Tech4Evil

Hello Africa: Bitcoin for Freedom and How to Use Tech to Fight Human Traffickers and Save Hostages – Part 1

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Tue, 27 Feb 2024 22:07:11 +0000

In our special coverage of the 2023 Oslo Freedom Forum Manal and I got to meet some truly inspirational African delegates who are shaping the way technology serves human rights on the African continent.

From the emerging power house that is Machankura we sat down with Noelyne Sumba and Kgothatso Ngako – both brilliant innovators doing some powerlifting with bitcoin to serve the human rights of their fellow citizens and African neighbors. They translate bitcoin learning materials into native African languages, and found a way to own and store bitcoin, even if you don’t have an internet connection, or a smartphone, or even a crypto account – talk about innovation!!!! These young tech-guns are leading the way….

And, you would be hard pressed to find a more dedicated warrior in the fight for human rights than Meron Estefanos. Meron’s nickname is “The Huntress of Human Traffickers”, she brought fifteen human traffickers to justice, helped to save thousands of Eritreans from drowning in the Mediterranean and helped negotiate the release of hostages who were kidnapped and held at ransom. Forget Arnie and Stallone… Meron is the ULTIMATE badass. Manal sat down to speak with Meron about AI, human trafficking and so much more.

Tune in for this absolutely unmissable episode from Season 3 of Tech4Evil.

We want to hear from you. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at contact@tech4evil.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tech4evil. And if you've spotted Big Tech going too far, use the hashtag #EvilSpotter and mention @Tech4Evil and share your story.


Music and media production by Reinhardt Sosin.

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Live SXSW Special: Digital Battlegrounds: Bytes, Bravery, and the Pursuit of Freedom

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 10:08:11 +0000

Redefining Our Digital Lives: A Deep Dive into Technology’s Unseen Impact on Democracy and Human Rights

In today’s digital age, our lives are intertwined with technology more than ever. From the moment we wake up to the minute we sleep, smartphones and smart devices have become our constant companions. But at what cost? Are we merely consumers in a digital marketplace, or is there a darker side to this tech-driven world?

In this special live episode of Tech 4Evil, recorded at the renowned South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Sydney, hosts Manal Al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin take us on an eye-opening journey through the intricate web of technology that surrounds us. They discuss the paradox of technology and the impact on our fundamental human rights and privacy.

Episode Highlights:

Smartphone Addiction: How our attachment to smartphones has reached unprecedented levels, reshaping even our most private moments.
Tech Giants’ Duality: The curious case of tech moguls restricting their children’s tech use while promoting it to the world.
Facial Recognition – A Privacy Nightmare: Unveiling the intrusive nature of facial recognition technologies in public and private spaces.
Amazon Ring: Security or Surveillance? Examining Amazon Ring’s surveillance capabilities and its collaboration with law enforcement agencies.
The Fight for Digital Rights: The pressing need for a Universal Declaration of Digital Rights in the era of data sovereignty.
AI in Employment: The hidden biases in AI-driven job application processes and their discriminatory impact.
Activism through Technology: Celebrating the brave use of technology by activists worldwide, from unmasking oppressors to smuggling information into oppressive regimes.
Can Tech Be a Force for Good? Concluding thoughts on using technology ethically and understanding our digital rights.

Join the Conversation: Manal and Reinhardt not only present these thought-provoking topics but also invite the live audience to participate, sparking discussions around online security, privacy, and the broader societal impact of technology.

The Call to Action: As we navigate this tech-saturated world, it’s crucial to recognize our role and the power we hold. This episode of Tech 4Evil is more than just a conversation; it’s a call to action for listeners of all ages to join the movement in reclaiming our digital agency and ensuring technology remains a force for good.

Don’t miss this crucial episode that challenges us to rethink our relationship with technology, for our present and our collective digital future.

Recorded on : 20 Oct 2023 14:00 – 15:00 | ICC Sydney, Convention Centre, Sydney, 2000

https://schedule.sxswsydney.com/sessions/ec129f7b-495a-564b-a543-35de90947e23

We want to hear from you. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at contact@tech4evil.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tech4evil. And if you've spotted Big Tech going too far, use the hashtag #EvilSpotter and mention @Tech4Evil and share your story.


Music and media production by Reinhardt Sosin.

