Burning Platforms
Episodes
End of Days - 2025 in Review
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As 2025 crashes out we survey the highs and lows of the year in tech with long-time platform burner Human Technology Institute co-director Ed Santow. ...
Ground Game with Cory Alpert
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
While the vested interests wrestle with the intricacies of AI regulation, are community library conversations the best bet for shaping our tech future...
Carbon Footprints with Ketan Joshi
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How much energy will AI really burn? Climate writer and activist Ketan Joshi joins Burning Platforms to chat AI and Climate: what we know, what we don...
RadicalXChange with Jess Scully
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is Big Tech’s domination of AI inevitable or are there different ways of organising our data to shift the power the dynamic? We discuss the RadicalX...
How Can Democracy Survive AI? LIVE IN PERTH
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
AI is transforming our world at rapid speed, raising urgent questions about who benefits, who loses, and how we keep control of the future. Panellis...
Bursting Bubbles with Dan McQuillan
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is the rise of AI inevitable or just the latest cycle of hype for a sector that thrives on the vibes? The author of “Resisting AI’, Professor Dan ...
Cooking with Cam Wilson
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The co-author of ‘Conspiracy Nation’ takes us on his journey into the world of anti-vaxxers, wellness influencers and sovereign citizens. Regu...
Tech Check with Damian Kassabgi
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The tech industry is pitching data mining and new infrastructure as the key to national prosperity. But will it deliver? And if so, for whom? Tech...
Stolen Property with Peter Garrett
17 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
“I’m concerned that AI and big tech – well, big tech with AI – has gone into a full-court press… particularly on the federal system...I’m ...
Industrial Base with Minister Tim Ayres
06 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
New Federal industry and science minister Tim Ayres shares his take on industry policy, AI's opportunities and risks, and how we could steer through t...
Digital New Deal with Johanna Weaver
30 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Can Australia play a leading role in imagining a tech future that isn’t controlled by either the US or China? Johanna Weaver from the Tech Policy D...
Poisoning AI with Prof Toby Walsh
16 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Large Language Models are powered by stolen data but there are new and innovative ways to make the thieves pay. Professor Toby Walsh explains the ...
Scammed! With Alex Brooks
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
"I thought old people got scammed. And actually young people are at greater risk because they have more confidence in dealing [with things] online." T...
Dr Alondra Nelson’s Intelligence
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
"What could things have become? You could imagine if the baton had been passed from the Obama administration to a Clinton administration... an America...
Grok-ing Out with Julie Inman-Grant
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Burning Platforms struggles to make sense of white genocide, design unicorns and the all-seeing Apple Eye. E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman-Gran...
The Holy Trinity Edition
14 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Good things come in threes and this week’s Burning Platforms looks at the inspiration behind the new Pope’s decision to name himself Leo, the crit...
2025 Federal Election Special (or Much Ado About Nothing)
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With a federal election within days, Burning Platforms looks at the lack of discussion about tech and whether that is a good or bad thing. With Dig...
Distilling the Slop
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As the world teeters on the brink of whatever comes after globalisation we dive deep into the way AI is transforming film-making with the director of ...
Taxing Times
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode of Burning Platforms, the gang looks at global efforts to force Big Tech to pay their share of tax with special guest Dr Mark Z...
The National Trust
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Burning Platforms, we dive deep into a new initiative to understand the role of Trust in the relationship between society and techno...
World Gone Wild
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Burning Platforms is back for 2025. With the tech overlords in the ascendant, particularly following the US election, we take stock of the impending i...
Setting the Guardrails
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In our final episode of 2024 we unpack the recent Senate Report into the Adoption of AI in Australia with Committee Chair Senator Tony Sheldon. We ...
Strange Bedfellows
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Burning Platforms dives deep into the common ground between national security and individual privacy with cybersecurity expert Miah Hammond-Errey, ho...
The Tech-Bro Election
04 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The upcoming US Presidential elections will shape - and be shaped by - the Web3 community. We talk with Mark Monfort from the Aus De-Fi Associatio...
