As our politicians and elected officials debate the dangers of TikTok and end-to-end-encryption (E2EE), we need to look beyond the hysteria and scapegoating to the actual issues and how we have sensible discussions about what the risks of social media platforms actually are.

We’re joined by Rachel Hanson, a parent and elected official herself, to try to unpack what the real issues are and why simply banning social media services can lead to far more dangerous information control by our governments that could lead to more and more marginalisation of those already in need of accurate and verified information.

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Episode Links

• Rachel Hanson – LinkTree
• Montana becomes first state to ban TikTok – Gizmodo
• ‘TikTok bill’ is far too broad and could apply to almost any tech – Ars Technica
• Hands off My TikTok. Banning It Would Hurt the Most Marginalized | Opinion – Newsweek
• TikTok fined £12.7m for UK data protection law breaches – The Guardian
• Factsheet: Amendment to the Online Safety Bill to help tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse online – UK Home Office
• Don’t Scan Me – Open Rights Group

Chapter Times

1. 00:00:04: Introductions
2. 00:03:43: The Impact of TikTok
3. 00:16:08: The Negatives of TikTok
4. 00:26:56: Privacy & Consequences
5. 00:40:59: The Control of Information
6. 00:57:12: Social Media for Elected Officials
7. 01:06:24: E2EE & The Challenge of CSAM
8. 01:20:52: Wrapping Up

Credits

Intro and outro theme: Ace of Clubs by RoccoW