The Blog Experiment | Technology Nonsense and Internet Tripe

Naomi Shiffman is the Head of Data and Implementation for the Meta Oversight Board, where she leads a team in assessing the Board’s impact on Meta’s content ecosystem. Laboratory at the Hospital of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, 1925. Source Social media platforms guard their data closely for a variety of reasons — chief among them user privacy, concern about misinterpretation, and protecting business interests. This has led to a frequently shifting landscape for researchers trying to understand the social impacts of products that have grown central to our society. The privacy concern has led platforms to primarily share data at scale that either is already public (see Twitter academic API, CrowdTangle, YouTube and TikTok’s researcher programs), or via overly burdensome privacy mechanisms, such as Meta’s differentially private URL Shares dataset. This often makes it very challenging to extract any meaning from the data at all.   Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been a key driver of fierce company protection of user data, in addition to the backlash following the Cambridge Analytica scandal and other major data leaks. However, under Article 40 of the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), platforms will be required to create researcher data-sharing programs and face this long-standing challenge head-on. The European Commission is currently inviting comment on how exactly this should work. Luckily, platforms and regulators have a strong precedent in medical research. While it’s true that social media data has many privacy-sensitive elements, there’s as much– if not more– privacy-sensitive data held…Tools for Platform Research: Lessons from the Medical Research Industry

Justin Hendrix is CEO and Editor of Tech Policy Press. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Katie Britt (R-AL) today introduced the “Protecting Kids on Social Media Act,” which is says its purpose is to: To require that social media platforms verify the age of their users, prohibit the use of algorithmic recommendation systems on individuals under age 18, require parental or guardian consent for social media users under age 18, and prohibit users who are under age 13 from accessing social media platforms. “The growing evidence is clear: social media is making kids more depressed and wreaking havoc on their mental health. While kids are suffering, social media companies are profiting. This needs to stop,” said Senator Schatz in a press statement. “Our bill will help us stop the growing social media health crisis among kids by setting a minimum age and preventing companies from using algorithms to automatically feed them addictive content based on their personal information.” protecting_kids_on_social_media_act_2023 The bill excludes a variety of digital media products and services not designated as social media, including video conferencing platforms, subscription content services, video game platforms, news sites, travel and commerce sites, educational platforms, messaging services, and other interactive services that deliver content to an end user, presumably such as chatbots. Social media sites must take “reasonable steps” beyond “merely requiring attestation” of a user’s age, “taking into account existing age verification technologies.” Information gathered for age verification cannot be retained or used for any other purpose,…U.S. Senators Debut Protecting Kids on Social Media Act

WordPress.com and Anchor (now Spotify for Podcasters) had a very cool podcast integration, that few seemingly used. The product while functional was only half finished in my assessment. The integration made it simple to convert WordPress posts into audio podcasts, and will sunset on May 11th. The WordPress / Spotify integration is what I’ve been using to distribute the audio articles on this website. It was a promising tool, but it’s not altogether surprising that it will sunset. Here’s the pertinent portion of the email from WordPress. We are reaching out today to share some important news regarding the Anchor (now Spotify for Podcasters) feature on WordPress.​com. The integration with Anchor and WordPress.​com will be discontinued on May 11, 2023, and this feature will no longer be available after that date. Here’s what this means for you: Unpublished draft episodes created with Anchor should be published before May 11, 2023. All draft podcasts will be automatically deleted once the feature is discontinued. All published episodes created with the tool will not be deleted and will remain a part of your show. After May 11, you’ll no longer be able to create new podcast episodes using the integration with Anchor and WordPress.​com. Your WordPress.​com account and website(s) will not be impacted in any way. [email protected] The post WordPress And Spotify End A Product Most Never Knew About appeared first on Mason Pelt.WordPress And Spotify End A Product Most Never Knew About

Bhahha. We all knew this was coming. Disney is suing Florida governor Ron DeSantis. Win or lose, in this case Disney are the good guys. Disney sues Ron DeSantis on First Amendment grounds Disney’s lawsuit is the culmination of a lengthy feud between the company, which operates the Walt Disney World resort in Central Florida, and DeSantis, a right-wing firebrand and likely contender for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2024 election.Scott Nover, April 26, 2023, qz.com The post Quartz: Disney Sues Ron DeSantis On First Amendment Grounds appeared first on Mason Pelt.Quartz: Disney Sues Ron DeSantis On First Amendment Grounds

Are some of your tweets not quite getting the engagement you thought they would? Feel like you’re being shadowbanned on Twitter?Well, wonder no more. Twitter has officially rolled out its new label system which notifies users when a specific tweet’s reach is being limited. The company announced that tweets have begun being labeled on Monday evening. Tweet may have been deleted (opens in a new tab) How do you know what posts are being “shadowbanned?” Users will see a label affixed directly to the specific tweet that says “Visibility limited: this Tweet may violate Twitter’s rules against “Hateful Conduct.”Twitter defines “Hateful Conduct” as racist or sexist slurs, tropes, and intimidation. This also includes hateful references, imagery, and incitement. However, the company’s policies about what “hateful conduct” is have become looser since Musk took over. Just last week, Twitter removed policies meant to protect trans users from harassment like misgendering and deadnaming. Here’s one way in which the label will appear on tweets, according to Twitter. Credit: Twitter While tweets that are labeled may see diminished engagement, Twitter says it will not shadowban the author of the tweet at the account level.Since acquiring Twitter last year, Elon Musk has claimed that the platform will run under the mantra of “freedom of speech, not freedom of reach.” According to Musk, this means that his Twitter will allow users to tweet “hateful” content that doesn’t break the law. But, Twitter’s will make it harder to find in users’ feeds. For example, tweets with…'Shadowbanned' tweets are now officially labeled on Twitter

