BREAKDOWN: COVID-19 and the Mass Surveillance Machine, Feat. Maya Zehavi
An exploration of how the COVID-19 crisis is shifting power dynamics between governments, people, and business.
ABOUT
As the COVID-19 crisis rages, it takes on new economic and political dimensions. The frames for many of the most important questions for the next decade are being set now, in this moment.
On this episode of The Breakdown, NLW is joined by Maya Zehavi, a long-time blockchain consultant known for her insightful domain-spanning takes.
They discuss:
- How the COVID-19 health crisis overlapped with a political crisis in Zehavi’s home country of Israel
- Why governments use times of crisis to take extraordinary powers
- How contact tracing apps have become a battleground for mass surveillance
- Why the shift to localism from globalism creates new challenges
- How the problems distributing stimulus are shaping the conversation around central bank digital currencies
HOST
CoinDesk is the world leader in news, prices and information on bitcoin and other digital currencies.
We cover news and analysis on the trends, price movements, technologies, companies and people in the bitcoin and digital currency world.

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