Burning Platforms
Welcome to Burning Platforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech.
Join Peter Lewis, Lizzie O’Shea (Digital Rights Watch), Dan Stinton (HealthEngine CEO), and guests, fortnightly for analysis of the politics of technology from some of Australia’s leading digital campaigners and industry experts.
Brought to you by the Centre of the Public Square - an initiative of Per Capita.
Episodes
4 days ago
4 days ago
This week on Burning Platforms, we're joined by the head of the Local and Independent News Association, Clare Stutchbery, to get her insights on the importance of media diversity in an age of information hierarchies.
Panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Australian Writers Guild CEO Claire Pullin and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also explore:
Why has Trump blocked Anthropic’s latest model?
Is Google responsible for its AI news summaries?
Are Gina and Elon a match made in heaven?
For background notes on these discussions go to Burning Platforms on Substack: https://burningplatforms.substack.com/
Tuesday Jun 09, 2026
Tuesday Jun 09, 2026
The political strategist and author of ‘Angertainement', Ed Coper, joins the Burning Platform this week to discuss how social media outrage ruined everything and outlines his blueprint for harnessing the toxic information ecosystem.
Panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also delve into:
is Anthropic really calling to hit pause?
will Microsoft’s agentic AI play land safely?
can a government automate discretion?
For background notes on these discussions go to Burning Platforms on Substack: https://burningplatforms.substack.com/
Tuesday Jun 02, 2026
Tuesday Jun 02, 2026
This week on Burning Platforms we dive deep into Pope Leo’s XIV’s encyclical with Dr Michael Walker from the Justice and Peace Office at the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney .
Our panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, ABC AI reporter Cam Wilson and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also delve into:
AI’s Trust Deficit
Amnesty International’s new report: Unlawful by Design
and Greenpeace’s new research on data centres ‘Energy Vampires’
For background notes on these discussions go to Burning Platforms on Substack: https://burningplatforms.substack.com/
Tuesday May 26, 2026
Tuesday May 26, 2026
The founder of start-up Noizend on the challenges of scaling tech in Australia and how the real innovation is not running on the back of LLMs.
Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also delve into:
Why is Meta ditching End to End Encryption?
Will Google’s new IO break the internet?
And Elon Musk’s the SpaceX float take-off?
For background notes on these discussions go to Burning Platforms on Substack: https://burningplatforms.substack.com/
Tuesday May 19, 2026
Tuesday May 19, 2026
Internet academic Tama Leaver on the lines between regulating and equipping children to navigate the AI revolution.
Panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, ABC AI reporter Cam Wilson and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also delve into:
Students Jeer AI Inspiration
Palantir’s Surveillance Playbook
and can we build an AI Wealth Fund?
For background notes on these discussions go to Burning Platforms on Substack: https://burningplatforms.substack.com/
Tuesday May 12, 2026
Tuesday May 12, 2026
The Australian Writer’s Guild CEO Claire Pullen updates us on the fight to protect Australian creators from the industrial-scale thrift of their work.
Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also delve into:
The wild west of AI-powered toys
Chat-GPT’s new bot-phone
and how Anthropic is tapping religious leaders for moral guidance
For background notes on these discussions go to Burning Platforms on Substack: https://burningplatforms.substack.com/
Tuesday May 05, 2026
Tuesday May 05, 2026
The Privacy Commissioner takes us through the new code to to give children greater control over their data and how this could open the door for less surveillance for all of us.
Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also delve into:
What’s behind the cancellation of RightsCon?
Why did Jack Dorsey lay off 40 per cent of his business?
And who wins when two tech overlords go to court?
For background notes on these discussions go to Burning Platforms on Substack: https://burningplatforms.substack.com/
Wednesday Apr 29, 2026
Wednesday Apr 29, 2026
The Labor MP and former Industry Minister on how the power of the global tech giants and why tech sovereignty is non-negotiable.
Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also delve into:
Who is enabling the Nudify apps?
Is there a world beyond the US AI stack?
And what on earth is Palintir CEO Alex Karp smoking?
For background notes on these discussions go to Burning Platforms on Substack: https://burningplatforms.substack.com/
Wednesday Apr 22, 2026
Wednesday Apr 22, 2026
The Sizzle editor (and freshly minted ABC AI reporter) joins us to make sense of the spate of attacks on CEO leaders.
Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also delve into:
What role should AI play in Aged Care?
Is all the AI Bubble talk just hot air?
And how to get into a slinging match with a chat bot?
For background notes on these discussions go to Burning Platforms on Substack: https://burningplatforms.substack.com/
Tuesday Apr 14, 2026
Tuesday Apr 14, 2026
On this week's Burning Platforms, Australia’s leading AI scientist, Prof Toby Walsh, takes us through the failing efforts to place limits around the automation of military conflict.
Regular panelists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also discuss:
Sam Altman’s moments of truth
Anthropic’s Maven’s Vuln-pocalypse
and the AI Bubble's Overton Window
For background notes on these discussions go to Burning Platforms on Substack: https://burningplatforms.substack.com/




