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Policy Prompt

Policy Prompt

Written by: The Centre for International Governance Innovation
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 Policy Prompt is a podcast featuring long-form interviews — going in depth to find nuances in the conversation — with leading global scholars, writers, policy makers, business leaders and technologists working at the intersection of technology, society and public policy. The focus of the podcast will be to advance constructive policy remedies for urgent global problems.2024 The Centre for International Governance Innovation Political Science Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Victims, Scammers, and Scammers Who Are Victims (the dark side of the digital economy with Mark Bo and Ivan Franceschini)

    Victims, Scammers, and Scammers Who Are Victims (the dark side of the digital economy with Mark Bo and Ivan Franceschini)
    Jan 20 2026

    The playing field for modern scams is bigger than ever. Entire guarded compounds are dedicated to online and phone fraud, and the network of influence and intimidation these organizations hold grows daily, facilitated by emerging technology such as artificial intelligence and mass automation. An epicentre has emerged in East and Southeast Asia; Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, China and more are both sources and victims of organized scams. Local governments have been cracking down to an extent, but this hydra has heads at all levels of public influence — a stronger, more coordinated approach is needed to conquer this beast.

    This episode features experts Mark Bo and Ivan Franceschini in conversation with Paul on the scam industry and its victims, how organized scam syndicates can start to take over local economies through corruption and human trafficking, and what most people misunderstand about how these organizations operate. Based in East and Southeast Asia for two decades, Mark is a researcher who utilizes his background in corporate and financial mapping to investigate Asia’s online gambling, fraud, and money laundering industries. Ivan, a lecturer in Chinese Studies at the Centre for Contemporary Chinese Studies, Asia Institute, focuses his research on globalization, labour, and the evolving dynamics of crime in the digital age, particularly on the cyber-fraud industry.

    Mentioned:

    • Sihanoukville, Cambodia
      britannica.com/place/Sihanoukville
    • Pig butchering scam - a common crypto investment scheme: dfpi.ca.gov/news/insights/pig-butchering-how-to-spot-and-report-the-scam/#:~:text=Pig%20butchering%20is%20an%20investment,exchange%20to%20purchase%20crypto%20assets.
    • Scam centres in Cambodia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scam_centers_in_Cambodia#
    • Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation: bluedragon.org/
    • Chen Zhi, the young tycoon accused of masterminding a multibillion-dollar international fraud network: cnn.com/2025/10/24/asia/cambodia-scams-chen-zhi-prince-group-intl-hnk
    • Federal Trade Commission data shows US consumers lost over $12.5 billion to fraud in 2024: ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/03/new-ftc-data-show-big-jump-reported-losses-fraud-125-billion-2024#:~:text=Newly%20released%20Federal%20Trade%20Commission,all%20other%20payment%20methods%20combined.
    • UNODC 2025 Technical Policy Report: Inflection Point: Global Implications of Scam Centres, * Underground Banking and Illicit Online Marketplaces in Southeast Asia: unodc.org/roseap/uploads/documents/Publications/2025/Inflection_Point_2025.pdf
    • UNODC 2023 Policy Report: Casinos, cyber fraud, and trafficking in persons for forced criminality in Southeast Asia: unodc.org/roseap/uploads/documents/Publications/2023/TiP_for_FC_Policy_Report.pdf
    • South Korea sanctions 15 individuals, 132 entities over online scams in Southeast Asia: msn.com/en-us/news/world/s-korea-sanctions-15-individuals-132-entities-over-online-scams-in-southeast-asia/ar-AA1RfgLi?apiversion=v2&domshim=1&noservercache=1&noservertelemetry=1&batchservertelemetry=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1
    • More than 1,000 arrested in Cambodian cyber-scam raids: aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/16/more-than-1000-arrested-in-cambodian-cyber-scam-raids

    Further Reading:

    • Mark Bo’s bio: versobooks.com/en-ca/blogs/authors/bo-mark?srsltid=AfmBOopSu7unvmVdZYFG2_BC4teQZsQYrGpPia8vYTx-YfTjZ91h3Ib4
    • Ivan Franceschini’s bio:
      findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/1108680-ivan-franceschini
    • Mark Bo, Ivan Franceschini and Ling Li, Scam: Inside Southeast Asia’s Cybercrime Compounds (Verso, 2025)

    Credits:

    Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Rebecca MacIntyre, Libza Manna and Isabel Neufeld, who also handles social media engagement, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi.

    Original music by Joshua Snethlage.

    Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault.

    Be sure to follow us on social media.

    • X: @_policyprompt
    • IG: @cigionline

    Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at info@policyprompt.io
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    56 mins
  • Decoding Brain Data (the possibilities and pitfalls of neurotech with Jared Genser)

