IRL: Online Life is Real Life

Life, death and data. AI’s capacity to support research on human health is well documented. But so are the harms of biased datasets and misdiagnoses. How can AI developers build healthier systems? We take a look at a new dataset for Black skin health, a Covid chatbot in Rwanda, AI diagnostics in rural India, and elusive privacy in mental health apps. Listen now.

How can platforms stop disinformation that spreads like wildfire during elections? A record number of elections are taking place around the world in 2022. Voters’ social media feeds will be flooded with political, AI driven disinformation campaigns. Grassroots organizations are tackling the problem head on, aggressively tracking disinformation and hate speech and fighting AI with AI. Listen now.

From above the clouds, our world is surveilled and datafied. Power over that data means power over what stories get told about people and places: whose needs are counted, whose needs are erased. How can people reclaim power over their own maps and stories using AI? Listen now.

Gig workers around the world report directly to algorithms in precarious jobs created by secretive corporations. We take you to the streets of Quito, Ecuador where delivery workers are protesting against artificial intelligence, and we hear solutions from people in several countries on how to audit the algorithms and reclaim rights. Listen now.

Where should tech builders draw the line on AI for military or surveillance? Just because it can be built, doesn't mean it should be. At what point do we blow the whistle, call out the boss, and tell the world? Find out what it's like to sound the alarm from inside a big tech company. Listen now.

Meet IRL's new host, Bridget Todd, who is on a journey to meet people around the world who are making AI more trustworthy, in real life. Listen now.

Meet the people who have found a way to build profitable tech businesses while also respecting your privacy. Listen now.

What if you could, by law, say “no” to the sale of your personal data? Get the latest on internet privacy regulation. Listen now.

If 5G is going to change the world, who will get to live in it? Explore the future of mobile internet in Firefox's IRL podcast. Listen now.

Walkouts, protests, and picket lines are becoming more common among tech workers. Explore their reasons for resistance in the IRL podcast. Listen now.

Explore the surprising environmental impact of the internet. Listen now.

Host Manoush Zomorodi explores how ad targeting and misinformation online could impact democracy at large. Listen now.

Find out what to look out for in privacy policies — and examine what privacy means to you — in Firefox's IRL podcast. Listen now.

IRL host Manoush Zomorodi explores gender diversity and inclusion in tech. Listen now.

Explore the premise, the promise, and the pitfalls of decentralization — the antidote to Big Tech. Listen now.

Explore the surveillance economy, the companies that participate in it, and its impact on you. Listen now.

Meet the people responsible for cleaning your social media feed in Mozilla’s IRL podcast. Listen now.

Join Manoush Zomorodi as she explores how the internet has changed reading. And, how we're changing alongside it. Listen now.

Tackle your password problem once and for all in this episode of Mozilla's IRL podcast. Listen now.

Explore the hidden privacy costs of online shopping. Your data may be the most valuable thing for sale. Listen now.

Meet IRL’s new host, Manoush Zomorodi, who will examine the potential of ethical tech with listeners around the globe. Listen now.

Examine how the internet is changing our minds, our votes, and our democracies – all over the world. Listen now.

Today’s teens are the first humans who have spent their entire lives online. Find out what it's like growing up in the age of screens. Listen now.

Veronica Belmont and Franchesca Ramsey meet the people working to make the web — and world — friendlier places. Listen now.

Veronica Belmont and Peter Rojas explore how the Internet is building and confusing our relationships. Listen now.

There’s a new currency in town (and no, we’re not talking about Bitcoin). We’re talking about attention. Listen now.

One of the most successful recruitment tools the U.S. Army ever made was… a video game? Find out how gaming elements in tech have infiltrated our online and offline lives. Listen now.

Explore the tradeoffs you make online everyday, and learn why on earth your email inbox is filling up with privacy policies. Listen now.

Get a sneak peak at what Veronica Belmont will cover in Season 3 of IRL, because online life is real life. Listen now.

How to stop the spread of disinformation online. Listen now.

How technology can create, and can break, our filter bubbles. Listen now.

When bad code spreads disinformation and bias, it’s never something that “the algorithm did.” It’s something people did. Listen now.

On the Internet no one knows you’re a dog, as the old joke goes. But does anonymity truly exist on the web anymore? Listen now.

From Snapchat filters to Apple’s Face ID, biometric technology plays a growing role in our everyday lives. What do we actually give up when we upload our face to these apps? Listen now.

Recent reports estimate that over 50% of teens are addicted to their smartphones. Veronica Belmont investigates the impact of growing up online. Listen now.

Most website visitors aren’t human. They’re bots. Here’s how to spot them. Listen now.

Recent events in Charlottesville, VA have revealed the role the Internet plays in IRL threats and violence. Should tech companies regulate who says what on the Internet? Listen now.

What is life like without fast Internet, and how does life change once a person has it? Veronica Belmont talks to people about joining the digital economy. Listen now.

Surveillance. Turns out, we’ve invited it into our homes through digital assistants, connected toys and baby monitors. Listen now.

Trolls are in every corner of the Web, but people are fighting back in new ways. Baked goods included. Listen now.

This episode of IRL focuses on our internet insecurity. Meet the unsung heroes fighting to keep us safe. Listen now.

The Internet is at a crossroads. Mozilla’s IRL podcast dives into the current net neutrality debate. Listen now.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. Mozilla’s IRL podcast dives into the price of “free” online series. Listen now.

Introducing IRL Listen now.