#TBOT 13: The Future of The Internet, Google’s Antitrust Decision, Well Ill Be Dammed, How To Overthrow Google Maps

#TBOT 13: The Future of The Internet, Google’s Antitrust Decision, Well Ill Be Dammed, How To Overthrow Google Maps

Author: The most important weekly tech news + solutions. September 8, 2025 Duration: 27:21

The internet is changing fast. Stay on top of it:

The Future of the Internet: It’s more than just a digital ID. It’s a whole verification ecosystem that could fracture the internet. Learn about how it works in this report preview. Be the first to get your eyes on the report—sign up for the waitlist!

Google’s Antitrust Decision: Google bullied other big tech companies into complying with their monopoly. Then they were sued and threatened with selling Android and Chrome browser. The judge has now has ruled on the case. So, what’s changed?

Well I’ll Be Dammed: A scientist in the southwest used piles of rocks and logs to restore some of the dryest regions to green wetlands. Learn about her 20 year study and how we can restore our environment.

How to Overthrow Google Maps: It seems big tech maps have a monopoly on locating points of interest. StreetComplete is an app that crowdsources locations for use on open source maps.

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A new episode of Source Insights is coming out this week. Source Insights includes my personal take on philosophy, spirituality, energetic technology, and more. This week on Source Insights, I reveal the one health decision I made that turned my life around as well as my take on some energetic technologies. Source Insights is only available to paid subscribers. Don’t miss out on Source Insights—level up your subscription to Take Back Our Tech today!

🪄 We aim for our show to be well-researched, well-informed and focused on the most impactful stories while being concise.

PLUS - Each story comes with recommendations, and there’s one cool tech trick or open-source solution every week.

We’ll be publishing full posts and clips of each of these stories soon.

Today’s AI-driven operating systems send your personal media to big tech companies for analysis, leading to your photos being searchable. And the photo and video editing apps available in big tech app stores silently harvest your data, send your media off to third parties, and sell them to the highest bidder.

Most people don’t even know all this is happening when they snap a photo or edit a video.

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tbot.substack.com/subscribe

Hakeem Anwar hosts The #TBOT Show, a weekly podcast dedicated to cutting through the noise of the tech world. Instead of just reporting headlines, this show focuses on the technology news that actually shapes your daily routine, privacy, and digital freedom, explaining why it matters in clear terms. Each episode is designed to be concise and actionable, wrapping up in under twenty minutes. You’ll hear informed analysis and straightforward recommendations on how to navigate the week’s developments. True to its mission, every installment also provides a practical takeaway: this might be a powerful open-source tool you can use, a privacy-enhancing skill to learn, or a sustainable tech solution to implement. It’s a blend of necessary context and usable insight, making it a resource for anyone who wants to understand and take back control of their tech life. Tune in for a focused, efficient update that prioritizes depth over duration, ensuring you stay informed without being overwhelmed. This podcast delivers exactly what its author promises: the most important weekly tech news paired with tangible solutions.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 80

The #TBOT Show with Hakeem Anwar
Podcast Episodes
Live Demo of All Above Phone Privacy Features [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:50
For those new to Above products, Above CEO Hakeem Anwar provides a live demo of the Above Phone for total transparency of the device. Notably, GrapheneOS allows for total restriction of the microphone and camera on the A…
How iPhone and Android Leak Data Every 5 Minutes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:23
Hakeem Anwar from Above Phone & Take Back Our Tech and Nicole Sauce from Living Free in Tennesee speak on the sharp uptick in interest of Android phone adoption, particularly in developing countries. The reason? Hakeem p…
Privacy and Social Media: Can They Coexist? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:12
Hakeem Anwar from Above Phone & Take Back Our Tech and Nicole Sauce from Living Free in Tennesee have a nuanced discussion about alternative social media platforms in the post-Telegram era that can genuinely respect our…
Cooperation between the surveillance state and Tech Giants [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:51
Hakeem Anwar of Above Phone and Take Back Our Tech on the surveillance state, growing Big Tech encroachments, and the tech alternatives in hot demand as people look to hang on to basic privacy: https://realitycheck.radio…
The Weaponization of Surveillance Pricing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:15
Following the rise of e-commerce in the 2000s, surveillance pricing has emerged as a potent weapon wielded by corporations and tech giants to maximize profits at the expense of consumer privacy. This invasive practice ha…
Your Social Security Number Leaked on the Dark Web [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:33
In a year already marked by massive cybersecurity incidents, another major data breach has come to light, affecting millions of Americans. National Public Data (NPD), a background check company owned by Jerico Pictures I…
Police Officers Use AI Chatbots To Write Crime Reports [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:56
The Oklahoma City Police Department is experimenting with an AI tool called Draft One, developed by Axon, to generate initial drafts of incident reports. This system utilizes the audio recorded by officers' body cameras…
VIDEO: Making Up Security Vulnerabilities for Clicks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:52
Earlier this month, major tech outlets picked up on findings from iVerify, a security company who claimed they discovered a malicious Android package (‘Showcase.apk’) on millions of phones."The app vulnerability leaves m…
Telegram Plays Ball and Commits To Moderation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:32
Last week on Telegram, chats were ablaze with rumors that direct messaging on the platform lost its encryption, after CEO Pavel Durov posted bail from a French jail and Telegram made a quiet update to their FAQ. Below yo…
The Technology Cold War: Russia & China Can’t Get Rid of Windows [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:02
The news cycle today indicates we’re moving through another Cold War, and despite the heightened tensions with Russia and China, neither country has shown significant progress in kicking Microsoft out of their countries.…