Search results for tag #ethics
RE: https://mastodon.social/@buckfiftyseven/116980631827143297
Anti-AI open source has an enemy in common, but almost nothing else
https://www.theregister.com/ai-and-ml/2026/07/25/anti-ai-open-source-has-an-enemy-in-common-but-almost-nothing-else/5278275 ― Liam Proven @lproven | The Register
Building bot-free alternatives may require lefties, libertarians, and culture warriors to share code …
#AI #liberty #left #culture #ethics #BSD #FreeBSD #NetBSD #OpenBSD #Linux #Torvalds #opensource #code #Codeberg #systemd #GNOME #Wayland #Flatpak #IBM #RedHat #Devuan #XLibre #X11Libre #KDE #Trinity #Sonic #Firefox #Servo #Ladybird #Zen #Floorp #Waterfox #Librewolf #Tor #Mullvad #Urbit #Framework #bot #enemy
"Anti-AI open source has an enemy in common, but almost nothing else"
This register article, like anti-ai in general, suffers from one central problem.
It never defines #AI.
Can you be against something without saying what exactly it is? Is it any software that is trained? Is it the image recognition that you have long used? Or does it become bad only when it becomes "large" and "language" based training?
Society is starting to look exactly like what happens when we spend decades treating STEM as the only path worth investing in, while sidelining the humanities.
This isn't a criticism of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. We need them. Desperately. They should be well supported.
But we also need philosophy, history, literature, languages, ethics, the arts, and every discipline that wrestles with what it means to be human. We need people who can understand the human condition, recognise propaganda, interpret context, think critically about power, engage with complexity, and ask not only how the world works, but what kind of world we ought to build.
A society built only to solve technical problems eventually forgets how to solve human ones.
#Humanities #STEM #Education #CriticalThinking #Ethics #Democracy #Society
Because #Trump is such an #ethics expert 🙄
Trump says #US will investigate #EU #trade practices for 'unethical' fines on #Google & #Apple
The US will open a formal investigation into the EU’s trade practices, Trump said on Friday, claiming the bloc has unfairly levied billions of dollars of fines against Google, Apple & other US #tech giants.
#law #geopolitics #economy #GlobalTrade #antitrust #regulations
https://apnews.com/article/trump-eu-trade-tech-fine-google-2e125ac0d3c1ac7a96c9194a372ba47e
And now, after banning vaguely-defined "LLM-generated code", Codeberg bans cryptocurrency projects. Discussion:
https://codeberg.org/Codeberg/org/pulls/1254
The specific ban is for "Content that harms the reputation of Codeberg, such as cryptocurrency related projects".
https://codeberg.org/Codeberg/org/commit/f383b648fd733ab88083dc390b91e77cd7589980
I think the reputation of Codeberg has been now harmed enough. When I originally escaped GitHub, I chose Codeberg exactly for the ethical stance and values. For me, anti-censorship is a non-negotiable ethical value. The folks at Codeberg have the right to run their org as they want. However, having now shown that they consider "censorship" good when it's about things they dislike, this made clear that their values and mine are not compatible (even if I dislike those same things, mind you).
Supporters of this ban say that this "draws a line", that "is not meant to be applied blanket-wide to all projects, only those which are harmful to the community", as if having constantly to worry about the next mood swing of Codeberg voting members were an acceptable Sword of Damocles for any reputable project. What's next? Banning US users? Banning software aligned with "capital-fascist" values? Open-source banking/wallet apps? Quantum computing tools? Robotics?
I'm moving off Codeberg, probably to Radicle. But I feel a bit sad, because Codeberg had the potential, in my opinion, to become the European alternative to GitHub, and they have made clear that they are not ready nor willing to become so. Which is fine: software is political, and everyone has the right to express their political stance.
But we still desperately need an alternative to GitHub.
