As AI-generated text, images, and videos become increasingly difficult to distinguish from reality, how can we trust the information we encounter online? In this episode, researchers Mykola Makhortykh and Victoria Vziatysheva from the University of Bern explore how AI tools are reshaping the misinformation landscape. We discuss what makes digital-era mis- and disinformation distinct from earlier media environments, why chatbots can appear highly reliable while still spreading partial or misleading information,who should be held accountable when AI systems disseminate false or deceptiv content, and what global governance can look like in a world where risks and resources are unevenly distributed.
Is your coffee machine a security risk? Dr. Reaz Khan from Freie Universität Berlin breaks down how we understand the Internet of Things today, and how that understanding is being challenged by the rise of autonomous AI agents. We talk cybersecurity, post-quantum security, and why government regulation is struggling to keep up with these drastic technological shifts. Along the way, we explore why Blade Runner might be more relevant now than ever.
In this podcast episode, we are joined by Prof. Dr. Matthias C. Kettemann (University of Innsbruck) to discuss the concept of platformisation and its impact on journalism and democracy. We explore how the growing role of digital platforms in curating content is shifting power away from journalists and traditional media. Against this backdrop, we discuss the changing role of journalists as gatekeepers of information and examine whether they can still fulfil this function as Big Tech companies increasingly determine visibility and information flows. In the final part of the discussion, we turn to existing regulatory frameworks and assess their effectiveness in addressing the expanding influence of platforms over public communication.
In recent years, cybercrime, particularly large-scale online scams linked to human trafficking and money laundering, has become a pressing transnational challenge, especially in Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia and Myanmar.What are the main obstacles states face when attempting to regulate cybercrime effectively? To what extent can the UN Convention against Cybercrime (UNCAC), also known as the Hanoi Convention, contribute to combating organized cybercriminal networks? And does this new legal framework offer meaningful protection for citizens?In this episode, VTV (Vietnam Television) Reporter Hoàng Hà, who covered the signing ceremony on site, shares her firsthand observations, key insights from the event, and her perspective on what still needs to be done to translate international commitments into effective action.
We all spend time in online communities, from private group chats and Reddit forums to newer platforms such as Mastodon. But who actually makes the rules there? And who decides what content gets promoted, removed, or shut down? In this episode, we talk to Sohyeon Hwang, a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton’s Center for Information Technology Policy, about how online communities can govern themselves. We take a closer look at what protocols are, whatcommunity-led moderation can look like beyond banning, and why smaller communities can feel more human while still being challenging to run.