The Digital Dark Age
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As researchers are locked out of digital platforms, we contemplate a new era of control and secrecy, with responsible tech academic Gina Neff. She joi...
The Age of Intelligence?
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Open AI's Sam Altman has launched a new product line with a new business model and a new philosophy. But do they all line up? Lee Schofield from ‘...
Privacy Now!
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Listen to our live virtual town hall briefing to discuss the Federal Government’s much anticipated plans for privacy reform and the launch o the Pri...
The NSFW Edition
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What can Only Fans teach us about the internet? Social media academic Emily van der Nagel takes us through her research with content creators and ...
Emotional Rescue
18 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode if Burning Platforms, the panel dives into the product liability of companion apps with consumer law academia, Jeannie Peterson...
How AI Will Really Destroy The World
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Forget intelligent machines waging war on humans, the real threat could be the amount of energy and water data processing centres are sucking up in th...
Rebuilding the Public Square - Live
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s Burning Platforms, Peter Lewis launches the “Civility Manifesto” live at the July John Cain Lunch. Burning Platforms is an i...
Man-Made
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s Burning Platforms, we talk with author Tracey Spicer about the biases and contradictions at the heart of Artificial Intelligence....
Plurality
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Burning Platforms, our regular panel of Essential's Peter Lewis and Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea share a special extended i...
Invisible Bystanders
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Burning Platforms, our regular panel of Essential's Peter Lewis, Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, and HealthEngine CEO Dan Sti...
Will Google Eat Itself?
27 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this week’s Burning Platforms, host Peter Lewis, Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea and Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton are joined by media...
Who Stole Our Books?
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is AI robbing writers of their ideas and what can we do about it? Australian Writers Guild CEO Claire Pullen joins the regular panelists Essenti...
Judgment Day
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week’s Burning Platforms looks at Australia’s face-off with Elon Musk and the role live-streaming has in building media accountability. Al...
In Moderation
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Burning Platforms dives deep into the role humans play in managing large platforms and small communities with academic and convenor of the upcoming Al...
Mind-Reading for Dummies
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Burning Platforms – a podcast about the politics of technology - from our new home at Per Capita’s Centre of the Public Square. ...
The Code 2.0 with Belinda Barnett
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Burning Platforms – a podcast about the politics of technology - from our new home at Per Capita’s Centre of the Public Square. ...
Judging Meta with Dr Nick Suzor
29 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Burning Platforms – a podcast about the politics of technology - from our new home at Per Capita’s Centre of the Public Square. ...
Faking It
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. As the world races to regulate artificial intelligence and machine le...
Tech Horror Stories
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. This episode of Burning Platforms looks at the march of AI through th...
Life of Pi
04 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. On this episode the panel is joined for an intimate discussion with the ...
ALP Live Hack
21 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode of Burning Platforms comes live from the Australian Labor Party National Conference Fringe Festival where we talk AI regulation, privacy ...
’Cookers’ in their underpants - The Voice and social media
30 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. With The Voice to Parliament referendum campaign in full swing, we ex...
True Lies - Can we regulate disinformation?
20 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. This episode, we are joined by Andrea Carson, Professor of Political ...
Living With AI
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Technology described as artificial intelligence is becoming more pervasive, with AI algorithms transforming science and industry, along with our every...
Privacy Misconception
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Apps now harvest so much of our data, from our locations and movements, our shopping habits, even for some women - their fertility. What are the priva...
Digital Playground
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With a new focus on protecting children online as part of an evolution of the Privacy Act, rights activist Chloe Shorten (Director Alfred Health and I...
Public Interest Data
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With the first major review of the Australian Privacy Act in 40 years reaching end-game, the Burning Platforms panel unpack the state of events, and d...
Identity Crisis
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After the string of hacks in late 2022 the government has developed a new online identity wallet. What is the logic behind it? Will it provide better ...
Chokepoint Capitalism
12 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. This week, we speak with Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow, authors of...