#codeberg #drama #github #radicle #politics #opensource #bigtech #eu #europe #europa #usa #digitalsovereignty #ethics #censorship #crypto #web3 #blockchain #ai #llm #vibecoding
I've taken part in numerous computer science research projects that involved IRB review. I believe the system can work, even for cases like the above post. But Google and Stanford are bad actors that are taken at their word, and no system, IRB based or otherwise, is going to function properly if it cannot appropriately metabolize this reality.
I was once in a meeting where a Google X person gushed about a project that used smartphone sensor data to detect earthquakes. The calculus being set up here is that detecting earthquakes is a social good that outweighs any particular individual's right to privacy and even outweighs their right to know that their smartphone is being used in this way, let alone consent to it in any meaningful way. (*) Let me be clear and say I reject this framing, but it does appeal to a lot of people, even well-meaning ones. A mess.
#Google #IRB #ethics #EthicsReview #ComputerScience #research #ResearchEthics #tech #dev
(*) I assume there's some contortion involving EULAs whereby Google X can pretend that anyone using Android consented to having their smartphone's sensor data used for any future purpose Google et al. cooks up.
NEW: ProPublica journalist Max Blau spent a year reporting on abuses of farmworkers.
It left him wondering: Is there any way to find out whether the produce he buys at the grocery store comes from farms with a record of mistreating workers?
https://projects.propublica.org/blueberries-farmworker-mistreatment/?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #Food #Farm #Agriculture #Ethics #Labor #Groceries #Immigrant #Workers
#Hollywood appropriates a #meme that’s part of the public domain, markets it, and then sues others for #copyright infringement. Can capitalists still think logically despite their #greed, or is that impossible?
source: thewrap.com/creative-content/m…
#news #entertainment #cinema #meme #popculture #philosophy #ethics #justice #fan #fanfiction #fans #movie #backrooms #creepypasta #fail #economy #capitalism #matrix #a24 #law #system #politics #business #publicdomain #internet #problem
Location: Matrix
https://www.europesays.com/people/144984/ GOP leaders tried to quell McConnell health questions. It’s not working – Roll Call #BrandSafety #california #CharlesEGrassley #Congress #Conservatives #democrats #DianneFeinstein #ElaineChao #Elections #Ethics #health #healthcare #History #house #Iran #JohnBarrasso #JohnThune #KayGranger #Kentucky #maine #Media #MentalHealth #national #NewJersey #Policy #Polling #Republicans #Russia #Science #Senate #SouthDakota #Texas #ThomasMassie
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Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., arrives to chair a Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on May 19, before his hospitalization in mid-June.
🌍 Is your summer #holiday funding Israeli #apartheid?
Ethical travel put together a list of 5 switches you can make if you are looking to reduce harm this summer:
As well as being linked to illegal Israeli settlements, the #travel industry is linked to high emissions, labour exploitation and other ethical issues
#ethics #palestine #humanrights #ihl
📲 Video: Ethical Consumer
About (NOT) teaching kids to use genAI as search: ‘But they are using it already!’ Exactly, that’s why we need proper education. Teach kids about the rough and adventurous internet. Don’t degrade them into passive consumers. #ethics #BigTech #genAI https://goedmaken.org/index.php/2026/07/04/but-they-are-using-it-already-exactly-thats-why-we-need-proper-education-about-using-genai-as-search/
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Drawing comparing ai search w normal search, using wikipedia and visiting actual websites. AI search sucks (the life out of us), the rest has its pro's and cons.
I was going to facetiously post a few paragraphs of Lorem Ipsum #today but then went down the rabbit hole of learning its #history. Oh boy.
It's quite fascinating that it's not just #typography #placeholder #text. It actually comes from an #ancient #Latin #text dating back to 45 BC by the #Roman #statesman and #philosopher #Cicero. The title of the text was "De finibus bonorum et malorum" and it was about #ethics and #pleasure. It was mistranslated years later and used as #dummy text since around the 1500s.
8 protesters accused by feds of antifa ties get up to 100 years in Texas immigration center shooting
source: edition.cnn.com/2026/06/23/us/…
Prosecutors said the eight are members of #antifa, a decentralized anti-fascist organization and a target of the #Trump #administration. Antifa is not a single organization but rather an umbrella term for far-left militant groups that confront or resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations.
