AO3 and the hidden fragility of the internet | Top Comment Podcast

When the internet’s biggest fanfiction site disappears, there’s one thing you can still count on: a network of fans.

AO3 hosts more than 18 million works, including many sexually explicit stories, and writing inspired by popular IP, such as Harry Potter, Twilight and Heated Rivalry.

And the fans have been sharing “fics” on drives to keep each other going while their online haven is down. The non-profit behind AO3, announced the site would be offline for two to four weeks, citing a “security incident”.

In this episode, Marianna and Matt discuss why people are panicking and whether after other cyber security threats recently - including PHP - the internet is becoming more fragile.

Plus - Marianna has done an experiment to test how AI chatbots might be influencing how people vote and how it could mean for future elections.

00:00 Introduction

00:36 PART ONE: AO3 and fears of the internet apocalypse

13:14 PART TWO: Elections in the age of AI Chatbots

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