I am not a Trump supporter. I’m not even a conservative. But I love America and democracy, and I defend truth when I see it, and President Donald Trump is not only justified in expressing misgivings about Google and other tech companies — he seems to have no idea just how big a threat Google-and-the-Gang pose to both […]
Facebook’s Massive, Secret Rulebook for Policing Speech Reveals Inconsistencies, Gaps and Biases…
Facebook is attempting to tackle misinformation and hate that its platform has enabled with a massive, byzantine and secret document of rules packed with spreadsheets and power point slides that gets updated regularly for its global content moderators. According to the blockbuster New York Times report, the rules show the social network to be “a […]
How Much of the Internet Is Fake? Turns Out, a Lot of It, Actually…
In late November, the Justice Department unsealed indictments against eight people accused of fleecing advertisers of $36 million in two of the largest digital ad-fraud operations ever uncovered. Digital advertisers tend to want two things: people to look at their ads and “premium” websites — i.e., established and legitimate publications — on which to host […]
“Everything Is Fake”: Ex-Reddit CEO Confirms Internet Traffic Metrics Are Bullshit…
“It’s all true: Everything is fake,” tweeted Former Reddit CEO Ellen Pao regarding a Wednesday New York Magazine article which reveals that internet traffic metrics from some of the largest tech companies are overstated or fabricated. In other words; they’re bullshit. Pao was responding to a tweet by the Washington Post’s Aram Zucker-Schariff, quoting the […]
Jim Jordan Questions Google CEO About Specific Example of Overt Political Bias from Executive…
According to an email chain between Google executives obtained by Fox News’ Tucker Carlson and Breitbart News, Google’s Multicultural Marketing development head Eliana Murillo sent out an email November 9th, 2016, detailing how Google had “supported partners like Voto Latino to pay for rides to the polls in key states,” which she characterized as a […]
Facebook Struck Secret Deals to Sell Preferential User Data; Used VPN App to Spy on Competitors…
A top UK lawmaker said on Wednesday that Facebook maintained secretive “whitelisting agreements” with select companies that would give them preferential access to vast amounts of user data, after the parliamentary committee released documents which had been sealed by a California court, reports Bloomberg. The documents – obtained in a sealed California lawsuit and leaked […]
Who Will Fix Facebook? by Matt Taibbi…
James Reader tried to do everything right. No fake news, no sloppiness, no spam. The 54-year-old teamster and San Diego resident with a progressive bent had a history of activism, but itched to get more involved. So a few years ago he tinkered with a blog called the Everlasting GOP Stoppers, and it did well […]
Ever Wonder What Data Big Tech Collects on You?…
Have you ever asked yourself, “What does Google know about me?” The answer is uncomfortable. What Google knows about you includes everything from your clicks on ads to your birthday to the device you’re using right now and the Wi-Fi network it’s connected to. But Google pales in comparison to some of the other big […]
OPINION: Donald Trump Must Bust Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, Google Monopolies Like Teddy Roosevelt…
I’ve just finished reading Columbia Law professor Tim Wu’s new book on antitrust, “The Curse of Bigness,” and my biggest takeaway is that President Donald Trump has an opportunity to follow in former President Teddy Roosevelt’s footsteps. Roosevelt built a strong reputation by going after the trusts, huge combinations that placed control of entire industries […]
A Look Inside the Tactics of Definers, Facebook’s Attack Dog…
A small firm called Definers Public Affairs brought the dark arts of Washington’s back-room politics to Silicon Valley when, while working for Facebook, it began disparaging other tech companies to reporters. But a few days before Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, testified to Congress in September, Definers set its sights on a different target: […]