Meta Unaccountable; Article Misrepresents
Meta was not remotely "held accountable" for harming teens this framing is deranged and this piece also completely misrepresents how big tobacco was actually regulated. I'm gonna lose my mind
Critics Ignore Fediverse, Push Regulation of Big‑tech Platforms
It's so revealing how the loudest voices ranting/raving about the "harms" of social media spend ZERO time engaging w the Fediverse at all. They want u to think that big tech's model of social media is the only one so...
Most Users Remain Clueless About Platform Mechanics and Metrics
A lot of people continue to get on here and reveal they have absolutely zero understanding of how online media platforms work or how metrics are calculated online. It’s illuminating
Labeling AI Terms as Slurs Fuels Harmful Anthropomorphism
I actually made a whole video about this whole robot racism stuff and spoke to researchers. Ironically treating words like clanker as a slur contributes to the anthropomorphism of AI, which is a bad thing https://t.co/aoJdfAJOzs
Caroline Kwan Exposes TikTok Smear Attacks on Women
.@carolinekwan joined the podcast this week to chat about Chappell Roan, TikTok smear campaigns, and eternal hate campaigns against women https://t.co/vYf98TYZF2
Data Centers Require Strict Location Oversight to Curb Noise
We need a lot more oversight over where these data centers end up. The noise pollution is something I hear about constantly from people who live nearby https://t.co/AAY0Gh3woV
Attempting to Outshine a Top Influencer Exposes Media Ignorance
Trying to dunk on one of the most massive and relevant political influencers of our time and revealing you have no idea how internet media works
New Censorship Laws Will Amplify Surveillance and Big‑tech Dominance
Exactly what she said, and the tech landscape is about to get a billion times worse as we enact mass surveillance and censorship laws that crush competition and allow big tech to consolidate even more power under the guise of...
AI Surveillance and ID Laws Threaten Online Speech Freedom
It’s only going to get worse as mass ID verification/AI surveillance laws pass & the govt hunts down and prosecutes more and more ppl for online speech. The anti screen time industrial complex is also extremely lucrative and they’re already...
Stop Judging My Screen Time; I’m Overloaded
Can everyone who complains about my “screen time” please start writing my newsletter, filing my freelance stories, editing my videos and podcast episodes, responding to thousands of email and doing my dozens of meetings every week bc I am burned...
Social Media Addiction Lawsuit Masks Censorship Agenda
Kat Tenbarge and I discuss the “social media addiction” lawsuit and why the verdict is absolutely not about “holding big tech accountable”, and how media addiction claims are being used to censor annual LGBTQ ppl, immigrants, and all of us....
Moral Panic over Social Media Addiction Fuels Meta Lobbying
Begging people to stop falling for moral panic “social media addiction” slop that is being used to further Meta’s billion dollar lobbying efforts and enact the Heritage Foundation’s tech policy slate. https://t.co/x5sBmiBcQH
TikTok Correlates with Mental Health Issues, but No Causation Proven
Key word here: correlates. TikTok usage likely also correlates with wearing baggy jeans. But there have been mountains of peer reviewed studies on social media's affect on mental health, and none have found any meaningful *causal* link. Great piece here:...
YouTube Expands ID Age Verification, Limiting Channel Access
Google/YouTube announced they’d start doing ID verification to comply with state “age verification” laws last August, looks like they’re rolling it out more widely in recent days
Exploring the True Roots of Social Media Addiction
Had a great time back with @nickgillespie chatting about “social media addiction” and what these cases are really about
Social Media Addiction Is a Myth, Not a Disease
“As for social media ‘addiction’ there literally is no such thing. No diagnosis for that. Social media is not remotely the same as alcohol, nicotine, or heroin. There is no such thing as ‘dopamine hits’ which is merely pseudo-science sounding...
Far‑right Cites Kids‑safety Laws to Target LGBTQ Online
One thing about the whole “social media addiction” campaign from Heritage and all the other far right fundamentalist groups, is that they’re openly bragging about how they’ll use these “kids online safety” legal precedents/laws to censor LGBTQ ppl off the...