    Decoding Brain Data (the possibilities and pitfalls of neurotech with Jared Genser)
    Dec 9 2025
    Neurotechnology is a dual-use technology transforming lives — from implantable devices that use deep brain stimulation to ease tremors from Parkinson’s disease to commercial wearables that promise more effective meditation. But without the necessary legal, ethical, and regulatory safeguards, the misuse and abuse of neurotechnology and the data it collects becomes inevitable.In this episode, hosts Vass Bednar and Paul Samson speak with Jared Genser about neurotechnology, its implications for humanity, and the emerging dilemmas around neuro-rights, freedom of thought, and mental privacy. Jared is an international human rights lawyer and managing director of the law firm Perseus Strategies. He is a co-founder and general counsel to the Neurorights Foundation, and a special adviser on the Responsibility to Protect to the Organization of American States.Mentioned:Neuralink: neuralink.com/Chile: Pioneering the protection of neurorights: courier.unesco.org/en/articles/chile-pioneering-protection-neurorightsBrain-computer interface: cumming.ucalgary.ca/research/pediatric-bci/bci-program/what-bciBrain implant and AI gives a woman with paralysis her voice back (research led by Dr. Edward Chang): youtu.be/iTZ2N-HJbwA?si=u6d05795MdJ_3uO2EMOTIV and Rodrigo Hubner Mendes drive an F1 car using electroencephalography (EEG): youtu.be/NhmXaeaHkDc?si=GX5hrjnyCfS2yR3hRobotic exoskeleton helps paralyzed person kick first ball of 2014 World Cup: youtu.be/ClRqZbRxcNI?si=7Gdqjq6MRpJiM3PiPresident Obama’s Brain Initiative: obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/node/300741Meta acquires CTRL-labs for wristband technology that allows people to control devices using their brains: cnbc.com/2019/09/23/facebook-announces-acquisition-of-brain-computing-start-up-ctrl-labs.htmlEEG scanners in Apple AirPods: https://tinyurl.com/ypk72f8hAustralian device decodes thought-to-text with 40% accuracy: uts.edu.au/news/2023/12/portable-non-invasive-mind-reading-ai-turns-thoughts-text?DreamConnect guides dreams with AI (decoding dreams into images): eurekalert.org/news-releases/1096544Boston University brain scientist shows that electrostimulation can restore a 70-year-old’s working memory to that of a 20-year-old: bu.edu/articles/2019/electrostimulation-can-improve-working-memory/Kernel, a wearable device that delivers information on brain function: kernel.com/Werner Herzog’s documentary Theater of Thought: neurorightsfoundation.org/media/herzog-filmComplex Regional Pain Syndrome: pascalhealthinstitute.com/why-crps-is-called-the-suicide-disease/Further Reading:Jared Genser’s bio: perseus-strategies.com/team/jared-genser-english/Neurorights Foundation: neurorightsfoundation.org/Freedom of Thought: Reviving and Protecting a Forgotten Human Right, special report by Susie Alegre and Aaron Shull cigionline.org/publications/freedom-of-thought-reviving-and-protecting-a-forgotten-human-right/Credits:Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Lynn Schellenberg, social media engagement by Isabel Neufeld, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi. Original music by Joshua Snethlage. Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault. Be sure to follow us on social media. X: @_policypromptIG: @cigionlineListen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at info@policyprompt.ioOur guest’s opinions and facts are their own. Enjoy the chat!
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Scientists and AI: Partners in Discovery (understanding AI’s role in scientific research with Rebecca Willett)

    Scientists and AI: Partners in Discovery (understanding AI’s role in scientific research with Rebecca Willett)
    Nov 11 2025

    Artificial intelligence (AI) has had a profound impact on science, from data analysis to scenario simulation and predicting protein structure — its full potential is still unknown. Today, many scientists are dedicated to better understanding AI and how to integrate it into research to accelerate the pace of scientific discoveries without compromising rigour and principle. Is there a future where AI will make new scientific discoveries on its own?

    Join hosts Vass Bednar and Paul Samson as they speak with Rebecca Willett about the role machine learning and AI play in scientific research now and how she sees it impacting scientists in the future. Rebecca is a professor of statistics and computer science at the University of Chicago and faculty director of artificial intelligence at the University’s Data Science Institute. Her research focuses on machine learning and making sense of complex, large-scale datasets, as well as data science. Rebecca completed her PhD in electrical and computer engineering at Rice University and is a member of the Computer Science Study Group at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

    In-Show Clips:

    00:15:03: NOVA scienceNOW, "What Will the Future Be Like?": FoldIt: A Protein Puzzle Game (PBS LearningMedia, 2013)

    00:15:17: Nature Video: Foldit: Biology for gamers (YouTube, August 4, 2010)

    Mentioned:

    • Google DeepMind AlphaFold: deepmind.google/science/alphafold/
    • Protein folding computer game Foldit: fold.it/
    • The COVID-19 Citizen Science Study: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8407439/
    • People-powered research platform Zooniverse: zooniverse.org/

    Further Reading:

    • Rebecca Willet, professor of statistics and computer science at the University of Chicago and faculty director of artificial intelligence at the University’s Data Science Institute. Find her bio and works here: willett.psd.uchicago.edu/

    Credits:

    Policy Prompt is produced by Vass Bednar and Paul Samson. Our supervising producer is Tim Lewis, with technical production by Henry Daemen and Luke McKee. Show notes are prepared by Rebecca MacIntyre, Libza Manna and Isabel Neufeld, who also handles social media engagement, brand design and episode artwork by Abhilasha Dewan and Sami Chouhdary, with creative direction from Som Tsoi.

    Original music by Joshua Snethlage.

    Sound mix and mastering by François Goudreault.

    Be sure to follow us on social media.

    • X: @_policyprompt
    • IG: @cigionline

    Listen to new episodes of Policy Prompt on all major podcast platforms. Questions, comments or suggestions? Reach out to CIGI’s Policy Prompt team at info@policyprompt.io
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    59 mins
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