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On this week’s If Then, Will Oremus and April Glaser talk about a new Russian hacking report—this time, targeting conservatives. And it’s been a busy news week for Facebook, with reports on massive changes to its ad targeting and a heretofore secret plan to rate the credibility of its own users.
Then, April is joined by Ryan Gallagher, a U.K.-based investigative journalist at the Intercept, where he reports on digital security and state surveillance. Earlier this month Ryan broke a story on Dragonfly, a secretive Google search engine for China that would censor certain websites banned by the Chinese government. The vast majority of Google’s employees—including founder and board member Sergey Brin—reportedly were unaware of this project until Gallagher broke the story. Now, many Googlers are livid.
19:25 - Interview with Ryan Gallagher
Stories discussed on the show:
- Slate: Is Facebook’s New “Reputation Score” Actually Scary?
- The New York Times: ‘Weaponized Ad Technology’: Facebook’s Moneymaker Gets a Critical Eye
- The Washington Post: Facebook is rating the trustworthiness of its users on a scale from zero to 1
- The Intercept: Google Plans to Launch Censored Search Engine in China, Leaked Documents Reveal
- The New York Times: New Russian Hacking Targeted Republican Groups, Microsoft Says
Don’t Close My Tabs:
- RadioLab: “Post No Evil”
- Jezebel: How a Woman Disappears from the History Books
Podcast production by Max Jacobs.
If Then plugs:
You can get updates about what’s coming up next by following us on Twitter @ifthenpod. You can follow Will @WillOremus and April @Aprilaser. If you have a question or comment, you can email us at ifthen@slate.com.
If Then is presented by Slate and Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter.