So in the U.S., you get a #pardon for #storming the #Capitol but are punished to the fullest extent of the #law for demonstrating in front of a #deportation detention center. That’s how quickly #democracy goes down the drain and #fascism takes over.
#usa #news #politics #texas #justice #court #terror #terrorism #fail #ethics #whitehouse #government #noNazis #protest #resistance #humanrights #future #destiny #abuse #violence #ICE
Location: Matrix
Don't stop asking good questions ... 🤔
#Amazon #Bezos #Alexa #question #tax #company #globalization #world #worldorder #politics #power #capitalism #society #people #wealth #money #finance #system #matrix #humanity #ethics #democracy #equality #chances #billionaires #advertisement #protest #resistance #meme #memes #wisdom #knowledge #fairness #work #job #labor #staff
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Tell me why?
Location: Matrix
The System Works. Just Not for You.
A tiny group gets richer every day. The rest of us work harder and struggle to #pay rent. #Wealth keeps moving to the top while everyone else is left with less. This is not progress. It is a choice. Stand up. Speak out. Demand a fairer future before too much belongs to too few.
#meme #politics #capitalism #money #poverty #people #society #finance #equality #chances #future #democracy #power #economy #billionaires #trillonaires #fail #ethics #power #system #matrix #banksters #globalization #civilization #freedom #slavery
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capitalism sucks :(
Location: Matrix
Rep. Ro Khanna wrote: "Elon Musk Wants Me in Prison. I Want Him Under Oath. The richest man in the world announced that he plans to sue me and called for my arrest. I will not be intimidated":
https://rokhannausa.substack.com/p/elon-musk-wants-me-in-prison-i-want
Ro: "I said the cuts #DOGE made to #USAID are potentially a death sentence for an estimated 4.5 million children around the world."
#destructiveness #greed #hunger #values #ethics #HumanRights copy: @renewedresistance #politics
What happens when a global company uses free software but doesn't understand the principle behind it?
The world's #knowledge belongs to humanity, and digital devices should belong to their owners, not to Big Tech.
#google #alphabet #bigtech #evil #freedom #android #linux #software #tux #floss #foss #opensource #fail #problem #ethics #user #globalization #power #capitalism #fail #finance #money #system #matrix #community #fdroid #future #smartphone #computer #digital #humanity #wisdom #customer
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Android is not free Software!
Location: Matrix
"...we cannot possibly accept that a police force like the one in Thunder Bay, wrestling with the darkest parts of its identity, should be able to rewrite the rule book to prevent journalists from covering its actions."
"It’s this simple: If Chief Fleury can get away with blackballing a journalist for award-winning work exposing violations of public trust, future violations of public trust will not be exposed."
#cdnpoli #democracy #journalists #ethics #ontpoli #ThunderBay #freepress
A jailed billionaire’s Birkin bags are going on sale. It won’t be enough to repay her victims CNN
Archive: ia: https://s.faithcollapsing.com/dziz4
#ethics
https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/18/world/vietnamese-billionaire-luxury-auction-intl-hnk
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An image pulled automatically from the post for decorative purposes only.
Gov. Tim Walz wrote this about Donald Trump and the reflecting pool:
"Trump found an imaginary problem, said only he could fix it, didn’t listen to experts, hired buddies who grifted millions, failed miserably, bragged how great it went. This is like the entire Trump presidency in a nutshell."
copy: @renewedresistance #politics #ethics
Does your search engine’s name begin with B, D or G? It’s ethical score is at best “average” and at worst “poor”. @ethicalconsumer took a look and weren’t impressed.
Have you taken a look?
Check out the search engine starting with M. You’re supporting the top scoring ethical option which quietly leads on privacy protection, the climate, tax conduct etc.
#mojeek #search #searchengine #bigtech #alternatives #ethics
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Ethics are the things you do when nobody’s looking
Google swapped “Don’t be evil” with “Do the right thing”. Evil was a low bar anyway. But mottos are just words if your ethics score is lowest in the industry.
Do the right thing.
Mojeek live and breathe “Do the right thing”. The right choice for people and the planet is rarely the easy one. But the highest ethical score matters to us.
Scores based on Ethical Consumer research published June 2026
#mojeek #search #searchengine #bigtech #alternatives #ethics
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Do the right thing
Greenwashing. Privacy posturing. Tax avoidance. Law breaking. Military links. Big budgets mask poor ethics with marketing to make you feel good.
Your ethics. Your choice.
100% green energy powering every search. Strict privacy policies. All taxes paid. No laws broken. Ethical companies have an ethos which runs deep.
#mojeek #search #searchengine #bigtech #alternatives #ethics
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Ethics isn’t a marketing campaign. It’s an operating model.
Mojeek was awarded the highest ethical score by @ethicalconsumer when compared to other search engines across a range of categories.
From climate responsibility and privacy protections to online safety and tax conduct, we're the leading ethical search engine with the top score.
This matters to us. Our founding mission to “do the right thing” is our commitment to put people and the planet before profits.
#mojeek #search #searchengine #bigtech #alternatives #ethics
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The Most Ethical Search Engine in the World
NEW: Why We Changed Our Code of Ethics to Address Prediction Markets
In an era when people can bet on news events, we want readers to know we’re not willing to gamble with their trust.
https://www.propublica.org/article/prediction-markets-propublica-code-of-ethics?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #Journalism #Media #Ethics #Transparency #PredictionMarkets
Poll: Is it ethical for journalists to bypass paywalls on other news sites while researching a story?
Moreover, how would learning a journalist used a tool to read paywalled articles impact your perception of their credibility?
As in, you may think a journalist acted unethically but is still reporting accurate information in an unbiased matter. Can ethics be separated from credibility?
Please read all answers before selecting one.
#Ethics #JournalisticEthics #Poll
| Yes, it is ethical: | 0 |
| No, it is unethical but would not change how I view their credibility: | 0 |
| No, it is unethical and I would view them as less credible: | 0 |
| It would only be ethical is the journalist would otherwise be unable to access the paywalled media: | 0 |
| No position: | 0 |
The former #CEO of #Microsoft once described #Linux as a #cancer that was ruining Microsoft's #business. In the end, it's the other way around. Microsoft is the cancer that is infecting Linux and commercializing it without respecting the #philosophy of #free #software.
source: linuxiac.com/microsoft-opens-t…
Microsoft's #Azure #cloud runs on Linux #servers. Microsoft generates the majority of its #revenue through cloud #services. In other words, it makes use of free software—specifically, from the open-source community project—without contributing to or supporting it in a meaningful way. On the contrary, Microsoft has been fighting the spread of Linux on the #desktop with #Windows from the very beginning. However, the company has learned how to profitably market free software. Unfortunately, this is a sign that die-hard capitalists are incapable of learning. Their greed for profit blinds them to the common good. Since Windows now accounts for only about 5% of Microsoft’s business model, it is used solely to keep customers within the Microsoft ecosystem and sell them cloud services. Meanwhile, Windows 11 is getting worse and worse, partly due to the use of AI.
The only company worse than that is #Nvidia, which also uses Linux but nevertheless actively prevents the development of decent open-source drivers for Nvidia #hardware. So while the #company understands the benefits of Linux, it still actively resists contributing to this #collaborative #project.
Capitalism in its final stages—and, unfortunately, one of the reasons why humanity is heading so rapidly toward the #collapse of #civilization.
#fail #economy #news #server #world #internet #globalization #trade #humanity #freedom #foss #floss #ethics #profit #greed #future #opensource #computer #digital #internet #benefit #finance #money #driver #capitalism #system #matrix #mainstream #quote #wisdom #apocalypse #evil
Location: Matrix
Researchers found that writers using biased AI agents to auto-complete suggestions had their sociopolitical values shifted without their knowledge it was happening.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adw5578
We worry about cognitive capture, what the LLMs of big tech are doing to our ability to identify and think through problems. We should be equally worried about them making a grab for our ethos, what we care about, and at population scales.
