Shows
Ctrl-Alt-SpeechC'est la Vile ContentIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:House Judiciary Releases EU X Fine Details (House Judiciary X Account)New Report Exposes European Commission Decade-Long Campaign to Censor American Speech (House Judiciary Committee)X offices raided in France as UK opens fresh investigation into Grok (BBC)Hey Gavin Newsom! Investigating TikTok’s Moderation Is Just As Unconstitutional As When Texas & Florida Tried It (Techdirt)Spain Aims to Ban Social Media for Children Under 16, Prime Minister Says (NY Times)TikTok Keyword Analysis (LinkedIn)Why newsrooms are taking co...
2026-02-0651 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechThis Episode is Broadly Safe to Listen ToIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:My year with a flip phone (Financial Times)Claude’s Constitution (Anthropic)From the CEO: What’s coming to YouTube in 2026 (Youtube)BBC to show programmes on YouTube in landmark deal (Financial Times)Rand Paul: I’ve changed my mind — Google and YouTube can’t be trusted to do the right thing and must be reined in (NY Post)Rand Paul Only Wants Google To Be The Arbiter Of Truth When The Videos Are About Him (Techdirt)Roskomnadzor Denies Rep...
2026-01-2346 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechWe’ve Hit Grok BottomIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:UK, Canadian watchdogs press on with probes into Elon Musk's Grok chatbot (Reuters)Musk’s xAI limits Grok’s ability to create sexualized images of real people on X after backlash (CNBC)X claims it has stopped Grok from undressing people, but of course it hasn’t (The Verge)State Department Threatens UK Over Grok Investigation, Because Only The US Is Allowed To Ban Foreign Apps (Techdirt)Keir Starmer tells MPs he is open to social media ban for yo...
2026-01-1651 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechMaking Our 2026 Bingo CardIn the first Ctrl-Alt-Speech episode of 2026, Mike and Ben look forward at the year ahead and begin building a bingo card of things that might happen. They discuss a short list of possible squares, ask for listeners to contribute more ideas, and go few a through suggestions that have already come in. Soon, we’ll release an official Ctrl-Alt-Speech bingo card for listeners to play along throughout the year.Follow Ben at Everything in Moderation and Mike at Techdirt. Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at po...
2026-01-0944 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechHave Yourself a Very Meta ChristmasIn the last Ctrl-Alt-Speech of the year, Mike and Ben round up the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation with the following stories:Meta shuts down global accounts linked to abortion advice and queer content | Global development (The Guardian)Facebook is testing a link-posting limit for professional accounts and pages (Techcrunch)Meta adopts new age-check system to meet global child safety laws (FT)Russian ban on Roblox gaming platform sparks rare protest (Reuters)OpenAI hires George Osborne to spearhead global ‘Stargate’ expansion (FT)Oscars Bolts From ABC to YouTube Starting in 2029 (Hollywood Reporter) Ctrl...
2025-12-1953 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechCensors & SensibilityIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:Resonant Computing Manifesto Support Techdirt’s Uncompromising Coverage, Get Our First Commemorative Coin (Techdirt)US Ambassador Slams EU Tech Rules as Musk’s X Hit With Fine (Bloomberg)Why the X fine is causing so much transatlantic drama (Politico)Tech workers face new H1-B scrutiny as Trump targets ‘censorship’ (Washington Post)H1-B visa advice (LinkedIn - Alice Hunsberger)Australian leader defends social media ban as teens flaunt workarounds (Reuters)Age restrictions alone won't keep children safe online (U...
2025-12-121h 03Ctrl-Alt-SpeechYou Can't Antitrust Anyone These DaysIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:Meta wins FTC antitrust trial over Instagram, WhatsApp deals (CNBC)Commission eyes further simplification of tech rules after DSA review (Euractiv)Inside Europe's 'Jekyll and Hyde' tech strategy (Digital Policy)NetChoice sues Virginia to block its one-hour social media limit for kids (The Verge)Tech Giants Sue California Over Social Media Access Law (2) (Bloomberg Law)TikTok to give users power to reduce amount of AI content on their feeds (The Guardian) The Most Frustrating Word for Trust & Safety P...
2025-11-2153 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechNew Blocks On The KidsIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:It’s Cool to Have No Followers Now (New Yorker)Introducing Safe for Work? — all about T&S jobs (Everything in Moderation*)Kids Turn Podcast Comments Into Secret Chat Rooms, Because Of Course They Do (Techdirt)Reddit and Kick added to child social media ban (ABC News)X boss explains why ‘horrific’ video viewed by Axel Rudakubana wasn’t removed (The Independent)Southport Inquiry (YouTube)How Elon Musk is Boosting The British Right (Sky News)arXiv Changes Rules After Gett...
