BREAKDOWN: We Don’t Need Big Brother to Beat This Virus
Is there a way to reopen the economy that doesn’t involve draconian surveillance measures?
ABOUT
One of the key aspects of most plans to reopen the economy is digital contact tracing. This would be an apparatus whereby mobile phones kept track of the other mobile phones they had been physically proximate to, so that if someone were diagnosed with COVID-19, the at-risk people they had been in contact with could be notified. Apple and Google have proposed one plan while a European consortium is working on another.
At the center of the issue is whether contact tracing can be done in a way that doesn’t violate privacy and doesn’t open a Pandora’s box of new issues around the data governments have on their citizens.
Today’s episode of The Breakdown explores the crypto community’s response to contact tracing and why we don’t need big brother to beat the virus.
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.

EPISODES
Privacy Is a “Must” for Global Blockchain Adoption in 2026
Unpacking the role of privacy in crypto's future with Pantera Capital Managing Partner Paul Veradittakit and Subzero ...
55 minutes ago
THE MINING POD: TeraWulf’s $1.3B Raise, Riot’s $500 ATM, SMLR-ASST Merger, Beckham Bends Away from BTC
For today’s roundup, TeraWulf’s Fluidstack JV bags $1.3B and David Beckham’s Prenetics abandons its BTC strategy.
3 hours ago
THE MINING POD: The 2025 Hashies: Introducing Blockspace’s Annual Awards Show
For the final Mining Pod of 2025, we inaugurate The Hashies, Blockspace’s annual award show.
Dec 30, 2025
THE MINING POD:Bitcoin Mining Stocks Vibe Rankings: 2025 Year-End Edition
For today’s roundup, the Blockspace team shares their year-end 2025 rankings for bitcoin mining stocks.
Dec 26, 2025

The Mining Pod
Feb 10, 2025

CoinDesk Podcast Network
The top stories and best shows in the blockchain world, delivered daily from the team at CoinDesk.
Dec 20, 2023

Markets Outlook
Tune in as CoinDesk runs down action in the crypto market and some of the most important recent industry development.
Dec 19, 2023

Unchained
Unchained, your no hype resource for all things crypto by former Forbes senior editor Laura Shin, author of The Cryptopians.
Dec 18, 2023
