The Blog Experiment | Technology Nonsense and Internet Tripe

Anya Schiffrin is the director of the media and technology specialization at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. Two years after Australia passed its News Media Bargaining Code, which pushed Google and Meta to inject some $140 million US dollars into the Australian news media ecosystem, other countries are set to move ahead with their own versions of the law. Canada and the UK are expected to pass bills by the end of the year. Bargaining Codes have become a hot topic in South Africa, while a vote on a Brazilian law is expected on May 2.  Australian academic Andrea Carson describes Australia’s code as “world-first legislation” because it is based on competition (antitrust) rather than copyright laws. The proposal was met with strong resistance by Google and Facebook (now Meta), possibly because they were afraid the idea would spread. Facebook even cut off Australian news for a few days in 2021 despite public emergencies including bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. The law came into effect shortly afterwards, in March 2021, and since then more than 30 agreements have been signed covering dozens of outlets. An Australian Treasury review in December 2022 called the Code a “success” and recommended that it be expanded in the future. The report noted that most of the deals were struck by Google while Meta provided much less funding. (Journalists interviewed for this article said that Google is now offering to set up funds to support journalism in South Africa and Brazil in an apparent effort…Australia’s New Soft Power: Bargaining Codes Start to Spread Globally

The National have been a staple of my depressed, and regretful existence. I love the music, and it’s been around for deaths, and breakups, and loss. Anyway, have a profile in The New Yorker. The Sad Dads of the National Last fall, the National débuted a new piece of merchandise: a black zippered sweatshirt featuring the words “sad dads” in block letters. The band—which formed in 1999, in Brooklyn—was lampooning its reputation as a font of midlife ennui, the sort of rudderless melancholy that takes hold when a person realizes that the dusty hallmarks of American happiness (marriage, children, a job in an office) aren’t a guarantee against despair. For more than two decades, this has been the National’s grist: not the major devastations but the strange little ache that feels like a precondition to being human. No amount of Transcendental Meditation, Pilates, turmeric, rose quartz, direct sunlight, jogging, oat milk, sleep hygiene, or psychoanalysis can fully alleviate that ambient sadness. Part of it is surely existential—our lives are temporary and inscrutable; death is compulsory and forever—but another part feels more quotidian and incremental, the slow accumulation of ordinary losses. Maybe there’s a person you once loved but lost touch with. A friend who moved to a new town. An apple tree that stood outside your bedroom window, levelled to make way for broadband cable. An old dog. A former colleague. We are always losing, or leaving, or being left, in ways both minor and vast. “The grief it gets…The New Yorker Profile Of The National

In the wake of Tucker Carlson’s sudden departure from Fox News, media circles have been abuzz with speculation about where the popular host will land next. Among those weighing in on the matter is podcast giant Joe Rogan, who has suggested that the news personality should consider joining Rumble, the growing video-sharing platform favored by independent creators for its neutrality. In an episode with comedian Dave Smith, Smith said that Carlson was someone who, “would disagree with the rest of the people at his network,” and said he was unique in that way. “He’s really designed for the internet,” Rogan responded. “I hope he goes there,” Smith said. “He’s going to,” Rogan added, “unless they’ve paid him off.” Rogan, who himself left YouTube to join an exclusive deal with Spotify after being censored on the Google-owned platform, went on to say, “I mean if I was a person in a position of power and a wild card like Tucker Carlson got released from Fox News and maybe Rumble makes a deal with him or something like that – do you have any fucking idea how big that would be?… It could make that app, it could make that platform. I mean, if Tucker Carlson goes over there, it’ll be worth it for them to invest a considerable amount of money. And, but if I was Fox News, that’s the last thing I would want.” https://video.reclaimthenet.org/articles/rogan-tucker-rumble-987234234.mp4 Rumble has become home to many who have been censored or de-platformed on Big Tech…Tucker Carlson should join Rumble, Joe Rogan says

