Content Moderation Case Studies: Facebook Removes Militia Event Following A Shooting (August 2020)

Summary: Following the shooting of Black man Jacob Blake by Kenosha police officers, protests erupted in the Wisconsin town. As law enforcement attempted to rein in the damage, citizens aligning themselves with private "militias" discussed taking action during the civil unrest. Some of this organizing began on Facebook. A Facebook "event"...

1h

Should Antitrust Protect Competitors Or Competition?

While there is plenty of breaking news to go around, tech junkies will not have missed the Department of Justice’s long-awaited announcement of their antitrust lawsuit against Google. This is just the latest in a number of government moves aimed at applying more pressure to big tech. Congress is also reviewing potential reforms to antitrust law in order...

3h

How To Fix Online Education In The Covid-19 Era

It goes without saying that the current pandemic has altered our national broadband conversation. What it has not changed, as those of us who have been working in this space are painfully aware, is the reality which existed long before COVID-19. Nor has the virus undone any of the decisions made over the last few decades which have lead us here — a...

5h

Creative Director At Google Stadia Advocates Streamers Paying Game Devs And Publishers

Way back in 2013, we discussed an interesting study conducted by Google looking at the effect of let's play and video game reviews has on the gaming industry. That study's conclusion was that viewers watched let's plays at a far higher clip than, say, video game trailers. Two-thirds of those views appeared to be watchers focusing on the video itself,...

6h

Daily Deal: The 2021 All-In-One AWS, Cisco And CompTIA Super Certification Bundle

The 2021 All-In-One AWS, Cisco, and CompTIA Super Bundle has 22 courses and over 240 hours of content to help you prepare to sit for various IT certification exams from Amazon, CompTIA, and more. The courses cover the latest best practices for working in the cloud and many have practice tests you can take to help prepare yourself for the real deal....

6h

Trump's Law-Breaking Law Enforcement Commission Has Plenty Of Dystopian Ideas

Trump has made no secret of the fact he adores law enforcement. One of the first edicts he issued from his office told America in no uncertain terms that cops were to be respected, if not worshipped, for deigning to stand between millions of US peons and the forces of evil. The Trump Administration will be a law and order administration....

7h

We're Already Hyping 6G When 5G Hasn't Even Finished Disappointing Us Yet

It was the technology that was supposed to change the world. According to carriers, not only was fifth-generation wireless (5G) supposed to bring about the "fourth industrial revolution," it was supposed to revolutionize everything from smart cities to cancer treatment. According to conspiracy theorists and internet imbeciles, 5G is responsible for...

11h

As EU Starts To Draft Its Most Important New Online Law, The Digital Services Act, MEPs Want Basic Rights High On The Agenda

The EU is now starting to work in earnest on what is likely to be its most important new law for the online world, the Digital Services Act (DSA). Techdirt wrote about this last year, when the European Commission started sketching out (bad) ideas for the new law. The basic impetus for the DSA is to replace the EU's e-Commerce Directive, which was passed...

14h

FLVTO.biz Petitions SCOTUS To Hear Jurisdiction Argument In Stream-Ripping Lawsuit

While the music industry's war on stream-ripping sites -- sites that have perfectly legitimate and legal uses -- continues, it's true that this is a war in which one side has almost universally surrendered. Facing legal opposition with well-funded industry groups, most stream-ripping sites simply close up shop when staring down litigation. But Russia-based...

21h

Appeals Court Reinstates Injunction Blocking Federal Agents From Assaulting Portland Journalists

The city of Portland, Oregon is still in the midst of anti-police brutality protests stemming from the killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin. Federal officers arrived in Portland in July, making their presence known by engaging some extremely questionable tactics. Their arrival was met with their...

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