Regulators need to stop blindly regulating “the Internet” and instead understand that every part of the Internet stack is different, and only one part is suffering from market failure.
YouTube and Toxic Videos, YouTube’s Problematic Incentives, Sins of Omission and Commission
YouTube is undergoing the same scrutiny as Facebook, and is arguably even more to blame. The problem is not simply sins of omission (not finding bad content) but sins of commission (actively promoting it).
Nest’s Secret Microphone, YouTube and the Pollyanish Assumption — Again, Pinterest and Anti-Vaxxers
Nest’s secret microphone shows that privacy still isn’t a priority at Google, and there is a connection to YouTube’s latest scandal. Then, what Pinterest gets right about a very hard problem.
Netflix Follow-up, Bill Simmons Interviews Jack Dorsey, Twitter and the Pollyannish Assumption
Why there is room for multiple winners in streaming, then Bill Simmons interviews Jack Dorsey. My takeaway is that Twitter is suffering from the Pollyannish Assumption.
The Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Phenomenon, Ninja’s 2018, Facebook and the Human Condition
The connection between Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ninja, and Facebook’s scandals
Tumblr’s App Store Ban, Tumblr’s NSFW Deadline, Verizon Writes Down Oath
Tumblr was first banned from the App Store, and then Tumblr banned NSFW content. Making sense of what happened requires understanding what is happening at Verizon.
Apple’s iPhone Event, Facebook Fact-Checking, Vimeo Pivots Again
A preview of Apple’s iPhone event, a revelatory controversy about Facebook fact-checking, and yet another pivot by Vimeo thanks to mistakes made years ago
Strengths, Weaknesses, and Augustus; Zuckerberg’s Blindspot; The Liberal Arts Fallacy
The New Yorker is out with a huge profile of Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook; what does the article get right, what is the real problem with Facebook, and where do critics go wrong?
Facebook Stories Follow-up, Twitter and Newton’s Third Law
History suggests that Stories will be an advertising success; then, the Alex Jones episode shows how un-monopoly-like social networks are.
Another Congressional Hearing, The Genesis of Section 230, The Battle over Section 230
Section 230, which shields Internet companies from liability, is getting more attention: the only attention it should get is as a model for other regulations.