Open Internet Pod
The internet was never supposed to belong to anyone. Somewhere along the way the internet turned into the corpo-net. The Open Internet Podcast is a show about the quiet transformation happening beneath the surface of the web — and why it matters more than most people realise. Each episode, we sit down with builders, thinkers, policy advocates, and technologists to examine the forces that are reshaping the internet from an open network into something increasingly managed, monetised, and controlled. We call this process Enclosure. It shows up in the legislation that mandates scanning of your private messages in the name of safety. It shows up in the operating system update that removes a feature you depended on. It shows up in the app store policy that decides which software you're allowed to run on hardware you own. It shows up at the airport, when a viral post with six million views tells you to delete your social media apps before you cross the border — and you think: yeah, that sounds right. Enclosure isn't the story of villains. It's the story of incentives. When the economics of the internet reward controlling chokepoints over delivering value, closure becomes the rational business model. The platforms don't turn extractive because the people running them changed. They turn extractive because the system was always going to get here. The Open Internet Podcast exists because we believe the answer to that isn't rhetorical. It has to be architectural and economic. We explore what it looks like to build infrastructure that stays open not by goodwill or policy alone, but by design — where the economics make closure structurally irrational. This is not a nostalgia project. The open internet isn't something we lost. It's something we still have the chance to build.
Episodes
AI agents just proved they can ignore the sandbox, adapt on the fly, and keep pushing until they get what they want. That’s bad news for the old internet model, and Alex and Richard Paris unpack why this Hugging Face breakout spells trouble for every website, platform, and user online.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro: the AI agent attack on Hugging Face
00:31 – What the episode will cover
The app boom was never just about convenience. It was about control, pricing, tracking, and keeping you locked inside someone else's ecosystem - and Richard Paris and Alex break down exactly how that happened, why Google built Chrome, and why the browser is still the most important battleground on the internet.
00:00 — Intro: browsers vs. apps
00:33 — Why we moved away from browsers
01:04 — The early web and ...
Sony’s backlash over physical media is only the opening move. The real story is how a furious modding community, AI tools, and a shifting idea of ownership are exposing the cracks in one of gaming’s biggest business models - and what that means for the future of the open internet.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:18 Sony’s physical-media decision and the backlash
06:50 Modding culture and why communities push back
10...
The internet is being turned into a permissioned space, one gate at a time. Richard Paris and Alex unpack why mandatory digital IDs, age verification, cash limits, and outsourced censorship are not just "safety" measures - they are a slow rewrite of who gets to access the web, use money, and speak freely.
Richard Paris, co-founder of Sato, breaks down the deeper pattern behind these policies: systems that look sophisticated ...
The AI doom story may be less about existential risk and more about market control. Alex and Richard pull apart the viral Jacob Coxson resignation thread, the Wall Street Journal timing, and the sudden media pile-on to ask a bigger question: who benefits when the narrative gets manufactured this hard?
Timestamps:
00:00 — Introduction to the AI controversy and episode overview
01:51 — Background on Jacob Coxon a...
Why do major data breaches keep happening—and why do the usual fixes often make the underlying problem worse?
Alex and Richard unpack the systemic incentives behind identity-data collection, KYC/AML requirements, and the growing number of organizations storing sensitive personal information. They explore regulatory capture, centralized digital identity, social-engineering attacks, and why simply building “thicker wal...
Your TV might be listening even when it’s off and the scandal behind LG’s smart TVs is bigger than a privacy breach. It’s a warning shot for anyone who still thinks their devices are tools instead of surveillance terminals.
Richard and Alex unpack how millions of TVs may be scanning home networks, fingerprinting households, and sending data straight into ad-tech pipelines. They also connect the dots to backdoor...
The AI boom is starting to look a lot like the crypto bubble, and the warning signs are getting harder to ignore. Alex and Richard unpack how overpromising, circular financing, inflated valuations, and a flood of hype can turn a promising technology into a market built on stories instead of fundamentals.
They start with the latest tech and product updates from Soto, including the revised website and what’s changing before laun...
Richard and Alex use the show to unpack enshittification as a broad pattern, not just a meme. They connect rising costs, product degradation, platform lock-in, and regulatory capture to explain why so many services feel worse even when users are paying more. The conversation also looks at what people can do about it, from software and platform choices to broader political pressure.
Timestamps:
00:00 Why platform decli...
WHAT IS THE CORPONET?
This episode is a discussion between Alex and Richard about the “corponet” and how corporate incentives have reshaped the internet into a surveillance-driven, monopoly-heavy system. They connect that shift to real-world examples, from facial recognition and ad targeting to subscription gaming, and explain why open internet tools matter more than ever.They also close with a hopeful note: more...
Join us as we explore the future of the internet and the impact of technology on our lives! In this episode of the Open Internet Pod, we discuss what it means to be a visionary in today's tech landscape.
Key takeaways:
* The challenges of ad-blocking in modern browsers
* The rise of open-source alternatives in the tech space
* How the attention economy is evolving
* The potential for a new internet model that...
