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Digital Planet: Spyware threatening independent media

Factual: Science & Nature

Unidentifiable hacker cracking a computer code in the dark

28/09/2021 GMT

Spyware threatening independent media

BBC World Service - Digital Planet, Spyware threatening independent media

Unchecked growth of spyware is becoming an escalating threat to independent media

Spyware threatening independent media. Also eating out with an app and TikTok promotes COVID vaccine misinformation within minutes of signing up.

Spyware threatening independent media
Samuel Woodhams, the author of a report entitled “Spyware: An unregulated and escalating threat to independent media”, is live on the show. His research shows that the current unchecked growth of the commercial spyware industry is allowing repressive governments to monitor, harass and attack independent journalists and their sources as part of the battle against the free flow of information. We ask about the tech that is involved and if it’s possible to control it.

Eating out with an app
So COVID has brought about significant changes in how we order our food – not only have takeaway apps increased significantly in popularity but food ordering in restaurants in a number of countries was only possible thanks to our smart phones. As restrictions in some parts of the world ease, many restaurants are reluctant to go back to the traditional way of running their businesses. Gareth and Bill meet Dominic Jones, CEO of JPRestaurants in Jersey, who explains how ordering on an app has streamlined his business, allowed them to open earlier than they thought they could during the pandemic and how customers have taken to it. Gareth and Bill even sneak into the kitchens to see how the tech allows the food to be prepared incredibly quickly.

TikTok promotes COVID vaccine misinformation within minutes of signing up
Newsguard, who provides a browser extension that flags up untrustworthy information, has found that the incredibly popular app TikTok (which has a huge following amongst under 18’s) posts COVID vaccine misinformation videos to children within minutes of them signing up to the service. Alex Cadier, Managing Director of NewsGuard in the UK, is on the show to explain how they discovered that children were being targeted.

The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Bill Thompson.

Studio Manager: Giles Aspen
Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz

(Image: Unidentifiable hacker cracking a computer code in the dark
Credit: PeopleImages/Getty Images)

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