Twitter and Facebook transformed US politics into a shouting match. Has it saved their monopoly status, or doomed it?

As Twitter and Facebook’s CEOs struggled to please opposing political camps demanding mutually exclusive “reforms” during Tuesday’s Senate hearing, the dysfunctional echo chambers they created may have sealed their fate. … Read More >Twitter and Facebook transformed US politics into a shouting match. Has it saved their monopoly status, or doomed it?

WSJ ‘investigation’ of aggregator that dared include RT scares other members into ditching the network. Democracy at work!

After social media censorship failed to zero out RT’s web traffic, an establishment US media outlet has revealed it reached out to sites in the same link-exchange network as RT, spooking them into backing out. … Read More >WSJ ‘investigation’ of aggregator that dared include RT scares other members into ditching the network. Democracy at work!

Why are police across the US piling on the cartoonish violence & racist rhetoric when they know they’re being watched?

Over-the-top gratuitous violence against unarmed protesters, shockingly racist conversations, all of it somehow recorded for posterity (and maximum virality) – are American police TRYING to get their profession abolished? … Read More >Why are police across the US piling on the cartoonish violence & racist rhetoric when they know they’re being watched?

German magazine declares Trump’s the DEVIL to be blamed for all that ails America. But he’s not the illness, just a symptom of it

German media covering US President Donald Trump’s response to the protests, rioting and violence stemming from the police killing of George Floyd have gone to cartoonish lengths to pin all the nation’s problems on Bad Orange Man. … Read More >German magazine declares Trump’s the DEVIL to be blamed for all that ails America. But he’s not the illness, just a symptom of it

Twitter jams open a back door to track your phone – which may already be in use by the government

Twitter is no longer allowing users to hide private data like their phone’s unique tracking identifier from advertisers, at the same time the US government is apparently targeting advertiser data to track Covid-19. Coincidence? … Read More >Twitter jams open a back door to track your phone – which may already be in use by the government

Russia isn’t just mapping Ireland’s internet cables – it’s planning to INVADE, foams Cold-War-revivalist DC think tank

ussia is poised to invade Ireland and seize control of global communications, according to a crew of Cold War relics and professional Russophobes who’ve taken an already absurd James Bond-esque story and doubled down on it. … Read More >Russia isn’t just mapping Ireland’s internet cables – it’s planning to INVADE, foams Cold-War-revivalist DC think tank

Save the planet & die alone: Swedish prof says we should ditch pet cats & dogs, for climate’s sake

With human populations already on the decline in the West, climate-conscious academics have now taken aim at carnivorous pets. But even if ditching canine and feline companionship helps save the planet, is the loneliness worth it? … Read More >Save the planet & die alone: Swedish prof says we should ditch pet cats & dogs, for climate’s sake

Make no mistake: Military robots are not there to preserve human life, they are there to allow even more endless wars

When human troops are replaced by robots on the battlefield, it won’t be because the Pentagon’s had some revelation about the value of human life – it’ll be an effort to defuse anti-war protests by minimizing visible casualties. … Read More >Make no mistake: Military robots are not there to preserve human life, they are there to allow even more endless wars

Russiagate is a cult, complete with unquestionable doctrine, dissent-shaming, and us-vs-them cosmology

Americans still clinging to the idea that their candidate lost the 2016 election because of meddling by the Russian state have much in common with victims of brainwashing cults. For them, doctrine has eclipsed reality. … Read More >Russiagate is a cult, complete with unquestionable doctrine, dissent-shaming, and us-vs-them cosmology