The conversation covers the concept of hyperscaling and its impact on business models and technology.
The conversation delves into the contrast between the open model and hyperscaling, highlighting the power of openness and the dilemma of the business model.
It explores the myth of tech rock stars, cultural attitudes, and the collapse of hyperscaling, while also discussing the return to healthy technology relationships and ...
The conversation covers technical updates, project progress, release candidate 1, user engagement, the modular architecture of Saito Network, the impact of openness on software design, business models of tech companies, the future of custom software and open systems, and the role of AI in custom software development. The conversation delves into the impact of the creator economy and blockchain, the open universe and aesthetic rewar...
The conversation delves into the relationship between digital ownership and the open internet, highlighting the impact of the refactor, the enforcement of payments for NFTs, and the battle for digital ownership. It also explores the concept of manufacturing consent and the illusion of digital rights, shedding light on the interconnectedness of these themes and their significance for user empowerment. The conversation delves into th...
The conversation delves into the challenges of maintaining an open internet, the impact of monopolies and regulations on internet access, and the persistence of controaversial legislation such as chat control. It also explores the growing backlash against flock cameras, Apple's antitrust lawsuit, and the concept of the 'man in the arena' in the context of internet participation and regulation. The conversation delves into the conce...
The conversation delves into the lack of transparency and manipulation of agendas within the EU Parliament, shedding light on the impact of chat control legislation beyond Europe, affecting global software and hardware standards. The conversation delves into the infantilization of the population and the impact of safety measures on personal responsibility. It also explores the state-mandated algorithm changes to YouTube, the reacti...
Most conversations about the internet overlook the silent but deadly encroachment on your digital freedoms. This episode exposes how "building in public" is actually an enclosure—an unfolding and often unnoticed shift that puts your privacy, sovereignty, and free speech at risk. If you've ever wondered whether the internet we rely on remains truly free, or if the state and corporations are quietly consolidating control, this ...
The conversation delves into the impact of algorithmic censorship and mounting compliance requirements in the EU, leading to digital seclusion. It explores the concerns surrounding the European Digital ID, forced ads in Meta apps, and the implications of platform control on user experience and engagement. Additionally, it addresses the issues of curated comments, shadow banning, and self-censorship as a result of algorithmic contro...
The conversation covers a range of topics including the mainstreaming of age attestation, the EU's telecommunications standards, the decline of trust in the news, and the implications of a social media ban for under 16s. It also delves into the issues of digital ID, misinformation, and the erosion of freedoms in Western liberal democracies. The conversation delves into the implications of user licensing for internet access, the pot...
The conversation covers a range of topics including digital rights, regulatory role, Apple's interoperability, AI agents, web traffic, and web2 vs web3. The discussion delves into the impact of regulatory decisions on technology companies, the role of regulators in ensuring interoperability, the potential of AI agents as a foundational tool or a threat, and the shift in web traffic from human-generated to machine-generated. Additio...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
DISGRACELAND is an award-winning music and true crime podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. Jerry Lee Lewis's 5th wife? Dead. Sid and Nancy? Both dead. Why? Because musicians are insane, and insane things happen to them. Why did we lose Amy Winehouse at 27? Was Debbie Harry really abducted by Ted Bundy as she claims? Is Patti Smith not just the "Godmother of Punk", but also the "Original True Crime Girl"? What really happened the night of the Jay Z nightclub stabbing? What do the Diddy indictments truly reveal? All these stories and more, on artists from every genre and their true crimes, in our massive 260-plus story archive. The Dead, the Stones, Johnny, Willie, Frank, Kurt, Courtney, Gaga, Lana, Taylor, and too many to name. DISGRACELAND is music history come to life through audio storytelling as you've never heard it before, with revealing facts: yes, assassins are the real reason the Beatles quit touring—reclaimed myths: no, Mama Cass didn't die from choking on a ham sandwich––and constant reckoning between art and artist––all told through the lens of true crime. This is the podcast for the self-proclaimed "Disgos", the musically obsessed and the true crime heads; the outsiders, the independent thinkers who know that the best history is the history that gets buried. DISGRACELAND is where host Jake Brennan tells the stories they didn't want told. The kind you'll end up telling someone else. Get ready to uncover hidden truths and buckle up for truly edge-of-your-seat storytelling. New, fully scripted, sound-designed episodes are released every Tuesday. Bonus chat-style episodes where Jake responds to voicemails, texts, and emails from Disgos hit on Thursdays, and "Rewind" episodes from our archive drop on Sundays. DISGRACELAND is not a journalistic podcast. It's an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. Certain dialogue and scenes are dramatized, as is common in scripted entertainment based on real stories. Sources and credits for each episode are available at www.disgracelandpod.com. To unlock ad-free listening, exclusive content, and connect with your fellow Disgos, go to www.disgracelandpod.com to become an All Access member. Rocka Rolla.