JT and Sophie talk about the risky business of data giants enabling our Smart Cities and the opportunities we have now, in terms of public policy and models of citizen engagement, to change the trajectory of our society.

This is our last interview for 2019 on the IoTSI Privacy Matters podcast… and we dive down a really interesting rabbit hole! Nicole is joined by John Tsopanis and Dr Sophie Payne to talk about the data machine – in particular, the large data driven companies that rely on the personal information of citizens in order to keep their businesses alive and thriving.

Along with being the CEO of Joyn Social Media, a replacement for Facebook built on blockchain technology, JT is a cat person, a tea drinker and a bar stool philosopher that believes the democratisation of data will solve the root of almost all evils. When he’s not debating competitively in universities and bars around the world JT is figuring out how to bring down the disinformation machine that he believes poses an existential threat to western liberal democracies and open societies globally

Sophie is Joyn’s Chief Product Officer, a Doctor of cognitive neuroscience, a data scientist, and also a cat person ? Sophie is currently developing Joyn Kids - Joyn's social media platform specifically designed for young people under 13 years. Sophie loves the internet and its huge potential as an educational resource - that’s why one of her ambitions for Joyn Kids is to offer free online courses for kids in digital skills. She’s all about helping children develop the skills they need to truly participate in the digital world.

This episode is highly relevant for those tasked with building our Smart Cities; as, before we select vendors and buy and deploy IoT or other connected technologies, we need to think about the kind of world we want to live in.

Learn more about Joyn Social Media and the work of JT and Sophie here: https://www.joynsocialmedia.com