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Flash Drives for Freedom: Unlocking North Korea’s Closed Society with Seongmin Lee

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Fri, 15 Sep 2023 10:45:14 +0000

In a world where technology is synonymous with convenience, accessibility, and connectivity, it’s easy to take our digital liberties for granted. However, for those trapped in closed societies like North Korea, access to information is a rare and precious commodity. In this episode of ‘Tech for Evil,’ we delve into the intersection of technology and human rights, shedding light on the remarkable initiative known as ‘Flash Drives for Freedom‘ and its mission to empower North Korean citizens with information and foster dissent in North Korea.

“Flash Drives for Freedom” is a beacon of hope in this information-starved landscape. The program collects donated USB drives and SD cards, filling them with valuable information like Korean Wikipedia, documentaries, and real-world knowledge. These small devices are then smuggled into North Korea, giving North Koreans a glimpse of the truth beyond their borders.

Join us as we delve into the importance of this initiative and the transformative power of information. Discover how these efforts are gradually opening windows to the outside world for North Koreans and challenging the regime’s control. Learn how you can support “Flash Drives for Freedom” by Human Rights Foundation and be part of a movement that believes in the potential of information to inspire change and promote freedom.

Don’t miss this eye-opening episode, where we uncover the profound impact of technology used for a noble cause—to unlock minds and empower those living in one of the world’s most closed societies.

#EthiTech #HumanRights #Digital Rights #Surveillance #Democracy #Freedom #Dictators #DigitalActivism #DigitalTyranny #TyrannyofTech #NorthKorea #FlashDrivesForFreedom #HRF #HumanRightsFoundation

We want to hear from you. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at contact@tech4evil.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tech4evil. And if you've spotted Big Tech going too far, use the hashtag #EvilSpotter and mention @Tech4Evil and share your story.


Music and media production by Reinhardt Sosin.

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Don’t Click Here – Tech4Evil Season 3 Teaser

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 11:29:20 +0000

Digital Battlegrounds: Bytes, Bravery, and the Pursuit of Freedom

The digital era – a double-edged sword, wielded by both heroes and tyrants. Welcome to an electrifying season, where the stakes are high, and the warriors are relentless.

“Dictatorship in the Digital Space” is an unsettling reality. As dictators exploit cutting-edge tech to muzzle dissent, monitor every move, and craft illusions of popularity, a valiant counterforce rises.

Join Manal and Reinhardt from the Tech4Evil podcast on season 3 titled “Don’t Click Here”. We dive into the riveting stories of intrepid activists, journalists, and freedom fighters from around the globe. Witness how, with wit and grit, they evade censorship, debunk disinformation, and guard civil liberties.

From ingenious tactics that keep communication lines open during internet blackouts, to subverting digital surveillance with counter-tech, this episode illuminates the indomitable human spirit.

But it’s more than stories; it’s an awakening. Through insights into the global struggle between liberty and oppression, democracy and dictatorship, you’ll grasp the vital role technology plays in shaping our shared future.

The digital reckoning is upon us. Will you join the ranks of the guardians of freedom? Empower yourself and your community by learning how to be a force for good in the digital age.

#HumanRights #Digital Rights #Surveillance #Democracy #Freedom #Dictators #DigitalActivism #DigitalTyranny #TyrannyofTech.

Ridiculously Smart, Smart Devices?

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Sun, 26 Mar 2023 08:15:23 +0000

For many of us on this planet, our modern, digital lives are fast, cheap, convenient and smart as hell! Rediculously smart! Benign household devices like fridges and hoovers may have been born innocent and practical but have matured into obnoxiously in-your-face adolescent terrors. Devices that were once dumb are now terrifyingly capable and ”here to help” us. But have they gotten too smart? From voice assistants that can order groceries to smart thermostats that know when we’re home, our lives are becoming increasingly intertwined with technology. But what about the risks that come with this level of integration? Are these devices collecting our data without our knowledge or informed consent?

In this episode of Tech for Evil, we examine the dark side of smart devices and the potential threats they pose to our privacy and security. We’ll explore how these devices gather data about our habits, preferences, and even our conversations, all in the name of convenience. We’ll also discuss the ways in which this data can be used to target us with advertising, manipulate our behavior, or even be sold to third parties without our consent.

Join us as we dive into the world of smart devices and explore the tradeoffs we make for the convenience they offer. Are we sacrificing too much of our privacy and security for the sake of a more connected life? And what can we do to protect ourselves in an increasingly digital world? Don’t miss this important episode and join the growing movement that is fighting to keep tech good for all of us.

