Hacking the Brain - DEF:Tech #001

In February 2012 - a year after the war in Syria had started - photographer Paul Conroy and Sunday Times correspondent Marie Colvin smuggled themselves into the war-ravaged Syrian city of Homs. As the first journalists on the scene, they witnessed the targeted attacks perpetrated by the Syrian government on women, children and civilian hospitals. As they were broadcasting the siege of Homs live to the world, the Syrian regime was using their satellites to locate and target them. The missile attack that followed killed both Marie and French photojournalist Rémi Ochlik and severely injured Paul. Ten years on since the start of the conflict in Syria, Paul Conroy talks to former Sunday Times journalist and colleague of Marie Colvin, Tom Pattinson, about those fateful hours in Homs.- - - - -Show notes and transcription: DEF086 - Show Notes- - - - -Timestamps:Coming soon…- - - - -The success of Defiance will be largely down to the support of you, the listener. Below are a number of ways you can help:- Subscribe to the show on your favourite app so you never miss an episode:iTunesSpotifyDeezerStitcherSoundCloudYouTubeTuneIn- Leave a review of the show on iTunes (5* really helps, if you think the show deserves it).- Share the show and episodes out with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.- Follow Defiance on social media:TwitterFacebookInstagramYouTube- Subscribe to the Defiance mailing list.- Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5pIf you have any questions then please email Defiance.- - - - -

If you could cheat death, would you?Technology has progressed at a phenomenal rate, allowing us to do things deemed impossible. In this episode, Edwina Stott takes a look at the tech, which could enable us to live forever and asks whether an eternal digital afterlife is something we really want.She speaks with Eugenia Kuyda, founder of Replika, who built a chatbot from her dead friend’s text messages; Professor Michael Graziano, who firmly believes that one day we’ll all upload our brains to a digital universe and Associate Professor Patrick Stokes, who explains why we’ll all have a digital afterlife - whether we like it, or not.- - - - -Show notes and transcription: DEF:Tech #002 - Show Notes- - - - -Timestamps:Coming soon…- - - - -The success of Defiance will be largely down to the support of you, the listener. Below are a number of ways you can help:- Subscribe to the show on your favourite app so you never miss an episode:iTunesSpotifyDeezerStitcherSoundCloudYouTubeTuneIn- Leave a review of the show on iTunes (5* really helps, if you think the show deserves it).- Share the show and episodes out with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.- Follow Defiance on social media:TwitterFacebookInstagramYouTube- Subscribe to the Defiance mailing list.- Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5pIf you have any questions then please email Defiance.- - - - -

In Everyone Loves Britney, we investigate the complex conservatorship case of Britney Spears.The series looks at her troubled past and what led to her being put under a conservatorship. We question the legality of the processes that took place, and analyse the problems within the probate court system. We speak to people who have been through conservatorships and the attorneys who want to see change. And we ask who stands to benefit from Britney's ongoing conservatorship that has cost her millions.Does Britney really need the conservatorship or is she being held against her will?III. ToxicBritney’s previously absent father takes control of her life and wealth as her conservator but questions are asked as to whether she needs or wants a conservatorship. In this episode, we look at a system that has failed many of the most vulnerable it is meant to protect and what is being done to change the system.- - - - -Show notes and transcription: DEF083 - Show Notes- - - - -Timestamps:Coming soon…- - - - -The success of Defiance will be largely down to the support of you, the listener. Below are a number of ways you can help:- Subscribe to the show on your favourite app so you never miss an episode:iTunesSpotifyDeezerStitcherSoundCloudYouTubeTuneIn- Leave a review of the show on iTunes (5* really helps, if you think the show deserves it).- Share the show and episodes out with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.- Follow Defiance on social media:TwitterFacebookInstagramYouTube- Subscribe to the Defiance mailing list.- Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5pIf you have any questions then please email Defiance.- - - - -

In Everyone Loves Britney, we investigate the complex conservatorship case of Britney Spears.The series looks at her troubled past and what led to her being put under a conservatorship. We question the legality of the processes that took place, and analyse the problems within the probate court system. We speak to people who have been through conservatorships and the attorneys who want to see change. And we ask who stands to benefit from Britney's ongoing conservatorship that has cost her millions.Does Britney really need the conservatorship or is she being held against her will?II. CircusAt the height of her fame, Britney's struggles become apparent as the media frenzy around her starts to become dangerously intrusive and chronicles every aspect of her personal life. The collapse of her marriage and losing custody of her kids send her spiralling out of control and the public become judge and jury in a case that sees her locked into a court-appointed conservatorship.- - - - -Show notes and transcription: DEF083 - Show Notes- - - - -Timestamps:Coming soon…- - - - -The success of Defiance will be largely down to the support of you, the listener. Below are a number of ways you can help:- Subscribe to the show on your favourite app so you never miss an episode:iTunesSpotifyDeezerStitcherSoundCloudYouTubeTuneIn- Leave a review of the show on iTunes (5* really helps, if you think the show deserves it).- Share the show and episodes out with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.- Follow Defiance on social media:TwitterFacebookInstagramYouTube- Subscribe to the Defiance mailing list.- Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5pIf you have any questions then please email Defiance.- - - - -

