Crash 8.5 million computers with this one weird trick: A CrowdStrike story
This week we're discussing the 2024 incident in which a malformed update of CrowdStrike Falcon caused 8.5 million computers running Microsoft Windows to crash. Links- Read our in-depth article about what happened and what it tells us about the security and robustness of the modern internet- Find more about the 911 outages across several US states- CrowdStrike's own review of the problem- Our podcast on the XZ exploit- Facebook VPN exploitation- The philosopher Caitlin was thinking of was Paul Virilio
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34:26
Counting every vote: Technology and voter data in Latin American elections
This week we're speaking to Eduardo from Transparencia Electoral about modern elections all over the world that they've observed, and Vladimir from R3D about the 2024 elections in Mexico. We find out more about the technologies that are at use in elections all over the world.LinksGeneral- PI's technology, data and elections checklist- Transparencia Electoral's report- Transparencia's index on data protection in LatAm elections- R3D's report: Censura electoralEpisode links- Obama's 2012 targeted social media campaign- Our work on Cambridge Analytica- Deepfake use in elections- Our report with the Carter Center on the Kenyan Presidential elections- Listen to our episode about our work in Kenya (Election Observation: Data, Elections and a trip to Kenya) on our website and where ever you get your podcasts- DemoTech by Transparencia Electoral- Transparencia on the Venezuelan elections- More information on Chinese tech used in Venezuela- Candidate assasinations in Mexico- Ejército Espía
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1:26:54
Vertical Mergers: Competition, Connectivity, and Starlink
This week we're talking to Peter Bloom from Rhizomatica and Lũa Cruz from IDEC about internet connectivity, what drives social media companies to expand into internet provision, and what an earth is going on with Starlink in the amazon rainforest.
Links:
- Read PI's research: https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/5409/decoding-vertical-tech-integrations-why-do-they-matter
- Learn more about Rhizomatica: https://www.rhizomatica.org/
- Learn more about Lũa and his work on Starlink: https://www.thegreenwebfoundation.org/fellowships/lua-cruz/
- We'd love to hear from you! Share your thoughts, case studies, or ideas about vertical mergers using this survey: https://share.privacyinternational.org/index.php/apps/forms/s/MYipyBZjQMrnq9NmaNm5KJ6S
- More about X and Starlinks' legal trouble in Brazil: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/sep/04/elon-musk-x-starlink-brazil
- Our podcast about competition with Dr Deni Mantzari (No Competition: Big Tech Big Problems): https://privacyinternational.org/video/5148/no-competition-big-tech-big-problems
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1:41:18
The End of Privacy in Public: Facial Recognition and the UK Parliament
This week we're talking about facial recognition in the UK. Our research shows that members of parliament (MPs) don't know as much as they should about facial recognition use in the UK. So, what is going on? And what do MPs need to be aware of?
Links:
Write to your MP: https://pvcy.org/endofprivacypod
Our previous research about how much MPs know about facial recognition: https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/5155/uk-mps-asleep-wheel-facial-recognition-technology-spells-end-privacy-public
Read more about the responses we got from MPs: https://privacyinternational.org/advocacy/5476/uk-mps-ignore-concerned-constituents-questions-about-facial-recognition-technology
Liberty's case: https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/issue/liberty-wins-ground-breaking-victory-against-facial-recognition-tech/More about Liberty's South Wales case: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/aug/11/south-wales-police-lose-landmark-facial-recognition-case
Our work on UK retailers' use of FRT https://www.privacyinternational.org/advocacy/5351/joint-letter-uk-retailers-regarding-potenital-use-facial-recognition-technology-frt
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40:37
Data and Disability: Rights in a Digitised world
This week we take a deep dive into the issues around the rights and privacy of the global disability community in the digital age.
We're joined by Rosemary Kayess - Vice Chair of the UN Committee on the Convention of the Rights for Persons with Disabilities, and the Disability Discrimination commissioner of the Australian Human Rights Commission, Marc Workman - CEO of the World Blind Union (WBU), and Heba Hagrass - UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities.
Links
World Blind Union: https://worldblindunion.org/
Learn more about Heba's work: https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-disability/heba-hagrass
Report from the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilies that Rosemary Kayess worked on: https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CRPD%2FC%2FGBR%2FFUIR%2F1&Lang=en
PI's work so far on this:
Submission to the UN CRPD Committee on their inquiry into the UK social protection and rights of persons with disabilities: https://privacyinternational.org/advocacy/5321/un-committee-rights-persons-disabilities-calls-uk-act-ai-human-rights-risks
OHCHR Submission and HRC oral statement on the rights of persons with disabilities and digitised social protection schemes: https://privacyinternational.org/advocacy/5107/submission-ohchr-rights-persons-disabilities
Long read on the rights of persons with disabilities and digitised social protection schemes: https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/5170/protecting-persons-disabilities-digitised-world
Robodebt
Royal Commission report: https://robodebt.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/report
An update: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/sep/16/zero-repercussions-victims-of-robodebt-embarrassed-to-have-believed-justice-would-be-done
New Zealand