Anti-interoperability, vendor lock-in, and high switching costs (with Cory Doctorow)

Read the full transcript here. (https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/episode/135/#transcript) • What is interoperability? What counts as "unauthorized" access to computers or parts of computers? If the rendered design of a web page is copyrighted, then does blocking ads on that page count as copyright infringement by creating a derivative product? Does Facebook really want what's best for its users? Is Google evil? Could blockchain-based solutions provide much-needed privacy or interoperability? Why doesn't the U.S. government (for example) fight harder to prevent vendor lock-in when buying goods and services? Which tech companies, if any, should be broken up? • Cory Doctorow (craphound.com (https://craphound.com)) is a science fiction author, activist, and journalist. He is the author of many books, most recently Radicalized and Walkaway , science fiction for adults; Chokepoint Capitalism , nonfiction about monopoly and creative labor markets; In Real Life , a graphic novel; and the picture book Poesy the Monster Slayer . His latest novel is Attack Surface , a standalone adult sequel to Little Brother . In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. • Staff • Spencer Greenberg (https://www.spencergreenberg.com/) — Host / Director • Josh Castle (mailto:[email protected]) — Producer • Ryan Kessler (https://tone.support/) — Audio Engineer • Uri Bram (https://uribram.com/) — Factotum • Janaisa Baril (mailto:[email protected]) — Transcriptionist • Miles Kestran (mailto:[email protected]) — Marketing • Music • Broke for Free (https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_For_Free/Something_EP/Broke_For_Free_-_Something_EP_-_05_Something_Elated) • Josh Woodward (https://www.joshwoodward.com/song/AlreadyThere) • Lee Rosevere (https://archive.org/details/MusicForPodcasts04/Lee+Rosevere+-+Music+for+Podcasts+4+-+11+Keeping+Stuff+Together.flac) • Quiet Music for Tiny Robots (https://www.freemusicarchive.org/music/Quiet_Music_for_Tiny_Robots/The_February_Album/05_Tiny_Robot_Armies) • wowamusic (https://gamesounds.xyz/?dir=wowamusic) • zapsplat.com (https://www.zapsplat.com/music/summer-haze-slow-chill-out-house-track-with-a-modern-pop-feel-warm-piano-chords-underpin-the-track-with-warm-pads-and-a-repetitive-synth-arpeggio/) • Affiliates • Clearer Thinking (https://www.clearerthinking.org/) • GuidedTrack (https://guidedtrack.com/) • Mind Ease (https://mindease.io/) • Positly (https://positly.com/) • UpLift (https://www.uplift.app/) [Read more: https://podcast.clearerthinking.org/episode/135/cory-doctorow-anti-interoperability-vendor-lock-in-and-high-switching-costs]