Joanne McNally Investigates9 Okt 2024

Did Furbys Spy on Us? 6. Unboxed

It's been a long journey, but finally Joanne is ready to close the book on Furby. She's learned about their rise to fame, and the rumours of espionage. And she's done her best to de-bunk them, by intrusively opening one up for examination, speaking to experts, and tracking down the man behind the marketing. But as the sun sets on her quest, she still needs to find out why the rumour began in the first place. And she needs to speak to David Hampton - the inventor.

That journey takes her via TikTok and FaceSwap - two apps which, Joanne discovers, have been linked to data gathering. Joanne is already fearful of what data she's sharing online, and her browsing habits have radically changed. But one last browse deep into the web reveals a stunning new find - a dossier of evidence which includes the original NSA memo about the Furby... and within it, the real reason it was banned by security experts.

Convinced that she finally understands what went on, Joanne concludes by meeting David Hampton. She learns about the Furby origins, little-known facts about it's powers, and some secrets about the brains behind it. But was Furby designed to spy? David has a surprising answer in store.

A What's The Story podcast for BBC Sounds

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Avsnitt(14)

Did Furbys Spy on Us? 5. Welcome to the Dark Side

So far in the series, Joanne has been getting more and more concerned about the amount of listening and surveillance which is all around her. And to make matters WORSE, her producers then take her to ...

2 Okt 202431min

Did Furbys Spy on Us? 4. You Looking at Me?

Determined to get to the bottom of the rumours once and for all, Joanne lines up a meeting with one of the marketing brains behind the toy. She learns that the scandals which rocked Furby in 1998 did ...

25 Sep 202434min

Did Furbys Spy on Us? 3. Eye-Spy

Rocked by Gearoid’s suggestion that the Furby could have been adapted by secret organisations to be a real actual spy, Joanne travels to the north of England, and visits a shop which specialises in se...

18 Sep 202432min

Did Furbys Spy on Us? 2. The Autopsy

After falling in love with a Furby in episode 1, Joanne begins looking for evidence on its spying capabilities. So – with the help of Gearoid, she decides to open up a Furby for a closer look. The ope...

11 Sep 202434min

Did Furbys Spy on Us? 1. Furby Phobia

Joanne McNally is back on the investigative trail…. and with the Avril / Melissa theory no longer giving her sleepless nights, she’s keen to find a new story to get her teeth into. Helped by her loyal...

11 Sep 202433min

Introducing... Did Furbys Spy on Us?

Joanne McNally is back on the investigative trail…. and with the Avril / Melissa theory no longer giving her sleepless nights, she’s keen to find a new story to get her teeth into. Top of her list, af...

3 Sep 20243min

Who Replaced Avril Lavigne? 6. My Happy Ending

Joanne is back Canada… she has something she really needs to tell Avril. After months of digging – Joanne has finally tracked down the source of this rumour. SO Avril DEFINITELY didn’t get replaced...

10 Apr 202433min