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Authoritarians don’t much like journalism, education, or informed consensus for what should be obvious reasons. But the far right has long had a particular animosity for publicly-funded broadcasting. In part, because when done right, public broadcasting is free of the kind of perverse financial incentives that results in the kind of feckless, truth-averse, “both sides” journalism we all saw last...
For three years now, a select group of states have had a pilot program through the IRS for its Direct File program. For years and years, companies like Intuit had gotten away with all kinds of shady tactics designed to lure people in with the promise of free tax prep filing using online software, only to have aggressive or deceptive methods for turning them into paying customers when they never...
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.
In this week’s round-up of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike and Ben...
What’s been noted before has been confirmed yet again: there is no widespread concern about the books kids have access to in public libraries. Instead, there’s just the concerted, but effective, efforts of a small group of people who feel everyone else’s rights end where their morality begins.
Something that was just the occasional blip on the radar for decades — the attempt to ban certain books...
There’s a certain dark irony in watching tech billionaires who built their empires on the “democratizing power of technology” now actively working to dismantle democratic institutions. The same figures who once championed connection and openness are now the architects of the most dangerous centralization of power in modern history.
This is why I wrote last month that Techdirt is now unavoidably a...
The Apple Watch Wireless Charger Keychain is the perfect accessory for Apple Watch users on-the-go. With a built-in 950mAh lithium-ion battery, it can charge all series of Apple Watch. Its portable, pocket-size design makes it easy to carry around while exercising or traveling. With four LED lights indicating the status of the charge, it’s easy to use and monitor. It’s on sale for $14.97.
Note...
At least Florida’s SB 868/HB 743, “Social Media Use By Minors” bill isn’t beating around the bush when it states that it would require “social media platforms to provide a mechanism to decrypt end-to-end encryption when law enforcement obtains a subpoena.” Usually these sorts of sweeping mandates are hidden behind smoke and mirrors, but this time it’s out in the open: Florida wants a backdoor...
Last month Trump FCC boss Brendan Carr announced his “DELETE, DELETE, DELETE” initiative. It’s basically a plan to lobotomize FCC corporate oversight and consumer protection at the behest of industry giants, dressed up as very serious, very efficient adult policymaking.
Carr’s trying to pretend this is a serious democratic process, so he opened a public comment section on his efforts to “unleash...
Some people just don’t know how to take the “L” I suppose. We’ve been following a silly trademark case in Australia between pop singer Katy Perry and fashion designer Katie Perry for some time now. As in previous posts on this topic, I will revert to using first names in attempt to avoid any confusion.
To bring you up to speed, Katy Perry held a music tour in 2014 in Australia and sold a bunch of...
While politicians from both parties race to dismantle Section 230, we’re missing a crucial part of the story: how this uniquely American law helped US internet companies succeed globally. In the latest episode of Otherwise Objectionable, I explore with legal scholar Anupam Chander what might seem paradoxical — how a domestic liability shield became America’s most successful tech export without a...