2025-11-0759 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechChat Bot Your Tongue?In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:Character.AI is banning minors from AI character chats (Financial Times)Strengthening ChatGPT’s responses in sensitive conversations (OpenAI)Senators propose banning teens from using AI chatbots (The Verge)EU accuses Meta, TikTok of breaching digital rules (Politico) Meta and TikTok are obstructing researchers’ access to data, European Commission rules (Science.org)Hey Elon: Let Me Help You Speed Run The Content Moderation Learning Curve (Techdirt)China’s new law: only degree-holding influencers can discuss professional topics – netizens divided o...
2025-10-3153 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechA Tale of Two InternetsIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:Wikipedia Volunteers Avert Tragedy by Taking Down Gunman at Conference (New York Times)AI-Generated Content a Triple Threat for Reddit Moderators (Cornell Tech)Wikipedia Says AI Is Causing a Dangerous Decline in Human Visitors (404 Media)As social media age restrictions spread, is the internet entering its Victorian era? (The Conversation)Winning with misinformation: New research identifies link between endorsing easily disproven claims and prioritizing symbolic strength (The Conversation)Tinder Launches Mandatory Facial Verification to Weed Out Bots and...
2025-10-241h 02Ctrl-Alt-SpeechRated R for RidiculousIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:Sam Altman says OpenAI isn’t ‘moral police of the world’ after erotica ChatGPT post blows up (CNBC)Where are all the women on Sora 2? This could be a nightmare for OpenAI. (Business Insider)Musk’s AI Is Being Used to Make Hardcore Porn: ‘Grok Is Learning Genitalia Really Fast!’ (Rolling Stone)Instagram Will Limit Content for Teenagers Based on PG-13 Ratings (NY Times)UK MPs urged to investigate TikTok’s plans to cut 439 content moderator jobs (The Guardian)TikTo...
2025-10-1753 min
Venture DeclassifiedFrom “Hot Mess” to Fundable: Cleaning Up Cap TablesIn this episode of Venture Declassified, hosts Mike Kelly, Ben Pidgeon, and Jacob Schpok tackle one of the most overlooked—but most consequential—parts of startup investing: the cap table. From abandoned founder equity to a stack of mismatched SAFEs, the trio share war stories of cap tables that turn into what they like to call a “hot mess”—and why those messes can scare off the very investors a company needs most. Along the way, they unpack the mechanics behind dilution math, option pools, and convertible notes, and shine a light on the hidden gotchas that quietly eat...
2025-10-061h 03Venture DeclassifiedThe Good, the Bad, and the Risky: Understanding Bridge RoundsIn this episode of Venture Declassified, hosts Mike Kelly, Ben Pidgeon, and Jacob Schpok take a hard look at bridge rounds—what they are, when they make sense, and when they’re really just a disguised recap. The conversation starts with definitions: a bridge round is typically a smaller, short-term raise—often structured as a convertible note or SAFE—intended to extend a company’s runway until the next major milestone. But as the hosts point out, bridges can fall into three very different categories: a pivot where the company needs fresh conviction, a quick infusion of capital to h...
2025-09-2221 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechFrom 'Free Speech' To 'Flag This'In this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:How platforms are responding to the Charlie Kirk shooting (The Verge)Bluesky Issues Warning to Any Users Celebrating Charlie Kirk Assassination (Newsweek)Right-Wing Activists Are Targeting People for Allegedly Celebrating Charlie Kirk’s Death (Wired)Charlie Kirk Was Shot and Killed in a Post-Content-Moderation World (Wired)Has Britain Gone Too Far With Its Digital Controls? (New York Times)The Censorship Alarm Is Ringing in the Wrong Direction (Public Knowledge)We now know who the new owners of TikTok wi...
2025-09-1952 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechIt's a Banned, Banned, Banned, Banned WorldIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:Nepal to block some social media including Facebook (Reuters)Why Nepal Banned 26 Social Media Platforms And What It Means (Medianama)A parliament in flames, a leader toppled. Nepal’s Gen-Z protesters ask: What comes next? (CNN)When Trolls Take On Tyrants: 4chan and Kiwi Farms Sue the UK Over Extraterritorial Censorship (Techdirt)Wikipedia is resilient because it's boring (The Verge)Former Meta employees say they saw child abuse in VR before company blocked research (NBC News)Mark Zuckerberg su...
