WSJ via Mint: “The tech giant’s AI-powered search product is being tested on roughly 10 million users; publishers rely on Google for traffic and see a gathering storm.” Continue Reading
Accurate, Focused Research on Law, Technology and Knowledge Discovery Since 2002
Category Archives: E-Commerce
Saving the News from Big Tech
Saving the News from Big Tech, Cory Doctorow, Special Advisor/EFF, June, 2023: “Media is in crisis: newsrooms all over the world are shuttering and the very profession of journalism is under sustained ideological and physical assault. Freedom of the press is a hollow doctrine if the only news media is written or published by independently… Continue Reading
This Is What Happens to All the Stuff You Don’t Want
The Atlantic [free to read] “…When you order a pair of sweatpants online and don’t want to keep them, a colossal, mostly opaque system of labor and machinery creaks into motion to find them a new place in the world. From the outside, you see fairly little of it—the software interface that lets you tick… Continue Reading
DoorDash can pick up and return your packages for free. Here’s how
ZDNet: “With the holiday shopping season in full swing, online shopping is an easy way to get through your gift shopping list without leaving the house. If anything you ordered doesn’t meet your expectations, instead of leaving the house to make the return, you can ask DoorDash to do it for you. DoorDash offers a… Continue Reading
Leading scholarly database listed hundreds of papers from ‘hijacked’ journals
Science: Scopus is giving suspect, non–peer-reviewed papers unwarranted legitimacy, researchers say: “Scopus, a widely used database of scientific papers operated by publishing giant Elsevier, plays an important role as an arbiter of scholarly legitimacy, with many institutions around the world expecting their researchers to publish in journals indexed on the platform. But users beware, a… Continue Reading
FTC Warns be skeptical about QR codes
The Verge: “The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned the public against scanning any old QR code in a consumer alerts blog last week. Naturally, the warning comes down to security and privacy — bad actors can put QR codes in inconspicuous places or send them via text or email, then just sit back and wait… Continue Reading
Mozilla Privacy Not Included Gift Guide
Mozilla Foundation: “Make smart choices to protect your privacy. Search for products. Read expert reviews. Get tips and tricks. Dozens of products are reviewed, include Tips to Protect Yourself when using each product, What data does the company collect for each product, as well as the following explanations that document each evaluation: A Little Creppy,… Continue Reading
The New York Times Claws Its Way Into the Future
Wired [read free] “…Sulzberger, like more than three dozen other executives and journalists I interviewed and shadowed at the Times, is working on the biggest strategic shift in the paper’s 165-year history, and he believes it will strengthen its bottom line, enhance the quality of its journalism, and secure a long and lasting future. The… Continue Reading
Read These 10 Articles to Understand the Landmark Google Search Monopoly Trial
US v Google: “The Google search antitrust trial wrapped at its 10 week mark. We’ll have to wait until next summer for a verdict, but here are 10 things we learned over the last two months of the first big trial taking on Big Tech’s power.” Continue Reading
NewsGuard Misinformation Monitor November 2023
“Brand Danger: X and Misinformation Super-spreaders Share Ad Money from False or Egregiously Misleading Claims About the Israel-Hamas War. “NewsGuard identified ads for 86 major advertisers — including top brands, educational institutions, governments, and nonprofits — on viral posts seen by a cumulative 92 million X users advancing false or egregiously misleading claims about the… Continue Reading
The psychological traps of online shopping, explained
Vox: “Online retailers have all sorts of tricks for getting consumers to buy more and buy faster. The people who create those tricks don’t really even try to hide them.A cursory Google search reveals all sorts of marketers advertising their tools to help merchants boost sales. They boast countdown timers that are “a great way… Continue Reading
How to See the Amazon Price History of a Product
HowToGeek: “Prices on Amazon change constantly. Knowing the price history can give you an edge in finding good deals on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Amazon Prime Day, and other major sales. So how do you track those prices? View Amazon Price Changes with Camelcamelcamel – A great tool for finding Amazon price histories is the… Continue Reading
