Tag: Social networking

The fall of Twitter is making the trolls and grifters desperate

By AMANDA MARCOTTE One can see the sheen of desperation in the world of self-identified conservatives who make a living by “triggering” the liberals. The usual dose of outrage bait isn’t working as well any longer, so the right-wingers are escalating the provocations. Tucker Carlson, for example, gave a glow-up interview with manosphere “influencer” Andrew Tate, who is… Read More The fall of Twitter is making the trolls and grifters desperate

Dilip

Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

Major UN report issues warning over excessive use, with one in six countries already banning the devices; Analysis: distraction and bullying are key concerns; ‘I would crank up the restrictions’: teachers on banning phones in school Smartphones should be banned from schools to tackle classroom disruption, improve learning and help protect children from cyberbullying, a… Read More Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

Dilip

Digital authoritarianism: How technology was seized by autocrats

*Originally published on November 12, 2020. This is Part 4 of the six-part 2020 Massey Lecture series Reset: Reclaiming the Internet for Civil Society. Find the rest of the series here. The internet was supposed to be our salvation. While historically power has remained in the tight grasp of a select few, the initial vision of the internet… Read More Digital authoritarianism: How technology was seized by autocrats

Dilip

Govt employing influencers: Death knell for professional news media?

Bharat Bhushan With an eye on the general elections, the government’s communication policy has diversified from TV and print media to include social media influencers. Individuals with large followings on social media will get government funding to promote the government’s leadership and programmes either directly or through advertisements. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology… Read More Govt employing influencers: Death knell for professional news media?

Dilip

The Dark Side of AI: Manipulating Reality / Ensuring Re-sponsible Use Of AI

Streamed live on 5 Jul 2023 #artificialintelligence#chatgpt#darksideofaiDive into the world of artificial intelligence and discover the good, the bad, and the ugly. Explore the disturbing trend of deepfakes, where AI is used to manipulate vide-os & pictures, blurring the line between fact and fiction. What is deepfake technology and how is it evolving, how can… Read More The Dark Side of AI: Manipulating Reality / Ensuring Re-sponsible Use Of AI

Dilip

Twitter was locked in a chaotic doom loop. Now it’s on the verge of collapse

Siva Vaidhyanathan If you use Twitter, the service that not so long ago was the best way to take in breaking news and find audiences for serious conversations, you may have found it substantially less useful in the past year. Over this past weekend you found it almost unusable. On Saturday, everything melted down. Thousands of… Read More Twitter was locked in a chaotic doom loop. Now it’s on the verge of collapse

Dilip

Daniel Nemenyi: Submarine state – On secrets and leaks

First posted May 27, 2016 RP 193 (Sept/Oct 2015) / Commentary Schneier, who was privy to Snowden’s troves before publication, lists four modes by which the peoples’ victory was secretly undermined by the NSA and GCHQ. First, their weakening of cryptographic algorithms. Second, their piggybacking of domestic surveillance applications through enforced secret back doors – for example,… Read More Daniel Nemenyi: Submarine state – On secrets and leaks

Dilip

The culture of mistrust is bleeding into our personal lives. No wonder there’s a sex recession

Van Badham The western drift away from seeking moral instruction from the church is understandable; the morality plays staged every day on Reddit’s infamous “Am I the Asshole?” threads are far more entertaining. A few weeks ago, a post went viral in which the author seeks a public verdict on the question “AITA for asking… Read More The culture of mistrust is bleeding into our personal lives. No wonder there’s a sex recession

Dilip