In Everyone Loves Britney, we investigate the complex conservatorship case of Britney Spears.The series looks at her troubled past and what led to her being put under a conservatorship. We question the legality of the processes that took place, and analyse the problems within the probate court system. We speak to people who have been through conservatorships and the attorneys who want to see change. And we ask who stands to benefit from Britney's ongoing conservatorship that has cost her millions.Does Britney really need the conservatorship or is she being held against her will?I. GloryBritney Spears shot to fame in 1998 with her hit single Baby One More Time. She became the world's media darling with her catchy pop hits selling millions around the globe. But the teenage singer was already witnessing the dark side of the media whose obsession with her personal life was starting to take its toll- - - - -Show notes and transcription: DEF082 - Show Notes- - - - -Timestamps:Coming soon…- - - - -The success of Defiance will be largely down to the support of you, the listener. Below are a number of ways you can help:- Subscribe to the show on your favourite app so you never miss an episode:iTunesSpotifyDeezerStitcherSoundCloudYouTubeTuneIn- Leave a review of the show on iTunes (5* really helps, if you think the show deserves it).- Share the show and episodes out with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.- Follow Defiance on social media:TwitterFacebookInstagramYouTube- Subscribe to the Defiance mailing list.- Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5pIf you have any questions then please email Defiance.- - - - -

The Silk Road was an anonymous marketplace created by Ross Ulbricht on the dark web. Designed with libertarian principles, Ross hinted on his LinkedIn profile what he was working on:“I want to use economic theory as a means to abolish the use of coercion and aggression amongst mankind. Just as slavery has been abolished most everywhere, I believe violence, coercion and all forms of force by one person over another can come to an end. The most widespread and systemic use of force is amongst institutions and governments, so this is my current point of effort. The best way to change a government is to change the minds of the governed, however. To that end, I am creating an economic simulation to give people a first-hand experience of what it would be like to live in a world without the systemic use of force.”Two technologies enabled Ross to achieve his goals with the website:- The Tor Browser: enabled the IP address of the server hosting the website to be hidden, while also allowing users to browse and purchase from the website anonymously.- Bitcoin: enabled buyers and sellers to transact pseudonymously with each other without using debit or credit cards.While the website allowed for the trade of any goods, it was primarily used for and became synonymous with drugs, with listings for all types of recreational and over the counter drugs in almost any quantity.One of the key features of the website was the ability to leave reviews of sellers, which led to a fairer system than the street trade. Sellers did not want to risk losing business, so they could set the grade of their products. This also, arguably, protected buyers by reducing the risk of 'bad batches' and sellers cutting their products with other impurities, something is often seen in the street trade to increase profits.Ross created a pseudonym, Dread Pirate Roberts, to act as the master admin for the site and he claimed he passed this onto another person early on in the project. It was this pseudonym and master admin, that became the target of multiple law enforcement agencies, across the world.In October 2013, the FBI was able to access the servers and close down the website. Ross was apprehended in an uncover sting at the San Francisco Library on October 2nd and charged with:- Possession with intent to distribute controlled substances (dropped in sentencing)- Distribution of narcotics by means of the internet- Narcotics trafficking conspiracy (dropped in sentencing)- Computer hacking conspiracy- Fake ID trafficking conspiracy- Money laundering conspiracy- Continuing criminal enterprise, aka the kingpin chargeOn 4 February 2015, Ross was convicted of seven charges and received a double life sentence + 40 years, condemning Ross to spend the rest of his life in prison.The case presents many complex issues, from the harshness of the sentence to the role of the state. The subject is highly emotive with valid arguments on both sides of the drugs debate. Some argue that the war on drugs is a failure and the Silk Road enabled buyers and sellers to transact in a safe and non-violent way, while opponents would say that the website made it too easy for vulnerable people to gain access to dangerous and hard drugs.The case also brings up wider topics for discussion, should we as humans be free to put in our bodies what we choose or do we need protection from the state? Why is alcohol legal when other drugs aren't?The Silk Road included information for buyers on the safe use of drugs and Meghan Ralston, a former "harm reduction manager" for the Drug Policy Alliance, was quoted as saying that the Silk Road was:“A peaceful alternative to the often deadly violence so commonly associated with the global drug war, and street drug transactions.”In this interview I talk to Lyn Ulbricht, Ross's mother about Ross, his arrest, the case and the US prison system. Lyn raises important questions around the harshness of the sentence and the growth in life sentences for non-violent crimes.- - - - -Show notes and transcription: DEF081 - Show Notes- - - - -Timestamps:Coming soon…- - - - -The success of Defiance will be largely down to the support of you, the listener. Below are a number of ways you can help:- Subscribe to the show on your favourite app so you never miss an episode:iTunesSpotifyDeezerStitcherSoundCloudYouTubeTuneIn- Leave a review of the show on iTunes (5* really helps, if you think the show deserves it).- Share the show and episodes out with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.- Follow Defiance on social media:TwitterFacebookInstagramYouTube- Subscribe to the Defiance mailing list.- Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5pIf you have any questions then please email Defiance.- - - - -

