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Creativity, Freedom Of Speech & Freedom Of Thought

2 months 3 weeks ago
This series of posts explores how we can rethink the intersection of AI, creativity, and policy. From examining outdated regulatory metaphors to questioning copyright norms and highlighting the risks of stifling innovation, each post addresses a different piece of the AI puzzle. Together, they advocate for a more balanced, forward-thinking approach that acknowledges the potential of technological […]
Mike Masnick

The Good, The Bad, And The Incredibly Stupid In Trump’s AI Action Plan

2 months 3 weeks ago
We’ve spent years documenting the challenges of crafting sensible AI policy, from Biden’s misguided plan, to various state-level attempts at regulation. Now Trump’s AI Action Plan has landed, offering a striking example of how even potentially useful policy ideas can be corrupted by political theater and special interests. The plan reflects the deep influence of […]
Mike Masnick

Daily Deal: The 2025 Data Center Infrastructure And Design Fundamentals

2 months 3 weeks ago
The 2025 Data Center Infrastructure and Design Fundamentals bundle has 5 courses to teach about how modern data centers are built, powered, and maintained. Explore critical components, design considerations, and the step-by-step process behind building efficient and reliable data centers that support global digital operations. Courses cover HVAC design, electrical and power essentials, operation and […]
Daily Deal

DHS Declares Abrego ‘Will Never Walk America’s Streets’ Hours After Judges Order His Release

2 months 3 weeks ago
Here’s how you know the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case represents something fundamentally broken in government accountability: within hours of two federal judges ordering his release and explicitly warning the government not to play games with him, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin went on X to repeat laughably false claims about Abrego while declaring that he “will […]
Mike Masnick

With Trump’s Bribe Paid, His Lackey FCC Quickly Rubber Stamps CBS Merger

2 months 3 weeks ago
With the cowards at CBS/Paramount having paid their $16 million bribe to the King, Trump’s FCC has quickly ended its phony “investigation” into the media giant, and given its rubber stamp approval to the company’s $8 billion merger with Skydance (owned by Trump’s friends in the Ellison family). In a press release, Trump FCC boss […]
Karl Bode

Ctrl-Alt-Speech: Live At TrustCon 2025

2 months 3 weeks ago
Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast about the latest news in online speech, from Mike Masnick and Everything in Moderation‘s Ben Whitelaw. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Pocket Casts, YouTube, or your podcast app of choice — or go straight to the RSS feed. Our second annual live at TrustCon recording of Ctrl-Alt-Speech! Ben […]
Mike Masnick

You Shouldn’t Have To Make Your Social Media Public To Get A Visa

2 months 3 weeks ago
The Trump administration is continuing its dangerous push to surveil and suppress foreign students’ social media activity. The State Department recently announced an unprecedented new requirement that applicants for student and exchange visas must set all social media accounts to “public” for government review. The State Department also indicated that if applicants refuse to unlock their accounts or otherwise don’t maintain a social […]
Mike Masnick

Trump Sends Medicaid Data To ICE, Turning This Service Into Another Weapon For His Racist ICE Goon Squads

2 months 3 weeks ago
Here we go. Again. Nonstop. The Racist Fucks Regime is at it again, leveraging every piece of data involuntarily collected by the government as a weapon to deploy against brown people. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will be given access to the personal data of the nation’s 79 million Medicaid enrollees, including home addresses and […]
Tim Cushing

Daily Deal: The Ultimate Oracle, SAP And Salesforce Training Bundle

2 months 3 weeks ago
The Ultimate Oracle, SAP and Salesforce Training Bundle has 6 courses to help you brush up on your CRM knowledge. Courses cover database programming languages, data analysis, Recovery Manager, and more. It’s on sale for $25. Note: The Techdirt Deals Store is powered and curated by StackCommerce. A portion of all sales from Techdirt Deals […]
Daily Deal

Supreme Court To Lower Courts: Ignore Actual Binding Precedent, Follow Our Unexplained Shadow Docket Vibes Instead

2 months 3 weeks ago
The Supreme Court’s shadow docket has become a lawless mess. The justices are issuing extremely consequential rulings with either no explanation at all, or with barely a paragraph of reasoning. No full briefing. No oral arguments. Just vibes-based constitutional law that lower courts are somehow supposed to follow. Now the Court has made this chaos […]
Mike Masnick

Waypoint Writers Quit After Vice’s Chickenshit New Owners Delete Articles Critical Of Steam Policies

2 months 3 weeks ago
Last year you might recall that Vice Media suffered its final collapse after years of mismanagement by incompetent, fail-upward brunchlords. The new owners, Savage Ventures, quickly made it clear they were going to be even worse than past Vice management, firing a ton of talented writers and editors, and shifting Vice’s focus even harder toward […]
Karl Bode

Iceland Foods Fails Again To Claw Back It’s ‘Iceland’ EU Trademark

2 months 3 weeks ago
This saga of dumb began nearly a decade ago, in 2016, when a grocer named “Iceland Foods,” that was somehow granted an EU trademark for “Iceland,” began bullying other EU businesses using that word over supposed trademark infringement. Iceland, the country, caught wind of all of this when the company had the stones to oppose […]
Dark Helmet

As Site Blocking Is Increasing, European Commission Subtly Slaps Down Italy’s Piracy Shield

2 months 3 weeks ago
As numerous Walled Culture posts attest, site blocking is in the vanguard of the actions by copyright companies against sites engaged in the unauthorized sharing of material. Over the past few months, this approach has become even more pervasive, and even more intrusive. For example, in France, the Internet infrastructure company Cloudflare was forced to geoblock more than […]
Glyn Moody

Libraries, Journalists, And Public Interest Groups Oppose Private Control Of Law

2 months 3 weeks ago
On July 8, an expanded coalition of library associations, civil society organizations, journalist groups, and other advocates for information access sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee explaining their opposition to the Pro Codes Act. This coalition has grown significantly from the original group that opposed the bill, now including major organizations like the […]
Mike Masnick

On The Supreme Court’s Constitutional Vandalism In Service Of Inherited Wealth

2 months 3 weeks ago
Peter Shane’s devastating analysis in The Atlantic has performed the invaluable service of documenting what many suspected but few could prove: that Chief Justice John Roberts has systematically dismantled American constitutional government while claiming to restore it. But Shane’s meticulous account of Roberts’s “proto-authoritarian canon” reveals something even more damning—the entire Unitary Executive Theory project is essentially an exercise […]
Mike Masnick

Daily Deal: Microsoft Project Professional 2024

2 months 3 weeks ago
Microsoft Project 2024 Professional is the ultimate project management tool, designed to help professionals plan, execute, and complete projects with precision and efficiency. With its robust features and user-friendly interface, this software is perfect for project managers, team leaders, and executives who need a reliable solution to manage their projects from start to finish. It’s […]
Daily Deal