COVID-19 and the Mass Surveillance Machine, Feat. Maya Zehavi
An exploration of how the COVID-19 crisis is shifting power dynamics between governments, people, and business.

Maya Zehavi joins The Breakdown to discuss how the COVID-19 crisis is shifting power dynamics between governments, people and business.
For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Stitcher, RadioPublica, IHeartRadio or RSS.
As the COVID-19 crisis rages, it takes on new economic and political dimensions. The frames for many of the most important questions for the next decade are being set now, in this moment.
On this episode of The Breakdown, NLW is joined by Maya Zehavi, a long-time blockchain consultant known for her insightful domain-spanning takes.
They discuss:
- How the COVID-19 health crisis overlapped with a political crisis in Zehavi’s home country of Israel
- Why governments use times of crisis to take extraordinary powers
- How contact tracing apps have become a battleground for mass surveillance
- Why the shift to localism from globalism creates new challenges
- How the problems distributing stimulus are shaping the conversation around central bank digital currencies
See also: Why Money Is Losing Its Meaning, Feat. Jared Dillian
For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pocketcasts, Google Podcasts, Castbox, Stitcher, RadioPublica, IHeartRadio or RSS.
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When adjusted for asset market capitalization SOL's relative futures volume looks better, K33 Research noted.
What to know:
- Solana's SOL futures began trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) on Monday, with a notional daily volume of $12.3 million and $7.8 million in open interest, significantly lower than the debuts of bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH) futures.
- Despite the seemingly lackluster debut, when adjusted to market value, SOL's first-day figures are more in line with BTC's and ETH's, according to K33 Research.
- Despite the bearish market conditions, the launch of CME SOL futures offers new ways for institutions to manage their exposure to the token, said Joshua Lim of FalconX.