We want to hear from you. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at contact@tech4evil.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tech4evil. And if you've spotted Big Tech going too far, use the hashtag #EvilSpotter and mention @Tech4Evil and share your story.


Music and media production by Reinhardt Sosin.

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Our Chemical Romance with Dating Apps

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 11:22:23 +0000

Dating apps have radically reshaped the modern romance landscape. How we present ourselves and find other people on the dating market is now filtered through a digital lens. Dating Apps have turned the art of finding a partner into an online shopping experience very different from the raw, face-to-face courtship the previous generation had.

But what about the companies that make dating apps? How do the apps work? What is the science behind them? Are the dating apps really trying to find us our soul mate or is there something more sinister going on?

In this Episode of Tech4Evil Manal and Reinhardt examine the rise of dating apps, their origin story and the science that keeps us swiping obsessively. We also look at how these apps might take very personal information like our salary, religion and sexual orientation and send it on to third parties you never knew about. And what about the terrifying new things dating apps have brought us like addictive behaviors, harassment, deception, exploitation and even a rise in sexual assault? Is the price we’re paying to find our match too high?

Join Manal and Reinhardt as we explore the world of dating apps, find out what YouTube has to do with dating apps, how much money we spend on these apps annually and how they might make our love lives sick. Don’t miss this important episode and join the growing movement that is taking back our digital agency and fighting to keep tech good! For young and old and for our collective digital future.

We want to hear from you. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at contact@tech4evil.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tech4evil. And if you've spotted Big Tech going too far, use the hashtag #EvilSpotter and mention @Tech4Evil and share your story.

Meet the guy who turned dating into an addiction, TIME
Tinder founder Sean Rad explains why the dating app is so popular, Business Insider
I Just Figured Out Why Online Dating Doesn’t Work, Medium
The Dark Side of Tinder: The Dark Triad of Personality as Correlates of Tinder Use, Research Gate
Dating Apps, Research Gate
What Makes Tinder Users Tick?, Pschology Today
The one thing dating apps will give you for sure? Addiction
On a 30-something’s Refusal to Use Dating Apps, Rachel Presser
Hype at First Swipe: The Dark Side of Using Dating Apps, Andrea A
When it comes to dating advice, why is it always women who must improve?, The Conversation
From ghosting to ‘backburner’ relationships: the reasons people behave so badly on dating apps, The Conversation
Tinder Stats & Dating Apps Market, Business of Apps
Why dating apps make you feel awful, Vox
We’ve come to expect being treated badly on dating apps, The Guardian
I asked Tinder for my data. It sent me 800 pages of my deepest, darkest secrets, The Guardian

Music by Reinhardt Sosin. Media production by East Coast Studio.

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Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 12:47:06 +0000

Have you ever found yourself wondering “…what if I just delete my Facebook account…?”

Believe us, you’re not the only one to have pondered this question jokingly or even seriously in the last few years, and with good reason. Some part of you likely came to this realisation, intuitively, that feeling insecure and sad and lonely after several hours of doom scrolling and checking all your social media accounts was not quite the experience you were promised from these Social Media Apps.

In this Episode of Tech4Evil Manal and Reinhardt take a close look at Jaron Lanier’s book Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now. For those of you who have seen the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, Jaron Lanier and his book are already permeating your consciousness.

The ideas put forward in the book are likely starting to tickle that part of your brain entertaining the notion that purging your toxic, pervasive and attention-stealing social media accounts could mean getting your life back. In other words, if you delete your Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter accounts you might be able to have better mental and emotional health, be a better person and enjoy a more authentic human connection with your family and friends and loved ones. yes, you might get back to the life you had before all the notifications, posts, likes, comments and reshares started to chime and vibrate and ding their way into your daily consciousness through the smartphone you keep within reach 24 hours daily.

If you’re looking to follow that intuitive part of your brain down the rabbit hole and say “goodbye” to all this digital detritus from your life then this is the episode for you.

According to Jaron Lanier, when you delete your social media accounts you will join the resistance against the main insanity of our times, be less of an asshole, support the discovery of truth, be more empathetic and restore your economic dignity… Wow! What do you have to lose?