Criminalizing “Child Harm” Content Threatens Journalistic Freedom
Yup, when you seek to criminalize content that causes “harm to children” you end up with censorship of journalism. I wrote about this last year for The Guardian https://t.co/h4eHZN4IpM
Senator Ron Wyden Stands Alone in Targeting Big Tech
Ron Wyden is the only lawmaker in congress who is actually interested in cracking down on big tech it seems
Students Shouldn't Be Exposed to Biometric Surveillance in Schools
“A review is ongoing about voice and facial recognition, biometric data gathering and surveillance.” Students should not be exposed to surveillance technology in schools. Certain tech can be great for learning, but NOT tech that harvests biometric data, surveils...
Ending the Open Internet, Not Achieving Accountability.
"What you won’t get out of this is anything approaching 'accountability.' You’ll get the end of the open internet, cheered on by people who think they’re punishing a bully but are actually handing the bully’s biggest competitors a death sentence."...
Essential Tool Maps Global Child‑Safety Verification Laws
This remains one of the most useful tools for tracking age/ID verification "child safety" laws (ironically made by a top ID verification company). It gives the best comprehensive overview of where things stand in every state and country. Phenomenal work...
Kids Use Social Media for Messaging; Laws Threaten It
The primary way kids use social media is to message w each other. This is why Snapchat is so popular among that age group. The ppl behind these laws know that, and their goal is to cut off messaging and...
Meta Exploits Addiction Ruling to Craft Surveillance Child‑safety Laws
Using the Meta “social media addiction” ruling to push mass surveillance“child safety” laws that are effectively written by Meta, that Meta has spent millions lobbying for via “child safety” orgs that claim to “fight big tech.” We live in hell...
Same “Harm” Claims Repeat for Every Internet Generation
Reminder that the same people claiming social media is "harming" teenagers today have been making the exact same arguments about every single iteration of the internet for the past 30 years. https://t.co/M3JiOZfY1Y https://t.co/BZxv6k93Zy
Privacy Erosion Stems From Missing Data Laws, Not AI Rules
She's spot on about surveillance, but these massive invasions of privacy are not solely bc of lack of federal legislation to regulate AI, it's bc of lack of data privacy laws. AI is exacerbating all of this, but all the...
Verdict Spurs Censorship, Threatening Small Platforms
This verdict will lead to "a lot more heavy-handed censorship and privacy invasions by platforms to comply with junk science-based jury verdicts and looming legislative threats. Biggest tech players have the ability to weather the storm. Mid- and small-sized platforms...
Parents Demand Stricter Social Media Duties, Section 230 Reform
Outside the LA courthouse parents who say social media addiction killed their children outline the policies they want to come as a result of this legal win: - Senate version of KOSA w/ strong duty of care - Reform/repeal Section 230 - Age...
Skid Row Content House Poised for Influencer Surge
The skid row content house is about to blow up mark my words... influencers are descending on egg god and co.
Independent Journalists Expose US Propaganda on Cuba Crisis
They're livid that independent media figures like Hasan traveled to Cuba to report directly on what's happening and expose the amount of blatant propaganda in the US media ecosystem. This is why independent media/journalism that challenges MSM narratives is so...
U.S. Power Cut Threatens Cuban NICU Babies' Lives
The U.S. continues to attempt to kill more babies. The American govt is 100% culpable for this suffering and could end it at any time
US Kills Cubans with Impunity, Media Distracts with Hotel
The headline and framing on this story from the MSM has been insane as @NathanJRobinson’s great thread points out. America is killing Cubans with impunity and they’re trying to make the story about what hotel a media figure was required...
Independent Reporters in Cuba Break Through US Propaganda
It’s incredibly valuable to have independent media figures go to places like Cuba and do on the ground reporting that cuts through the MSM bubble and US propaganda.
