Podcast
Download This Show
Hosted by ABC Australia · EN
Download This Show is your weekly guide to the world of media, culture, and technology. From social media to gadgets, streaming services to privacy issues. Each week Rae Johnston and guests take a fun, deep dive into how technology is reshaping our lives.
37episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Are there more bots than people on the internet?
Feb 600:29:00Tap to summarizeHaving an AI agent act as your personal executive assistant may seem like a sweet deal, but security experts have a few concerns.Also on the program, Moltbook is a new social media platform specfically designed for AI agents to chat. So far, they’ve started a religion, made their own scripture and called for humanity’s downfall. What happens when we anthropomorphise binary code? And, the dead internet theory used to be a fringe conspiracy theory. But AI is getting us closer and closer to it being a reality. So, how much of the internet is still occupied by humans?GUESTS:Kai Riemer, professor of information technology at University of Sydney, and and director of Sydney Executive Plus.Tegan Jones, deputy editor at SmartCompany and co-host of Weird Tech.
Transcribe →What is Upscrolled, Australia’s newest viral social media platform?
Jan 3000:28:10Tap to summarizeTikTok has finally struck a deal to avoid being banned in the United States. Their privacy policy also got a controversial update. So, who owns US TikTok now? And what difference will it make to users?Also on the program, there’s a new social media site going viral – Upscrolled. What is this Australian-owned site, exactly? And finally, OpenAI is trialling ads on ChatGPT. The company’s CEO Sam Altman once said including ads would be a last resort. So does this mean the company is financially unstable? And what kind of data would they share with advertisers?Gianfranco references this The Information article about OpenAI burning through $115 billion through 2029.GUESTS:Meg Coffey, digital strategist and founder of State of Social. Gianfranco Di Giovanni, ABC Radio Perth content director and an arts, gaming and tech reporter.This episode was produced on Gadigal land.
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Spotify was copied by a piracy archive. Why does that matter?
Jan 2300:29:00Tap to summarizePlus! Social media site Digg is back. For those who remember, it may feel like returning to what was good about the internet. Is this the sign of a new era for social media? And how long can it hold out being monetised?Also, why gaming in a group, even publicly... outside, is becoming more popular.GUESTS:Phoebe Toups Dougas, associate professor of human-centred computing in the Exertion Games Lab at Monash University.Fergus Halliday, journalist at Whistleout and reviews.org Australia.This episode of Download This Show was produced on Gadigal land.
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Opt Out 05 | Can you ever really opt out of online life?
Dec 1900:29:04Tap to summarizeAfter weeks of trying to audit, delete, and lock down her digital life, Rae hits the big, uncomfortable question: what if you can’t opt out of the internet, even if you really want to?In the final episode of Opt Out, Rae speaks with Jathan Sadowski, senior lecturer at Monash University and proud Luddite, about how surveillance creeps into everyday life — from smart cars to smart locks — and why 'just logging off' is a privilege most people don’t actually have. Then she sits down with Carly Kind, Australia’s Privacy Commissioner, to ask what protections exist here, where the gaps are, and what power individuals really have to push back.Opt Out is Download This Show's five-part series following Rae as she attempts to take back control of her online life — auditing, deleting, and locking down her own digital life, one step at a time, so you can too.Technical production by Riley Mellis.
Transcribe →Opt Out 04 | What did I just agree to?
Dec 1900:29:04Tap to summarizeEvery time you click 'accept' online, you’re legally agreeing to something. The problem is… you probably have no idea what that something is.In episode four of Opt Out, Rae tackles the fine print: the privacy policies and terms and conditions we all scroll past because life is short and the language is cooked. She speaks with Dr Katharine Kemp, privacy law expert and associate professor at UNSW, about how digital 'consent' works in Australia, and why companies can legally do things with your data you’d probably never agree to if it was written in plain English.Then Rae talks to Dr Sky Croeser from Curtin University about what happens when people do try to opt out, and why the internet is designed to make that as hard as possible. Surprisingly, it’s not all bleak: there are corners of the web doing things differently, and they’re worth knowing about.Opt Out is Download This Show's five-part series following Rae as she attempts to take back control of her online life — auditing, deleting, and locking down her own digital life, one step at a time, so you can too.Technical production by Riley Mellis.
Transcribe →Opt Out 03 | How not to get hacked
Dec 1900:29:03Tap to summarizeIf someone tried to hack you right now… how long would it take?In episode three of Opt Out, Rae confronts her own extremely average cyber hygiene and tries to stop being the digital equivalent of someone who leaves their keys in the front door. She speaks with Vanessa Teague, cryptographer and privacy advocate, to unpack why passwords matter (and why humans are terrible at them), before spiralling into the world of password managers, two-factor authentication, and security keys.Then, drowning under the weight of security suggestions, Rae turns to Carter Smith from CyberCX to work out what’s actually worth doing, and what’s just security theatre. It turns out, staying safe online assumes way more time, knowledge, and energy than most people have.Opt Out is Download This Show's five-part series following Rae as she attempts to take back control of her online life — auditing, deleting, and locking down her own digital life, one step at a time, so you can too.Technical production by Riley Mellis.
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Which big bank is betting on Bitcoin?
Nov 18, 2021Tap to summarizeThe Commonwealth Bank is adding cryptocurrencies to its banking app, becoming the first Australian bank to offer such a service. Plus, Twitter launched its new subscription product, Twitter Blue, in the US this week but some experts are asking why some simple features are hiding behind the paywall.And the US Justice Department is suing Uber over allegations it has been overcharging disabled people.Guests:Natasha Gillezeau - Technology, Marketing and Media journalist at The Australian Financial ReviewPeter Marks - Software developer at Access Informatics
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