Ctrl-Alt-Speech

Latest Episodes:

Spotlight: PwC’s Dan Hays on the future of Trust & Safety Jul 22, 2026

Show notes

In this sponsored Spotlight episode of Ctrl-Alt-Speech, host Ben Whitelaw speaks to PwC’s Dan Hays at TrustCon about the firm’s recently published Trust & Safety Outlook report.

They discuss:

How AI is simultaneously creating new risks and reshaping the tools used to address them;
What the rise of autonomous agents means for governance, accountability and the future of the internet; and
How platforms should respond to an increasingly fragmented regulatory landscape.

The conversation also explores how Trust & Safety is becoming a more strategic function inside companies, how automation could change the role of practitioners and vendors, and which emerging risks remain most underestimated.

This episode is brought to you in conjunction with our sponsor, PwC. Download the report today.

Ctrl-Alt-Speech is the podcast where we make sense of the major debates shaping online speech, platform power, content moderation and the future of the internet. It’s co-hosted by Mike Masnick (Techdirt) and Ben Whitelaw (Everything in Moderation).

Putting Some Meat On The Bans Jul 17, 2026

Show notes

Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover.

In this week’s roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Ben is joined by Niklas Eder, co-founder and co-CEO of User Rights, a designated out of court dispute settlement body under the Digital Services Act which reviews complaints from users whose social media posts have been deleted or moderated. Together, Ben and Niklas discuss:

UK to lay out social media curbs for 16 and 17 year-olds (POLITICO)
‘What’s the point?’ Teenagers give their verdict on Britain’s social media curfew (The Guardian)
EU moves towards social media ban for children (Financial Times)
They Helped Women Fight Online Abuse. They Were Barred From the U.S. (The New York Times)
Discord confirms AI moderators have banned thousands over harmless images (Mashable)
Federal Court Suspends Trump Immigration Policy Targeting Technology Researchers (Knight First Amendment Institute)

And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters, they cover:

EU threatens Meta with fines over 'addictive' Facebook and Instagram (BBC News)
Commission preliminarily finds the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook in breach of the Digital Services Act (European Commission)
The Question of Legality and the Function of the Commission’s Preliminary Findings Against Meta (Verfassungsblog)

Our fun links this week are a lawn mowing game for post-World Cup stress relief and the Center for the Alignment of AI Alignment Centers because we need more satire right now.

This episode is sponsored by PwC, whose upcoming 2026 Trust and Safety Outlook Report explores the forces reshaping how organizations are approaching online safety and integrity. In our special bonus chat, Ben sits down with Dan Hays, Principal Partner of Strategy& (part of the PwC network), to talk about the future of trust and safety and get a sneak peek at some of the themes in their report before its release next week at TrustCon.

If you’re already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon.

Sell Me Lies, Sell Me Sweet Meta Lies Jul 10, 2026

Show notes

Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover.

In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover:

And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters, they cover:

Our fun links this week are Roost, the “slow-cial” messaging app, and PlotLines for visualizing classic novels on a map.

If you’re already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon.

Making the Best of a Ban Situation Jul 03, 2026

Show notes

Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover.

In this week’s roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Ben is joined by Cori Crider, executive director of the Future of Technology Institute, an independent non-profit focusing on technology that serves the public. She previously co-founded legal non-profit Foxglove and led national security litigation at human rights organisation, Reprieve. Together, Ben and Cori discuss:

Australia to double potential fines for Facebook and Instagram (ABC News)
85% of kids are still using social media despite ban. But we need a new measure to judge its success (The Conversation)
German expert panel suggests social media ban for under-13s (Reuters)
EXCLUSIVE: EU could announce social media ban for kids in September (Euractiv)
The EU Wants To Grow Homegrown Tech. Its Courts Keep Making That Impossible (Techdirt)
Eurosky x Funk (German pub broadcaster youth programme) partnership (Linkedin)

And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters, they cover:

TikTok announce major redundancies amid push for AI content moderation (The Independent)
Meta looks to AI to review harmful content in cost-cutting drive (Financial Times)

Our fun links this week are the rise of dopamine sites (Ben) and Polaroid’s billboard campaign (Cori).

If you’re already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon.

