MIT Technology Review – “Two books explore the price we’ve paid in handing over unprecedented power to Big Tech—and explain why it’s imperative we start taking it back. The internet loves a good neologism, especially if it can capture a purported vibe shift or explain a new trend. In 2013, the columnist Adrian Wooldridge coined… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Social Media
Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, December 14, 2024
Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, December 14, 2024 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss highlights articles and information that focus on… Continue Reading
Social media needs (dumpster) fire exits
Pluralistic: “Of course you should do everything you can to prevent fires – and also, you should build fire exits, because no matter how hard to you try, stuff burns. That includes social media sites. Social media has its own special form of lock-in: we use social media sites to connect with friends, family members,… Continue Reading
Teens, Social Media and Technology 2024
Pew: Most teens use social media and have a smartphone, and nearly half say they’re online almost constantly. “Nine-in-ten teens report using YouTube, slightly down from 95% in 2022. Roughly six-in-ten teens say they use TikTok and Instagram, and 55% say the same for Snapchat. YouTube tops the list of the online platforms we asked… Continue Reading
Website Shows How Much Google’s AI Can Glean From Your Photos
Wired – A photo sharing startup founded by an ex-Google engineer found a clever way to turn Google’s tech against itself. “…Last month, Ente launched https://Theyseeyourphotos.com, a website and marketing stunt designed to turn Google’s technology against itself. People can upload any photo to the website, which is then sent to a Google Cloud computer… Continue Reading
Pre-Bunking A Strategy for Fighting BS
The Grassroots Connector – “…Pre-bunking uses videos, social media, even an online game to help people detect the age-old tactics of misinformation. These tactics, familiar to most of us but seemingly undetected among FOX News addicts, include: scapegoating, impersonation, emotional and/or divisive language, gaslighting, red herrings, conspiracy theories, and a dozen other garden variety deceits.… Continue Reading
Guide to Abortion Privacy – Digital Defense Fund
Keep Your Abortion Private & Secure – This page is organized into different security-related threats. You can jump to the ones that most concern you. Along with each scenario is a list of digital security tips to neutralize the threats. These are possible concerns you might have: Seeing advertisements related to pregnancy/abortion Tech companies like… Continue Reading
Washington Post Leverages ‘AI’ To Undermine History And Make Search Less Useful
TechDirt: “While “AI” (language learning models) certainly could help journalism, the fail upward brunchlords in charge of most modern media outlets instead see the technology as a way to cut corners, undermine labor, badly automate low-quality, ultra-low effort, SEO-chasing clickbait, and rush undercooked solutions to nonexistent problems to market under the pretense of progress. For example,… Continue Reading
Verification and Digital Investigations Resources
Mike Reilley – Maintained by Craig Silverman of ProPublica (@CraigSilverman). This is by no means a totally comprehensive list, but it covers what I consider to be essential plugins and tools for general OSINT/online research work. There are also links to other resources to go deeper. Continue Reading
Delete all your tweets for free with Cyd
Wired: “Michah Lee wants to help you achieve that same cleansing release. Today, he launched Cyd—an acronym for “Claw back Your Data”—a desktop application designed to give users more control over their X history: archiving it, trimming it to their preferences, or destroying it altogether. In the free version of Cyd, the program allows anyone… Continue Reading
Misinformation exploits outrage to spread online
Science. 28 Nov 2024. Vol 386, Issue 6725. pp. 991-996. DOI: 10.1126/science.adl2829 – “Misinformation remains a major threat to US democratic integrity, national security, and public health. However, social media platforms struggle to curtail the spread of the harmful but engaging content. Across platforms, McLoughlin et al. examined the role of emotions, specifically moral outrage (a… Continue Reading
I deleted thousands of tweets from X with this new tool – for free
ZDNET – “Now you can easily migrate from X with this powerful tool that deletes tweets, likes, and DMs, while backing up your data for a fresh start elsewhere. Social media users increasingly seek ways to regain control of their digital data. As platforms like X (formerly Twitter) become less popular, many users turn to… Continue Reading
