Trust in Tech, Episode 15: Gaming the Algorithm with Hallie Stern

Welcome to the Trust in Tech podcast, a project by the Integrity Institute — a community driven think tank which advances the theory and practice of protecting the social internet, powered by our community of integrity professionals.

What is the difference between a Hollywood actor and a trust and safety professional? Not much!

In this episode Talha Baig, an ML Engineer, interviews Hallie Stern on how Hollywood actors game the algorithm, and how the mass surveillance ecosystem incentives niche targeting which leads to the spread of misinformation.

Hallie is a former Hollywood actor turned Integrity professional. She received her MS from NYU in Global Security, Conflict & Cybercrime where she studied the human side of global cyber conflict and digital disorder. She now runs her own Trust and Safety consulting firm Mad Mirror Media. 

We discuss how to go viral on social media, the difference between data and tech literacy, and why it can feel like platforms are listening to you. 

We also have a huge announcement in this episode, so be sure to tune in to find out!

Disclaimer: The views in this episode only represent the views of the people involved in the recording of the episode. 

Subscribe on Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

Credits:

Produced by Talha Baig

Music by Zhao Shen

Special Thanks to Rachel, Sean, Cass and Sahar for their continued support