I’ve been missing this podcast and all the good privacy advice it offers. Now I hear that they have a new season coming out with Bridget Todd hosting. This is excellent news and they could not have found a better host to keep this podcast going!

Essential listening for the privacy wonks, of the sort who use Firefox as their browser. It’s a good fit for a tech-skeptic like me, and a complement to shows like Reset, and Your Undivided Attention. I just wish they produced episodes more often.

Unique and compelling information that will leave you craving for more. It balances so well the relationship between technology and everyday life, how it affect us and how the future is developing. It is one of my favorite podcasts of all time.

Every episode leaves me compelled to dig in even deeper to the topics discussed. Manoush is absolutely fantastic. Thanks Firefox and Mozilla! Keep it up.

Excellent!

I am just a regular every day person, I am far behind the regular, I don’t want to lose data in other ways. I already hate google and have added Firefox Mozilla, and joined Mastodon. So what are other things I should do besides delete my Facebook.

Really love their insights and helping me navigate the virtual/real world. Seems questions I’ve always wondered about keep getting answered here - uncanny.

The idea behind this podcast is sound and comes from an organization that has a pretty good reputation for supporting their ideas. But there is way too much political discussion in this podcast when there are so many challenging technical and business reasons why a lot of consumer digital technology is the way it is today. They could have spent more time talking about the hows and why, but instead this is no different than any uninformed nonsense you can find on the front page of Slate. There is a ton of bashing on white people throughout these episodes as well, which I found ironic and hypocritical. They spend half an episode talking about how the reason Twitter and Facebook are prone to spreading misinformation is because they're developed by white people (which isn't really even true). Sometimes I wonder if the narrator and her guests hear themselves talking. Mozilla's dev shop is filled with white people too; maybe they should fire them all if they're so incapable because of their skin color.

I just started listening with Season 4 but I'm really enjoying the podcast. I learn something valuable each and every episode. Manoush is the best!

This show has so gone downhill since Veronica Belmont left. Veronica brought some interesting topics and was fun and funny to listen to. This new chick Manoush you can tell is nowhere near as net savvy as Veronica. Veronica talked about important things like net neutrality and what you do when you get hacked. Manoush is practically talking about how to open a browser and visit websites. Why Mozilla pick a super unqualified person who knows practically nothing about the Internet is beyond me. From what I understand Manoush is a successful producer, not a qualified person of any type to be talking about the web.

This podcast started out promising, but somehow I just got hoodwinked into listening to a half hour commercial for Pocket, which is owned by Mozilla, the company who makes this podcast. Lame. Unsubscribing.

I love love LOVE the new host Manoush and the way she weaves tech reporting, her genuine curiosity and human stories into episodes that really elevate my understanding of the tech world and its impact on everyday people. IRL has really upped its game in a year when tech is under siege for betraying the trust of users. Wonderful first few episodes. Can’t wait for the rest of the season.

I’ve learned so much from this podcast. The internet and staying secure while using it, is a challenge for everyone. This show gives me lots of easy to understand, practical tips to help. Thanks so much!

I liked IRL because Veronica is truly of the internet generation. I was more than a little disappointed to hear Manoush Zamarodi's voice from Note to Self when I started listening to the latest season. This is not because Manoush isn't a great reporter, but because she's old school. She never even tried social media herself (okay, maybe some Instagram). I mean, I get her, because I think a lot of the same things, and I like Note to Self. But Veronica always showed me something new and without the Gen-X paranoia. I guess I'll be hanging out over at Reply All where the podcast is still about people and the internet and not people telling me what I should think about the internet.

I am a retired political scientist. I live in Washington, D.C. I thoroughly enjoyed this podcast. Information on electoral politics has gone a long, long way since I left the undergraduate classroom in 2002. This bundle of online journalism is FANTASTIC. Today’s generation of students, regrettably, is more likely to consume podcasts like this, because THEY DON’T HAVE TO READ. The podcast enables them to passively consume information WITHOUT having to put forth much effort. Let’s call this “passive information consumption,” which does not involve very much effort. The empirical questions are (1) how closely have the listeners listen?; and (2) what have the listeners learned? Does this medium more effectively facilitate learning than more traditional active reading? This is an empirical question for media savvy learning theorists, which I am not. While I like this podcast-based approach, learning involves WORK and putting forth effort, e.g., close listening and note taking. It’s analogous to listening to a more traditional lecture. The positive is that you can replay the podcast to check your recollection. The world is changing; I like the new model of information dissemination.

IRL with Veronica Belmont is one of my most favorite podcasts. I've listened to every episode and they're worth listening to more than once. This is one of the very few podcasts hat I have set my podcast player (Pocket Casts) to notify me when a new one is available. Veronica is a pleasant and engaging podcaster, who discusses timely topics of interest that easily grab your attention because of their relevance – a healthier online experience. Great podcast! Thanks Veronica and thanks Mozilla!

This has been a great series to keep informed on the new trends on the internet as well as watching the old trends that the previous generations fought hard for (mostly they seem to be deteriorating). Remember when Apple was caught secretly storing your GPS locations and had to release a new iOS update to fix it? Now almost all apps do it without your knowledge. Sure, Google mentions it when you set up your phone, but not often afterwards. Shut it off once in a while, or put in in low accuracy mode, and watch how much longer your battery lasts. Remember when we fought to lower internet prices and get unfiltered content? Now ISP's charge 3 to 4 times what we used to pay (technology does not excuse the cost increase) Remember when encryption was a personal right to fight for? Now we support the US Government having a back door. Remember 1984? Not the year, the book. Almost all people I know college age and lower do not even know the book exists, let alone the movie. Where is your data? Do you have complete and sole access to it? Hint: The answer is no.

