Let me be clear about one thing… the overwhelming majority of protests that are taking place are peaceful, Let me be clear about another thing… looting and violence are occurring and some of it are by violent leftist protesters and much of it — particularly the looting — are crimes of opportunity. It is also true that people in law … Read More
Society Coming Apart At The Seems
The brutal manslaughter of George Floyd by Minneapolis policemen has become a touchstone for so many societal hot spots. The most notable, of course, is the continued racial injustice by police in communities throughout the country. This is not new of course. We have seen it repeatedly over the years. I’m not sure anything I can say will add to … Read More
Trump Complains To Twitter About His Follower Count
Imagine being the most powerful man in the world with access to intelligence and data that could make any human’s mind spin with amazement. Now imagine using that power to drag in the CEO of Twitter to complain that your follower count isn’t as high as the previous President. President Trump on Tuesday met privately with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, … Read More
Suing Fictional Cows And Other Twitter Embarrassments
This is funny, but also disturbing in the sense that some are actually taking it seriously. Yesterday, Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA) sued a fictional cow for $250 million. In addition to the anonymous Twitter account “Devin Nunes’ Cow,” Nunes is suingthe “Devin Nunes’ Mom” Twitter account, a political operative named Liz Mair, and Twitter itself. Nunes, a close ally of President Trump, … Read More
Snopes Quits Facebook
I have been a big fan. follower, and occasional contributor to Snopes. And this is a pretty big fail on the part of Facebook. Snopes believes it has been ignored, and simply is there as window-dressing so that Facebook can say it attacks fake news. CNBC: Snopes, a fact-checking organization, announced on Friday its decision to end its partnership with Facebook, … Read More
WTF, Facebook?
Mark Zuckerberg only had to learn one line: “We are aware of the [whatever problem]. It is a serious problem and we are taking every step to ensure that it never happens.” Seriously, how many times has he said something like this to Congress and the public? And then he does NOTHING? NY Times: For years, Facebook gave some of … Read More
Facebook’s Attempt To Clean Up “Fake News” Was a Huge Fail
The Guardian sums it up: Facebook hired a PR firm that attempted to discredit the company’s critics by claiming they were agents of billionaire George Soros, the New York Times reported Tuesday. Soros is a Jewish philanthropist who is the frequent subject of antisemitic conspiracy theories. At the same time, the social media company urged the Anti-Defamation League to object to a cartoon … Read More
Well, You Don’t See THIS Often
Facebook is down. Daily Mail: Facebook users around the world have been left in a ‘total blackout’ after the site crashed early Monday afternoon. The site went down just before 1 p.m., affecting users from the United States and South America all the way to Europe. Those who attempted to access the desktop site are met with a message saying ‘Sorry, … Read More
Goodbye, Gab
CNN: Gab has been taken offline following revelations that the suspected Pittsburgh synagogue gunman used the social network to threaten Jews. A statement on the platform’s website Monday said it would be “inaccessible for a period of time” after several web hosting services declined its business. Gab said it has also been removed from app stores and refused service by payment … Read More
The Future Is AI And The US Is Falling Behind
The Trump administration has done little to support artificial intelligence research, experts say. Now, the top members of a House subcommittee are calling for a plan to maintain American leadership in AI. As the White House idled, China implemented a national plan that is propelling its AI research and implementation. Now, the two countries are in a race to reap … Read More
Apple, Facebook and YouTube Remove Content From Alex Jones and Infowars
New York Times: Top technology companies erased most of the posts and videos on their services from Alex Jones, the internet’s notorious conspiracy theorist, thrusting themselves into a fraught debate over their role in regulating what can be said online. Apple, Google, Facebook and Spotify severely restricted the reach of Mr. Jones and Infowars, his right-wing site that has been … Read More
A Welcome Change To Twitter
Buzzfeed: On Tuesday, Twitter announced a massive change to the way its conversations will work, evaluating not just the content of individual tweets, but the way users behave more broadly on the service. Twitter will now use thousands of behavioral signals when filtering search, replies, and algorithmic recommendations. If it believes you are trying to game its system, or simply … Read More
A Primer On Disinformation
The most under-discussed problem of my time. A primer:
The Facebook Congressional Hearings Are A Joke
I expected the United States Senate to show almost comical ignorance about how Facebook works. You have to remember that the Senate is comically ignorant about most of the industries and issues they regulate. Watching a Senate hearing on anything you are professionally familiar with is like watching a gang of kids in a bouncy castle: you just hope they don’t hurt themselves before they … Read More
Zuckerberg Releases Congressional Testimony
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg just released prepared statements for his upcoming testimony before U.S. lawmakers, issuing an apology and taking responsibility for its indiscretions. The notoriously press shy Zuckerberg is under intense pressure to explain how Facebook allowed the personal information of millions of its users to be used by a data analysis firm that worked for President Donald … Read More