Bob Sullivan’s podcast projects

Bob is currently the host of AARP’s The Perfect Scam podcast. Listeners ride along weekly as scam victims and professional con artists tell their stories. A 2023 Webby award winner

Debugger is a podcast about technology and democracy, produced with help from Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy and the Kenan Institute for Ethics.

Breach is a deep-dive audio documentary that investigates history’s biggest hackers. Bob is co-host with Alia Tavakolian of Spoke Media. Season 1 uncovers the role of Russia in the massive Yahoo hack; Season 2 examines the comedy of errors that led to the Equifax breach. Sponsored by Carbonite. A Shorty Award finalist.

No Place to Hide is a 6-episode miniseries examining the state of privacy in America, from abusive digital police tactics to abusive romantic partners who hunt down victims through cyberspace. Bob co-hosts with Spoke Media’s Alia Tavakolian. Part fiction, part non-fiction. Sponsored by Intel.

“So, Bob?” is a weekly investigation of the unintended consequences of technology.

LATEST EPISODES

A billion cameras watching us; and now Baltimore cops watch from airplanes above the city — No Place to Hide podcast, ep. 5

May 2, 2020 Bob Sullivan 0

Erin and Noah, on the run from Erin’s abusive ex-husband, make their way from Ohio to Missouri as they search for a safe place to spend the night after a near-disaster that morning at Noah’s school. Even simple tasks like shutting off Internet service are dangerous and mind-numbingly frustrating. That’s [Keep reading]

Is Covid-19 the end of privacy? It doesn’t have to be (and, the No Place to Hide podast finale, ep. 6)

April 27, 2020 Bob Sullivan 3

This weekend, a million Australians downloaded a smartphone app called CovidSAFE that is designed to warn citizens if they’ve spent time near someone who has tested positive for the Covid-19. Voluntarily. That would have been an unthinkable breach of privacy just a couple on months ago. Nations around the world [Keep reading]

Daily podcast: How technology is helping people cope with covid-19 (all 13 episodes on one page!)

April 5, 2020 Bob Sullivan 2

The unusual should seem normal right now, and so I’m doing something unusual. Our “So, Bob” podcast about the unintended consequences of technology is usually heavy on outrage and dark topics like privacy and election hacking. But ever since co-host Alia Tavakolian and I have been stuck at home because [Keep reading]

Postscript: Closing the loop on the data broker project

April 4, 2020 Bob Sullivan 0

In the first season of No Place to Hide, Duke students Carter Forinash and Jake Satisky cyberstalked Spoke Media founder Keith Reynolds — with his permission. The results of their research are sprinkled through episodes 1, 2 and 3. In this postscript, we talk with Carter and Jake about their [Keep reading]

Announcing No Place to Hide, a 6-episode podcast on the state of privacy

November 22, 2019 Bob Sullivan 1

I’ve been working on a special project for six months, and I’m thrilled to let you know that it releases on Monday. It’s a 6-episode series on the state of privacy in America, and in the world. Alia Tavakolian and I have been working since this spring, talking to dozens [Keep reading]

So, Bob podcast: When we have a cashless society, who gets left behind?

November 18, 2019 Bob Sullivan 0

If I asked you to listen to a podcast about payments, you’d probably change the subject very quickly. But if I told you we were going to have a discussion about the future of money — and in turn, that discussion would really be about the future of freedom — [Keep reading]

Bob Sullivan's podcast projects

So, Bob podcast: Should I go all-in with Google or Apple, or spread my tech toys around?

November 5, 2019 Bob Sullivan 0

Any time a company wants you to go all-in on its ecosystem, watch out. Bundling can seem like a cost-saver — getting your phone, TV, and Internet from one service, for example. But there’s always a cost. Often, that cost means tolerating inferior products, as many cable bundlers know. [Keep reading]

Has texting helped or hurt your relationships? A So, Bob podcast

October 28, 2019 Bob Sullivan 0

Is texting good or bad for relationships? Sure, it’s lovely to check in with loved ones during the day, send a little digital cheer and some emojis. But instant communication can also really mess things up when sometimes a little space is necessary — say, when there’s a fight between [Keep reading]

Bob Sullivan's podcast projects

So Bob minisode: Is Alexa listening to my conversations?

October 22, 2019 Bob Sullivan 3

You get a free Amazon Echo Dot — a gift from a friend, or a company. Should you plug it in? Or will Alexa listen to your conversations? This is the latest question we received at the So, Bob podcast. Actually, it was a bit more nuanced than that. A [Keep reading]

So, Bob: The Gretchen Rubin interview on tech and happiness

October 10, 2019 Bob Sullivan 0

Is tech hacking your happiness? And can you reverse that — can tech help make you happier? These are the questions Alia and I explore with Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project and numerous other best sellers. People pay good money to hear Gretchen dispense her special kind of [Keep reading]

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