Terms of Service with Clare Duffy
Episodes
How to Protect Yourself from Automated Pricing Schemes
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We’re all used to paying the same price as our neighbor for the same product in the same store. But that system of consistent pricing is starting to...
How a Landmark Verdict Could Reshape Social Media
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A Los Angeles jury found that Meta and YouTube knowingly created addictive platforms that harmed the mental health of a young woman. It’s a landmark...
The Tech Helping Women Take Control of Their Health
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
We’re surrounded by digital tools promising to help us track and manage our health. And there’s a growing set of products targeted at addressing w...
50 Years of Apple: How the iPhone Maker Revolutionized Tech
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
With Apple marking its 50th birthday next month, we dive into the inside story about how the iPhone maker and its founders changed the way we live, wo...
Could an ‘AI Bubble’ Threaten Your Retirement Savings?
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Excitement around AI has driven huge stock market gains over the past few years, but there’s growing worry that the good times may not last. Some in...
How to Keep Your Parents and Grandparents Safe Online
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Misinformation and online scams are incredibly common, especially among older adults in the US. And with the rise of AI and dependence on online tools...
How Are Ice Agents Using Facial Recognition Technology?
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Amid President Donald Trump's massive immigration crackdown, protesters have shared videos showing ICE agents appearing to photograph or videotape peo...
Could AI Become Smarter Than Humans?
17 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Many in Silicon Valley say smarter-than-humans “Artificial General Intelligence” is just around the corner. But is it really possible to create su...
Hinge’s CEO on Fighting Dating App Fatigue
10 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Dating apps have been part of modern romance for years, but data suggests users are experiencing a bit of swiping fatigue. Hinge, however, has managed...
Placing Bets on Super Bowl Sunday? Here are Some Things to Keep in Mind
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Online sports gambling has become a massive business. That means that for individual bettors, there can be serious money on the line, too. So how exac...
Three Teens on How AI is Reshaping Their Job Prospects
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Silicon Valley leaders have said that the jobs poised to be most affected by AI are entry-level positions. What does the next generation of workers th...
How to Make Your Online Communications More Secure
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Your email sits at the center of your online life — it holds personal communications, purchase history and the ability to reset other passwords. Ema...
More Young People are Using AI Chatbots. Is it Safe?
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Since 2024, multiple families have filed lawsuits against major AI companies, claiming their children were driven to self-harm and even suicide after ...
The Best Way to Search for Info Online in the AI Era
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Finding information online can be overwhelming. And as more people turn to chatbots for information, search engines are adapting. Google Search has ad...
The Year in News: Deepfakes, MAHA & AI
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After a head-spinning year in the worlds of health and technology, Audie Cornish of The Assignment sat down with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Clare Duffy to...
‘Tis the Season for Recycling e-Waste
16 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you have new tech gadgets on your holiday wishlist, chances are you also have old devices that have passed their prime. What’s the safest and mos...
Trying out Friend, the Viral AI Necklace
09 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Making friends can be hard. So, 23-year-old Avi Schiffmann decided to create his own Friend, a wearable AI device that he says “bottles” the best ...
Is It Actually Possible to Control Kids’ Screen Time?
02 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Trying to get kids to spend less time online is an uphill battle. It can be hard to keep track of parental controls, especially when they function dif...
We Tried Smart Glasses to See If They’re Worth the Hype
25 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Smart glasses aren’t a new idea, but they’re having a moment in Silicon Valley. With sleeker designs and AI-enhanced capabilities, the newest mode...
Why Our Feeds are Filled with AI Slop—and What to Do about It
18 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With the launch of apps like OpenAI’s Sora 2, creating videos with AI is easier than ever. On our feeds, it’s getting harder to spot AI-generated ...
What We’ve Learned in One Year of Terms of Service
11 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week marks a special milestone for Terms of Service! It’s been one year of demystifying technology and talking about how to engage with new too...
Crypto ATM Scams are on the Rise. Here’s What You Need to Know
04 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cryptocurrency ATM machines have become a prime tool for scammers to seize money from victims — in some cases, tens of thousands of dollars. How do ...
Why Have We Gotten Worse at Reading?
28 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past few decades, we have all collectively gotten worse at reading. Is our ever-increasing screen time part of the problem? Or could new tech...
The Tech Helping Humans Understand Animal Communication
21 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if we could understand what the animals around us are saying? It’s the subject of countless movies and thought experiments, and something many ...
