Techdirt Podcast Episode 97: Can Tech Be Trusted Without Antitrust?

from the sometimes? dept

Monopolies are one of the areas that even the most staunchly anti-regulation folks often agree there is a role for government intervention. In the world of tech, multiple big antitrust fights have broken out and continue to rage in both America and the EU — but how effective is this kind of regulation and how often should it really happen? This week, we discuss whether or not there is a role for antitrust in the world of technological innovation.

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Filed Under: antitrust, monopoly, podcast
Companies: facebook, google, microsoft

Techdirt Podcast Episode 96: Death Knell For Software Patents

from the the-bell-tolls dept

Software patents have been dubious since their inception — not just in principle, but legally too. Past rulings have called their validity into serious question, and now an opinion from a prominent pro-patent judge has called for people to admit that they simply shouldn't exist. This week, we discuss what this opinion means for the (hopefully short) future of software patents.

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Filed Under: cafc, patents, podcast, software patenets

Techdirt Podcast Episode 95: A Presidential Tech Policy Wish List

from the and-a-wish-list-it-shall-likely-remain dept

We wanted to do an episode all about examining the tech policy platforms of the 2016 presidential candidates, but that proved impossible since one candidate's is vague and noncommittal while the other's doesn't exist at all. Since a nuanced discussion about robust tech policy platforms was probably a bit much to hope for from this election anyway, for this week's episode we're discussing what a great presidential tech platform should look like under less absurd circumstances.

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Filed Under: podcast, president, presidential platforms, tech policy

Techdirt Podcast Episode 94: The Headphone Jack Apocalypse!

from the well-not-really dept

Yup, we're doing it — we're tackling the much-derided controversy over Apple's decision to remove the analog headphone jack from the iPhone! I join this week's episode myself as a guest host, and in truth none of us really think it's any kind of "apocalypse" — but none of us are huge fans of the move either. We discuss the questionable technical advantages, the looming spectre of DRM, and more.

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Filed Under: headphone jack, iphone, techdirt podcast
Companies: apple

Techdirt Podcast Episode 93: Pardon Snowden

from the sooner-rather-than-later dept

Edward Snowden deserves a pardon. We all know it — even if you believe he deserves to stand trial, the only option right now is an unfair trial on Espionage Act charges in which he'd be blocked from presenting a meaningful defense. A pardon from those charges is the only just choice. This week, we're joined by Trevor Timm, co-founder of the Freedom Of The Press Foundation, and returning guest Parker Higgins to discuss why Edward Snowden deserves a pardon, and the campaign to get him one deserves your support.

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Filed Under: ed snowden, espionage act, pardon snowden, techdirt podcast, whistleblowing

Techdirt Podcast Episode 92: Passwords Suck; What's Next?

from the correct-horse-battery-staple dept

Data breaches that expose passwords are pretty much a fact of life at this point -- and the effects are multiplied by the fact that many, many people reuse passwords no matter how much they know they shouldn't. As such, there's a big push to move to password managers, two-factor authentication, and even biometrics -- because the simple fact is that the password sucks. This week, we're discussing what if anything will succeed in replacing it.

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Filed Under: encryption, passwords, podcast, privacy, security

Techdirt Podcast Episode 91: Is Facebook Moderation A Necessary Evil?

from the damned-if-you-do dept

Facebook's efforts to moderate content that appears on the social network have run into numerous problems, most recently with a famous war photo and a bunch of blog posts. Some have made absurd demands in response, such as giving old-school media editors special posting privileges, while others have objected to the idea of Facebook censoring any content whatsoever. But is that objection realistic? This week, we discuss the complicated question of Facebook moderation, and what the company's role can and should be.

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Filed Under: censorship, free speech, moderation, podcast
Companies: facebook

Techdirt Podcast Episode 90: Is Capitalism Over?

from the not-exactly... dept

As technology ushers more and more things towards the realm of "post-scarcity", an inevitable conversation has arisen around the very roots of capitalism and what this rapid change means for our economic systems at the most fundamental levels. But the answer is far from simple — is capitalism dying? Can it evolve? Is the whole question being framed incorrectly? This week, we discuss the notion of a post-capitalist world, what it might look like, and how close it actually is.

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Filed Under: capitalism, communism, economics, podcast, scarcity, socialism

Techdirt Podcast Episode 89: Inside A Really Good Kickstarter Campaign

from the kickass-kickstarter dept

Not all Kickstarter campaigns are created equal. Even the mostly-good ones that eventually satisfy their backers are often plagued with delays and poor communication. But once in a while, there's a campaign that runs smoothly, communicates openly, and delivers a great product on time as promised — and Minaal is one company that pulled off such a campaign to launch its line of travel bags. This week, we're joined by co-founder Jimmy Hayes to discuss how they pulled it off and what their experience can teach us about other campaigns and the broader crowdfunding ecosystem.

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Filed Under: crowdfunding, jimmy hayes, podcast
Companies: indiegogo, kickstarter, minaal

Techdirt Podcast Episode 88: The Gawker Debate

from the free-speech dept

Gawker's gone, and that's that. And yet, whenever we've expressed concerns over the billionaire vendetta that brought it down, we've faced a huge amount of pushback from people who had problems with the site and its reporting practices. This week, we're joined by Parker Thompson aka Startup L. Jackson for a friendly debate about whether the Gawker shutdown really is a big deal.

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Filed Under: first amendment, hulk hogan, parker thompson, podcast
Companies: gawker