Spying On a City [RadioLab]

As a kid, getting spied on usually meant Mrs. Harper down the street had seen me doing something I shouldn’t be doing, and reporting it to my mom.  As long as I kept clear of Mrs. Harper, I could safely mess around and not get busted.

Now, my computer may be spying on me.  “Cover up the camera on your computer,” I’m warned, “hackers may be watching you.”

Then there’s my phone. If it’s always ready to respond to my “Hey Siri,” how can I know for sure it isn’t listening to other conversations?

And with the Internet of Things, I have to start worrying about whether my refrigerator, my TV, my washing machine, or my toaster are recording my words or movements.  Because “wiretapping” now appears to include the possibility that our microwaves are listening.

Stolen Identity [Criminal]

On one level, this is a story about identity theft. About a family where the grandfather, the father and the daughter, all have their identities stolen.

But on a human dynamic level, this is a story about deception. Deception that goes on for so long, is kept so well-hidden, and is done with no apparent feelings of guilt, that it takes what one family thinks it knows about itself, guts it, and pulls the insides-out.