Computer Says Maybe26 Juli 2024

Exhibit X: Tech and Tobacco

Here is something you’re probably tired of hearing: Big Tech is responsible for a bottomless brunch of societal harms. And they are not being held accountable. Right now it feels as though we hear constantly about laws, regulation, courts. But none of it is effective in litigating against Big Tech.

In our latest podcast series Exhibit X, we’re looking at how the tides might finally be turning. Legal accountability could be around the corner, but only if a few things happen first.

To start, we look back to 1964. When Big Tobacco was winning the ‘try your best to profit from harm’ race. Research showed cigarettes were addictive and also caused cancer — and yet the industry evaded accountability for decades.

In this episode we ask questions like:

Why wasn’t a report in 1964 showing cigarettes are addictive and cause cancer enough to transform the industry?
What can we learn about corporate capture of research on tobacco?
How did academia and experts shape the outcomes of court cases?

Prathm Juneja was Alix’s co-host for this episode. He is a PhD Candidate in Social Data Science at the Oxford Internet Institute Working at the intersection of academia, industry, and government on technology, innovation, and policy.

Avsnitt(136)

The Digital Delusion: The False Promise of Ed Tech w/ Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath

A screen is built to do one thing well: split your attention across as many things as possible, as fast as possible. A developing brain needs the opposite— sustained, undivided focus— to learn anythin...

4 Sep 42min

Meet the Guy (Actually) Passing Tech Laws

You've likely heard of the National Sexual Assault Hotline. What you might not know is that it's operated by RAINN, an organization that has become one of the more unlikely players in tech policy. Sin...

28 Aug 54min

How Anduril Tried to Kill Democracy in Ohio (& How Farmers Fought Back)

In Madison Township, Ohio, families have farmed the same land for generations. Then a commercial real estate company started buying up their neighbors' fields under the code name "Project Thor." They ...

21 Aug 51min

A Sneak Peek into The Maybe Collective

We’re taking a short summer break and will be back on your feed in a couple of weeks. But we've got news before we go.Catch up on our most recent series: Computer Says Kill & REAL ResistanceWe're cook...

31 Juli 2min

The Colossus Crossroads: Fighting for the Future of Memphis w/ KeShaun Pearson

In Memphis, companies don't come in to invest in the city. They come in to extract from its people and its land, no matter how high the human cost. That's exactly what xAI did when they decided to bui...

24 Juli 31min

The Gig is Up: How Uber Ruined Wage Labor with Veena Dubal

In 2013, taxi drivers were beginning to notice something unusual: unmarked, black cars were cutting them off in taxi lines and picking up their passengers. Little did these drivers know that those bla...

17 Juli 48min

The Collective Fight for Our Humanity - REAL Resistance

Anna Bacciarelli and Shazeda Ahmed know more than anyone that there are only a handful of tech companies asserting dominance around the world by talking in high-level abstractions about what the futur...

10 Juli 50min

Who's Behind Big Brother? - REAL Resistance

Mariel Garcia-Montes and Crofton Black share their stories and investigations that uncover the backdoor deals that allow the surveillance industry to thrive under the guise of ‘security’. If you have ...

7 Juli 45min