Defiance

“None of us get out of life in one piece; we all have something that we are struggling with or going through.”
— Rich Roll

Location: Los Angeles
Date: Saturday, 20th July 2019
Company: Rich Roll Podcast & richroll.com
Role: Author & Podcaster

Rich Roll is a vegan ultra-endurance athlete, wellness advocate and public speaker. Featured by CNN, The New York Times, the Huffington Post, Rich was named by Men’s Fitness Magazine as one of the “25 Fittest Men in the World.”

Life hasn’t always been this way for Rich. At 31, he checked himself into rehab to deal with his alcohol addiction which had seen him spend time in jail and very nearly cost him his career as an entertainment lawyer.

After spending 100 days in rehab, Rich returned to his successful career, but while he had his alcoholism under control, his health was still taking a back seat. He was 50lbs overweight, struggling with everyday tasks and approaching his 40th birthday he decided to do something about it. Rich adopted a vegan diet, took up running and started swimming again, a sport he had excelled in while studying at Stanford University.

Since then Rich has gone on to compete in numerous triathlons and ultra-triathlons and in 2008 competed in his first Ultraman, an invitation-only 320-mile endurance race held over three days on the Big Island, Hawaii. In 2009 he returned to the same event and managed a phenomenal 6th place finish.

In this interview, I speak to Rich and find out the challenges he has faced overcoming alcoholism and becoming a successful vegan ultra-endurance athlete.

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Show notes and transcription: https://www.defiance.news/podcast/from-alcoholic-to-ultra-athlete-rich-roll

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Timestamps:
Coming soon…

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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:
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If you have any questions then please email Defiance.

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“Every one of our videos is an object lesson in consent, communication, good sexual values and good sexual behaviour. We are literally education through demonstration.”
— Cindy Gallop

Location: New York
Date: Friday, November 15th 2019
Company: Make Love Not Porn
Role: Founder & CEO

Cindy Gallop is an ad agency executive who is spearheading a social sex revolution through Make Love Not Porn, a website that is 'pro-sex, pro-porn, pro-knowing the difference'.

Like YouTube, Make Love Not Porn's aim is to be a social website where users upload their content in a revenue-sharing model. However, the platform has encountered significant hurdles that have inhibited its scalability.

While all startups encounter difficulties, Make Love Not Porn has had more than their fair share. Despite being an entirely legal industry, running a business that falls under 'the adult industry', leads to complications such as acquiring banking services. The company also struggles to find investors willing to step outside of their comfort zone and help scale a thriving business within the multi-billion-dollar adult industry.

In this interview, I talk to Cindy Gallop, the founder of Make Love Not Porn, a website dedicated to spearheading the social sex revolution. We discuss what drove Cindy to develop the platform and the challenges of getting investment and banking.

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Timestamps:
Coming soon…

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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:
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If you have any questions then please email Defiance.

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“I would say when the police sided with the people and they decided they were not going to shoot at us, that was the moment where I thought ‘oh my god, maybe we are going to make it’.”
— Jhanisse Vaca Daza

Location: Santa Cruz, Bolivia
Date: Wednesday, December 18th 2019
Company: Standing Rivers
Role: Co-Founder

Evo Morales was the first Indigenous President of Bolivia. He came from a family of coca leaf growers and became a prominent figure in the resistance of the attempted eradication of coca leaf farming by Bolivian and US authorities.

In 2005, Morales was elected President of Bolivia and quickly implemented a raft of socialist policies, and during his first term, Morales drafted and introduced a new constitution. One key principle of the constitution prescribed that a president could not serve more than two consecutive presidential terms.

Morales won his second presidential campaign in 2009, and in 2013 he went to the Supreme Tribunal of Justice and fought to be eligible to stand in the 2014 election. The court ruled that Morales' first term did not count towards the term limit because it had taken place before the ratification of the 2009 constitution. Morales then stood for re-election in 2014 and won, and he dedicated this election win to Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro.

Following his win, Morales stated that he would not attempt to amend the constitution to allow a fourth term, however, in 2016 a referendum was held that would mean a president could serve three consecutive terms, allowing Morales to run in the 2019 election. This referendum was narrowly defeated.

Despite losing the referendum and going against the new constitution which he introduced, Morales was announced by his party (MAS) as their candidate for the 2019 election. In September 2017, MAS asked the Supreme Tribunal of Justice to remove the limit on presidential terms. The term limit was rescinded one month later.

Morales won the 2019 election but was immediately met with calls of ballot fixing and vote-rigging. The accusations were later confirmed by the Organization of American States' report on the election. This led to widespread protest and calls for Morales to resign.

