Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Digital persuasion and the dark places of democracy

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  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Kumara Republic,

    disinformation and hacking count as methods of warfare these days.

    CyOPs?
    (add 150 - CL - and it becomes very one-eyed!)

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to ,

    Not unlike the proprietor operated coffee houses before television was invented.

    Kaffee Klatsches aside, Salon is still going!

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Katita,

    the evolution from Silicon Valley ‘hippy’ hackers (think Steve Jobs) to Libertarian (and NZ citizen Peter Thiel) particularly chilling.

    This is well worth a watch:

    further interesting reading:
    https://thenewstack.io/silicon-valley-legend-captain-crunch-publishes-life-story/
    and
    https://www.forbes.com/sites/gilpress/2017/11/19/the-roots-of-apple-microsoft-and-facebook-in-hacker-culture/#560ff4ce2d38

    It used to be 'they' were just hacking machines - now 'they' are hacking brains and culture - NLP is just coding for wetware... Context is still king.

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Rob S,

    The anonymity of a lot of these political postings lets malicious players get away with outright falsehoods.
    Surely like a lot of political ads in the traditional media a real life breathing human with contact details etc should have to associated with any ads from which Mr Zuckerburg is presumably making money from hosting.
    Time to look at this aspect of their operation as a publisher and not some hands free neutral platform.
    The devil is in the detail I know.

    Since Apr 2010 • 136 posts Report Reply

  • andin, in reply to Rob S,

    The devil is in the detail I know.

    Like this article, while we opine how our minds are being polluted. In other parts of the globe peoples environments are being polluted with the waste of the hardware now no longer fulfilling the needs of the mental polluters of the west.
    And if you click on the “About this content” in the upper left of the page The Gates Foundation grubby fingerprint can be found. Is that a conscience salve? Or maybe someone is still digging their rabbit hole just in case it comes in handy later on, to hide in.

    https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/apr/24/rotten-chicken-eggs-e-waste-from-europe-poisons-ghana-food-chain-agbogbloshie-accra

    The Buddha said it best 2500 yrs ago Life is suffering and we create our own suffering (unless you happen to be born poor or the wrong part of the world- a 21st century caveat).

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Armstrong,

    I think this article is a great reminder that there are two sides to every story, good and bad with every new technology and most alarming for me that social media is not just a first world problem:

    https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2019/04/why-social-media-going-dark-in-sri-lanka-isnt-as-simple-as-you-think/

    New Zealand • Since Jan 2015 • 81 posts Report Reply

  • Moz,

    Part of it is that in NZ (and Australia) we’re culturally accustomed to some level of media regulation and a certain number of rights wrt truth in advertising and so on. None of that applies to social media, and those companies viciously defend their refusal to permit their assets to have rights or protective regulations, From their point of view any gain by their assets necessarily comes at the expense of the owners.

    For the assets it’s a whole new way of thinking about our role in society, or more accurately now, our value to their shareholders. In a sense it’s neoliberalism taken to the next level – forget selling the nations physical assets at give-away prices, now our government is giving away its very citizens. If we don't want that we need to make it very clear to the compliant nincompoop currently figureheading us into oblivion that we will not tolerate her screwing us on this as well. Climate and economics we have already given away, but democracy?

    Sydney, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 1233 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Campbell,

    The US also has the "fairness doctrine" which essentially required the users of the public airwaves to be politically neutral, effects of that spun over into cable (because much of cable is also on satellite which is over the air)

    Sadly it was repealed by the Republicans in the late 80s

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Simon Armstrong,

    I stopped worrying about facebook when all the young people left. I stopped worrying about office 365 after cancelling mother's monthly Microsoft stipend. I stopped worrying about trump after toilet paper got stuck to his shoe.

    New Zealand • Since Jan 2015 • 81 posts Report Reply

  • Kumara Republic,

    Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey is increasingly looking like the 21st century's Alfred P Sloan. Compare & contrast his bending over backwards for culture war profiteer Trumpnik Candace Owens.

