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Missouri AG Thinks Supreme Court Ruling Lets Him Control Social Media Moderation (It Doesn’t)

2 hours 4 minutes ago
Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey apparently thinks he gets to be editor-in-chief of every social media platform. In his latest attack on free speech rights, Bailey has announced a “first-in-the-nation rule” that would force social media companies to let users choose third-party content moderators rather than using the platforms’ own moderation systems. There’s just one […]
Mike Masnick

Daily Deal: The JavaScript DOM Game Developer Bundle

2 hours 9 minutes ago
The JavaScript DOM Game Developer Bundle has 8 courses to help you master coding fundamentals. Courses cover JavaScript DOM, Coding, HTML 5 Canvas, and more. You’ll learn how to create your own fun, interactive games. It’s on sale for $30. Note: The Techdirt Deals Store is powered and curated by StackCommerce. A portion of all sales from […]
Daily Deal

Warner Brothers Discovery Continues Reign Of Post-Merger Incompetence As HBO Brand Once Again Rises From The Dead

7 hours 27 minutes ago
We’ve well documented by now how the AT&T->Warner Brothers->Discovery series of mergers were among some of the most destructive and pointless “business deals” ever conceived by modern man. The mergers resulted in bottomless layoffs, the closure of numerous valuable and popular brands and shows, and much worse product as incompetent, fail-upward executives shifted the company’s […]
Karl Bode

Trump Administration’s Targeting Of International Students Jeopardizes Free Speech And Privacy Online

21 hours 51 minutes ago
The federal government is using social media surveillance to target student visa holders living in the United States for online speech the Trump administration disfavors. The administration has initiated this new program, called “Catch and Revoke,” in an effort to revoke visas, and it appears to be a cross-agency collaboration between the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and […]
Mike Masnick

Effective Accelerationism Is Just Technological Authoritarianism With A Smile

23 hours 55 minutes ago
Behind effective accelerationism’s techno-optimist smile lies a familiar and dangerous impulse: subordinating human dignity to a technological imperative framed as inevitable. The effective accelerationism movement (e/acc) presents itself as an enlightened embrace of technological progress, especially artificial general intelligence. Led by figures like Guillaume Verdon and embraced by venture capitalists like Marc Andreessen, the movement claims humanity faces a binary […]
Mike Masnick

Why The Fuck Are Democrats Helping Build MAGA’s Censorship Machine With KOSA?

1 day 2 hours ago
The Trump administration is methodically implementing every element of Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 censorship playbook, and Democratic leadership’s response is… to help them? Earlier today, Chuck Schumer and Richard Blumenthal joined MAGA Republicans to reintroduce the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) — a bill that Heritage itself has proudly proclaimed as central to its strategy […]
Mike Masnick

Daily Deal: How to Hack from Beginner to Ethical Hacking Bundle

1 day 2 hours ago
With the How to Hack from Beginner to Ethical Hacking Bundle, you’ll learn how to diagnose different kinds of cybersecurity attacks and how to defeat them. You’ll practice all the skills and techniques in real-time using an ethical hacking lab so you can put your learning to the test. Courses cover basic scripts and beginner […]
Daily Deal

Ted Cruz Proudly Makes Broadband Shittier And Homework Harder For U.S. School Kids

1 day 7 hours ago
Last year the Biden FCC passed a new rule providing portable Wi-Fi hotspots to school kids who struggle to do their homework online. More specifically, the rule allowed schools to leverage the FCC’s E-Rate program funds to pay for mobile hotspots in things like busses, making it easier for kids who lack broadband (or can’t afford broadband) […]
Karl Bode

The House GOP Quietly Slipped In An AI Law That Would Accidentally Ban GOP’s Favorite ‘Save The Children’ Laws

1 day 20 hours ago
Buried in the House GOP’s massive budget reconciliation bill is a seemingly simple provision about AI regulation. The idea appears straightforward enough: stop states from regulating AI companies for the next decade. To do this, they quietly added language preventing states from regulating “artificial intelligence models, artificial intelligence systems, or automated decision systems.” This is, […]
Mike Masnick

Techdirt Podcast Episode 418: The Elonification Of Government

1 day 23 hours ago
Support us on Patreon » We’ve written a lot about how understanding the playbook Elon Musk used at Twitter is key to understanding his current playbook with DOGE. The people who literally wrote the book on said playbook are New York Times journalists Ryan Mac and Kate Conger (the latter of whom joined the podcast last […]
Leigh Beadon

Meta Threatens To Pull Facebook And Instagram Out Of Nigeria Over $290 Million Fine Imposed For Violation Of Local Privacy Laws

2 days ago
It’s hardly a secret that Meta is an unpleasant company. That’s reflected both in terms of what happens behind closed doors, and its actions in the market. Some of its attempts to bully nations or even large economic blocks are well documented. But its threats outside Western markets are just as reprehensible, though less well […]
Glyn Moody

Hasan Piker Just Gave His Millions Of Followers A Masterclass In What Not To Do When Detained By CBP

2 days 2 hours ago
Progressive streamer Hasan Piker’s recent detention by CBP at the Chicago airport has generated widespread outrage — and rightfully so. No US citizen should be interrogated about their political beliefs when re-entering their own country. But while CBP’s behavior was egregious, Piker’s response was potentially even more dangerous: he chose to engage in a two-hour […]
Mike Masnick

Daily Deal: Adobe Photoshop Elements 2025 3-Year License

2 days 2 hours ago
Edit with the magic of AI, create with stylish effects and templates, and be creative on the go. With Adobe Photoshop Elements, it’s never been easier to fix flaws, fine-tune specific areas, and add motion to quickly bring your vision to life. A 3-year license is on sale for $100. Note: The Techdirt Deals Store […]
Daily Deal

Sorry, Affordable, Evenly Deployed Fiber Optic Broadband Is Illegal Now Under Our Shitty, Ignorant Government

2 days 7 hours ago
The Trump administration has illegally declared the Digital Equity Act of 2021 “racist and unconstitutional,” and called for it to be dismantled. The grant program had been helping push affordable fiber optic broadband into communities long neglected regions by regional telecom monopolies, be they minority, low-income, rural, suburban, or urban. It’s the latest effort by […]
Karl Bode