Summary
Measles cases are rising to unprecedented levels, and a suspected case of a deadly bird flu strain has emerged, highlighting the ongoing threat of infectious diseases. Belinda Smith introduces "Outbreaks," a new series that explores Australia's historical responses to such health crises, emphasizing the courage and detective work involved in managing outbreaks.
In the tech realm, a new wave of AI tools is enabling developers to reverse engineer existing software rapidly, raising concerns about intellectual property rights and the potential for software piracy. Experts discuss the implications of this trend, noting that while reverse engineering isn't new, AI accelerates the process, allowing users to recreate software like Photoshop or Microsoft Office without paying subscription fees. This shift could threaten small and medium enterprises, as larger companies may replicate their innovations without proper compensation.
The conversation also touches on the impact of automated accounts, or bots, in spreading disinformation online. Data centers play a crucial role in this ecosystem, as they host the infrastructure that enables the rapid dissemination of content. While disrupting these centers can slow down misinformation, experts caution that it may not eliminate it entirely, as content often replicates across multiple servers.
Finally, the discussion shifts to Elizabeth Holmes and her company Theranos, which promised revolutionary blood testing technology but ultimately failed to deliver, resulting in significant patient harm and investor fraud. Despite her conviction and imprisonment, her husband is now pursuing a similar venture, raising questions about the tech industry's accountability and the lessons learned from past failures.
Show Notes
AI is making it easier than ever to take software apart and build a copy. We look at what reverse engineering involves, and whether it is a good idea to use reverse engineered software? Ukraine's drone are striking Russian data centres. What role do data centres and bots play in spreading disinformation, and what would taking their data centres offline achieve? Finally, Theranos is back in the spotlight with the new documentary You Can See Everything. So has the tech world has learned anything, including how to weigh a new venture developed by her husband? GUESTS: Erica Mealy, technology reporter for The Guardian Australia Seamus Byrne, PhD research candidate with the ARC Centre of Excellence in Automated Decision Making & Society ------------ This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples. ------------ Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.
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We expect to be tracked online, but increasingly we're being watched in real life too. Strangers in the street are wearing "pervert" glasses, cameras can follow us through shopping centres, and WA Police have rolled out live facial recognition cameras. In this special episode, how much surveillance is too much? And could Australia follow the US down the path of Flock-style policing? Plus, how can we protect ourselves from this data collection, and can we rely on privacy law to keep up? GUESTS: Josh Taylor, technology reporter for The Guardian Australia. Tom Sulston, Head of Policy at Digital Rights Watch. ------------ You might also like: Our episode looking at how much our devices know about us, with a former white hat hacker: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/downloadthisshow/lg-tvs-streaming-boxes-internet-hygiene-refresher/107094484 Our episode about what Australia's proposed Privacy Act reforms mean for the tech you use: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/downloadthisshow/privacy-act-reforms-smart-glasses-anthropic-testing-break/107042866 ------------ This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples. ------------ Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.
AI agents are popping up everywhere: Facebook, OpenAI, Google. Meanwhile, tech leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman are warning these agents could end humanity. So, how much of this is a marketing tool, and what threat do AI agents actually pose? We'll return to the basics: what are AI agents, and how much should you be trusting them with? What happens if your AI agent, say... hacks into Medicare? Plus, deepfakes are distorting the Victorian election. What are deepfakes, how do you know you've seen them, and how are they legal in an election campaign? GUESTS: Dr Lorenn Ruster, senior research fellow at the ANU Leadership & Complexity Lab. Tama Leaver, Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University, and Chief Investigator at the ARC Centre for Excellence for the Digital Child. ------------ You might also like: Our episode about the social media platform for AI agents, Moltbook. We also cover the dead internet theory: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/downloadthisshow/more-bots-than-people-dead-internet-theory/106256520 Our episode with the highlights of Melbourne Games Week. https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/downloadthisshow/roblox-child-safety-esafety-commissioner/107067976 ------------ This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples. ------------ Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.
Technology helped get us into the climate crisis. Could it also get us out? Bringing extinct species back to life, seeding clouds to control the weather, and cleaning up nuclear energy are just some of the "techno fixes" hawked as solutions to our biggest environmental problems. But at what cost? And if we are entering an era where technology can reshape the planet, who gets to decide how it’s used, and how do the rest of us get a say? GUEST: Richard King, author of Here Be Monsters, which asks is technology reducing our humanity; and Brave New Wild which asks can technology save the planet. ------------ This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples. ------------ Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.
Are rental applications asking for less personal information now? How safe is your data on 2Apply? And how has 2Apply responded to OAIC's concerns about data privacy? In April, the Privacy Commissioner called out rental technology platforms, especially 2Apply, for collecting "excessive personal information". So, in our The Renter Algorithm special episodes, we investigated how renters' personal information is being used to create 'risk profiles'*, the power imbalance created by this data collection, and how we got to this point in the first place. 2Apply itself didn't replied when we reached out for comment. But they have now. So, what do they have to say? Download's special episodes on rental technology platforms can be found here: Episode 1: The invisible system judging tenants Episode 2: Dark patterns and the illusion of choice Samantha Floreani's article on one of the key changes made since our episodes went to air is here. Our recent episode on the proposed Privacy Act updates is here. *Since reaching out, 2Apply has clarified they do not use the auto-generated risk profiles we talk about in the special episodes. GUEST: Matt McGown, Chief Product Officer at real estate software company Reapit (2Apply's parent company). ------------ This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples. ------------ Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.
What impact is reading on your Kobo or Kindle having on your brain? As AI turns up in writing, reviewing and literary prizes, how do we decide what's genuinely human creativity? And how is the Australian publishing industry changing as a result of BookTok, Bookstagram and Goodreads? GUESTS: Anna Burkey, CEO of Australia Reads. Bec Kavanagh, senior tutor in creative writing and publishing at the University of Melbourne, and former bookseller. Bec & Anna's book recommendations: Anna says Jaclyn Moriarty who wrote Time Travel for Beginners (2026) has an incredible way with words. Bec prefers works in translation (writing translated from one language to another) as well as short fiction writers. She says Rita Bullwinkle's Headshot (2025) was phenomenal, and that Dahlia de la Cerda's Reservoir Bitches (2024) is top of her TBR list. Voting is still open for the ABC Radio National's Top100 Books countdown. You can vote for your favourite Australian books here: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/radionational/top-100-books-2026/106621398 ------------ This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples. ------------ Get in touch: We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.