The Tech Shock podcast – Mark Weinstein, surveillance capitalism, privacy and anonymity

“Privacy and anonymity are two cherished ideas for humanity that are supported in democratic institutions [...] and we’re going to have to give one of them up.” 

Surveillance capitalism – that is, the collection, analysis and use of personal data to sell people things and influence their behaviours – wouldn’t be possible without losses in (or infringements on) privacy. 

At the same time, however, anonymity can be seen to permit trolling and the spread of disinformation. User anonymity might also undermine attempts to age-restrict online content and platforms.

In this episode, Vicki is joined by privacy advocate and author Mark Weinstein to discuss this potential conflict, user IDs and user data in the age of AI, and modelling behaviours when it comes to tech use and critical thinking.

You can listen to the episode in full, here.