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Grok Becomes ‘MechaHitler,’ Twitter Becomes X: How Centralized Tech Is Prone To Fascist Manipulation

1 month 2 weeks ago
This week, Elon Musk’s Grok AI started spewing extreme antisemitism, responding with conspiracy theories about Jewish people, and for a brief period telling people to call it “MechaHitler.” The incident perfectly illustrates why Alex Komoroske’s manifesto about the dangers of centralized AI, which we ran less than a month ago, has been making waves. When […]
Mike Masnick

Virginia Enacts Stupid, Completely Unworkable ‘Social Media Time Limit’ Law

1 month 2 weeks ago
Lawmakers seem to think they’re capable of solving every perceivable social media problem via legislation. Sometimes, the intents are pure but the execution is lacking. In many more cases — especially recently — the intent is to harm social media companies with legislation, all while pretending it’s about protecting “free speech” or the “children” or […]
Tim Cushing

Daily Deal: Headway Premium

1 month 2 weeks ago
Unlock a world of knowledge with a Headway Premium subscription. This exclusive deal gives you unlimited access to Headway’s massive library of 1500+ book summaries, with 30-50 new ones added monthly. Cover any topic you can imagine, from personal development and business strategies to health and wellness. It’s on sale for $60. Use the code READ20 at […]
Daily Deal

El Salvador Throws DOJ Under The Bus: Tells UN That US Has “Exclusive” Jurisdiction Over Renditioned Detainees

1 month 2 weeks ago
For months, the DOJ has insisted to US courts that it has no jurisdiction over the people it rendered to Salvadoran detention facilities. But when the UN came asking, El Salvador told a very different story: these detainees are “exclusively” under US jurisdiction and legal responsibility. The contradiction is so blatant it’s almost insulting to […]
Mike Masnick

Trump Globally Launches New Truth+ ‘Video Streaming Service’ That’s Just Right Wing Propaganda And Gibberish

1 month 2 weeks ago
Trump recently launched a “wireless phone service,” which as we mentioned, isn’t so much a real phone service as it is a quick licensing agreement and a lazy rebranding of other services. He’s also exploiting the presidency by launching a vast array of new, clumsily branded Trump home goods, including a new Trump-branded Instantpot. If […]
Karl Bode

Techdirt Podcast Episode 424: Reclaiming The Internet

1 month 2 weeks 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

1 month 2 weeks 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)

1 month 2 weeks 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?

1 month 2 weeks 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

1 month 2 weeks 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 month 3 weeks 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 month 3 weeks 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 month 3 weeks 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 month 3 weeks 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 month 3 weeks 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