    HuffPost: Twitter’s Jack Dorsey Told Ilhan Omar He Won’t Take Down Trump’s Tweet Targeting Her

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report Reply

  • andin, in reply to Simon Armstrong,

    I stopped worrying about facebook when all the young people left.

    Its some of the oldies that are the bigger worry, they'll fall for Marks sanitized vision of a future. In which FB will throw out a wide variety of opinion to counter the closed groups that breed on FB. How they will do that is unclear, we just have to trust Mark. But he doesnt do himself any favours, in so many ways, chatting to Yuval Harari. Try sitting thru 90 m looking at him.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • andin, in reply to ,

    honest and truthful answer

    In computerspeak. Template? targeted advertising? You'd have to give me a time stamp. Im not listening thru that again.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • andin, in reply to ,

    Or more correctly I should say it is the bland words first originated in the advertising industry to reduce people to units so they could then be marketed too, distanced and depersonalized another variable to be factored in for the spreadsheet data that is then reduced to $ & cent's
    So the exec's/shareholders can pore over this data, nod happily if the curve was going up, cause that meant they were making money and avoid any uncomfortable feelings like, Is this the right thing to do? Or any other questioning nagging doubts.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • Neil,

    One theory of the origin of this form of extremism has been disproved at least. These people are not the product of oppression or some sort of western imperialism. Their grudges and grievances are based on hatred of difference which has been with us for a very long time.

    Since Nov 2016 • 382 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Young,

    In the case of the alt-right, surely 4chan and 8chan are more relevant media outlets insofar as toxic social media networking goes? Why aren't people discussing those?
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4chan
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8chan

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 573 posts Report Reply

  • andin, in reply to Craig Young,

    4chan and 8chan

    Im hoping we dont have to, in the public realm, because those who say they want to target hate speak on the net are, by now, all over those fuckers. Problem tho, most of them are in the US. And yes, Im looking at our PM and her much heralded coming together with other heads of state.
    Im just thinking is that really necessary? Or are they just wanting to be seen to be doing stuff.
    And all they will end up doing is flattering the likes of Google and FB by associating with them, and all the great unwashed will see is the photo ops and get fed the BS 'We had an excellent meeting"...wonderful. And G& FB will become default surveillance organisations.

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Craig Young,

    Why aren’t people discussing those?

    To avoid showing the disaffected where to gather?

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Young, in reply to andin,

    I keep hoping that they'll piss off someone in what's left of Anonymous so they can retaliate and inflict some strategic hacktivist damage on the buggers...

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 573 posts Report Reply

  • Moz, in reply to ,

    buying an ubuntu phone

    I would love one but in order to get into work I have to run either an Android app or an IPhone one. The mobile team have not taken my request for a Linux app seriously, apparently it's an even stupider idea than a Windows phone version.

    Sydney, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 1233 posts Report Reply

  • Moz, in reply to ,

    Well, it's more like how many users would we get from that month of developer time, vs what else could the developer do in a month. The answer "one" is technically better than "none" but it's still not going to get a developer assigned to the task. For that I need over a thousand, preferably more, or a major new customer.

    I have seen a dual boot phone but rebooting to get into the office just seems painful.

    Sydney, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 1233 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to ,

    Are there no door handles?

    The vandals took the handles!

    and... you don't need a weather man
    To know which way the wind blows

    Look out kid...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • linger, in reply to ,

    They want people to be forced to use the windows instead of Windows?

    Tokyo • Since Apr 2007 • 1944 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to linger,

    forced to use the windows instead of Windows

    What a pane...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Moz, in reply to ,

    rebooting the door open.

    My ex-gf recently left a plastic item on the stovetop when she went out, and apparently there was an element on. The fire brigade used their universal key to get in.

    Maybe I should borrow that, rather than boots?

    Sydney, West Island • Since Nov 2006 • 1233 posts Report Reply

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