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Techdirt Podcast Episode 424: Reclaiming The Internet

10 hours 35 minutes ago
Support us on Patreon » We’ve got one more cross-post episode for you this week! A few weeks ago, Mike joined host Aaron Ross Powell on the ReImagining Liberty podcast for a discussion that digs into the the philosophy and principles underlying the push for internet decentralization and protocols over platforms, and why this shift is […]
Leigh Beadon

The New York Times Runs Interference For A Racist To Manufacture A Fake Scandal About Zohran Mamdani

12 hours 8 minutes ago
The New York Times has had a rough few decades when it comes to being manipulated by bad actors. But their latest embarrassment—a complete non-story about NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s college application to Columbia University from 2009—represents a new low in journalistic malpractice that combines hacked materials, racist sources, and a breathtaking willingness to […]
Mike Masnick

Daily Deal: Babbel Language Learning (All Languages)

13 hours 37 minutes ago
Become a language expert with the Babble Language Learning deal. However you choose to access your 10K+ hours of online language education, you’ll be able to choose from 14 languages. Want to try your hand at all of them? Knock yourself out — you’ll have a lifetime to get it done. And you can tackle […]
Daily Deal

Who Goes MAGA?

14 hours 46 minutes ago
With apologies to Dorothy Thompson, whose 1941 essay in Harper’s, “Who Goes Nazi?” remains a worthwhile read on the cultural archetypes of who is drawn to fascism, and who would never go down such a path. It felt like it could use a modern updating, however. Update: Just after I finished writing this, it occurred […]
Mike Masnick

Trump FCC Boss Brendan Carr Ignores The Law, Encourages Prison Telecom Monopolies To Rip Off Inmate Families

18 hours 44 minutes ago
However terrible telecom monopolies are in the free world, they’re arguably worse in prisons. For decades, journalists and researchers have outlined how a select number of prison telecom giants like Securus have enjoyed a cozy, government-kickback based monopoly over prison phone and teleconferencing services, resulting sky high rates (upwards of $14 per minute at some prisons) for inmate families. Most of […]
Karl Bode

SCOTUS Porn Ruling A Boon For Age Verification Companies; 40% Of Americans Now Live Under Anti-Porn Age-Gating Laws

1 day 8 hours ago
The conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) ruled 6-3 in favor of upholding an age verification measure targeting adult content platforms on the internet that the state legislature of Texas adopted during the 2023 legislative session. As a quick reminder, the case is Free Speech Coalition et al. v. Paxton and featured the parent companies of […]
Michael McGrady Jr

Warning: NY & Minnesota’s Social Media Warning Label Laws Are Unconstitutional

1 day 11 hours ago
Both New York and Minnesota just passed laws requiring social media platforms to slap warning labels on their sites—warning labels based on zero scientific evidence, likely to be struck down as unconstitutional compelled speech, and designed solely to let politicians pretend they’re “protecting children” while actually making their lives worse. You’d think lawmakers would learn. […]
Mike Masnick

Trump Budget Bill Turns ICE Into A Superpredator

1 day 13 hours ago
Men in masks kidnapping people off streets or turning businesses into ghost towns is now nothing more than an everyday occurrence in the United States. The Trump administration never actually cared whether or not the people it ejected from the country due to their race, color, or creed were, in fact, criminals. All it ever […]
Tim Cushing

Daily Deal: Stone River eLearning

1 day 13 hours ago
They say you should never stop learning, and at Stone River, that mantra is a way of life. Through this subscription, you’ll get full access to 800+ courses and 4,800 hours of online learning, covering everything from iOS mobile development to graphic design. Plus, you’ll get a range of VIP perks, including unlimited eBooks and […]
Daily Deal

DOGE Cuts Turned A Predicted Disaster Into A Deadly Reality In Texas

1 day 14 hours ago
On Thursday, literally the day before flash flooding devastated Texas, the Texas Observer published an article warning that “Trump’s DOGE Cuts Are a Texas-Sized Disaster,” explaining how cuts to both the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) would likely lead to disaster for Texas. Twenty-four hours later, those […]
Mike Masnick

Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt

2 days 10 hours ago
This week, our first place winner on the insightful side is MrWilson with a reaction to Kilmar Abrego’s story of the conditions inside CECOT: We’re funding this with taxpayer money. We’re living in Omelas, only it’s worse and there are millions more being tortured than just one child. There’s no walking away though. We have […]
Leigh Beadon

This Week In Techdirt History: June 29th – July 5th

3 days 11 hours ago
Five Years Ago This week in 2020… remember Parler? The uncensored free speech social media platform? Well, it was changing its tune and starting to ban users as it embarked on a speedrun of the content moderation learning curve (and we also noted some striking clauses in its terms of service). Twitch and Reddit were […]
Leigh Beadon