…For his part, #Trump has criticized congressional #Democrats for years for making #stock trades that he says are based on #InsiderInformation. At his State of the Union address in February, Trump called for the passage of a bipartisan bill to ban congressional stock trading, but the measure has stalled.
#hypocrisy #Trump #law #corruption #kleptocracy #InsiderTrading #ethics #SEC
Margaret Dylus-Yukins, senior legal counsel for #ethics at the Campaign Legal Center & a former Office of Government Ethics lawyer, said in a statement that although the ethics rules do not apply to the president or vice president, “the ethics norm has been for presidents to historically avoid even the appearance of self-enrichment.” [we know how well this jackass follows “norms”]
“The fact that President #Trump promoted a company owned by his friend that he also invests in does, indeed, create an appearance of a #ConflictOfInterest, though it does not constitute an actual #ethics violation under the current rules,” she added.
Williams said the #FederalGovernment should “revisit the arrangement whereby we rely on the president’s own sense of #integrity rather than #law to avoid conflicts of interest”; such a move would require an act of #Congress.
…Along with the #Dell #stock purchases, Trump’s latest #financial disclosure, released earlier this month, revealed tens of millions of dollars in other trades. The form showed, for example, that #Trump also purchased stock in leading companies such as #Microsoft & #Amazon months before the #Pentagon announced deals to deploy their technology in classified computer networks.
The very definition of #InsiderTrading
#Dell inks $9.7 billion #Pentagon contract AFTER #Trump acquires #stock
#Ethics experts say Trump’s recent investments in & public praise for the tech company create the “appearance” of a conflict of interest. [are you kidding? What does the #SEC have to say?
#law #corruption #kleptocracy
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/05/28/dell-inks-97-billion-pentagon-contract-after-trump-acquires-stock-praises-company/
Why Attorneys Can Ethically Use General-Purpose GenAI for Client Matters Without Redacting Everything https://www.myshingle.com/2026/05/why-attorneys-can-ethically-use-general-purpose-genai-for-client-matters-without-redacting-everything/
Yes, *IF* you're using the proper subscription tier. Not the free ones. Not the consumer ones. #legal #ethics
When the Pentagon announced a $620 million loan last year to a startup linked to Donald Trump Jr., defense officials and the company tried to tamp down suspicions of cronyism.
We found that the request came directly from the White House.
https://www.propublica.org/article/donald-trump-jr-vulcan-deal-white-house?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post
#News #WhiteHouse #Trump #Pentagon #Defense #Business #Ethics #Law #Government #DonaldTrumpJr
This is an exact quote from Rep. Ro Khanna: "There is not a single mention of Gaza in the 192 page DNC #autopsy report. As someone who campaigned in Michigan and Wisconsin, let me tell you- one of the main reasons we lost was our blank check to Israel while they committed a genocide. Our party must put #HumanRights first."
#politics #ethics #Gaza
RE: https://infosec.exchange/@amvinfe/116567370386921171
I realize my view on whether it is ever okay to pay #ransom in a #hackandleak situation is contentious. Great thanks to @amvinfe for asking me to articulate my views. #incidentresponse #mitigation #responsibility #ethics
This has been circulating but maybe not as much as it should. Extortion through glasses.
https://gizmodo.com/extortion-using-smart-glasses-is-a-thing-now-2000755562
Professor Victor Chang Named Cybersecurity Professional of the Year
<https://www.avantgardenews.com/news/professor-victor-chang-wins-top-cybersecurity-award-20260504>
＂… for his leadership in responsible AI. The award recognizes his significant work in federated learning and privacy-preserving technologies. His research focuses on securing critical infrastructure from evolving digital threats.
