Highlights from the Priv8 Podcast: Top Conversations on Digital Privacy in 2021

• Edward Snowden reflects on how the Internet has evolved from a creative and cooperative network to a commercial and competitive system that strains individual freedoms.
• Glenn Greenwald emphasizes the crucial role of free speech in combating tyrannical power and defends the right to express unpopular views.
• Dr. Gabriela Zanfir-Fortuna discusses the impact of data-driven technologies on human rights and highlights new privacy laws around the world, including China's PIPL.
• Sonny King emphasizes the importance of building privacy into virtual environments from the beginning and the potential of technology to optimize our surroundings.
• Berhan Taye explores the rise of digital authoritarianism, the fight against misinformation, and the consequences of Internet shutdowns on countries.
• Leo Schwartz discusses the dangers of government-operated spyware and highlights the evolving landscape of journalism.
• Julie Owono shares the challenges of advocating for Internet privacy and human rights and how experiences like the Cambridge Analytica scandal have proven the concerns were justified.
• Kean Birch introduces the concept of "rentiership" and discusses its parallels with the data economy.
• Gian Volpicelli explores the political implications of cryptocurrency and its impact on central bank digital currency development.
• Brett Solomon highlights the broader spectrum of digital rights at risk and the militarized and surveilled digital environment.

Overall, these conversations shed light on the multifaceted challenges and opportunities surrounding digital privacy and human rights in the modern era.