Topics

Content Moderation

  • Compaq and Coronavirus

    Compaq’s descent from a company of action to a brand is a frightening parable for the the West’s focus on talk over action.


  • Zero Trust Information

    Zero Trust Networking is security with Internet assumptions; there is tremendous value if we apply the same approach to information.


  • Tech and Liberty Follow-up, Facebook Earnings, Additional Notes on Facebook Earnings

    Making principled stands should not mean absolutism: Facebook should seek to ameliorate its trade-offs. Then, Facebook’s earnings continue to show higher costs, plus where Zuckerberg is right and wrong in defending the Instagram acquisition.


  • Tech and Liberty

    The First Amendment is not about a law, but rather a culture — specifically a culture of liberty. It is essential to tech, and in this context, Facebook is mostly right about political ads (but can still do better).


  • Zuckerberg’s Speech, Facebook Versus China, The Structure of Free Expression

    Digging into the specifics of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s speech, particularly the company’s role in a contest of values with China, and why free expression depends on more than good intensions.


  • The Internet and the Third Estate

    Mark Zuckerberg suggested that social media is a “Fifth Estate”; in fact, social media is a means by which the Third Estate — commoners — can seize political power. Here history matters.


  • China Cultural Clash Follow-Up, Disney and Blizzard, Choosing Customers

    More on TikTok, then Disney and Blizzard demonstrate how expensive customers can be, while Google and Facebook benefit.


  • The China Cultural Clash

    The NBA controversy in China highlights a culture clash that both tech companies and the U.S. government need to take to heart. Plus, why Tiktok being Chinese is increasingly a problem.


  • Child Sexual Abuse Material Online, The Problem With Community, Towards More Friction

    A horrifying article on Child Sexual Abuse Material online is actually a sign that Facebook is doing the right thing, at least for now. Encrypting private communications, though, may make things worse.


  • Why Cloudflare Matters, The Absence of Gatekeepers, Promotion Versus Moderation

    More on moderation, including why Cloudflare is important systematically, a reminder that there are no more gatekeepers, which means moderation is always reactive, and why Facebook and YouTube still deserve the most scrutiny.