Teaser: The Ctrl-Alt-Speech Reading List Jun 26, 2026

Show notes

In a special bonus episode for our Patreon supporters, Mike and Ben discuss some of their favorite must-read books about online speech, platform power, and content moderation. This free teaser covers their first two picks: It’s Complicated by Danah Boyd and Behind the Screenby Sarah T. Roberts.

To hear the full episode with all six books, become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter on Patreon.

Close Your Apps and Think of England Jun 19, 2026

Show notes

Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover.

In this week’s roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Ben is joined by Jen Weedon, a T&S veteran of Meta and Niantic. She is currently consulting and teaching at Columbia school of International and Public Affairs. Together, Ben and Jen discuss:

Jen Weedon on anticipating platform threats and how to manage burnout (Everything in Moderation)
AI Slop and the Information Ecosystem (Columbia University)
UK examines steps to stop children circumventing social media ban (Financial Times)
Social media ban for UK’s under 16s will go even further than Australia’s policy (BMJ)
The split-screen reaction to the UK social media ban (Everything in Moderation)
Anthropic shuts down newest AI model after U.S. bans foreign use (The Washington Post)
India blocks Telegram messaging app until June 22, government says (Reuters)

And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters, they cover:

Spotify removed 57,000 fake podcast episodes selling illegal drugs after congressional pressure (TNW)
Spotify chief defends AI-generated music (Financial Times)

Our fun links this week are the How Alberta eradicated rats (Ben) and Mogwooooo’s Instagram account (Jen).

If you’re already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon.

Cupertino d'État Jun 12, 2026

Show notes

In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover:

Tech bosses threatened with prison if they fail to protect children (The Times)
Apple and Google given three months to ban nude images on children's devices (BBC News)
Keir Starmer’s social media ban for under-16s could backfire, experts warn (OpenDemocracy)
Apple previews new child safety features (Apple)
Apple's WWDC keynote was very different, but this will be the new normal (9to5mac)
Ottawa introduces bill to restrict social media for teens, regulate AI chatbots (Globe and Mail)
Australia builds enforcement layer behind age assurance laws (Biometric Update)
NCAC Welcomes Meta Oversight Board's New Account Recommendations (NCAC)

And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters, they cover:

Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5 (Anthropic)
Microsoft restricts Claude Fable for employees over data retention concern (The Verge)
The Rise of the Compliant Speech Platform (Lawfare)
Policy on the AI Exponential (Dario Amodei)

Our fun links this week are the 7-0 World Cup game (Ben) and Chipotlai Max (Mike).

If you’re already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon.

Generous to a Default Jun 05, 2026

Show notes

Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover.

In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover:

New 13+ Content Settings for Teen Accounts Expanding Globally on Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger (Meta)
Meta Expands Safety Features for Teenagers (New York Times)
Hackers Used Meta’s AI Support Bot to Seize Instagram Accounts (Krebs on Security)
Everyone In This LEGO Dispute Should Have Spoken To A Lawyer Earlier Than They Did (Techdirt)
Can you go 82-0? (82-0)
My toddler’s version of a silent disco (Instagram)

And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters, they cover:

Enshittification, Despotification, and the Open Internet (Liberalism)

If you’re already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon.

Deus vs. Machina May 29, 2026

Show notes

Become a Ctrl-Alt-Speech supporter to get extended episodes of the podcast plus the chance to submit stories for us to cover.

In this week's episode, Mike and Ben cover:

The Boring Internet (Terry Godier)
Orkney Library & Archive (Bluesky)
Silicon Valley takes its AI pitch to the pope (Politico)
Anthropic co-founder Chris Olah's remarks on Pope Leo XIV's encyclical "Magnifica humanitas" (Anthropic)
Vance calls Pope Leo’s AI warnings ‘profound’ (NBC News)
American heresy: should Peter Thiel be burned at the stake? (Le Grand Continent)
Spotify chief defends AI-generated music (Financial Times)
OpenAI readies cyber, misinformation defenses ahead of elections (Axios)

And in the extended episode for Patreon supporters, they cover:

In a surprise, Meta increases funding to the Oversight Board (Platformer)
Spotlight: Five Years of the Oversight Board, from Experiment to Essential Institution (Ctrl-Alt-Speech)

If you’re already a Patreon supporter, you can get the extended episode on Patreon.

Message in a Bottleneck May 21, 2026

Show notes

In this week’s roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike is joined by civil liberties lawyer Jennifer Granick. Together they discuss: