It’s been a long, tough year – and yes, we are as tired of hearing that sentiment as you are. That is why we suggest taking a much-deserved break from, well, the world this Thanksgiving and just living your best life for a few days. If you are anything like... Read more
By Ruth Vitale
YouTube is losing the battle against toxic content. A recent Wired article details the algorithmic tweaks that YouTube implemented after the 2017 mass-shooting in Las Vegas sparked a wave of false-flag videos on its platform. The terrible behavior of some of its users following a national tragedy compelled YouTube to embark on nothing... Read more
It’s official: On October 20, the Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit to “stop Google from unlawfully maintaining monopolies through anticompetitive and exclusionary practices.” From making itself the default search engine on billions of mobile devices to then making its own products “undeletable” on those devices, Google has... Read more
By Justin Sanders
In July, The New York Times reported on an organization called the Global Antitrust Institute (GAI), a think tank funded by the likes of Google and other Big Tech heavyweights. Its goal, per the newspaper: to wine and dine, cajole, pamper, and influence government officials around the world who enforce competition laws. Offering opulent... Read more
Well, it’s come to this. What The Atlantic has called “the most consequential election ever” is days away. With a lot of help from platforms like Google, it may also be the most contested election ever. We have already had a catastrophic preview of what can happen around election time when Big Tech platforms... Read more
By Ruth Vitale
Talk about out of touch. Big Tech’s house is in shambles, shaken by scandals, and people all over the world are creating pressure to fix Silicon Valley’s lack of accountability. Yet the industry and its allies keep trying to duck the question and shift the blame. They will not stop... Read more
By Justin Sanders
You might think that the jobs of actor and doctor are colossally, incompatibly different. That not only do they have nothing to do with each other, but that each is rife with its own tremendous challenges and time commitments. “Surely,” you might be thinking, “it’s difficult enough pursuing just one of these... Read more
If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results, then Google and the Internet Archive (IA) are clearly driving creatives insane. For those who may not be familiar with the Internet Archive, it is the nonprofit entity that congratulated itself for making... Read more
“Facebook Has Been a Disaster for the World”. The New York Times has run many, many headlines that are critical of Facebook over the years, but this one, published on September 18, takes the cake. It feels surreal, seeing language generally reserved for atomic weapons, world wars, and other existential threats used... Read more
By Justin Sanders
The best filmmakers combine technical mastery with an unrivaled ability to observe and articulate the human condition. Their gifts include a rare combination of craft and emotional sensitivity – two elements that happened to define Matthias Hoene’s childhood in Berlin. His mother was an alternative medicine enthusiast with a holistic awareness of... Read more