Billionaire Investor Frank McCourt on Why We Should Control Our Own Data
14 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Frank McCourt was one of the first investors to make a bid to buy TikTok earlier this year, with a promise to give users more control over their own d...
Why Tech Platforms Are Now Asking for Your Age
07 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tech platforms are increasingly trying to figure out how old you are. Why is this happening? And should you be worried about handing over your informa...
Saving Energy and Money with Smart Technology
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Across the country, Americans are seeing their energy bills increase, in part due to the power demands of new AI data centers. But Rachel Cericola, a ...
What Dr. Sanjay Gupta Learned from Being the Target of a Deepfake Health Ad
23 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As a practicing neurosurgeon and CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta can spot false health claims from a mile away. Still, he recent...
Back to School -- with Help from AI
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Kids are heading back to school. One thing students, teachers and parents can expect to encounter this year is artificial intelligence, which has rais...
How to Keep Your Private Messages Truly Private
09 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
DMs and text messages can feel like private forms of communication — but it’s not always that simple. There are scenarios where third parties migh...
From VPNs to Cookies: Staying Secure Online
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Should you trust public WiFi? How do you choose the right VPN? And what should you do when yet another website asks you to allow cookies? On today’s...
How Your Memories Can Live On After You Die
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Lucy Simic was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2018, she wondered how to spend the time she had left — and what kind of legacy she’d leave b...
Keeping a Language Alive With a Robot
19 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Many Indigenous languages are at risk of disappearing. 24-year-old inventor Danielle Boyer is on a mission to change that. She designed SkoBot, an int...
How AI Generated Police Reports Could Affect You
12 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
AI is being used right now by police officers across the United States to draft their reports — and it also has ramifications for prosecutors, defen...
Meet the Police Officers Using AI to Draft Police Reports
05 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For the last year, officers in Fort Collins, Colorado, have used AI to draft police reports. In part one of this special two-episode deep dive, host C...
Writing a Sequel to ‘Contagion’...With AI
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The 2011 medical thriller Contagion had a big resurgence in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic. Scott Z. Burns, the screenwriter behind the film,...
How Will You Benefit From Commercial Space Travel?
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the past few years, the commercial spaceflight industry has taken off — literally. But is the industry just turning space into a playground for t...
How Fake Videos Are Adding to the Fog of War
15 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In June, violence escalated between Israel and Iran. Footage from this conflict traveled quickly, with images and videos spreading online. The problem...
Producing Hit Songs in the Age of AI
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
AI is poised to transform the way music gets written, recorded, and produced. And it’s possible that you’ve already heard AI-generated music witho...
AI Is Changing the Game for Heart Disease Diagnosis
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For doctors, diagnosing diseases early is a huge priority. New AI systems can analyze medical tests and images to help diagnose patients faster and mo...
Will AI Replace Human Artists? One Study Says Not Yet
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
AI-generated art is sweeping the internet. With programs like Midjourney or DALL-E, users can generate images from text prompts in seconds. Should wor...
Digg’s Founder on Making Social Media More Human Again
17 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tech entrepreneur Kevin Rose is relaunching Digg, the Reddit-like platform he founded in 2004. He’s doing it with an unlikely partner: Reddit co-fou...
Can Fitness Trackers Really Make You Healthier?
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From smartwatches to rings, the market for wearable health trackers has exploded in recent years. There are also apps to track your sleep, your exerci...
How Safe Is Online Gaming for Kids? Roblox’s CEO Has Some Thoughts
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Children and teens are spending more time than ever in online gaming spaces. But how safe are these platforms for kids? David Baszucki has thought abo...
Cars Are In Their Computer Era
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Self-driving cars have hit the streets of several US cities. And even in human-driven cars, giant tablet screens and automated driver assistance featu...
How Safe Is It to Fly Right Now?
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As US travelers gear up for Memorial Day, one question is on many people’s minds: Is it safe to fly right now? In the wake of frightening headlines ...
How Are Algorithms Changing Our Beauty Standards?
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From “looksmaxxing” to “glass skin,” algorithms are changing how we define beauty — online and in real life. In a world of ever-evolving bea...
Could Genetic Testing Tell You Who to Have Kids With?
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
After 23andMe filed for bankruptcy in March, VC-backed genetic testing company Nucleus Genomics put up its hand to acquire the platform. Nucleus uses ...
Why Do People Believe Conspiracy Theories?