Burning Platforms Live in Melbourne
19 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The final Burning Platforms of 2022 reflects on the year that was, including Elon Musk, tech regulation, privacy and more. Plus we held quizzes, playe...
The End of the (Big Tech) World as we know it
27 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Twitter is imploding before our eyes under Elon Musk, Meta is shedding staff and stock prices, and the crypto winter freezes out more people as FTX co...
Navigating the Metaverse
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. As we move deeper into the new phases of the internet should we be bu...
Resilience or Redesign - Approaching our Tech Future
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As part of the 2022 NetThing Internet Governance Conference, Burning Platforms will ask - "Do we need to build our resilience against a worsening tec...
Dead End: How Tech is driving gridlock
16 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The future of transportation is abuzz with disruption, from ride-sharing to electric vehicles to AI traffic flows. Burning Platforms asks - will th...
Breached As - the Optus data leak
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. This episode we look at the huge data breach at Optus, and ask whethe...
The Dark Arts of Online Advertising
18 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Burning Platforms goes under Big Tech’s hood with new research into the increased opacity of online advertising - and the impact of that secrecy on ...
Algorithmic Asylum
04 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With a proliferation of wellness technologies, the human mind is emerging as the latest frontier in the spread of tech solutionism. This week’s Burn...
Civilising the ’Tech-Bro’
21 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. On this episode Peter, Lizzie, and Dan speak with technology writer a...
The Balance of (Tech) Power
07 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this new progressive Australian government, where do the fault lines lie when it comes to digital rights? Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Codin...
Cybernetics
24 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. This week, the Burning Platforms panel deep dive into the complex and...
Home Truths
11 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. This week the Burning Platform's panel dive deep into the impact of h...
Private Eyes
27 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. This episode will dive deep into the risk of unfettered AI following ...
Introducing ’Civility’
13 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. On this week's episode, Peter Lewis is joined by David Swan, (Technol...
The People’s Choice
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. In the last Burning Platforms before the Australian Federal Election,...
Deus Ex Machina
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Humans embrace technology with a child-like optimism, but what are the threats Artificial Intelligence poses our society if its impacts are not though...
Are we addicted to tech?
15 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. On this week’s episode, Peter Lewis, Lizzie O'Shea, and Dan Stinton...
Pandemic Tech
03 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After turning to new technology in a public health crisis we now face critical questions in what a new surveillance normal looks like. Welcome to B...
The Rise of the Splinternet
20 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. This week, the Burning Platforms panel (Peter Lewis, Lizzie O'Shea...
True Lies: Disinformation in an election year
06 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the Federal Election approaches amid heightened geo-political tensions, Burning Platforms looks at a ground-breaking attempt to understand how poli...
Facebook news takedown anniversary
19 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. On this week's episode, Peter Lewis, Lizzie O'Shea, and Dan Stinton ma...
Inquiry into Social Media and Online Safety
07 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While Australians spent the summer searching for RATs, a hastily convened federal government inquiry was holding public hearings about online safety, ...
The Public Square Project book launch
20 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Western democracy has always been anchored by the idea of a public space where people gather to share ideas, mediate difference and make sense of the ...
Whatever happened to the free web?
05 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The internet promised new ways to challenge power and privilege, so how has it become a tool to promote division and entrench despots? Welcome to B...
What’s the go with DuckDuckGo?
21 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The dominance of Google’s data-hungry search engine is under the spotlight in Australia, with live inquiries on its role in the Ad-tech industry and...
Can technology really save the planet?
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As the world's leaders debate the future of the planet, technology is being put forward as the solution to the earth's climate woes. But will smart en...
Sovereign platforms vs. Sovereign nations
24 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Online platforms are acting like nation-states and governments are trying to become platforms, but are they both getting it wrong? Welcome to Burni...
Privacy isn’t boring: Online Privacy in Australia
08 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With a review of the Privacy Act expected soon, and the Facebook whistleblower revealing Facebook's privacy breaches among other things, we take a dee...
The algorithms that rule Australia
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Burning Platforms, a new fortnightly podcast that unpacks the latest developments in technology from around the world. This fortnight we ex...