Britney Spears' father has controlled her career and finances since 2008, in a hugely controversial, court-ordered conservatorship.In Everyone Loves Britney, we speak to the people fighting for her freedom as part of the #FreeBritney campaign and take a look at those who have benefited most from her fame and fortune.- - - - -The success of Defiance will be largely down to the support of you, the listener. Below are a number of ways you can help:- Subscribe to the show on your favourite app so you never miss an episode:iTunesSpotifyDeezerStitcherSoundCloudYouTubeTuneIn- Leave a review of the show on iTunes (5* really helps, if you think the show deserves it).- Share the show and episodes out with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.- Follow Defiance on social media:TwitterFacebookInstagramYouTube- Subscribe to the Defiance mailing list.- Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5pIf you have any questions then please email Defiance.- - - - -

If you could modify your brain, would you? What if an implant or device could make you more efficient, store your memories, or even help you move in ways you are currently unable to?It might seem like a throwaway, theoretical question, but it's one we all may have to consider and potentially, sooner than you'd think.Brain-Computer Interfaces are being developed by gaming companies, social media giants and even the world's richest man, Elon Musk. It's big business, and the possibilities are endless. So what does it mean for us? What are the risks? And could this change society forever?To find out, Defiance Tech's Edwina Stott speaks with The University of Pittsburgh's Dr Robert Gaunt, BCI pioneer Nathan Copeland, neuroscientist Sophia Batchelor and Andrew Jackson, Professor of Neural Interfaces at Newcastle University.- - - - -Show notes and transcription: DEF:Tech #001 - Show Notes- - - - -Timestamps:Coming soon…- - - - -The success of Defiance will be largely down to the support of you, the listener. Below are a number of ways you can help:- Subscribe to the show on your favourite app so you never miss an episode:iTunesSpotifyDeezerStitcherSoundCloudYouTubeTuneIn- Leave a review of the show on iTunes (5* really helps, if you think the show deserves it).- Share the show and episodes out with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.- Follow Defiance on social media:TwitterFacebookInstagramYouTube- Subscribe to the Defiance mailing list.- Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5pIf you have any questions then please email Defiance.- - - - -

In September 2020, KuCoin, a Singapore based cryptocurrency exchange was hacked for around $285 million of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Exchanges which hold large amounts of cryptocurrency are a constant target for hackers. Lazarus Group, are a cybercrime group with strong links to North Korea. Over the past decade they have been accused of a number of high profile attacks including the 2014 Sony data breach, the 2016 Bangladesh Bank robbery, the ‘WannaCry’ attack and most recently the $285 million KuCoin hack.With North Korea the subject of heavy UN sanctions and the economy struggling, exacerbated by COVID-19, it has had to look to its sophisticated state funded hacking team Lazarus to fund its large army and condemned nuclear program.In this interview, we hear from Paul French, author of North Korea: A State of Paranoia and an expert on the region. We discuss how the Lazarus group is increasingly looking to cryptocurrency to fund the North Korean regime.- - - - -Show notes and transcription: DEF080 - Show Notes- - - - -Timestamps:Coming soon…- - - - -The success of Defiance will be largely down to the support of you, the listener. Below are a number of ways you can help:- Subscribe to the show on your favourite app so you never miss an episode:iTunesSpotifyDeezerStitcherSoundCloudYouTubeTuneIn- Leave a review of the show on iTunes (5* really helps, if you think the show deserves it).- Share the show and episodes out with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.- Follow Defiance on social media:TwitterFacebookInstagramYouTube- Subscribe to the Defiance mailing list.- Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5pIf you have any questions then please email Defiance.- - - - -

For 28 years, Lebanon's Lira has been pegged to the US Dollar. But 18 months ago, following widespread protests, the government collapsed. Loan defaults and central bank mismanagement saw the Lira devalue and the people of Lebanon could only watch as the value of their savings dropped by the day.Currency controls have meant that getting access to US dollar savings is heavily restricted in Lebanon and converting them into local currency at the bank rate is almost worthless.But a small group of entrepreneurs in Beirut have created an underground Bitcoin market. These Bitcoin dealers meet clients in quiet corners of supermarkets to convert their hoarded dollars into Bitcoin in a bid to preserve their value from the banks 80% devaluation. And to convert overseas dollar remittances into dollars at a real market rate to enable residents to pay for essential services.As Lebanon is on the brink of collapse, we look at how the Beirut locals are increasingly looking to Bitcoin as an alternative to their broken banking system.- - - - -Show notes and transcription: DEF079 - Show Notes- - - - -Timestamps:Coming soon…- - - - -The success of Defiance will be largely down to the support of you, the listener. Below are a number of ways you can help:- Subscribe to the show on your favourite app so you never miss an episode:iTunesSpotifyDeezerStitcherSoundCloudYouTubeTuneIn- Leave a review of the show on iTunes (5* really helps, if you think the show deserves it).- Share the show and episodes out with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.- Follow Defiance on social media:TwitterFacebookInstagramYouTube- Subscribe to the Defiance mailing list.- Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5pIf you have any questions then please email Defiance.- - - - -