2025-09-1253 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechThe Haidt of HypocrisyIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:Jordan escalates global tech argument, with Farage's help (Politico) Farage’s rules for free speech: talk about anything but your lunch (The Times)Is Jonathan Haidt right about smartphones? (TES)My mom and Dr. DeepSeek (Rest of World)AI 'deadbots' are persuasive — and researchers say they're primed for monetization (NPR)OpenAI co-founder calls for AI labs to safety-test rival models (TechCrunch)Privacy-Preserving Age Verification—and Its Limitations (Steven M. Bellovin) Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Eve...
2025-09-0552 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechYou Asked, We AnsweredThis is the second of our special episodes for the month of August. Last time, we talked a bit about the past and future of Ctrl-Alt-Speech; this time, Mike and Ben answer some questions from our listeners, and also share a few of the latest reviews. We're taking one more week off after this, then we'll be back in the first week of September with a return to our regular weekly news roundups! Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship enquiries to sponsorship@c...
2025-08-2150 min
Chasing the FinishFinish Line Thoughts | Coventry ParkRun | with Ben, Mike & TomWelcome to the running podcast where three mates from Birmingham swap miles for mics and share more than just blisters! Ben Blakeman, Jake Ramsey and Mike Duffy, a trio at very different points on their running journeys, but all equally skilled at dodging training plans and telling a good story.
Watch as Ben, Mike, and friend of the podcast Tom take on the mighty Coventry ParkRun. Ben’s job? Play drill sergeant/pacer for Tom’s hunt for a shiny new PB. Mike’s role? See if his legs still remember how to run after...
2025-08-1710 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechWhat's Next for Ctrl-Alt-SpeechWe're taking a little break from our regular weekly news roundups this month, but we've got a couple special episodes lined up in the mean time, starting with a conversation all about the past and future of Ctrl-Alt-Speech. This week, Mike and Ben talk about how the podcast got started, how we create the episodes, our philosophy about sponsorship, and what we need to make Ctrl-Alt-Speech sustainable in the long run. We hope you enjoy it! Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast from Techdirt and Everything in Moderation. Send us your feedback at podcast@ctrlaltspeech.com and sponsorship e...
2025-08-0737 min
Chasing the FinishChasing The Finish Running Podcast Episode 7 | Solihull Soon, 3 Brewers 10k and Ben's Back Running!Welcome to our running podcast made up of the brummie trio Ben Blakeman, Jake Ramsey & Mike Duffy as the lads talk all things running and give their personal experiences. These 3 lads, who are all at different stages of their running journey's, will be sure to bring the stories and the laughs.
This week's episode the lads chat about the Solihull 5k/Half Marathon in which all of the lads are taking part as it gets ever closer to race day. How's Jake feeling about his first official running race? How's Mike's training been going for his first ever half...
2025-07-241h 49Ctrl-Alt-SpeechThe UK Wants Us To Ask Your Age Before You ListenIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:a16z-Backed AI Site Civitai Is Mostly Porn, Despite Claiming Otherwise (404 Media)Hugging Face Is Hosting 5,000 Nonconsensual AI Models of Real People (404 Media)Ofcom head says age checks are ‘really big moment’ for children’s online safety (The Guardian)New online safety rules not 'the end of the conversation', says minister (BBC)Commission’s guidelines for online child safety target platforms of all sizes (Euractiv)I met the sextortion scammers destroying young lives for £1 a day (The Times)“Why me?” On...
2025-07-181h 02Ctrl-Alt-SpeechMove Fast and Mistake ThingsIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:Jack Cable calls out Cluely over bogus DMCA (X)The cofounder of the viral AI 'cheating' startup Cluely says he only hires people for 2 jobs (Business Insider)Missouri AG: Any AI That Doesn’t Praise Donald Trump Might Be “Consumer Fraud” (No, Really) (Techdirt)Instagram wrongly accuses some users of breaching child sex abuse rules (BBC)Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot praises Adolf Hitler on X (FT)Grok Becomes ‘MechaHitler,’ Twitter Becomes X: How Centralized Tech Is Prone To Fas...
2025-07-1147 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechDon't Believe What This Podcast Says About MisinformationIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:The Misleading Panic over Misinformation (Cato Institute) Claims that Online Misinformation Fears Are Overblown ‘Radically Understates’ the Scale of the Threat (Byline Times)EU Disinformation Code Takes Effect Amid Censorship Claims and Trade Tensions (Tech Policy Press)Content Moderation Is Not Censorship (Law & Liberty)Asked to think like a paedophile or act suicidal: Workers training Meta's AI in Ireland speak out (The Journal)The Hidden Human Cost of AI Moderation (Jacobin)Brazil rules that social media platforms are respo...
