Earlier this month the New York Times published a major story confirming that automakers collect driver behavior data then sell it to a long list of companies. That includes insurance companies, who are now jacking up insurance rates if they see behavior in the dataset they don’t like. The absolute bare minimum you could could expect from the auto […]
Take-Two Interactive has already established itself as an IP bully. There are plenty of examples of this from the past several years, but my favorite remains the company’s opposition of a trademark for Rockstar Axe Throwing merely because it had the name “Rockstar” in it. No concern was given to how similar the logos and […]
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who failed miserably in his run for president, signed a very controversial bill into law that requires age verification for porn websites and bans social media for minors under the age of 14. The act, House Bill (HB) 3, is one of the most restrictive laws of its kind to be […]
Last year in September, we released a cross-post episode of Mike’s appearance on the DWeb Decoded podcast with Danny O’Brien. If you listened to that episode, you know that Mike and Danny go way back, and Danny played an important role in the founding of Techdirt. This week, we’ve got the inverse counterpart to that […]
There are a lot of elections worldwide, and these events invariably raise significant concerns regarding potential manipulation, particularly in light of emerging technologies such as generative AI. To help address these concerns, we are reintroducing our innovative “election threatcasting” game, Threatcast 2024, which has been designed to help users anticipate and counteract such threats. In […]
All you need is Google. That’s how things have been going in the law enforcement world. If you don’t know who you’re looking for, just ask Google to do it for you. A variety of warrants that demand Google search its data stores for personal information (that might lead investigators to find potential suspects [who […]
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Right after Elon took over Twitter, we published what we had hoped would be a useful “speed run” through the content moderation learning curve that most platforms figure out along the way. We’ve seen other “free speech!” platforms learn these basic lessons, though not always quickly enough to survive. The basic idea is that no […]
We’ve noted a few times now how the quest to ban TikTok is heavily peppered with bad faith actors who historically don’t care about consumer privacy or national security. We’ve also noted how it’s performative to hyperventilate about one single sometimes-dodgy app, but ignore the broader dysfunction and corruption (like our lack of a modern […]
Well, that’s the way it goes. Courts have been extremely reluctant to disrupt the long-term surveillance plans of law enforcement. If investigators can mount a camera on public property and keep it focused on areas visible by members of the public, no harm, no foul. Not every court has reached this same conclusion. Notably, one […]
Welcome to the realm of the very, very stupid. There are a couple of purposes of trademark law. The first and most obvious of them is that they are used to make sure the public knows from whom or from where a particular good or service comes from. It’s a measure to protect the public, […]
Look, I’m nearing 50. I’ve been around. I have seen some absolute clown shit from politicians. I have witnessed years of things like “bridges to nowhere” and self-aggrandizement taking the form of renamed airports or whatever. I have seen any number of candidates step into the arena with a headful of moronic ideas. But things […]
Self-described “free speech absolutist” Elon Musk has just had a judge slam him for trying to punish and suppress the speech of critics. Judge Charles Breyer did not hold back in his ruling dismissing Musk’s utterly vexatious SLAPP suit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). Sometimes it is unclear what is driving a […]
“Open up the libel laws!” the man who can’t win consecutive elections (much less a defamation lawsuit) once proclaimed. The Republican Party (or at least its voting bloc) appears willing to give a man who’s enjoyed nothing but unearned opportunities throughout his professional and governmental career yet another shot in 2024. But he’s not going […]
This Little Wonder Solo Stereo Multi Connect Bluetooth Speaker may look small, but it produces as clear and powerful a sound as any other speaker. It comes in a solid and metallic look that is great for any setting and décor at your home, office, pool, picnic spot, and more! Connect this speaker to your […]
I know that some people, including Elon Musk recently, have claimed that “trust & safety” is some sort of “euphemism for censorship.” That is not true, and has never been true. The role of trust & safety has always been about building trust in the platform and making sure that users feel safe on the […]
As the Vice and Messenger collapse just got done illustrating in glorious technicolor, the problem with online U.S. journalism isn’t that it’s inherently unprofitable. The problem is usually that the worst, least competent, shallowest people imaginable routinely fail upward into positions of management, then treat the brands they acquire like disposable napkins. That’s certainly been the case over at Sports […]
This week, our first place winner on the insightful side is MrWilson, replying to another commenter who was bandying about the court rulings that erroneously agreed that Biden and the FBI violated the first amendment by coercing platforms: You mean a conservative think tank shopped for a favorite Trump-appointed judge known for his willingness to […]
We’re past the halfway mark in our series of spotlight posts looking at the winners of the sixth annual public domain game jam, Gaming Like It’s 1928! We’ve already featured Best Visuals winner Flight from Podunk Station and Best Adaptation winner Mickey Party, and Best Remix winner The Burden Of Creation, and today we’re taking […]
Ah, the idea/expression dichotomy strikes again! It really is incredible just how many copyright lawsuits and disputes are launched due to the fundamental lack of understanding of this particular nuance of copyright law. As a very quick reminder: you cannot copyright an idea, but you can copyright specific expression. For example, you cannot copyright the […]
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