Techdirt

Pokémon Go is an undeniable phenomenon, and the first mass-appeal hit from the world of augmented reality — a technology people have been expecting would transform gaming for years. That leaves a big question, though: is its popularity a sign of the future for AR, or is the game an isolated phenomenon that owes more to the popularity of its brand? This week, we discuss what we can learn from Pokém...

Silicon Valley has produced lots of disruptive technologies — ways to solve problems by upending entrenched industries and, often enough, routing around protectionist regulations. But not all regulations are meaningless, not all industries are easy to disrupt, and sometimes "fake it until you make it" becomes plain old lying. This week, we discuss what happens when "disruption" goes wrong.

Chatbots have been around for a very long time in some form or another, but now they appear to be making a comeback — or at least attempting one. This week, Mike and regular co-host Dennis (who is working on a chatbot startup) are joined by special guest Veronica Belmont to discuss the potential of chatbots and just how much skepticism is warranted.

It should surprise nobody that the FBI is seeking even broader digital surveillance powers by changing the warrant requirements and expanding the power of national security letters. If you're a regular Techdirt reader, it also won't surprise you to learn that Senator Ron Wyden is working hard to hold the line against this kind of expansion. This week, we're joined by Senator Wyden to discuss what...

Technology has made "direct democracy" — letting citizens vote on specific, granular issues instead of just electing representatives — more viable than ever, but does that mean it's a good idea? This week, we discuss the ins and outs of direct democracy, including a special addendum on the surprising results of the Brexit referendum.

Net neutrality has a long and complicated history, and despite some recent victories, that story is far from over. This week, Mike is joined by resident broadband expert Karl Bode to discuss what's next for net neutrality, and what we need to do to fight for it.

Netflix, HBO Go, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Twitch — online video is still booming. But it also still struggles under the weight of exclusive deals and content silos, and it feels like there's still plenty of innovation to be done. But where will that innovation come from? This week, we discuss the future of online video.

Both surveillance and the digitization of money are heavily-discussed topics, but the intersection between the two often goes overlooked. Historically, credit agencies have been trailblazers in the world of surveillance, and today we face the fact that the government can use payment providers and other financial tools as a means of enforcing its wishes. On this week's episode, we're joined by lawy...

The conversation around tech policy has traditionally happened at the federal level, but more recently we've seen a change in that trend, and some of the most interesting experiments — both good and bad — have started happening in state and municipal arenas. This week, we're joined by Tech:NYC Executive Director Julie Samuels to discuss why this is happening and what it means.

Over the past few weeks, a jury heard the second round of the copyright fight between Oracle and Google over whether Google's use of the Java APIs in Android constituted copyright infringement, or whether it was fair use. In the end, the jury went with fair use. Reporter Sarah Jeong watched the entire trial from the courtroom and joins us on the Techdirt podcast this week to discuss both the legal...

Consumers looking for an electric car have several options to consider, but the buzz and excitement around Tesla continues to dwarf everything else. It's hardly unfounded, but the scale of the company's success is staggering, and there's no single reason for it. This week, we discuss that simple question: just why is Tesla so successful?

The "gig economy" of on-demand peer-to-peer services like Uber has been gaining traction, but not every company is faring so well. In some areas, the rush of entrants has outstripped demand and left on-demand providers struggling to stay afloat. This week we discuss what happens when there's not enough demand for an on-demand platform, and what it might mean for the sector as a whole.

Back in March, Mike moderated a panel at RightsCon on the subject of intermediary liability and the delicate balancing act that platform providers have to play on that front, with lawyers from Meetup, Change.org, and Medium. This week, in lieu of a regular podcast episode we've got a recording of that discussion, which delves deeply into some of the difficult choices companies like this have to ma...

Recently, some Facebook staffers raised an interesting question: should the social media giant employ its significant power to stem the rise of Donald Trump? This week, we discuss that notion and the broader question: should the internet companies that influence so many aspects of our communication and information gathering pursue political goals?

In a world defined by borders for thousands of years, the global nature of the internet has caused all sorts of confusion and absurdity. Geographically restricted content, fuzzily defined jurisdictions, libel tourism — these are all symptoms of a border-filled world coming to terms with a borderless network. Since attempts to carve up the internet along geographical lines aren't likely to stop any...

Last week we were joined by Justin Peters, author of the new book The Idealist all about Aaron Swartz, free culture and digital activism. The first half of the discussion focused on that broader context, and this week we continue with a closer look at Aaron himself.

Anyone even remotely interested in free culture, the internet and copyright surely knows the name Aaron Swartz — but only some truly understand what made him tick, and why he was considered so special and important in that world. This week and next, we're joined by Justin Peters, author of The Idealist, a new book that takes a close look at Aaron himself as well as the internet culture that gave r...

Anyone who reads Techdirt knows our opinion on encryption: stronger is better, and giving the government (or anyone else) a back door is a dangerous idea. We've decried a lot of the stupid arguments that we've heard in favor of back doors — usually coming from technologically clueless politicians and law enforcement officers — but that doesn't mean we aren't open to considering some smart ones. Th...

If you want to send someone a message online today, you've got a hell of a lot of options. Far from the erstwhile IM dominance of ICQ, today there are messaging platforms of every shape and size, a blurring of the lines between messaging and social media, and messaging components incorporated into almost everything. This week, we ask a simple question: why so many, and what are they all for?

The battle for net neutrality seemed like it was over — but the regulations left a loophole open. Unsurprisingly, ISPs quickly started exploiting it, offering "zero rating" services to do an end-run around true net neutrality. Last week's guest Marvin Ammori joins us again this week, to discuss the true and imperfect state of net neutrality, and the many games internet providers play.

I don't think I need to reiterate how important the battle over the future of encryption is. It's not new, but rather the latest clash in a fight that has been raging for years, and the high-profile example of the San Bernardino attacker's iPhone has cast a spotlight on it. This week, we're joined by longtime Techdirt friend Marvin Ammori to dig into the details of this issue, its potential conseq...

We all know the patent system is riddled with problems, and badly in need of reform. But reform comes slow — really, really slow. So some tech companies have been doing what they do best: innovate. They are finding ways to get around the biggest problems of the patent system without waiting on go-nowhere legislative reform efforts. This week we're joined by Julie Samuels, President of the Board at...

There's something notable and odd about the conversation around content creation in the digital age: a stark divide between the camp that believes the sky is falling, and the camp that believes things are better than they've ever been. This week, we discuss the question of which narrative is correct... or is it neither? Or both?

Last week, we shared the first half of Mike's interview with Barry Eisler at the Commonwealth Club of California. This week, we've got the second half of that discussion, which pivots from national security and the surveillance state to Barry's novels, his experiences publishing them, and the time he met Keanu Reeves.

Those of you who've heard our previous episodes with Barry Eisler know that he has a unique insight into many of the topics we discuss here at Techdirt, stemming from the wide variety of perspectives he's had in his past: as an operative for the CIA, as a tech industry lawyer, and now as a bestselling author (his new book, The God's Eye View, explores a plausible future inspired by the Snowden rev...