2025-07-0453 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechOutrage For The MachineIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:He’s a Master of Outrage on X. The Pay Isn’t Great. (NY Times)The vulnerable teen drawn into far-right extremism online (Financial Times)X, Bluesky and Reddit in France’s crosshairs amid porn clampdown (Politico)EU sidesteps Macron’s ultimatum to ban social media for kids under 15 (Euractiv)Commission seeks feedback on the guidelines on protection of minors online under the Digital Services Act (European Commission)OnlyFans releases stern statement as it DEACTIVATES Bonnie Blue’s account fo...
2025-06-1350 min
The Voices of The VicA Look Back on 24/25 | with Ben, Caity, Cam, Joe & MikeMike Duffy is joined by the rest of the gang to look back on their pre season predictions in what usually tends to be a laugh at some way of the mark predictions made by the team before a ball was kicked.
The team also hand out their awards for the season just completed.
Follow The Voices of the Vic Podcast:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheVoicesOfTheVic
Twitter/X - https://x.com/voicesofthevic?s=21
Instagram - https://instagram.com/voicesofthevic?igshid=Nzd2YXZoamd1cDM1
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thevoicesofthevic?_t=8oPOlabBIRN&_r=1
Spotify - https...
2025-05-131h 23Ctrl-Alt-SpeechLook What The Chat Dragged InIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:The group chats that changed America (Semafor)Curtis Yarvin Says Democracy Is Done. Powerful Conservatives Are Listening (New York Times) Meta faces Ghana lawsuits over impact of extreme content on moderators (The Guardian) Social media moderators’ lives are getting worse. Big Tech needs to take responsibility (The Bureau of Investigative Journalism)Meta’s ‘Digital Companions’ Will Talk Sex With Users—Even Children (Wall Street Journal)Kids should avoid AI companion bots—under force of law, assessment says (CalMatters)I'm a mom who...
2025-05-0253 minVenture DeclassifiedWhat Makes a Deal Stand Out: Insights from the Venture Screening ProcessIn this lively episode of "Venture Declassified," hosts Mike Kelly, Ben Pidgeon, and Jacob Spock dive deep into their screening processes, offering a backstage pass to how venture capital decisions are made. The episode is a fascinating exploration of how these experts engage with potential portfolio companies, balance efficiency with thoroughness, and deal with the challenges of high-volume deal flow.Jacob, Mike, and Ben begin by sharing their recent experiences at South by Southwest and quickly transition to discussing their week-long schedules. This sets the stage for a detailed conversation about screening potential investments, differentiating between immediate...
2025-04-2837 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechRed Pills & Blue ChecksIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:4chan is dead. It's Toxic Legacy is everywhere (Wired)Wide-Ranging Decisions Protect Speech and Address Harms (Oversight Board)Meta’s oversight board rebukes company over policy overhaul (Reuters)Why Techdirt Is Now A Democracy Blog (Whether We Like It Or Not) (Techdirt)Most young Aussie men are turning to masculinity influencers, and it's impacting their mental health (ABC News)Young Men’s Health in a Digital World (Movember)Teens, Social Media and Mental Health (Pew Research Center)National Scie...
2025-04-2553 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechWhy Can't We De-FriendIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Failed Negotiations to End Antitrust Case (Wall Street Journal)Mark Zuckerberg once suggested wiping all Facebook friends lists to boost usage (The Verge) Would You Give PornHub Your ID? (The Atlantic) How Social-Media Sites Can Fight Hate Without Censorship (The Atlantic) Facebook Banned Me for Life Because I Help People Use It Less (Slate, 2021)ASML Fellow Launches CLR:SKY (Berkman Klein Center)Block Party deep cleans your social media, notifications, settings, and more in one c...
2025-04-1853 minCtrl-Alt-SpeechWorld Wide Wedge IssueIn this week's round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben cover:Zuckerberg Tries to Enlist Trump in Fight Against Meta EU Ruling (WSJ)EU set to limit Apple and Meta fines to avoid ire of Donald Trump (Financial Times)Adolescence hard to watch as a dad, Starmer tells creators (BBC)‘Adolescence’ on Netflix: A painful wake-up call about unregulated internet use for teens (The Conversation)Adolescence hits Netflix's Top 10 Global chart in just three weeks as it reaches over 96MILLION views (Daily Mail)Online ‘Pedophile Hunters’ Are Growing More Violent...
2025-04-0351 min