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when your communication vehicle is being used to promote propaganda that leads to violent events

Posted on 13th December 2018

YouTube’s conspiracy theory crisis, explained by Jane Coaston (Vox) “The point at which it becomes a matter of serious public interest is when your communication vehicle is being used to promote propaganda that leads to violent events.” He was alluding to the Pizzagate conspiracy theory which led to an armed gunman showing up at a DC-area pizzeria in 2016 — a conspiracy theory spread, in part, on YouTube.   Raskin asked about another especially strange conspiracy theory that emerged on…

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Student Data-Mining Scandal

Posted on 2nd December 2018

The Student Data-Mining Scandal Under Our Noses, by Michelle Malkin by Michelle Malkin (creators.com) Over the past four years, Google has admitted "scanning and indexing" student email messages sent using GAFE and data mining student users for commercial gain when they use their accounts for noneducational purposes. Google can collect student/family data to target ads through related services outside the GAFE suite, such as YouTube for Schools, Blogger and Google Plus. These are not covered under the already watered-down federal…

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Google wants to scan your clothing and listen to you brush your teeth. Welcome home.

Posted on 28th November 2018

The Next Data Mine Is Your Bedroom by Sidney Fussell (The Atlantic) For reward systems created by either users or companies to be possible, the devices would have to know what you’re doing at all times. The language of these patents makes it clear that Google is acutely aware of the powers of inference it has already, even without cameras, by augmenting speakers to recognize the noises you make as you move around the house. The auditory inferences are startling:…

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/bin/rm -fr Google+

Posted on 9th October 2018

I deleted my Google+ profile just moments ago. No big deal. I rarely used it; not as much as I did a few years ago. I was very much into Google+ because it had a vibrant photography community. I haven’t used it at all in the last few months except as a dumping ground for links from my website. I had intended to delete the account but it seems Google+ is shutting down anyway amidst a disclosure that they delayed…

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scorching fire

Posted on 26th September 2018

Former Head of Google China Foresees an AI Crisis—and Proposes a Solution by Eliza Strickland His new book, AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), is something of a bait and switch. The first half explores the diverging AI capabilities of China and the United States and frames the discussion as a battle for global dominance. Then, he boldly declares that we shouldn’t waste time worrying about who will win and says the “real…

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