I like Veronica's approach. The concept of "In Real Life" is sound and very much needed in today's crazy environment, where more technology is dumped on us faster than we can adjust to it. We truly are all just learning how to handle all of it.

As a techie, it's easy for me to get lost in this world, but IRL brings it back to a level I can understand becuase after all, "online life is real life"

Great podcast

I devoured this in 2 days! So much information, so much I didn’t know about the internet.... a must listen.

Hope you receive this warm greetings from Buffalo NY. I just got done listening to your podcast and wanted to encourage you by saying how much I appreciate your effort and attention to detail. Keep up the great work happy Podcasting friends 🎙

I listened to Veronica on Buzz Out Loud and Tekzilla. I’m so grateful that she decided to take on this podcast. I just heard the troll episode...happy you are back. Actually downloaded the Apple podcast app just so I could rate. Now to delete this app!

Super informative, to the point, and spot on!

Love it!

Veronica always does such an amazing job hosting. Really in depth yet very easy to understand and fun!

I like the casual tone of the podcast. I also like the fact that hyperbole is not thrown about to garner reactions.

Hi Veronica, Your episodes are really good and I don’t want to rush you but when is the next episode coming out? Please don’t stop the awesomeness!

I had no idea what Bots were. Veronica Belmont is excellent. Thank you, Veronica.

The show is top notch on tech commentary. It's not really a deep dive on these topics, and if you're a heavy internet user you're going to already be familiar with these concepts, but please don't let that stop you. You're still likely to learn a thing or two, or at least hear something that'll make you think a bit harder about how we handle the internet.

Love this show! I’ve been following Veronica since her CNET days but discovered IRL through DTNS where she appears weekly.

Do you like hearing uneducated political rants everytime you get your tech news? Then this blog is for you! Extremely little tech news and tons of political rants that go nowhere except to make an attempt to "stick it to" the current US President. Unsubscribed

Love this podcast. It’s intelligent, informative and fun.

Very entertaining, well done, and (most importantly) informative. I'm glad Mozilla is out there watching and warning about internet problems that are way beyond my abilities..

Give it a try: lots of information worth knowing.

LOVE!! Keep them coming!!!

Highlights and warns about the dangerous aspects of the internet in a funny and entertaining way. I highly recommend this podcast for those who are looking to learn more about how your data is used online and how some people can exploit some of it for malicious reasons.

Love this podcast worth listening to.

Very well done and engaging! I love it

I thought a podcast from a browser maker might be dry and low budget, but nothing could be further from the truth. The show is lively, topical and well produced and presented. It takes a fairly in-depth look at internet related issues, but is understandable to anyone.

A very well produced show that tackles some of the most important issues facing you as a citizen of the internet.

I was browsing podcasts in the technology section and happened to stumble on this. I was a little unsure at first if I wanted to waste twenty minutes of my time on this. I took the risk and I absolutely love this podcast!

Veronica really hit her stride with the 8th and final episode of the season: Free Speech, Unlimited. Some early episodes suffered from drag despite her Herculean efforts to keep the energy high, and the important issues she explored occasionally became too convoluted or lost their narrative urgency. With this episode covering the polemics of free speech on line and the artful inclusion of a variety of different voices, (including a man who could almost be considered allied with, but not apologetic for, the hate group that sparked this debate) the narrative thrust carried through. As a result I find myself thinking much more expansively about it and being more curious about aspects of it that I hadn't previously considered. This is a podcast to keep track of. In my opinion if veronica Belmont keeps up with the work it will become an essential resource for everyone on line.

Even as someone who agrees with most of what is being said in the two episodes I listened to (net neutrality and all access pass) I felt uncomfortable and disappointed with how the messages were being delivered. For example I do think the skits that start the shows are kind of neat, but also set up the episodes to have heroes and villains, which forces a specific narrative from the get go. Many of the conversations feel scripted, patronizing, and sound more like propaganda than a genuine exploration of the biggest issues and ideas affecting today's internet user (i.e. everyone). The episodes seem to start with certain assumptions and conclusions that the audience is expected to agree with and then work to reinforce those beliefs, the attempts at challenging them are quickly presented and dismissed. It is reminiscent of Fox News' old fair and balanced segments, which were generally anything but fair and balanced. It is also unclear what age group and knowledge level is expected from the audience. About half the time I feel like the discussion is curated for middle schoolers, the other half for adults. But I wonder if Mozilla is underestimating their audience. However I see a lot of potential for growth, and the concept is a good one. If I was working to improve this show I would be looking to emulate professional journalism, maybe brush up on philosophy to construct better more nuanced arguments, and try to maintain the enthusiasm that is present.

It's an interesting, informative, and thoughtful examination of the challenges of living so much of our lives online.

Have enjoyed and been educated every episode. Took me a few episodes before I said "Hey I know who this is!" Nice move" I'm a Firefox user too. I've had a Seahawk sticker on my laptop camera for about 3 years now. Caligati

Thoughtful, upbeat and easy to follow explanation, analysis and commentary on important issues at the junction of technology and culture from the talented Veronica Belmont. Check it out!

Fun and informative 😄

Highly recommend this podcast. She's very informative.

Well produced, well written, and well executed. It's a great podcast that doesn't just gloss over topics. It dives deep and it has me so excited when I see new episodes available. Also, so much really useful info. This should be on your podcast subscription list! You won't be disappointed.