EPISODE

You’re the Product—Unless We Change the Internet

HEARSAY CULTURE RADIO

Episode 309

July 24, 2025

00:59:25

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Hosted by Dave Levine

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

What if the internet actually worked for us—not just watched us? On this episode of Hearsay Culture, author and former Google exec Richard Whitt joins to explore how we got from a utopian, people-powered web to a system driven by surveillance, manipulation, and profit—and how we might fix it. We dive into his bold new book, Rewiring the Web: How Together We Can Create a Human-Centered Internet of Trust, and his plan to build tech companies that act like fiduciaries, putting users’ interests first. If you’ve ever wondered whether a more human, trustworthy internet is possible, this one’s for you.

“Why should I just … assume that whatever the way [tech companies] are using this term ‘data’ and then applying it to certain elements and attributes of me as an individual [and] as a human being, … is … okay?” — Richard Whitt

“Data is the language of the powerholders.” — Jodi Petersen

Lead Photo by Julee Juu on Unsplash

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You’re the Product—Unless We Change the Internet

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ABOUT THE GUEST

Richard Whitt

Richard Whitt is a Fellow in Residence with the Mozilla Foundation, and Senior Fellow with the Georgetown Institute for Technology Law and Policy. As Co-founder of GLIAnet PRIMER LLC, he advises companies on the complex governance challenges at the intersection of market, technology, and policy systems. He is also president of the GLIA Foundation, and a founder of the GLIAnet Project. Richard is an eleven-year veteran of Google (2007-2018). Most recently he served as Google’s corporate director for strategic initiatives, working with Vint Cerf, Hal Varian, and other Googlers on policy and ethical issues related to Internet of Things, machine learning, broadband connectivity, digital preservation, and other emerging technologies. Richard joined Hearsay Culture in July 2025.

HOST BIO

DAVID LEVINE

Dave Levine is the founder and host of Hearsay Culture. He is a Professor at Elon University School of Law and an Affiliate Scholar at the Center for Internet and Society (Stanford Law School). From 2014-2017, he was a Visiting Research Collaborator at Princeton University’s Center for Information Technology Policy. He is also the co-author of Information Law, Governance, and Cybersecurity (West 2019). A regular contributor to Slate, Dave has been published in leading newspapers, websites, and academic journals in the US and EU.

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