Banish Big Brother

Join hosts Elizabeth and Zach as they embark on a thought-provoking journey through the labyrinth of privacy, technology, surveillance, and the digital age's unseen battles. Banish Big Brother isn't just another podcast; it's a mission to unravel the complex web of information that surrounds us, challenge the omnipresent eyes of surveillance, advocate for the sanctity of personal privacy in a world that's growing increasingly transparent, and have fun doing it.Each episode, Elizabeth and Zach dive deep into current events, technological advancements, and the shadowy realms of surveillance and privacy. They bring to light the critical issues that affect us all, from the rise of SMART cities to the subtle encroachments on our personal freedoms. Through engaging discussions, expert interviews, and listener stories, they explore the balance between the benefits of technology and the critical need to protect our digital and real-world selves from prying eyes.But it's not all serious bus

Banish Big Brother is a technology podcast hosted by Zach Varnell, Elizabeth Melton, with 10 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Zach Varnell, Elizabeth Melton hosts Banish Big Brother, a technology show with 10 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Banish Big Brother

  Flock’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Summer w/ Jon Padfield

  Sep 25, 20261h 3m

  Jon Padfield, host of the Business Reform YouTube channel, joins Zach and Elizabeth for a deep dive into what license plate reader networks actually capture and where the technology is headed next. They start with signal traces (the electronic fingerprints your devices give off as you drive) and how COVID-era lockdowns normalized the kind of movement tracking now baked into everyday policing. They also cover Flock's pitch to live-stream dashcam footage from Uber and Lyft vehicles, the question of who's actually accountable when this technology gets it wrong, and updates from recent privacy and civil liberties events including the Electronic Frontier Forum. Jon covers Flock and broader privacy topics regularly on his popular YouTube channel. Guest: Jon Padfield, Business Reform YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@businessreform

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  Banish Big Brother

  The Surveillance State Doesn’t Need Your Permission Anymore

  Sep 2, 20261h 10m

  In this episode of Banish Big Brother, Zach and Elizabeth cover the escalating tactics of the surveillance state and the creative ways people are fighting back. They start with the shocking news out of Oakland, where police are obtaining warrants to physically tow bystanders' Teslas just to extract their Sentry Mode video footage. That opens up a wider conversation about automotive kill switches, the 2027 federal mandate for spy tech in new vehicles, Thomas Massie's fight against it, and whether "cash for clunkers" was ever really about emissions. From there, they cover the wave of Flock camera news: Ron DeSantis ordering license plate readers off Florida's state highways, a group of Miami-area mayors publicly pushing back to keep theirs, and the disturbing case of a Brevard County deputy who used Flock to stalk his ex-girlfriend before resigning. They also break down reporting that Axon is redesigning its ALPR cameras to not look like Flock's, so the public stops vandalizing them. Zach and Elizabeth also reveal that police are actively asking Axon to redesign their ALPR cameras to avoid the rampant vandalism currently targeting Flock. Later, they break down the rollout of "Next Generation 911". They speculate on how the shift to IP-based dispatch could eventually lead to AI replacing human 911 operators and authorities geofencing crime scenes to harvest civilian text and video data. Finally, they end on a high note with an update on a wild "digital camouflage" shirt designed with strange patterns to make the wearer invisible to AI video surveillance.

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  Banish Big Brother

  The Surveillance State Is Bigger Than Flock

  Aug 27, 20261h 13m

  Flock cameras may be getting all the attention, but what else is happening behind the scenes? In this episode of Banish Big Brother, Zach and Elizabeth look at the growing surveillance infrastructure being built into everyday life. We discuss a Wisconsin police department installing Flock cameras without notifying city leaders, a Tennessee sheriff refusing license plate readers because the cost to freedom is too high, and the Institute for Justice's new database documenting abuses of automated license plate readers. Then we zoom out. Atlanta gas stations are required to maintain surveillance cameras, while Rialto, California has required surveillance systems as a condition for a certificate of occupancy. We talk about the growing trend of governments finding ways to make private surveillance part of the public surveillance apparatus. From there, we ask where this is all heading: facial recognition, voice recognition, brain-wave monitoring, emotion detection, predictive policing, temperature sensors, smart streetlights, and the possibility of connecting all of these systems into a massive surveillance network. We also discuss 15-minute cities, centralized control over movement, the dangers of predictive surveillance, and why seemingly harmless technologies can become something very different when they're combined into a larger system.

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  Banish Big Brother

  Flock in Crisis PR Mode: Copaganda & Fake Transparency w/ Ethan Watters

  Aug 19, 20261h 13m

  In this episode of Banish Big Brother, Zach and Elizabeth are joined by “educator and agitator” Ethan Watters from Flockout SAV. They discuss the Savannah mayor’s refusal to hold open public comment periods and the shocking revelation that 28% of the Savannah Police Department’s budget is heavily allocated to surveillance. They break down Flock Safety’s […]

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  Banish Big Brother

  Flock’s Propaganda Is Backfiring

  Aug 12, 20261h 10m

  Zach and Elizabeth dive into the escalating pushback against Flock cameras and the government’s attempts to control the narrative. They break down a Colorado intelligence memo attempting to link the anti-surveillance movement to extremists, and analyze Flock’s sneaky new Terms and Conditions that allow the company to sell your data and retain it perpetually. They […]

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