Lawmakers Seek VPN Bans to End Online Anonymity
I’ve been repotting on this, there are already state lawmakers pushing for VPN bans. The goal is to fully remove anonymity from the internet
AI Crackdown Used to Push KOSA and Section 230 Repeal
They’re trying to ram through KOSA, a full Section 230 repeal, and a slew of other censorship and surveillance provisions under the guise of “cracking down on AI” and a tom of dumbass leftists are falling for it.
Arizona Law Makes Posting Trump Parody Illegal without Consent
A new "kids online safety" law in Arizona would make posting the South Park clip of Trump and Satan having sex illegal, unless the social media user was able to upload Trump's government ID and a consent form from him...
Media Firms Lag Behind Creator‑centric Networks in Attention Economy
These media companies also have no understanding of how to work w creators well or navigate the online attention economy. Look at the creator roster at Studio71, Dear Media, or any creator-focused network…. then look at the roster for one...
Government Pressure Drives Rising Creator Bans on Platforms
Sadly more and more creators are having their accounts banned or restricted as the government pressures social media platforms to censor online speech.
AI Chatbots Face Surge of Diverse Liability Lawsuits
"Over the past year we’ve seen a wave of high-profile lawsuits against AI companies blaming chatbots for everything from bad driving to delusions of grandeur to a man’s death after he tripped and fell in a parking lot." https://t.co/zj97A2rj08
Journalist Refutes Billionaire Influence, Cites Transparent Fellowship
I’ve reported on this topic for a decade for NYT, WaPo, etc. To claim I’m receiving “unknown guidance” from a billionaire I’ve never interacted w is insane. The journalism fellowship I did last year is transparently funded, granted full editorial...
New Laws Threaten LGBTQ and Abortion Content Online
Part of how they want to enact this is by rolling out mass censorship and surveillance online through things like “reforming” section 230 and laws like KIDS Act/KOSA which would remove LGBTQ, abortion content etc from the internet (and “leftists”/liberals...
Kat Abughazaleh: Age‑Verification Laws Aren’t About Kids
“None of this is about protecting kids.” So phenomenal to see @KatAbughazaleh speaking out about age verification laws and the efforts to repeal Section 230 https://t.co/F09qjnp3AI
CDT and ACLU Defend Anthropic Against DoD Supply-Chain Risk Label
CDT Joins ACLU in Amicus Brief in Support of Anthropic as it Challenges its DOD Designation as a “Supply-Chain Risk” https://t.co/yGYmri0D7d
Mike Masnick Debunks Myths Behind Section 230 Vilification
Mike Masnick joined my section 230 mini series this week to break down how this one law became so villainized and debunk the most common myths about it https://t.co/vongG0sjkZ
Over a Third of College Women Avoid OnlyFans
40% of college aged women absolutely do not do OnlyFans. OF would love to have that many MAUs. Does this guy just go online and make stuff up all day?
Story’s Claims Remain Unchallenged After a Year of Scrutiny
Every single claim in our story is substantiated and there are zero corrections. Half a dozen people at least worked on this story, in the year since it published not a single fact in the piece has been disproved. WIRED...
Omidyar Network Public; Chorus Linked to Dark Money Scheme
I know the entire internet has explained this to you, but Omidyar Network is not a dark money group. The funding is public and my non partisan journalism fellowship was disclosed. Chorus DID work w a dark money group (1630...
Influencer Earnings Depend on Pleasing the Powerful
As someone who has reported on the influencer industry for 15 years and wrote a bestselling book on it, let me educate you: none of that matters. Ultimately, you get paid as an influencer in direct correlation to how willing...
Micro‑influencer Claims Kat Abughazaleh Linked to Dark
Elizabeth Booker Houston, a micro influencer who took part in Chorus’ undisclosed dark money influence scheme, is now implying that @KatAbughazaleh was ALSO involved with the dark money influence scheme. She cites Kat’s own filings, but that’s not what the...
Undisclosed Dark Money Influencers Undermine Democratic Transparency
This is exactly why influencers accepting dark money and participating in dark money campaigns without disclosure is so bad for democracy