Ctrl-Alt-Speech: Let Fly The Claudes Of War, With Casey Newton

**[Ctrl-Alt-Speech][1] is a weekly podcast about the latest news in online speech, from Mike Masnick and [Everything in Moderation][2]‘s Ben Whitelaw. **

**Subscribe now on [Apple Podcasts][3], [Overcast][4], [Spotify][5], [Pocket Casts][6], [YouTube][7], or your podcast app of choice — or go straight to [the RSS feed][8].**

In this week’s roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Ben is joined by Casey Newton, founder and editor of [Platformer][9] and co-host of [Hard Fork][10], a podcast that makes sense of the rapidly changing world of tech. Together, they discuss:

* [After a deadly raid, an AI power struggle erupts at the Pentagon][11] (Washington Post)
* [Following: Anthropic vs. The Pentagon][12] (Platformer)
* [Anthropic Drops Flagship Safety Pledge][13] (TIME)
* [Hackers Expose Age-Verification Software Powering Surveillance Web][14] (The Rage)
* [Discord is delaying its global age verification rollout][15] (The Verge)
* [Reddit fined £14m by UK data watchdog over age verification checks][16] (BBC News)
* [How to evaluate Trust & Safety vendors][17] (Everything in Moderation*)
* [Regulate platforms, not children – Commissioner urges caution over social media bans][18] (Commissioner for Human Rights)
* [MPs reject total ban, want data housed locally][19] (The Star)
* [Exclusive: US plans online portal to bypass content bans in Europe and elsewhere][20] (Reuters)

Play along with Ctrl-Alt-Speech’s [2026 Bingo Card][21] and get in touch if you win!

[1]: https://ctrlaltspeech.com/
[2]: https://www.everythinginmoderation.co/
[3]: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ctrl-alt-speech/id1734530193
[4]: https://overcast.fm/itunes1734530193
[5]: https://open.spotify.com/show/1N3tvLxUTCR7oTdUgUCQvc
[6]: https://pca.st/zulnarbw
[7]: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcky6_VTbejGkZ7aHqqc3ZjufeEw2AS7Z
[8]: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2315966.rss
[9]: https://www.platformer.news/
[10]: https://open.spotify.com/show/44fllCS2FTFr2x2kjP9xeT
[11]: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2026/02/22/pentagon-anthropic-ai-dispute/
[12]: https://www.platformer.news/anthropic-pentagon-global-intelligence-crisis/
[13]: https://time.com/7380854/exclusive-anthropic-drops-flagship-safety-pledge/
[14]: https://www.therage.co/persona-age-verification/
[15]: https://www.theverge.com/policy/883852/discord-age-verification-global-walkback-delay
[16]: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyx0xggepjo
[17]: https://www.everythinginmoderation.co/trust-safety-vendor-rfp-guide/
[18]: https://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/-/regulate-platforms-not-children-council-of-europe-commissioner-for-human-rights-urges-caution-over-social-media-bans
[19]: https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2026-02-19-mps-back-tiktok-regulation-say-total-ban-unnecessary
[20]: https://www.reuters.com/world/us-plans-online-portal-bypass-content-bans-europe-elsewhere-2026-02-18/
[21]: https://www.ctrlaltspeech.com/bingo/


https://www.techdirt.com/2026/02/26/ctrl-alt-speech-let-fly-the-claudes-of-war-with-casey-newton/