Military calls for his resignation forced Morales to step down and seek political asylum in Mexico. Since then, the report by the OAS has been questioned for authenticity with two clear sides forming. There is a group which believe that Evo is abusing power and another which feels that he followed a legal process and should have remained president. This has resulted in mass unrest in Bolivia with many protestors killed on the streets.

In this interview, I talk to Jhanisse Vaca Daza. a Bolivian human rights activist and co-founder of Standing Rivers, a movement which respects Indigenous rights and values environmental sustainability. We discuss the current political crisis in Bolivia regarding ex-President, Evo Morales.

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Timestamps:
Coming soon…

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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:
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- 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:
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If you have any questions then please email Defiance.

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“When we came in we thought we were going to change the world, we thought we were going to change El Salvador, and you know what? That doesn’t happen; El Salvador changed us.”

— Jon Snyder

Location: San Salvador, El Salvador
Date: Thursday, December 21st 2019
Company: Mission To El Salvador
Role: Co-Founders

El Salvador is a country with many challenges. Following a brutal 12-year civil war, the country has struggled to break free from corruption, crime and the control that the gangs have over the country.

There are few places on earth more dangerous than El Salvador, but in 2009 Danielle and Jon Snyder decided to up roots and move themselves and their two children to the capital San Salvador. They have since dedicated their lives to helping vulnerable members of the community through their organisation Mission to El Salvador.

What started as Danielle and Jon spending their evenings out on the streets, looking for people to help, has now grown into an organisation with a full team of Salvadoran professionals looking to support:
- Individuals and families confronting homelessness and extreme poverty
- Individuals struggling with substance abuse issues
- Individuals who have recently returned from the U.S
- Women that have been victims of human trafficking and/or commercial sexual exploitation

They are working to change the lives of these people through several programmes:
- The Lighthouse Resource Center: connecting vulnerable members of their community with resources that help them to grow.
- New Dawn Residential Programme: a holistic residential treatment program designed to specifically meet the unique needs of children between the ages of 10 and 17 who struggle with addiction.
- Community Outreach: a weekly food outreach to identify those who are vulnerable to exploitation and addiction issues.
- Substance Abuse Prevention: therapists and addiction specialists dedicated to preventing addiction among El Salvador's youth.

In this interview, I spoke with Jon and Danielle to hear how they were drawn to move their two young children to one of the world's most violent countries and found Mission to El Salvador.

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Timestamps:
Coming soon…

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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:
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- 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:
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- Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5p

If you have any questions then please email Defiance.

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There is a troll in all of us. I think no one is able to be absolved of that.

— Ginger Gorman

Location: Skype
Date: Friday, December 20th 2019
Company: gingergorman.com
Role: Journalist & Author

Since the early internet, there have been internet trolls; ranging from those who throw casual insults and correct grammar to those who will attack a person's livelihood. The most severe, however, is the predatory troll, someone who indulges in harassment, stalking and may even encourage a person to harm themselves or others.

Predatory trolling can have a devastating impact on people's lives. In some of the most shocking cases, victims have committed suicide.

When picturing an internet troll most imagine a young, single man in their a dark basement, however, the truth is very different, and many trolls coordinate their efforts.

Brenton Tarrant carried out the Christchurch mosque shooting after posting a white nationalist rant, and a link to his Facebook live feed on 8chan, a far-right message board that has become notorious for trolls and hate speech.

In 2013, Ginger Gorman became subject of online abuse and trolling from hateful tweets to messages threatening her and her families lives. Following this abuse, Ginger started researching the world of trolling, and by speaking to psychologists, victims of online trolling and trolls, gained unparalleled insight into the psychology of those who engage in trolling and the impact on the victims.

In this interview, I speak to Ginger Gorman to discuss the psychology behind internet trolling; it's real-life impact and free speech.

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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:
iTunes
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- 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:
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- Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5p

If you have any questions then please email Defiance.

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“It’s hard to build a startup. Its full of negatives, everything is against you, but in the case of Cryptext we didn’t just have everything that a normal startup has against you, we had an entire fucking government.”

— Mayer Mizrachi

Location: Skype
Date: Saturday, July 21st 2018
Company: Criptext
Role: Founder

In September 2013 Criptext, a startup led by Mayer Mizrachi, a citizen of Panama living in the US, started working with Panama's National Authority for Government Innovation. Criptext tailored its encrypted messaging service to meet the needs of the Panamanian government.

Mayer viewed the government contract as a huge opportunity and a potential stepping stone to other governments and large corporations around the world. The initial contract with Panama was for $200,000, followed by a rolling subscription.

Initially, the integration of the system appeared successful; however, in July 2014, not long after Criptext had completed their work, the President of Panama left office. With this came a shift in personnel and Mayer's relationship with the government body changed. Traffic on Criptext dropped significantly, and his new contact Irvin Halman was not replying to his emails offering to help with onboarding.

