Burning Platforms
Welcome to Burning Patforms: De-Coding the Power and Politics of Big Tech. Join Peter Lewis, Lizzie O’Shae (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

6 days ago
6 days ago
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 Zirsnak from the Tax Justice Network.
With our regular panelists Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis.
Don't forget to subscribe to The Town Crier, the official newsletter of the Centre for the Public Square and Burning Platforms podcast: https://the-town-crier-2.ghost.io/

Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
Tuesday Mar 18, 2025
This week on Burning Platforms, we dive deep into a new initiative to understand the role of Trust in the relationship between society and technology with special guest, Professor Terry Flew.
With regular panelists Per Capita’s Peter Lewis, Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea and Health Engine Dan Stinton, we'll also look at:
Data Centre Diplomacy
will Google’s AI search eat itself?
and Digg’s reboot
Don't forget to subscribe to The Town Crier, the official newsletter of the Centre for the Public Square and Burning Platforms podcast: https://the-town-crier-2.ghost.io/

Monday Mar 03, 2025
Monday Mar 03, 2025
Burning Platforms is back for 2025.
With the tech overlords in the ascendant, particularly following the US election, we take stock of the impending inferno with our regular panel Per Capita’s Peter Lewis, Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine Dan Stinton, and special guest, fresh from the Paris AI Summit, Professor Nick Davis from UTS’ Human Technology Institute.
Don't forget to subscribe to The Town Crier, the official newsletter of the Centre for the Public Square and Burning Platforms podcast: https://the-town-crier-2.ghost.io/

Monday Dec 16, 2024
Monday Dec 16, 2024
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 also look at:
Woolworth's industrial dispute over workplace surveillance
Why Meta is building a deep sea cable to India
How TikTok was gamed to deliver an election boil over in Romania
With regular panellists Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, HealthEngine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita's Peter Lewis.
Visit the Centre of the Public Square for more on our work around technology policy.
Don't forget to subscribe to The Town Crier, the official newsletter of the Centre for the Public Square and Burning Platforms podcast.

Monday Nov 25, 2024
Monday Nov 25, 2024
Burning Platforms dives deep into the common ground between national security and individual privacy with cybersecurity expert Miah Hammond-Errey, host of the Technology and Security podcast.
Also this week:
* Bunnings wrapped over facial recognition
* Trump’s crypto bonanza
* and could the Social Media Ban have a silver lining?
Panelists:
* Digital Rights Watch chair, Lizzie O’Shea,
* Health Engine CEO, Dan Stinton
* and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis
Visit the Centre of the Public Square for more on our work around technology policy.
Support Miah at the TS podcast.
Don't forget to subscribe to The Town Crier, the official newsletter of the Centre for the Public Square and Burning Platforms podcast.

Monday Nov 04, 2024
Monday Nov 04, 2024
The upcoming US Presidential elections will shape - and be shaped by - the Web3 community. We talk with Mark Monfort from the Aus De-Fi Association on what the moment means.
He joins our panel of Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton, digital rights advocate Kate Bower and Peter Lewis from Per Capita’s Centre of the Public Square.
Also this week:
* The new front on chat-bot accountability
* Is Emotional Intelligence the next killer app?
* and has AI doomer-ism turned the corner?
Listen to Burning Platforms: https://tinyurl.com/3sck83b6
Warning - This episode mentions suicide. If you or anyone you know needs support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or at lifeline.org.au, or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or at beyondblue.org.au/forums.

Sunday Oct 20, 2024
Sunday Oct 20, 2024
As researchers are locked out of digital platforms, we contemplate a new era of control and secrecy, with responsible tech academic Gina Neff.
She joins our panel of Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie OShea, Choice’s digital campaign lead Rafi Alam and Peter Lewis from Per Capita’s Centre of the Public Square.
Also this week:The Social Media Summit takeawaysThe eyes inside our carsAnd the Nobel Prize’s AI extravaganza
Don't forget to subscribe to The Town Crier, the official newsletter of the Centre for the Public Square and Burning Platforms podcast: https://the-town-crier-2.ghost.io/

Monday Oct 07, 2024
Monday Oct 07, 2024
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 ‘Future is Now’ with our regular panelists Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea and Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton.
We also cover
· The fallout from 7-Eleven’s privacy breach
· Misinformation and disinformation laws
· And Mark Zuckerberg’s new Metaverse glasses.
Burning Platforms is an initiative of Per Capita’s Centre of the Public Square.
Don't forget to subscribe to The Town Crier, the official newsletter of the Centre for the Public Square and Burning Platforms podcast.

Wednesday Sep 18, 2024
Wednesday Sep 18, 2024
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 Privacy Now campaign - https://privacynow.org.au/.
With:
Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind
Human Technology Institute director Ed Santow
Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea
Burning Platforms is an initiative of Per Capita’s Centre of the Public Square.
Don't forget to subscribe to The Town Crier, the official newsletter of the Centre for the Public Square and Burning Platforms podcast.

Monday Sep 02, 2024
Monday Sep 02, 2024
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 consumers to reveal the logic behind a very different platform.
She joins our regular panel of Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Centre of the Public Square convenor Peter Lewis.
Also this week:
The arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov
Musicians count the cost of AI; and
What next for the News Media Bargaining Code?
Burning Platforms is an initiative of Per Capita’s Centre of the Public Square.