Education companies, which have faced criticism about how slow they can be to adapt, are wasting no time with their embrace of artificial intelligence (AI).  Late last year, OpenAI’s ChatGPT took the industry by storm, growing at speeds that outpaced the initial growth of even popular social media platforms such as Instagram.  Since then, education companies have clamored to get AI-powered tools on their sites and products.  Brainly, a social learning platform, released a beta version of an AI helper named “Ginny” to its site on April 6. The chatbot is intended to “simplify” or “expand” the answers it gives students. “Brainly puts the student in control of how they want their questions answered,” Bill Salak, chief technology officer at Brainly, said in the Ginny launch announcement. “Our Learners are able to go deeper into the subject to understand further the topic they are struggling with or request a simplified response. We’re using the latest AI technology to create a more personalized learning experience for students worldwide, unlike searching for information on a search engine, where what you get is what you get.”  In March, the popular language-teaching app Duolingo introduced Duolingo Max, which also uses GPT-4 technology developed by OpenAI. The “new subscription tier above Super Duolingo” includes roleplay exercises, the company says. And Grammarly, which has been using AI for longer than most, plans to release later this month a new AI feature called GrammarlyGo, designed to help boost communications. “Grammarly is committed to using the most effective…Education companies race to the AI market

U.S. federal agencies announced on Tuesday their intentions to crackdown on automated systems that can cause harmful business practices, including unlawful bias and discrimination. The agencies, which include the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, pledged in a joint statement that they will uphold “core principles of fairness, equality, and justice as emerging automated systems… become increasingly common in our daily lives – impacting civil rights, fair competition, consumer protection, and equal opportunity.” On watch: AI ‘wild west’ raises national security concerns  In the joint statement, the agencies said that although AI can be beneficial in terms of providing insights, breakthroughs, efficiency and lower costs, it also has “the potential to perpetuate unlawful bias, automate unlawful discrimination, and produce other harmful outcomes.” They added that they will ensure that rapidly evolving automated systems like AI are used in a manner that is consistent with U.S. federal laws.  “We already see how AI tools can turbocharge fraud and automate discrimination, and we won’t hesitate to use the full scope of our legal authorities to protect Americans from these threats,” said FTC Chair Lina Khan in a statement. “Technological advances can deliver critical innovation—but claims of innovation must not be cover for lawbreaking. There is no AI exemption to the laws on the books, and the FTC will vigorously enforce the law to combat unfair or deceptive practices or unfair methods of competition.” she added. Biden administration warns it will crack down on harmful AI business practices

Another US government agency known as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has managed to put itself at the center of yet another free speech and censorship controversy and get accused of abusing authority by overstepping its powers. In this case, the CFPB, said to have massive jurisdiction and power that goes along with it, has taken a small mortgage company to court because of what has been said on a radio show and a podcast. This is now treated by those fighting the lawsuit as a First Amendment violation and an authority violation, as per the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. The nonbank mortgage firm (a form of alternative money lending financial institution) is Townstone Financial, based out of the Chicago area. But the problem the CFPB has with Townstone is not financial dealings per se and has more to do with the company’s position on social issues such as crime. Namely, the lawsuit was filed at the height of not only the pandemic but race-related social upheaval in the US in 2020. No wonder, perhaps, that the CFPB was quick to “pull the trigger” and allege that the firm, its owner, Barry Sturner, and others with ties with Townstone, were guilty of making public statements that “would” result in discouraging black loan-seekers from applying for a mortgage by complaining about the rising crime in the city. In the fullness of time, it looks like yet another “canceling” attempt, and at the time the CFPB in its role of Goliath…This government agency is trying to silence a financial company from complaining about crime in Chicago

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 The possibly unconstitutional nature of US plans to force social platforms to collect ID appeared first on Reclaim The Net.The possibly unconstitutional nature of US plans to force social platforms to collect ID

Dear Startup Folks, Most of you live in a fantasy land, where numbers are not real and, therefore may be anything you want. This comes up across every situation; a founder believes the total addressable market is the entire population of the earth, or that the conversion rate will be an easy-to-calculate 5%, or that ad spending scales perfectly across budgets, leaving no change in efficiency between $100, and $100 million. This is all nonsense, but it is at least such unrefined nonsense that everyone knows the speaker is diluted. However, the made-up numbers also come up for metrics that are far less transparently phantasmagorical. Every startup I meet with requires asking questions to find out how much money they have actually spent. Knowing the true spend, the revenue, and some educated guesses about market size is very telling. If a restaurant makes $30k a month in profit, that sounds great, but if the startup cost for the restaurant was $4 million, that restaurant clearly failed a long time ago. Unless costs can be cut drastically, or revenue can increase drastically, the restaurant will have to operate for 11 years to hit break even with the investment. People know this inherently, so they lie. Founders will come up with numbers where the startup costs literally pennies to launch. Normally those costs don’t include free rent in Dad’s office building, the $3k monthly stipend from Mom so someone could work full time on the project, or the thousands of dollars worth…Capital: Spent, Deployed, Made Up