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Conspiracy theories are not new. They’re as old as time itself. But if you feel like they’re everywhere right now, you’re not alone. So, what do...
How to Recession-Proof Your Personal Finances
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With tariffs kicking in and stock prices taking wild swings, uncertainty has racked the US economy in recent weeks. What’s the best way to navigate ...
What’s Going on When Airport Security Scans Your Face
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve been to the airport recently, you might have noticed something different while going through security: a TSA agent taking your photo. Face...
This Tech Could Change Conspiracy Believers’ Minds
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Conspiracy theories can take many forms, from misgivings about the first moon landing to false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. As anyone who...
Can Grief Bots Help Us Heal?
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grief is one of the most human experiences we have—so what happens when AI gets involved? How are people using it in their healing process? Audio pr...
Think Before You Ring: Keeping Home Surveillance Safe
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the past decade, technology has transformed the way we use doorbells. Home security cameras that capture footage of people around your home give so...
Online Genetic Testing: How Private Is Your DNA?
25 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The popularity of for-profit genetic testing services like Ancestry and 23andMe has skyrocketed in recent years. These tests can teach users more abou...
Baby Tech: What Do New Parents Actually Need?
18 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Becoming a parent is overwhelming. So is all the technology out there that’s marketed toward new parents, from smart bassinets to high-tech baby mon...
Can AI Turn Music into Medicine?
11 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s no surprise that music can affect our emotions. But can music actually improve our mental health? Aaron Labbé, founder and chief technology of...
Robot Recruiters: How AI is Helping Decide Who Gets Hired
04 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you apply for a job online, there’s a good chance that your application will be put through some kind of AI evaluation. But what is the AI algori...
Are Your Conversations With AI Killing the Planet?
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Every time users talk to AI chatbots, their queries go to data centers, where stacks of computers do rapid, complex calculations in order to respond. ...
What Happens to Your Digital Footprint When You Die?
18 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us have seen this happen. Someone dies IRL, but their online presence lives on. It’s estimated that millions of accounts on Facebook belong ...
Love and Robots: How AI is Changing the Dating Scene
11 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Since the dawn of match.com in 1995, people have had a lot of questions about how online dating would change the experience of falling in love. But th...
Do Young People Need Smartphones? A Parent and a Teen Weigh In.
04 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s become the norm for teens and tweens to have smartphones — but lately, the pendulum has been swinging back. Parents and educators worry smart...
Why We're So Hooked on Scrolling
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In an age of personalized algorithms and constant notifications, it can be hard to resist the pull of our devices. Why is it so hard to stop mindlessl...
How Do You Fact-Check Social Media?
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the company is ending its partnership with third-party fact-checkers in the US because the program caused too much censo...
AI Voice Scams Are on the Rise. Here’s How You Stay Safe.
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gary Schildhorn sprang into action to help when he got a call in his son’s voice saying he’d landed in jail after getting into a car accident. Tha...
If TikTok is Banned, What Happens to Creators and Fans?
07 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
TikTok is facing a looming ban in the United States. The company will make a final effort to argue its case before the Supreme Court on Friday; if it ...
What You Should Buy Before Trump’s Tariffs
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many people voted for President-elect Donald Trump with the hope that he’d lower the cost of groceries and other essentials. But Trump’s promised ...
Should You Say Yes to a TSA Face Scan?
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve been to the airport recently, you might have noticed something different while going through security: a TSA agent taking your photo. More...
Remembering All Your Passwords is Hard. Let's Make It Easier
03 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
CNN Audio’s senior producer Haley has a confession: she uses the same password for everything. Research shows she’s not alone. Why is this a probl...
Debunking Conspiracies This Holiday Season? Let AI Help.
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Conspiracy theories can take many forms, from misgivings about the first moon landing to false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. These kinds o...
Why It Feels Like Your Phone Is Listening to You
19 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a familiar feeling if you spend enough time on the internet: you talk about something in the real world, and then you see that same thing adver...
Deepfake Revenge Porn Is Rising: What Can You Do?
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A new kind of deepfake revenge porn is sweeping the internet. Using artificial intelligence, bad actors can do things like superimpose your face on a ...
Got Kids? Think Before You Post.
12 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As a new generation of kids grows up, many of them have had their childhoods posted online for the world to see. And not all of them are happy about i...
Introducing: Terms of Service with Clare Duffy
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
New technologies like artificial intelligence, facial recognition and social media algorithms are changing our world so fast that it can be hard to ke...