After trying and failing to maintain contact with Halman, Mayer and Criptext were accused of defrauding the Panamanian government and became subject of a criminal investigation, instigation.

In December 2015, Mayer decided to take a break from the stress of running Cryptext and the criminal investigation and went to Colombia to celebrate the New Year with some friends. When he landed in Cartagena, Mayer was met by Interpol agents, arrested and told he faced extradition to Panama.

While fighting extradition Mayer spent month's in Colombian prison, but on September 7th, 2016 Mayer was deported to Panama where he was banned from leaving the country.

In this interview, I speak to Mayer Mizrachi, Founder of Criptext, to discuss how, while fighting extradition to Panama he managed to launch an app, run a business and not only survive but thrive while in Colombian prison.

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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:
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- 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:
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- Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5p

If you have any questions then please email Defiance.

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“I believe we are at the tipping point in history, we are at a crossroads, and we can either go towards more innovation, freedom and free choice or we’re going to have to take the crossroad of surveillance state, government control and suppression… It’s time to decide.”

— Lyn Ulbricht

Location: Tucson
Date: Tuesday, November 26th 2019
Company: Free Ross Ulbricht
Role: CEO

As a passionate libertarian with a belief in the free market, voluntary association and trade, Ross Ulbricht created an environment for this. The Silk Road was an online marketplace which allowed for the free trade of items which did not cause harm to others, providing anonymity to both buyers and sellers.

Known as a darknet marketplace, the Silk Road was the first of its kind and proved hugely popular. Made possible using Tor to protect browsing and Bitcoin to allow for exchange, the Silk Road grew at a rate which any silicon valley VC would have been desperate to inject capital into. But as the Silk Road allowed for the trade of items which the states deem harmful, the site came under the scrutiny of the FBI.

Ross went to great lengths to remain anonymous, operating under the name Dread Pirate Roberts and became a main target for a number of law enforcement agencies. In October 2013 Ross was arrested at the Glen Park branch of the San Francisco Public Library, at which point the site had facilitated over 1 million transactions.

Ross was charged with money laundering, computer hacking, and conspiracy to traffic narcotics and was eventually found guilty on all counts. For these crimes, he was sentenced to double life imprisonment plus forty years with no chance of parole.

Ross has appealed his sentence but each appeal has been rejected and now his only chance of freedom is a presidential pardon.

The case divides people. There are those who believe Ross facilitated crime and thus deserves to be in prison and others who see how Ross created something which led to harm reduction in against the backdrop of a failed war on drugs:
- Reducing violent crime associated with drug gangs
- Reducing the danger of street drug sales
- The rating system that was developed to increase trust in the product
- Forums which helped with addiction and safe consumption

Ross’ mother Lyn has campaigned tirelessly for his freedom which has taken her on a journey beyond the injustice of his punishment. Lyn also now campaigns for prison reform and the removal of non-violent criminals from the prison system.

In this interview with Lyn we discuss the #FreeRoss campaign, the Silk Road, Ross’ case and the broken US correctional system.

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Timestamps:
- 02:09 - Lyn’s introduction
- 03:01 - Welcoming Lyn to the show
- 04:10 - An update on Ross
- 07:37 - The dramatisation of the reporting on the Silk Road
- 09:01 - The backstory
- 14:22 - The legalisation and medicinal use of drugs
- 16:46 - The war on drugs
- 17:57 - Ross’ trial
- 21:25 - The false accusation of muder-for-hire
- 24:26 - The need for reform in the judicial system
- 28:12 - The appeals
- 32:50 - Rogue agents
- 35:05 - What options remain for Ross
- 40:20 - Moving from prison to prison
- 46:39 - Ross’ mental state and remaining positive
- 49:30 - The toll on the family
- 51:27 - Dealing with people who are not empathetic to Ross's situation

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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:
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- 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:
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If you have any questions then please email Defiance.

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“Katie and I are both pro-choice, but at the end of the day we still wanted to have our child... regardless of what condition she had.”

— Josh McGruff

Location: Ohio
Date: Sunday, November 17th 2019

Down syndrome occurs in around 1 in 1000 births worldwide and affects an estimated 250,000 families in the US. The disease is caused when a person is born with an extra partial or full chromosome.

There are still many misconceptions about living with Down syndrome, and some adults with the disorder are able to live and work independently.

There are significant health care requirements for a child with Down syndrome with regular check-ups with doctors, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and counselling normally required. In the US, where there are is no national health system, this can be extremely expensive.

In this interview, I talk to Josh & Katie McGruff about raising a child with Down Syndrome. We discuss the challenges and rewards, the financial struggle, drug companies and the US healthcare system.