Join Manal and Reinhardt and explore some of the best reasons to get rid of all your toxic social media accounts. We will explain how Big Tech is doing its best to take up all our attention, all our emotional bandwidth and all our digital capital as netizens. Tune in to our Crash Course in Digital Self-Defense and spread the word about reclaiming our autonomy and digital agency. Don’t miss this important episode and don’t succumb to the hypnosis that Big Tech wants to permeate. We are taking back our digital agency and fighting to keep tech good! For young and old and for our collective future.

We want to hear from you. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at contact@tech4evil.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tech4evil. And if you've spotted Big Tech going too far, use the hashtag #EvilSpotter and mention @Tech4Evil and share your story.


Music and media production by Reinhardt Sosin.

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The State of Facial Recognition in Australia

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 09:35:01 +0000

Our guest for this episode is Andrew McAlister, a Data Ethics & Privacy Expert.

Today, Australia stands out as the only democracy to use facial recognition technology to enforce COVID-19 restrictions. The private sector is participating too. Last year, 7-Eleven in Australia collected the facial prints of 1.6 million customers without their knowledge or consent. 7-Eleven was never fined. And now OAIC is opening a probe into Bunnings and Kmart over facial recognition. Privacy advocates say there isn’t much hope looking at the 7-Eleven example.

Facial recognition technology violates a fundamental human right, the right to privacy. And with facial recognition becoming increasingly sophisticated, it will soon be possible to monitor an entire population with minimal effort. But to what end?

Our guest for this episode is Andrew McAlister, a Data Ethics and Privacy expert, who will help us dig deeper into the state of facial recognition in Australia and explain what the rest of the free world is doing.

We talk about how facial recognition is now used as part of the psychological warfare in Ukraine, how Westfield tracks our every move once we step into one of their malls, and how Telstra’s tools can turn you into a green blob once passed by CCTV. We also talk about the US and EU and how their citizens resisted the use of facial recognition, and finally, we talk about Data for Good and how data can be used to save lives.

00:00:00 Why the Ivy didn’t let me enter their venue (Manal’s story)

00:03:40 OAIC opens probe into Bunnings and Kmart use of facial recognition

00:08:00 What’s biometric data and what’s facial print?

00:10:00 What’s the impact on customers in Australia where facial recognition is not regulated?

00:13:00 What does the Privacy Act say about the justifications for monitoring customers?

00:13:30 What is the second (or secondery) use of data?

00:15:14 What is Mesh technology and how does it monitor all our activities and behaviors in the real world? (scary shit!)

00:16:40 How our behavioral data is being monitized

00:17:00 Deep facial analytics is the next step

00:18:30 What are the things supermarkets collect about us?

00:19:00 How Westfield track all shoppers activities once they step in

00:20:00 The arm race for collecting and exploiting behavior data in the physical world too

00:21:30 How ClearView is used in the Ukrainian war to identify dead Russian soldiers

00:24:40 Australia is the only democracy in the world to use facial recognition to enforce COVID-19 restrictions

00:25:27 The US federal law banning private facial recognition

00:26:00 The state of facial recognition law in Australia

00:29:00 Is Australia moving towards a technocracy?

00:33:00 Amazon Ring the largest crowdfunded mass surveillance project in the world

00:35:00 Data sharing agreements

00:37:40 What Europe is doing and how Australia can learn from that

00:42:00 Ethics in Technology and why businesses should care about them

00:46:00 Canada and facial recognition

00:50:00 Data for Good and how it can save lives such as funding cancer research

00:54:00 Dr Gareth Williams and his startup CleanSense and how to use data for good

00:57:00 How to turn into a green blob when passing by CCTV?

00:58:00 Zero point privacy

01:02:00 Andrew McAlister message to technologists and regulators

Join the resistance against the excesses of Big Tech. We are taking back our digital agency and fighting to keep tech good! For young and old and for our collective future.

We want to hear from you. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at contact@tech4evil.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tech4evil. And if you've spotted Big Tech going too far, use the hashtag #EvilSpotter and mention @Tech4Evil and share your story.


Music and media production by Reinhardt Sosin.

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Captology or Computers as Persuasive Technology- Part 3

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 13:03:34 +0000

Special thanks to Prof. Debbie Haski-Leventhal and Cameron Bogatez for sharing their experience with addictive technology for this episode.

In the third and final installment of the Captology mini-series, Manal and Reinhardt examine the profound and terrifying impacts that have come from Big Tech using Capatology tactics on children, parents and the average person.

