The Blog Experiment | Technology Nonsense and Internet Tripe

Dateline: Woking, 27th March 2024.With the SEC approving Bitcoin ETFs, crypto-twitter has been an excitable place so perhaps now is a good time to check back in on Bitcoin the real world where in 2021, El Salvador passed a law to make Bitcoin compulsory tender. As of the end of last year, approximately 109k El Salvadorans owned Bitcoin in a population of 6.4 million (less than 2%) and the country is ranked 55th on the global crypto adoption index. It seems that cryptocurrency adoption in the real world may be a struggle. Read moreChecking in on El Salvador

Grok, Elon Musk’s AI chatbot that was previously available only to Premium+ subscribers on X, is rolling out to a wider audience.On Tuesday the X CEO announced the AI assistant will be available to Premium subscribers “later this week”. Tweet may have been deleted Previously Grok was only available to X users paying for the top tier of Premium, which is a not-exactly-cheap $16 a month (Premium is $8 a month). And while some Premium+ users don’t seem too happy to be losing their exclusive access, Grok’s wider rollout seems to be in line with Musk’s recent decision to make the chatbot open source. SEE ALSO: Twitter/X staff ignored Elon Musk’s orders, prevented an FTC violation It’s worth noting, of course, that the open source version of Grok isn’t the same Grok that X users have access to. The model released on Github is from an October 2023 “pre-training” phase.Musk has a complicated relationship with AI. He recently sued OpenAI, a company he previously sat on the board for, arguing that the ChatGPT creators breached contract by not making their product open source. OpenAI then hit back, publishing emails from Musk that indicate he knew about the company’s plans to stop publicly sharing its work. What a mess.Elon Musk says Grok AI will be available to premium X users 'later this week'

More employed Americans have used the artificial intelligence (AI) tool ChatGPT for work since last year, with the biggest increase among the younger portion of the workforce, according to a Pew Research poll released Tuesday.   The survey found that 31 percent of employed Americans between 18 and 29 surveyed in February said they have used ChatGPT for tasks at work, up from 12 percent who said the same last March. The number of employed Americans who said they use ChatGPT for work decreased by age group. Twenty-one percent of employed adults aged 30 to 49 said they use it, up from 8 percent last year, and just 10 percent aged 50 and older said the same, up from only 4 percent last year. Overall, the share of employed Americans who have used ChatGPT for work rose to double digits in the past year — reaching 20 percent based on the February survey, up from just 8 percent last March. But in general, most Americans still have not used ChatGPT, according to the survey.   Twenty-three percent of Americans said they have used ChatGPT. That amount is on the rise from July, when 18 percent said the same.   Use of ChatGPT has particularly spiked among younger adults. Forty-three percent of adults younger than 30 said they have used ChatGPT in the February survey, compared to 27 percent of adults 30 to 49, 17 percent of adults 50 to 64 and 6 percent of adults 65 and older.   As…Nearly a third of employed Americans under 30 used ChatGPT for work: Poll

Florida has just enacted a new law restricting social media access for children. Those aged 15 and under must now obtain their parents’ consent to have a social media account, while children under 14 aren’t allowed to have one at all. That’s no more TikTok, no more Snapchat, no more Facebook, and no more Instagram.Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 3 (HB 3) on Monday, after previously vetoing similar legislation earlier this month. At the time, he cited the imminent arrival of a “superior” bill that would “[support] parents’ rights.” It appears that HB 3 is that bill. SEE ALSO: Instagram Reels reportedly shows sexual content to users who only follow children “Social media harms children in a variety of ways,” said DeSantis in a statement on Monday. “HB 3 gives parents a greater ability to protect their children.”The new law will go into effect from Jan. 1 next year, which gives Florida’s kids a bit of time to either persuade their parents to sign their permission slip, or download all their posts before their accounts are deleted.Many social media platforms already impose age requirements in their terms of service. Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat all require users to be at least 13 years old, while TikTok provides users aged 13 and under with a “curated, view-only experience… that includes additional safeguards and privacy protections.” HB 3 will impose a higher legal age limit of 14, as well as charge penalties to social media platforms for any violations.How to legally use…Social media now unlawful for kids under 14 in Florida

Since acquiring the company now known as X, Elon Musk has claimed that his social media platform would be one where free speech ideals reigned supreme. In August 2023, Musk went so far as declaring that he would financially support any user who was punished for their speech on X.”If you were unfairly treated by your employer due to posting or liking something on this platform, we will fund your legal bill,” Musk said. “No limit. Please let us know.” SEE ALSO: Elon Musk and X lose lawsuit against anti-hate nonprofit This past Sunday, X seemingly shared an example of one such case.”X is proud to help defend Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill against the government-supported efforts to cancel her speech,” X said, going on to say they would pay the remainder of the doctor’s $300,000 legal bills. Gill had previously posted that she had raised around half of the amount herself through a crowdfunding campaign, meaning X was going to fund the estimated remainder of $150,000. Tweet may have been deleted However, Musk and company left out an important, glaring detail that seems to run contrary to his stated “free speech” beliefs: The lawsuit that Gill lost was one that she filed in an attempt to silence critics from saying things she did not like.Who is Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill?Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill is a Canadian physician who published posts in 2020 on X, then Twitter, that presented her COVID vaccine-skepticism and anti-lockdown beliefs in the early months of the…Musk's X to pay legal fees to support doctor who sued to silence her critics (and lost)

Elon Musk and his social media platform X just suffered an embarrassing defeat in court, where a judge pilloried the “free speech” company for attempting to silence a critic’s speech.On Monday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer dismissed X’s lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a nonprofit group that tracks hate speech on social media. Tweet may have been deleted But, X’s courtroom loss is just one layer here. The judge also made it clear that Musk and his “free speech” company had clearly targeted the CCDH in an effort to punish the group for their speech.”Sometimes it is unclear what is driving a litigation, and only by reading between the lines of a complaint can one attempt to surmise a plaintiff’s true purpose,” Judge Breyer wrote in his dismissal of the suit. “Other times, a complaint is so unabashedly and vociferously about one thing that there can be no mistaking that purpose. This case represents the latter circumstance. This case is about punishing the Defendants for their speech.” SEE ALSO: Apple, Google, and Meta are being investigated by the EU under new Big Tech regulation Musk & X vs. CCDH, Winner: CCDHLast year, the CCDH published a few reports looking at the proliferation of hate speech on Elon Musk’s X. But, after a report from the CCDH that detailed how little action X takes against paying X Premium subscribers when those users espouse hate speech, Musk and company went on the offensive. Musk’s legal representative, Alex Spiro, sent…Elon Musk and X lose lawsuit against anti-hate nonprofit

By now, you’ve likely heard of Dogecoin, the popular cryptocurrency named after the popular “doge” internet meme. During the last cryptocurrency boom, buoyed by the few successful examples like Dogecoin and the similarly-inspired Shiba Inu coin, memecoins became pretty popular among get-rich-quick scammers looking to make fast money with quick pump-and-dump schemes.The memecoin craze is now once-again very popular among the cryptocurrency community, especially on the Solana blockchain. But, over the past few days, the memecoins haven’t been based on cute internet animal memes. No, they’ve been named after incredibly racist slurs and concepts. SEE ALSO: Watch the Elon Musk interview that probably ended Don Lemon’s partnership with Twitter/X Among some of the new memecoins you can find on decentralized crypto exchanges now? Numerous cryptocurrencies with the n-word, a token called “Jews did 9/11,” and “NAZI,” which appears on exchanges as just a swastika as its trading symbol. A listing of some of the racist memecoins on the Solana blockchain. Credit: Mashable screenshot What’s happening?Bitcoin’s value rose to a new all-time high this month, soaring past $70,000 for the very first time. Many cryptocurrency tokens have also risen in value alongside Bitcoin over the past few weeks, in a minor crypto resurgence the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the market crashed in 2022.With all of this money moving in the market, some memecoins have also seen a sudden spike in value too, especially those deployed on the Solana blockchain. Solana has raised hundreds of millions in VC funding…Solana blockchain overrun with racist memecoins in latest cryptocurrency trend

Out on the road again (and again, and again)Dateline: Woking, 22nd March 2024.Whether being a road warrior is something to boast about or a tragic testament to a life wasted in airports I couldn’t say, but I suppose I am one. And as a road warrior who spends a lot of time thinking about digital identity, I am particularly interested in the complex value chain around travel. Now that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has successfully tested the first fully integrated digital identity and verifiable credential (VC) journey from London Heathrow (LHR) to Rome Fiumicino (FCO) with British Airways, it looks as if my dreams of seamless travel are a step closer to reality.ShareDigital JourneysIATA has also been working on digital identity standards based on W3C Verifiable Credentials (VC) and decentralised digital identity designed to be interoperable between different stakeholders, such as airlines, travel agents, airports and governments. They have already released preliminary specifications for the W3C VC schema for passport, visa, and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Digital Travel Authorisation (DTA) for industry testing.Subscribe nowThe LHR-FCO passenger shared their loyalty data (stored as a verifiable credential in their smart phone’s digital wallet) with a travel agent which enabled airlines using the appropriate interfaces to make offers through the travel agent channel. I can’t remember the last time I used a travel agent, but clearly many people still do. Anyway, once the customer had chosen the offer and purchased, no more Passenger Name Records (PNR), e-tickets or miscellaneous documents were needed because…Hands Free Happiness

Tennessee became the first state to protect its residents’ voice rights on Thursday when Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed the ELVIS Act, designed to protest musicians from artificial intelligence replication. “There are certainly many things that are positive about what AI does,” Lee said. “It also, when fallen into the hands of bad actors, it can destroy this industry.” “It can rob an individual, these individual artists to whose unique God-given gifts transform people’s lives,” he continued. “It can steal those gifts, it can impersonate those gifts, it can subsequently create fake works that rob those artists of their intellectual property.” Lee signed the Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security Act at honky-tonk Robert’s Western World in Nashville, the city famous as the birthplace of the genre. Concerns over artificial intelligence have run abound in the music industry, as AI-driven impersonations of singers have gone viral and raised legal scrutiny. Realistic-sounding interpretations of artists can both mimic voices and use an artist’s music to create new content. Specifically, the law established protections for artists’ voices and created a state civil action against those who illegally use it without permission. It’s unclear how effective the protections could be, given the mostly unregulated and quickly developing nature of artificial intelligence. The industry has also garnered attention from Congress, which has long debated how to regulate the industry. The law adds to the state’s strong image and likeness protections, passed in 1984 amidst legal chaos following the death of Elvis Presley, sparking the…Tennessee Governor signs bill that protects musicians against artificial intelligence

When Elon Musk acquired X, then-known as Twitter, he proudly proclaimed that his social media platform would be a place where freedom of speech reigned. According to Musk, only content deemed illegal by government law would be removed. All other speech – including hate speech – would be fair game to publish on X.With that being said, why are users now reporting that X is removing posts and suspending accounts who simply post the name “Hans Kristian Graebener?”A far-right webcomic creator unmaskedLast week, Anonymous Comrades Collective, an online group that describe themselves as an “antifascist journalism collective dedicated to exposing Nazis, racists and fascists” published a new report alleging to have uncovered the person behind StoneToss, a webcomic popular among the far right. SEE ALSO: Is Instagram shadowbanning LGBTQ and sex ed accounts? According to Anonymous Comrades Collective, the group was able to tie numerous old online accounts, audio livestreams, and GamerGate-era photographs to StoneToss and his alleged real-life identity as a Texas-based IT consultant named Hans Kristian Graebener.StoneToss was started in 2017 by an anonymous individual, allegedly Graebener, who clearly had far-right sympathies. However, as more comics have been published over the years, the ideologies espoused by StoneToss have included antisemitism, racism, and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. One particularly infamous StoneToss comic, for example, engages in Holocaust denial.The Anonymous Comrades Collective’s report and a thread detailing it’s finding on its X account @anoncommiestan quickly went spread among political activists familiar with StoneToss and its far-right comics. Tweet may have been deleted Anonymous…Elon Musk's X suspends users who post alleged name of alt-right comic creator