Technology and Society
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The WhatsApp Kerfuffle, Comparing Messaging Services, Network Effects
Some number of people are downloading alternative messaging apps after WhatsApp changed its privacy policy; Facebook’s problem is a narrative one, not a factual one.
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Two Crises, Tech’s Costs, Looking Forward
Too much tech power has been an impending crisis for years; that doesn’t change just how costly the crisis was. Then again, centralization might yet win.
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Internet 3.0 and the Beginning of (Tech) History
The actions taken by Big Tech have a resonance that goes beyond the context of domestic U.S. politics. Even if they were right, they will still push the world to Internet 3.0.
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Facebook and Twitter Suspend Trump, Parler Suspended Everywhere, Context and Culture
Facebook and Twitter ban Trump; Apple, Google, and Amazon ban Parler; this wasn’t an ideal solution, but it was a uniquely American one.
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Facebook and Apple, Continued; Facebook’s iOS 14 Changes; Georgia and Tech
Facebook made major changes to accommodate Apple’s iOS 14 policies, probably because Apple leveraged their control of the App Store to give them no choice. Then, the implications of the Georgia outcomes for tech.
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New Defaults
The pandemic and vaccine rollout have highlighted where the West has lost its way; we need new defaults about information, change, and speed.
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Google Sued by States, Ranking the Cases, Fantasy Basketball and Silver Linings
Google’s many antitrust cases, ranked! Plus, one small way that COVID is pushing one group of friends into the future.
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Facebook Sued by FTC and States, The FTC’s Case, Antitrust and Politics
Facebook clearly tried to eliminate competition by acquiring Instagram and WhatsApp, but it’s not clear they were successful, which is the question that matters in a case that is ultimately about politics and power.
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Privacy Labels and Lookalike Audiences
Apple’s position on privacy seems unimpeachable, but it ignores trade-offs, and risks a bad outcome for the Internet as a whole.
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A Sixth Lesson from Dave Chappelle; Facebook and Apple, Continued; Facebook Acquires Kustomer
One more lesson from Dave Chappelle, this time about how the old order are all playing the same game. Apple seems to prefer that game, even if Facebook has helped them win at the new one.