In part three of our Captology series, we look at the phenomena of online social contagion and mental disorders among adolescent girls being traced back to social media. We also hear directly from a parent trying desperately to help their child through technology addiction and a young entrepreneur who may have the answer.

The rising attention economy created by Big Tech is robbing us of our ability to focus preventing us from connecting deeply with people around us and is polarising our society. The crazy thing is that the people who are behind it are aware of what they have done and some have turned their backs on their creations and are speaking out.

If you’d like to know what the signs of social media addiction are in yourself and your children then tune in. Don’t feel too bad if you are a parent with a tech-addicted child, Big Tech is aggressively targeting their young minds throughout the day, but you can fight back. Join us for a surprising and uplifting crash course in digital self-defense and a very special guest in the studio.

Join the resistance against the excesses of Big Tech. We are taking back our digital agency and fighting to keep tech good! For young and old and for our collective future.

We want to hear from you. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at contact@tech4evil.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tech4evil. And if you've spotted Big Tech going too far, use the hashtag #EvilSpotter and mention @Tech4Evil and share your story.

Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do by BJ Fogg
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier 
Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life by Nir Eyal
Stolen Focus by Johann Hari
7 WARNING Signs You’re Addicted to Technology, Life Hack
Is your child addicted to screens? Here’s what you can do about it, the Conversation
fastasarocket.com the ethical social media that helps you focus
ETHICAL BY DESIGN: PRINCIPLES FOR GOOD TECHNOLOGY
Foundations of Humane Technology course

Music and media production by Reinhardt Sosin.

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Captology or Computers as Persuasive Technology- Part 2

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 12:22:56 +0000

In our second installment of the Captology mini-series Manal and Reinhardt drill down into several of the specific tactics and techniques that technologists use to hold us captive.

We look at how the Like and Share buttons were not just quaint additions to the social media landscape but rather, very deliberate and slick missiles that targeted our human desire for social affirmation. We explain what B.F. Skinner’s experiments with mice in the 50’s have to do with modern social media platforms. And we explore the ways that our natural human vulnerabilities can be exploited by Big Tech to get as much of our attention as they can and the catastrophic damage it has left in its wake.

Join Manal and Reinhardt for our second episode of Season 2 of Tech4Evil.com and join the resistance against the excesses of Big Tech. Tune in to our podcast for Crash Courses in Digital Self Defense and spread the word. We are taking back our digital agency and fighting to keep tech good! For young and old and for our collective future.

Special thanks to Cameron Bogatez, founder of fastasarocket.com the new ethical social media that helps you focus.

We want to hear from you. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at contact@tech4evil.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tech4evil. And if you've spotted Big Tech going too far, use the hashtag #EvilSpotter and mention @Tech4Evil and share your story.

Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do by BJ Fogg
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
Social media copies gambling methods 'to create psychological cravings', the Guardian
Instagram internal research: ‘We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls’, the Verge
Variability Reward, Want to Hook Users?, My Name Is Manj, And I’m Addicted To Notifications, What Makes online Content Viral?, Our Minds can be Hijacked, the Guardian, The psychology of being ‘liked’ on social media, Psychological Research Is Turning Thumbs Down on Facebook ‘Likes’, How Dopamine Influences Behavior,  Instagram algorithm can even delay notifications


Music and media production by Reinhardt Sosin.

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Captology or Computers as Persuasive Technology – Part 1

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 19:06:35 +0000

There is a battle raging, fought without guns or bombs and not for land or resources… This is a battle for our attention. Big Tech companies are competing for our attention in clever ways and desperately want more and more. If you’re wondering why your children throw tantrums if you ask them to get off their phones, or why you find yourself doom scrolling and obsessively posting and checking for likes, then this podcast is for you. These phenomena did not come about by accident – this was designed.

A few decades ago, a new field of behavioral science emerged from the depths of our advanced computer age. It is called Captology. This is the science of how to grab as much of our time and attention as possible with technology. Nobody is safe from being a lab rat in this giant, unspoken experiment. Whether you’re elderly, a working adult or a child, Big Tech wants to use the principles of Captology on all of us! And guess what, Big Tech is winning the battle by captivating our time, mesmerizing our minds, and taking hold of our deepest emotions for their profit.

Are you scared yet? You probably should be… This topic is so broad and complex that we decided to dedicate three episodes to the people, concepts and impacts involved. We will take you back to the birthplace of Captology looking at people like BJ Fogg and Nir Eyal, exploring the Hooked Model and explaining what Pavlov’s Dog and the principles of Classical Conditioning have to do with our relationships with technology today.

