BREAKDOWN: 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.
ABOUT
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
HOST
CoinDesk is the world leader in news, prices and information on bitcoin and other digital currencies.
We cover news and analysis on the trends, price movements, technologies, companies and people in the bitcoin and digital currency world.

EPISODES
The Growing Dominance of Crypto KOLs
Exploring the rise of crypto KOLs with Celo Co-Founder Rene Reinsberg and 'Binance Blockchain 100' Award Winner Leon....
15 hours ago
THE MINING POD: ABTC Investor Unlock, IREN’s $3.6B Capital Raise, Greenidge’s Fire and Land Sale
On today’s news roundup, the gang covers the American Bitcoin investor unlock that sunk the ABTC share price this wee...
16 hours ago
The Blockspace Pod: The Conspiracy Was True: Operation Chokepoint 2.0
A new House report confirms the Biden Administration's coordinated, extralegal "Operation Chokepoint 2.0" to debank t...
Dec 3, 2025
THE MINING POD: CleanSpark FY 2025 Recap: It's Not an AI Pivot, It's an Expansion w/ Matthew Schultz
CleanSpark CEO Matt Schultz joins us to discuss CleanSpark’s fiscal year 2025 earnings.
Dec 2, 2025

The Mining Pod
Feb 10, 2025

CoinDesk Podcast Network
The top stories and best shows in the blockchain world, delivered daily from the team at CoinDesk.
Dec 20, 2023

Markets Outlook
Tune in as CoinDesk runs down action in the crypto market and some of the most important recent industry development.
Dec 19, 2023

Unchained
Unchained, your no hype resource for all things crypto by former Forbes senior editor Laura Shin, author of The Cryptopians.
Dec 18, 2023
