As consumers grow apathetic to online information gathering — and Washington cracks down on foreign-owned apps like TikTok — the urgency of data privacy and protection in everyday life seems increasingly unavoidable.
“Technically optimistic”, a podcast from Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective, tries to address that in a way that doesn’t glaze over the average listener’s eyes.
“I’m trying to break this information down in a way that my mother-in-law would find interesting,” said Raffi Krikorian, host of the series, which began rolling out Season 2 in April.
Krikorian is the Chief Technology Officer at Emerson Collective, which Jobs founded to strengthen education, the environment, immigration and health care equity through philanthropy. and investments. The portfolio operation also has the strategic backing of Hollywood production and talent representation company Anonymous Content.
Krikorian was the first CTO at the Democratic National Committee, in addition to stints at Uber and the former Twitter (now called X). His show looks beyond the established dangers of a digital presence (leaks, scams, false narratives and the safety of young people in these spaces) to seek bigger solutions.
“I’m curious about the consequences of these decisions we’re making, and what the larger information economy is that we live in,” he said.
The new season is about the nefarious use of data and the surprising consequences it can have. For example, women avoid even the most basic medical care at Planned Parenthood in select states, so lawmakers will not have access to prior conduct if they seek procedures such as abortions at other locations.
The kick-off of season 2 featured a conversation with engineer and inventor of the ‘cookie’, Lou Montulli. Upcoming guests include Senator Richard Blumenthal, who will discuss the Child Online Protection Act; Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Clark Gregg discusses AI and the individual as intellectual property; and New York Times tech writer Kashmir Hill, who evaluates the current state of surveillance in American cities.