Join Manal and Reinhardt for our first episode of Season 2 and a new year at Tech4Evil.com and join the resistance against the excesses of Big Tech. Tune in to our podcast for Crash Courses in Digital Self Defense and spread the word. We are taking back our digital agency and fighting to keep tech good! For young and old and for our collective future.

00:00 – Season two topics

07:29 – The Facebook whistleblower Francis Haughen

12:27- Captology or Computers as Persuasive Technology

15:54 – The Hooked Model

22:25 – BJ Fogg Behavior Model

25:02 – Pavlov’s Dog

We want to hear from you. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at contact@tech4evil.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tech4evil. And if you've spotted Big Tech going too far, use the hashtag #EvilSpotter and mention @Tech4Evil and share your story.

Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do by BJ Fogg
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal
Social media copies gambling methods 'to create psychological cravings', the Guardian
Instagram internal research: ‘We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls’, the Verge

Music and media production by Reinhardt Sosin.

The Truman Show Meets the Office: Employee Surveillance Apps and other Worrying Tech

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Wed, 09 Feb 2022 08:01:46 +0000

Having a coffee or a beer this weekend? So are we…

Join Manal and Reinhardt as we cover the latest news and developments from around the world. If you’re interested to see what Big Tech, Social Media Giants and other evil-doers are up to then please sit back and enjoy our coverage of the latest news and developments.

On our very first Beer & Coffee episode format, we ask… is your boss looking at your computer screen? Why does the private Israeli NSO group have the French President’s mobile phone number? …does the EU care about biometric surveillance and why is Big Tech trying to make money off of our emotions?

Pour your favorite latte, blow the froth off of your last lager for the week and join Manal and Reinhardt on today’s episode of Tech For Evil….

We want to hear from you. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at contact@tech4evil.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tech4evil. And if you've spotted Big Tech going too far, use the hashtag #EvilSpotter and mention @Tech4Evil and share your story.

Best Employee Monitoring Software by PC Magazine

What does Fortune Mag say about employee monitoring?

How credible is your news?

U.S adds Israeli spyware software to blacklist

The grandfather of World Wide Web is stepping up

Music and media production by Reinhardt Sosin.

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Australia vs the World in Digital Rights with Angus Murray

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 11:15:28 +0000

How does Australia stack up against other countries when it comes to our digital rights? Do our privacy laws protect us or do they leave us vulnerable to the lightly regulated tech companies? To answer these questions, we’ve brought in our very first guest onto the show… a Top Gun of Australia’s legal profession – Angus Murray.

Angus is the co-founder and national director of The Legal Forecast, Vice President of the Queensland Council for Civil Liberties, member of the Australian Lawyers for Human Rights, Chair of Electronic Frontiers Australia policy team and a death metal fan to boot. Angus was recently awarded the ‘Young Alumnus of the Year’ by the University of Southern Queensland. So, strap in and let Angus demystify the legal jargon and give you an insight into the world of online digital rights and privacy in Australia.

In the blue corner of our title fight, today is the Australian legal system and privacy laws and in the red corner, we have the rest of the world. Angus does a blow by blow of how Australia’s legal history has shaped our current digital rights and privacy laws, compares them with our European contenders and gives his view on whether Australians can count on our rights as citizens to keep us safe while our human experience is being digitized with little or no say of our own.

Also in the episode, find out how Aussie politicians can get away with sending us unsolicited text messages on mass and whether or not your boss is allowed to monitor our work laptop activity, on today’s episode of Tech For Evil, where we expose what big tech doesn’t want you to know and give you ways to fight back.

00:30 – Introductions and Bio – Angus Murray

04:38 – How Does Australia Compare to Europe?

08:00 – Origin of Australia’s LegalFramework

10:00 – A digital social contract

17:00 – Australia’s Privacy Act of 1988

20:26 – Australia and the EU GDPR

23:00 Informed Consent

27:41 – Australia’s Privacy Commissioner and Ben Grubb

30:00 – DIfference between breach of confidence and an invasion of privacy

32:22 – Angus on Facebook

41:05 – Angus on our data being abused

43:41 – A Skynet, Minority Report World

44:54 – Break

45:27 – Painting a dark picture, Australia, US, EU, UK

46:53 – Politicians in my phone

50:16 – Is my boss watching me?

