Download This Show is your weekly guide to the world of media, culture, and technology. From social media to gadgets, streaming services to privacy issues. Each week Rae Johnston and guests take a fun, deep dive into how technology is reshaping our lives.
Latest episodes
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29 min
Is this the end of software?
AI is making it easier than ever to take software apart and build a copy. We look at what reverse engineering involves, and whether it is a good idea to use reverse engineered soft…
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29 min
The surveillance technology watching Australians
We expect to be tracked online, but increasingly we're being watched in real life too. Strangers in the street are wearing "pervert" glasses, cameras can follow us through shopping…
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29 min
Could your AI agent end humanity?
AI agents are popping up everywhere: Facebook, OpenAI, Google. Meanwhile, tech leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman are warning these agents could end humanity. So, how much…
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29 min
Can technology save us from climate change?
Technology helped get us into the climate crisis. Could it also get us out?Bringing extinct species back to life, seeding clouds to control the weather, and cleaning up nuclear ene…
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15 min
The Renter Algorithm: 2Apply responds to privacy concerns
Are rental applications asking for less personal information now? How safe is your data on 2Apply? And how has 2Apply responded to OAIC's concerns about data privacy?In April, the…
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29 min
Can books survive the age of algorithms?
What impact is reading on your Kobo or Kindle having on your brain? As AI turns up in writing, reviewing and literary prizes, how do we decide what's genuinely human creativity? An…
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29 min
How much do our devices know about us?
It's not just phones. How much do our TVs, streaming boxes, and browsers know?This week, we look at research that suggests some LG TVs may be gathering more information about our v…
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29 min
Roblox under pressure from Australia's eSafety Commissioner over child safety
The eSafety Commissioner has accepted a court-enforceable plan from Roblox to address child safety concerns after questions were raised about whether the platform was meeting its o…
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29 min
What Australia's Privacy Act reforms mean for the tech you use
Australia's proposed Privacy Act reforms are some of the boldest changes to privacy law we've seen in years. How could it change the tech we use every day? And does this mean Austr…
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29 min
How Ukraine's military drones are changing warfare forever
Drones went from being flying cameras to autonomous weapons within a handful of years. Our guest, Cory Alpert, explains what he's seen on the front lines of Ukraine's drone war, an…
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29 min
How WA police are using facial recognition technology
Facial recognition cameras are being rolled out in Western Australia by the police force. Whilst its a new policing tactic in Australia, major retailers including Bunnings, Woolwor…
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28 min
The Renter Algorithm: Dark patterns and the illusion of choice
Dark patterns. They're the manipulative practices that are part of the foundations of our online life... and apparently our rental lives.Confirm shaming, biased framing, and bundle…
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29 min
The Renter Algorithm: The invisible system judging tenants
The Privacy Commissioner has put the RentTech industry on notice over 'unfair and excessive personal information collection'.If you've rented a home recently, you've probably used…
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29 min
Have AI models truly "gone rogue"?
Anthropic's Claude Cowork and an OpenAI model have reportedly "gone rogue", but is that really what happened? And what does it mean to escape a 'sandbox'?Plus, this week, Apple, Me…
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29 min
What is Q-Day and how scared should we all be?
Quantum computing sounds like science fiction, but all of a sudden the biggest names in tech are treating it like the next industrial arms race. Google, Microsoft, IBM are all chas…
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29 min
(Nearly) everything that happened in AI this week
Anthropic has just released the Spotify Wrapped equivalent of Claude. Claude Reflect claims it can help you optimise your AI use. But will a tool built by an AI company ever genuin…
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29 min
The UN calls for a ban on 'killer robots'
Microsoft and Xbox have laid off thousands of staff. Sony, Xbox and publishers like Rockstar all seem to be moving away from physical discs. And the UN Secretary General has called…
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28 min
Will fining social media companies make them uphold the ban?
The Australian government wants to double the penalty tech companies will face for not keeping kids off their social media platforms. The proposed bill would also compel companies…
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29 min
How do you stop being addicted to your phone?
If your phone seems impossible to put down, that's because it's intentional. So how can we break our addictions?Also on the show, how safe is online voting? With our traditional po…
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29 min
Is it wrong to have robots take care of our parents?
Tech is being marketed as the solution to taking care of our aging parents and our young children: AI companions, improved surveillance tools, and wearables. How much are robots tr…