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With the US midterm elections looming and our own state elections on the horizon, how is technology shaping the way we vote? And how might it impact democracy?
We hear from fact-checkers, internet researchers and cybersecurity experts about AI-generated political deepfakes, election disinformation, social media algorithms, and the hazards of online voting technology.
GUESTS:
Cory Alpert, former White House staffer, and researcher at Monash University.
Lorenn Ruster, researcher, advisor and consultant at the ANU Leadership and Complexity Lab.
Tama Leaver, Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University.
Maryanne Taouk, ABC Verify.
Dr Erica Mealy, Interim Discipline Lead at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Seamus Byrne, former technology journalist, and PhD research candidate with the ARC Centre of Excellence in Automated Decision Making & Society.
Vanessa Teague, CEO of Thinking Cybersecurity.
*This episode is an amalgamation of the most interesting conversations we've had about democracy and technology over the last year. If you'd like to revisit these conversations, they can be found here, here, here and here.
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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.
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Get in touch:
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au
Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

AI is making it easier than ever to take software apart and build a copy. We look at what reverse engineering involves, and whether it is a good idea to use reverse engineered software?
Ukraine's drone are striking Russian data centres. What role do data centres and bots play in spreading disinformation, and what would taking their data centres offline achieve?
Finally, Theranos is back in the spotlight with the new documentary You Can See Everything. So has the tech world has learned anything, including how to weigh a new venture developed by her husband?
GUESTS:
Erica Mealy, technology reporter for The Guardian Australia
Seamus Byrne, PhD research candidate with the ARC Centre of Excellence in Automated Decision Making & Society
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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.
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Get in touch:
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au
Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

We expect to be tracked online, but increasingly we're being watched in real life too. Strangers in the street are wearing "pervert" glasses, cameras can follow us through shopping centres, and WA Police have rolled out live facial recognition cameras. In this special episode, how much surveillance is too much? And could Australia follow the US down the path of Flock-style policing? 
Plus, how can we protect ourselves from this data collection, and can we rely on privacy law to keep up?
GUESTS:
Josh Taylor, technology reporter for The Guardian Australia.
Tom Sulston, Head of Policy at Digital Rights Watch.
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You might also like:
Our episode looking at how much our devices know about us, with a former white hat hacker: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/downloadthisshow/lg-tvs-streaming-boxes-internet-hygiene-refresher/107094484
Our episode about what Australia's proposed Privacy Act reforms mean for the tech you use: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/downloadthisshow/privacy-act-reforms-smart-glasses-anthropic-testing-break/107042866
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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.
------------
Get in touch:
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au
Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

AI agents are popping up everywhere: Facebook, OpenAI, Google. Meanwhile, tech leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman are warning these agents could end humanity. So, how much of this is a marketing tool, and what threat do AI agents actually pose?
We'll return to the basics: what are AI agents, and how much should you be trusting them with? What happens if your AI agent, say... hacks into Medicare?
Plus, deepfakes are distorting the Victorian election. What are deepfakes, how do you know you've seen them, and how are they legal in an election campaign?
GUESTS:
Dr Lorenn Ruster, senior research fellow at the ANU Leadership & Complexity Lab.
Tama Leaver, Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University, and Chief Investigator at the ARC Centre for Excellence for the Digital Child.
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You might also like:
Our episode about the social media platform for AI agents, Moltbook. We also cover the dead internet theory: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/downloadthisshow/more-bots-than-people-dead-internet-theory/106256520
Our episode with the highlights of Melbourne Games Week. https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/downloadthisshow/roblox-child-safety-esafety-commissioner/107067976
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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.
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Get in touch:
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au
Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Technology helped get us into the climate crisis. Could it also get us out?
Bringing extinct species back to life, seeding clouds to control the weather, and cleaning up nuclear energy are just some of the "techno fixes" hawked as solutions to our biggest environmental problems. But at what cost?
And if we are entering an era where technology can reshape the planet, who gets to decide how it’s used, and how do the rest of us get a say?
GUEST:
Richard King, author of Here Be Monsters, which asks is technology reducing our humanity; and Brave New Wild which asks can technology save the planet.
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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.
------------
Get in touch:
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au
Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.