53:13 – The Legal Forecast

01:06:20 – Remote controlled mice

01:09:46 – What can we do to fight back?

01:13:22 – Are we all doomed or is there hope?

We want to hear from you. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at contact@tech4evil.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tech4evil. And if you've spotted Big Tech going too far, use the hashtag #EvilSpotter and mention @Tech4Evil and share your story.

Music and media production by Reinhardt Sosin.

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“We Don’t Sell Your Data” and Other Hilarious Privacy Lies – Part 2

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 17:28:22 +0000

Listen to Episode 4 Part 1

“Mass surveillance creates a prison to the mind” Glenn Greenwald

Have you ever found yourself clicking on “Yes, I have read and understood the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy” only to nervously wonder what terms you just accepted? Whether we’re in our home with our family or confiding to a friend at the park there’s a high chance we cherish the privacy we can have with them. But what if I told you that someone in your house, in this very moment, has the power to hear your self-talk and to hear that inner voice that allows your mind to wander through your fantasies and insecurities? What if I told you that it was you who invited them into your home? The online world may not be as private as we were all led to believe.

Did you know that Facebook can read your private messages? Did you know that YouTube still keeps all your videos even if you delete your account? Did you know that Reddit keeps the drafts that you never submitted?

Find out what you can do to fight back when Big Tech tries to peer into your private life and hear about the tools you can use to take back control of your privacy when you’re online on Part 2 of Episode 4 of Tech 4 Evil.

01:24 – We don’t sell your data

03:54 – You are in charge of your data

10:05 – We anonymize your data before sharing it

12:57 – If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear

23:44 – Privacy is dead

28:17 – What is privacy protection?

31:35 – Privacy Law between Australia and China

33:42 – What the tech community can do

39:30 – Manal’s message to the tech community

We want to hear from you. Tune in, and tell us what you think. Email us at contact@tech4evil.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tech4evil. And if you've spotted Big Tech going too far, use the hashtag #EvilSpotter and mention @Tech4Evil and share your story.

Music and media production by Reinhardt Sosin. Research and content by Manal al-Sharif.

Sources for this episode include "Why Privacy Matters?" TED talk by Glenn Greenwald, Teach Privacy, Terms of Service Didn't Read, AP News, PrivacyMonitor.com, TheNextWeb.com, PrivacyPolicies.com, Human Rights Watch, TheMarkUp.org, Mozilla.org, privacyinternational.org, Mobile Marketing Reads, WIRED, and "I have Nothing to Hide" book by Heidi Boghosian

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“We Don’t Sell Your Data” and Other Hilarious Privacy Lies – Part 1

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 12:22:39 +0000

Listen to Episode 4 Part 2

“Mass surveillance creates a prison to the mind” Glenn Greenwald

Tech4Evil

“We Don’t Sell Your Data” and Other Hilarious Privacy Lies – Part 1

00:00 / 00:46:44

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Play in new window | Duration: 00:46:44 | Recorded on 05/11/2021

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Music and media production by Reinhardt Sosin. Research and content by Manal al-Sharif.

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The Dark Patterns of Design

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 13:37:21 +0000

A good user interface design offers ease of use and a streamlined online experience, but some of your favorite websites have deceptive ploys built in to get you to do things you never intended to do. Are you an avid online shopper? Many e-commerce sites use cunning manipulation to get you to buy something you don’t want or need.

You might be greeted by a digital guilt trip when you click “no” on an “exclusive offer” or end up with a product in your shopping cart that you never selected. Is your email inbox overflowing with spam emails and newsletters to which you never subscribed? Little did you know, when you clicked a random button or bought a product, you were automatically put on the mailing list.

It’s right there in the privacy agreement that takes roughly 18 minutes to read. Attempting to opt-out of spam emails only adds to your frustration as you hunt for a minuscule unsubscribe button that takes eight tries to push successfully. Facebook users who try to disable their facial recognition can expect to be bombarded with the positive aspects of the software without any mention that it will also be used for targeted advertising.

In this episode, Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin dissect the dark patterns of user interface design. From color interpretation to “Bait and Switch,” they cover several of the cheapest tricks deployed by online giants to influence your decisions. Join Manal and Reinhardt as they expose some of these con artists.

Welcome to episode 3 of the Tech4Evil Podcast: The Dark Patterns of Design.