I’ve long loved the publication Splice Today. Well before I pitched, let alone published an article in Splice Today I read the pluralistic, and often idiosyncratic blog edited by Russ Smith. This article by Oliver Bateman is a solid example of the style I like most about the publication. The article is deep, and shallow at the same time. It was written to be read, and to pass away not withstanding the chance to be republished or repurposed at a later moment. Splice Today as a publication is a meditation in print, in many ways. Smith started, and ran the New York Press for many years before the internet was a thought, let alone widely used. Articles were, written, printed, distributed, perhaps read. The content had a life, and no expectations of immortality. Splice Today is a better publication than most running think pieces online. It’s magical in it’s lack of pretentiousness. There’s a Name I Know Publishing your innermost thoughts, my grad school advisor assured me, would guarantee that they passed into oblivion without notice. Selling those untimely thoughts for money, either under my byline or someone else’s, has proven more lucrative than I could’ve imagined. But how, after nearly two decades of doing this work, have I managed to remain completely anonymous, a name far from the tips of all these forked and silver hot take tongues?Oliver Bateman, June 30, 2021, splicetoday.com The post Splice Today: There’s a Name I Know appeared first on Mason Pelt.Splice Today: There’s a Name I Know

Text messages between Tyler Meredith, a policy advisor at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Farees Nathoo, an issues manager at the PMO, and Alex Lawrence, director of communications for the deputy prime minister show that even they were concerned about Justin Trudeau’s public statements about the Freedom Convoy protests. The texts, first noticed by Rebel, were obtained by the Public Order Emergency Commission, which was tasked with investigating if the use of the Emergencies Act to stop the protests was justifiable. “Sent you an email. We need to counter-propose something quickly because there be a pretty out-there comment from the prime minister,” Lawrence wrote in a group text. “Need feedback ASAP.” In another group text involving Shannon Zimmerman, Lawrence wrote, “Prime Minister said 50% of funding for the protest is foreign funding.” “Prime Minister said 50% of funding for the protest is foreign funding,” Nathoo replied. The claims that the protesters were funded by Russia was part of the reason Trudeau called for the protesters and their supporters to be deplatformed and their bank accounts frozen. That claim was later debunked. If you’re tired of censorship, cancel culture, and the erosion of civil liberties subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Even Trudeau staffers questioned his wild claims used to shut down Freedom Convoy protests, texts show appeared first on Reclaim The Net.Even Trudeau staffers questioned his wild claims used to shut down Freedom Convoy protests, texts show

Note: This article may contain spoilers from the new DLC Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores. Metacritic plans new ways to censor user reviews after players criticized Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores. The owner of the platform, Fandom, has responded to press reports about the wide discrepancy between the critics scores of the downloadable content compared to the user reviews. The game, which was released last week, was praised for its visuals and gameplay. However, many players, among accusations of having a thin story, have criticized the plot in which the character Aloy, who fans have played as since 2017’s Horizon Zero Dawn, meets Seyka a “marine of the Quen tribe” and includes options to allow the two women to engage in a romantic relationship. “Stop pushing those farking woke agenda upon gamers,” one review reads. In a statement to news outlet Eurogamer, Fandom said it knew about what it called the “abusive and disrespectful reviews” and it is; “currently evolving processes and tools to introduce stricter moderation in the coming months. “Fandom is a place of belonging for all fans and we take online trust and safety very seriously across all our sites including Metacritic. Metacritic is aware of the abusive and disrespectful reviews of Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores and we have a moderation system in place to track violations of our terms of use.” The company has already removed some of the negative reviews. If you’re tired of censorship, cancel culture, and the erosion of civil liberties subscribe…Metacritic announces stricter censorship after negative user reviews of Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores

Microsoft Edge is leaking the sites people visit to the Bing API website. The problem started after Edge rolled out a new feature in the latest update. The problem was first reported on Reddit by user hackermchackface. However, the user was not able to find out why Edge was sending a request to bingapis.com every time users opened a new page. According to software engineer Rafael Rivera, the problem was being caused by a poorly implemented feature that allows users to follow content creators on all platforms. “Microsoft Edge now has a creator follow feature that is enabled by default,” Rivera told The Verge. “It appears the intent was to notify Bing when you’re on certain pages, such as YouTube, The Verge, and Reddit. But it doesn’t appear to be working correctly, instead sending nearly every domain you visit to Bing.” Disabling the feature solves the problem. However, the feature is on by default. Microsoft is yet to fix the issue. “We’re aware of reports, are investigating and will take appropriate action to address any issues,” Microsoft said. However, the company did not explain why URLs are being sent the to Bing API website. If you’re tired of censorship, cancel culture, and the erosion of civil liberties subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Microsoft’s Edge is caught leaking all website visits to Bing appeared first on Reclaim The Net.Microsoft’s Edge is caught leaking all website visits to Bing

Vice President of the European Commission, Věra Jourová, said that she is “more and more uncomfortable on Twitter” because of what she said was the rise in Russian propaganda. She added that Twitter was likely going to violate the upcoming censorship law, the Digital Services Act (DSA), once enforcement begins later this year, because of the “unregulated Russian aggressive propaganda.” The DSA requires platforms to remove “harmful” content or risk heavy fines. Jourová said that the employees who were fired when Elon Musk took over last October meant staff responsible for content moderation were fired. “We were already disappointed by the data they delivered in January and of course, we are also watching what they are doing with the capacities left,” Jourová told reporters on Wednesday. Earlier, she tweeted that she felt “Twitter is falling short of its commitments to the anti-disinformation code,” a currently voluntary rulebook for online platforms that will become a firm benchmark when the DSA comes into force. “I would compare the situation with driving on the highway. “You drive on the highway and overstepping that speed, you get a penalty, and one day you might be deprived of your driving license.” She insisted that platforms should, “intensify their work against Russian propaganda.” “There is still space for dialog. And I would really do wish to explain to Mr. Musk our philosophy that we are protectors of freedom of speech, protectors of freedom of expression… But freedom of speech in the EU is not unlimited.” If…EU’s Věra Jourová says she’s “uncomfortable” on Twitter, wants more censorship

This post is for Reclaim The Net members. Join Already a supporter? Login here If you’re tired of censorship, cancel culture, and the erosion of civil liberties subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Privacy-invasive data brokers are funded by the federal government appeared first on Reclaim The Net.Privacy-invasive data brokers are funded by the federal government

John Perrino is a policy analyst and Renée DiResta is the Research Manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory. Shutterstock The debate over how to identify and address false or misleading information about COVID-19 continues to be an important and contentious issue. Last year, Meta asked the Oversight Board to review whether the company should change its current COVID-19 misinformation policies for removing claims that are considered by medical authorities to be false and harmful. Meta specifically requested advice on whether to label or demote certain content, as the public health situation has changed in much of the world.  In response, last week the Oversight Board — the quasi-independent entity funded by Meta to guide its content moderation decisions and policy — released an advisory report calling for continued enforcement, but a reassessment of the types of claims Meta should remove under its current COVID-19 misinformation policy. The Board recommends a review of the 80 medical claims currently flagged for removal under Meta’s COVID-19 policy to evaluate their continued potential for harm. The Board also recommends Meta prioritize increased user and public transparency for moderation policies and enforcement decisions; support independent research through data access and engagement with outside teams; and conduct risk assessments on design features that might amplify harmful information. The non-binding opinion calls on Meta to prioritize addressing medical information that is likely to result in serious injury or death, while conspicuously noting that the Board attempted “to reconcile competing viewpoints from stakeholders and Board Members” by suggesting a…Oversight Board: Meta Should Review the COVID-19 Claims it Removes and Improve Transparency