE (Brazil Election Commission) clarifies rules on deepfakes in the 2026 elections (O Diário do Par...
-
S1 · E122 · 25 Sep 2026 · 37 min
Some Assembly Required
Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover. In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover: Trump dismisses concerns about AI risks at UN, says he won't rein it in (PBS News)A.I. Gone Rogue? Trump Proposes Not New Rules but an ‘A.I. Force.’ (New York Times) 22 countries back call to keep AI ‘under human control’ (POLITICO)If AI is going to destroy humanity, Scott Bessent says hyperscalers, not govern...
-
S1 · E120 · 11 Sep 2026 · 41 min
Duty of Careful What You Wish For
Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover. In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover: Australians will be able to switch off social media algorithms under planned legislation (BBC News)Australia’s social media ban has an enforcement problem. These new laws aim to fix it (The Conversation)The Netherlands forced Meta to let users ditch algorithmic feeds. Here’s what happened (The Conversation)What We ...
-
S1 · E119 · 4 Sep 2026 · 42 min
License to Spill
Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover. In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover: FBI Probes Service Selling 153M+ Drivers Licenses (Krebs on Security)Introducing ChatGPT for Teens: Built for learning, backed by protections (OpenAI)OpenAI Says ChatGPT Is Safer for Teens. Now It Needs to Show Proof (RAND)'AI is less judgmental' (Washington Post)And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters, ...
-
S1 · E118 · 28 Aug 2026 · 35 min
Move Fast and Settle Things
Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover. In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover: Meta Just Paid Nearly $17 Billion To Make Sure It Gets To Write The Kid Safety Rules For Every Other Social Media Platform (Techdirt)Mark Zuckerberg Wants to Make Sure His Competitors Share His Pain (New York Times)Meta settlement opens new front in global fight over social media harm (Reuters)And in the extended episode...
-
S1 · E117 · 21 Aug 2026 · 42 min
School of Hard Blocks
Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover. In this week’s roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike is joined by Chris Messina, inventor of the #hashtag in social media, who has worked on internet and social media efforts for decades. Together they discuss: Oakland Unified Announces New Cell Phone Policy Now in Effect; Policy is Based on New State Law Req...
-
S1 · E116 · 14 Aug 2026 · 41 min
Watermark My Words
Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover. In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover: Claude will apply invisible watermarks to AI text and images (The Verge)Claude-inspired copypasting (LinkedIn)Anthropic investors bet on $2tn valuation in record IPO (Financial Times)The Future is for Everyone (Meta)OpenAI’s head of ethics leaves start-up less than a year after joining (Financial Times)US court rules Met...
