Helen Lewis presents a new series of encounters with innovative thinkers. In this episode, she meets Danielle Citron, a professor of law at the University of Virginia, and the author of The Fight for Privacy. The release into the public domain of digital images such as nude photographs, and private information points gathered online without the user’s awareness, can cause their subjects serious trauma. But, Citron argues, the radical technological developments of the last few years have left the law behind. She tells Helen why she contends that it is now vital – as in the US, so in the UK – to establish a new right to ‘intimate privacy’. Producer: Phil Tinline
Mark Tully assesses Henry David Thoreau’s influence, 150 years after his death. Advocate of the simple life, champion of emancipation, and fervent opponent of government interference in the lives of citizens, Thoreau’s 19th century ideals have inspired civil rights leaders from Mahatma Gandhi to Martin Luther King.
Mark Tully looks not just at Thoreau’s famous writings expressing his remarkable affinity with the American outdoors, but at his political activism too, and the legacy it has left around the world. From tax avoidance, to his opposition to slavery, Thoreau was an ardent supporter of the ordinary person. His passionate ideas inspired thinkers and humanitarians, as well as generations of writers, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman and WB Yeats.
Musicians and composers too, were moved to pay tribute to Thoreau and the programme includes works by such diverse fans as Charles Ives and Pink Floyd.
In asking what we can learn today from the writer of the American classic Walden, Mark Tully reassesses Thoreau’s message for the 21st century.
Producer: Adam Fowler
A Unique production for BBC Radio 4.
Call You and Yours: Can you cope with going cashless?
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Winifred wants to know how you’re dealing with the drive towards digital payments? She’s speaking to Jenny Ross from Which? The consumer group is calling for a halt to what they call the country’s ‘cash crisis’ Their analysis shows that since 2015 almost 4700 bank branches have closed with more than 200 scheduled to shut by the end of the year. It also found that more than 12K free to use ATMs have stopped operating. Which? believes legislation needs to be included in next month’s Queen’s Speech to protect the elderly, vulnerable and those living in isolated areas who are less likely to have access to cash.
There’s been a big switch towards digital payments since the pandemic. In 2020 more than 13 million people used cash only once a month or not at all, almost double the previous year. Does it make your life more convenient to get out your contactless or are you alarmed at the rise of things like cashless cafes or parking app? What about when it comes to budgeting? Do you prefer paying via banking app or getting your money out and seeing exactly how much you have to spend? Maybe you can’t remember the last time you used cash or you’ve had to turn down a service because you couldn’t use physical money. if you own a business, does it make your life easier if you go cashless? Tell us your story and your experience.
Email us and leave your contact number: youandyours@bbc.co.uk