An update on Microsoft-Activision, and then a response to a reader upset at my take, weaved in with commentary about free speech in the context of last week’s ruling about social media moderation.
Meta’s Low E.U. ARPU, The Supreme Court and Section 230
Meta makes a surprisingly small amount of money in the E.U., particularly on an ARPU basis; then, the Supreme Court signals strong support for Section 230
Section 230 in the Supreme Court, Reach and Speech, The First Amendment and U.S. Speech Controls
Section 230 is going before the Supreme Court: are content recommendations covered like moderation? A loss for Google would be an opportunity for Congress to protect essential rights.
New Bing Errors, User Preferences and Company Reputations, Section 230 and LLMs
Microsoft’s demo of new Bing contained multiple errors. Why weren’t they caught, and what does this imperil the project? Then, does Section 230 apply to large language models?
An Interview With The Verge Editor-in-Chief Nilay Patel About Building a Destination Site
An interview with The Verge EIC Nilay Patel about building a destination site, his background and how that connects to his career in tech journalism, The Verge’s business model and approach to journalism ethics, and a bit of a debate about moderation and net neutrality.
Congress and Misinformation, Children and Social Media, Zuckerberg Clarifies 230 Stance
The latest tech hearing in Congress makes it seem that new legislation is imminent.
Intel Questions, Facebook Pulls Up the Ladder
More Intel questions, including why anyone would choose to work with them. Then, Facebook wants to pull up the ladder on Section 230.
The Web’s Missing Interoperability
Truly unlocking competition in tech means increasing interoperability; an absolutist approach to privacy is doing the exact opposite.
Zuckerberg and Dorsey in Congress, Again; Apple Reduces App Store Fees for Small Developers; Apple’s Aggregation Politics
Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey were in front of Congress again, while Apple reduced its App Store take for small developers.
Tech Under Biden, Prop 22 Passes, Uber’s Missed Monopoly
It appears that Vice President Biden will win, and that Republicans will hold the Senate, which is the best possible outcome for big tech. Plus, Prop 22 saves Uber, and also hurts it.