Tech4Evil

The Dark Side of Targeted Advertising

00:00 / 01:05:02

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Play in new window | Duration: 01:05:02 | Recorded on 30/08/2021

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Music and media production by Reinhardt Sosin. Research and content by Manal al-Sharif.

Sources for this episode include DarkPatterns.org, Fast Company, Wonderopolis, TechCrunch, The Verge, the company blog of Pixelworm, Wired, the UX Collective a Medium article by Patricia Estevão titled “The Dark Side of UX Design: Part 2,” “Deceived by Design” by Forbrukerrådet, the International Association of Privacy Professionals, and the National Law Review.

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The Planned Obsolescence of Tech

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 15:13:29 +0000

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin discuss the concept of Planned Obsolescence of Tech. Big Tech companies use a whole host of design and marketing tactics to get you to throw away your smart devices long before it’s necessary. Ever had a product break within weeks of the warranty expiring? What about that iPhone that slowed down after a software update? If you’ve ever walked away from a repair shop feeling frustrated after being told the cost to repair your device is close to the value of a new one, this episode is for you. Learn about the history of Planned Obsolescence, the detrimental impacts this concept has on our planet, and the ecocide, iFixit and the Right to Repair activists fighting Big Tech to take back our rights as consumers and protect our planet. Welcome to Episode Two of the Tech4Evil Podcast.

2:40 – What is planned obsolescence?

3:05 – The four types of planned obsolescence of tech

13:50 – Why are tech companies designing devices to break?

16:08 – The economical and environmental impact of planned obsolescence of tech

21:45 – A brief history of planned obsolescence

25:12 – Repair Cafes

25:13 – I Fix It or Ifixit.com

27:24 – The Right to Repair movement

29:09 – The Ecocide Law

30:06 – The US, Europe and Australia supporting the Right to Repair

33:02- Steve Wozniak support

35:15 – A call to action

Music and media production by Reinhardt Sosin. Research and content by Manal al-Sharif and Margaret Coomer.

Sources for this episode include repaircafe.org , ifixit.com, the Atalntic's article on the global cost of e-waste, CHOICE's article "5 Ways to Take Control of Your Consumer Rights" and the Guardian's artcile on the world's largest e-waste dump and many more sources mentioned in our blog.

The Dark Side of Targeted Advertising

Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin — Mon, 30 Aug 2021 18:54:45 +0000

Is my phone listening to me? We’ve all been there: you have a conversation with a friend about a product or service, and within a day or two, you see an ad for that very thing on your favorite social media platform. It’s more than spooky; it feels intrusive, as if your phone has a direct connection to the thoughts in your head. No, it’s not technological espionage- it’s hyper-targeted advertising evolving to be surveillance-based advertising. Every time we go online or scroll through social media on our phones, we leave behind bits of data, like breadcrumbs, for Data Miners. Websites track our movements via cookies and tracking pixels. Companies pay big bucks for your personal profile that was structured from those breadcrumbs and then target you with specific advertising. In this episode, Manal al-Sharif and Reinhardt Sosin discuss the multi-billion dollar targeted advertising ecosystem, how it directly impacts your mental health and privacy, and how you can fight back against the digital dictatorship. Welcome to Episode One of the Tech4Evil Podcast where you find out what big tech doesn’t want you to know.

Background reading.

Targeted Advertising or Surveillance-Based Advertising?

25 Aug 2021

1:53 – Welcome

2:27 – What is surveillance-based advertising?

9:50 – How does surveillance-based advertising work?

20:57 – The Norwegian Consumer Council Report

30:13 – How big is the digital advertising industry?

33:21 – The history of digital advertising

36:12 – What are the impacts of the surveillance-based advertising model?

52:30 – What are the alternatives?

54:47 – How can we fight back?

55:57 – A call to action

57:57 – Your Crash Course in Digital Self Defence

01:02:19 – Spot the Evil (#evilspotter)

Music and media production by Reinhardt Sosin. Research and content by Manal al-Sharif.

Sources for this episode include “Don’t Be Evil” book by Rana Foroohar, “Surveillance Capitalism” by Prof Shoshana Zuboff, “Zucked” book by Roger McNamee, “Time to Ban Surveillance-Based Advertising” by the Norwegian Consumer Council, Newsweek article “Secretive World Selling Data About You” by Paul Boutin 2016, The Atlantic article “Why Technology Favors Tyranny” by Yuval Noah Harari and many more sources mentioned in the blog post of this episode.<...