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Timestamps:

Coming soon…

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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:
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- 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:
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- Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5p

If you have any questions then please email Defiance.

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“You have cops who are living by the same code as criminals, and nobody is seeking to cure this.”

— Hawk Newsome

Location: New York
Date: Friday, November 15th 2019
Role: President

On February 26th 2012, Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African-American was buying sweets from a convenience store when George Zimmerman, a volunteer Neighbourhood Watch person, reported him to the local police claiming he appeared "suspicious". An altercation between the two followed, and Trayvon was shot and killed.

George Zimmerman was charged with Trayvon's death, but on July 13th 2013, after claiming self-defence, he was acquited of second-degree murder and manslaughter.

On the same day, and in response to the acquittal, Alicia Garza posted a 'love letter to black people' on Facebook saying "Black people. I love you. I love us. Our lives matter." Garza's friend Patrisse Cullors saw her post and shared one of her own stating "Black bodies will no longer be sacrificed for the rest of the world's enlightenment. I am done. I am so done. Trayvon, you are loved infinitely. #blacklivesmatter." With that, a movement started.

The death of Trayvon is one of several deaths of black men without accountability, leading to accusations of institutional racism within the police, and rising tensions.

Black Lives Matter is now a global organisation and one of the world's largest civil rights movements with rallies held throughout the US as well as in Canada, Australia and the UK.

In this interview, I talk to Hawk Newsome, President of Black Lives Matter Greater New York. We discuss the BLM movement, how he got involved with activism, police killings of black people and systemic racism.

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Timestamps:

- 00:00:00 - Show Intro
- 00:02:10 - Welcoming Hawk to the show
- 00:02:20 - How Hawk got involved with Black Lives Matter
- 00:04:14 - How Black Lives Matter started
- 00:07:44 - The 1992 LA riots
- 00:09:08 - Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner & Andrew Kearse
- 00:10:41 - Is there institutional racism within the police?
- 00:16:41 - Colin Kaepernick
- 00:22:27 - Are Black Lives Matter continuing the separation of black people?
- 00:35:33 - What progress have Black Lives Matter made so far?
- 00:38:52 - Black Lives Matter at the MOAR
- 00:45:48 - Antifa
- 00:51:18 - Barack Obama, politics and power
- 00:56:20 - The state of reparations
- 00:59:23 - How to follow Hawk

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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:
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- 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:
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- Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5p

If you have any questions then please email Defiance.

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“Our elections are changing, and they’re no longer the model of how democracy should work, an election should work... our rules don’t fit this anymore.”

— Jamie Bartlett

Location: London
Date: Monday, November 11th 2019
Role: Host

The Cambridge Analytica scandal regarding the misuse of millions of people’s Facebook data to influence elections shocked the world. The story prompted international outrage, and Mark Zuckerberg was hauled in front of Congress to face serious questions about what the company was aware of.

While Cambridge Analytica’s use of data to manipulate voting in elections was considered by most as immoral, it wasn’t strictly illegal, and they are certainly not the only company to misuse our data.

As a society, we give away vast amounts of personal information and continue to allow corporations to collect valuable and influential data. Every day we sign up and give away information to access content online. We send it to companies via our smartwatches or fitness trackers, through social media, our phone GPS, our credit card purchases, and so much more.

So where does this data go, and how is it being used? Were the Trump and Brexit campaigns the beginning of a shift in voter manipulation or has it always been this way and technology has just weaponised propaganda?

In this interview, I talk to Jamie Bartlett, the presenter of The Secrets of Silicon Valley documentary. We discuss the collection and misuse of our data, ways to limit the data we provide, and if this could cause a divide in society.

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Show notes and transcription:
https://www.defiance.news/podcast/the-dark-side-of-silicon-valley-jamie-bartlett

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Timestamps:
- 00:00:00 - Show Intro
- 00:01:55 - Welcoming Jamie to the show
- 00:03:55 - Jamie’s work on Secrets of Silicon Valley
- 00:11:16 - Cambridge Analytica, Brittany Kaiser & The Great Hack
- 00:22:22 - Data misuse & targeted advertising
- 00:28:49 - Obfuscation
- 00:33:53 - Propaganda and misinformation making people apathetic
- 00:40:54 - Peoples decreasing attention span
- 00:45:54 - The dark side of Silicon Valley
- 00:51:42 - Jamie’s conclusion after making The Secrets of Silicon Valley
- 00:55:43 - Self-driving vehicles
- 01:05:14 - Jamie’s future plans

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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:
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- 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:
Twitter
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- Subscribe to the Defiance mailing list.
- Donate Bitcoin here: bc1qd3anlc8lh0cl9ulqah03dmg3r2uxm5r657zr5p

If you have any questions then please email Defiance.

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