Chang led a UK-Japan collaboration to create a federated malware detection system. This tool reached 96.8% accuracy while protecting user data privacy. His academic profile highlights a career dedicated to ethical AI development and global data security standards.＂
We can't ban AI for the slop that's infecting out lives, but we can tax it and use the money to fund the creative arts
Here's some interesting/alarming research out of British Columbia.
(The AI-generated images are of course inappropriate. especially the Indigenous campfire - WTH were they thinking?)
But worth a read-through.
#House #Ethics Committee makes rare public information request about #SexualMisconduct on Capitol Hill
The rare move comes after recent scandals raised questions from lawmakers & others about how #Congress handles [ir rather doesn’t handle] investigations involving its own members.
#law #abuse #SexualAssault #rape #RapeCulture #misogyny #power #AbuseOfPower #ViolenceAgainstWomen
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/04/20/house-ethics-sexual-misconduct/
Uncomfortable questions..
- To what extent is #FOSS complicit to the rise of #BigTech?
- To what extent is FOSS complicit to disruptive #AI craze we face today?
- To what extent are vibe coding #LLM even possible without FOSS?
"BUT.. BUT.. The License!"
- To what extent does slapping on a license free us from responsibility, knowing that it hardly offers protection from abuse?
- To what extent did FOSS too just introduce the tech and damn the externalities?
- To what extent is FOSS complicit to the current state of the world?
- To what extent is it enough to consider FOSS to be "imbibed by good morals and values" if we can't defend those?
| We are clear. Because our intentions are good.: | 5 |
| We are clear. We just code. Bad actors abuse it: | 7 |
| We must find better ways to protect our work.: | 40 |
| Other (please comment): | 6 |
Closed
"This tracker documents the erosion and dismantling of oversight and accountability systems within the U.S. Executive Branch. Some changes may reflect genuine reform goals but, cumulatively, they create a more permissive environment for corruption and abuse of power to take root":
https://www.justsecurity.org/117267/anti-corruption-tracker/
#ethics copy: @renewedresistance #politics
RE: https://mastodon.social/@jlou/116428047976912491
This is what I don’t understand about the #Marxist critique of idealism. How can you advocate social change without having some criteria (an ideal) to assess situations and institutional arrangements? Materialism in the Marxist seems to be #moralnihilist, which deprives motivation for action to achieve social change. Marxists feel free to correct any misunderstandings I have and better explain the critique of idealism.
#Marxism #Socialism #Communism #philosophy #ethics #nihilism
Researchers Suggest Cooks Stop Boiling Lobsters Alive After Study Shows the Crustaceans Can Feel Pain - Yahoo
Lobsters in the study given painkillers reacted less to being electrically shocked, leading researchers to suggest the creatures process...
#ethics-food
https://nz.news.yahoo.com/researchers-suggest-cooks-stop-boiling-232000466.html?guccounter=1
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An image pulled automatically from the post for decorative purposes only.
#Utah Becomes the New Center of #US #Measles Cases
Nearly 600 people have been sickened across the state, which has seen an increase in recent #vaccine exemptions among #children.
#RFKJr #Trump #idiocracy #PublicDisservice #PublicHealth #InfectiousDisease #AntiVaxxers #ConspiracyTheories #science #medicine #research #disease #ethics #HHS #NIH #CDC #FDA #USpol
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/16/well/measles-cases-utah.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share
Fantastic article schematizing the philosophical issues at the heart of the AI culture wars, from one of the most incisive contemporary philosophers I've come across to date.
"Geist in the Machine" at Aeon:
https://aeon.co/essays/if-we-hope-to-build-artificial-souls-where-should-we-start
They haven't read Orwell's 1984 - will they ever understand?
source: citizenlab.ca/research/analysi…
Key Findings
• #Webloc is a global #geolocation #surveillance system that monitors hundreds of millions of people based on data purchased from consumer apps and digital advertising. It was developed by Cobwebs Technologies and is now sold by its successor #Penlink.
• In collaboration with the European investigative #journalism platform #VSquare, we reveal that Hungarian domestic #intelligence has been using Webloc since at least 2022 and continues to use it as of today. Webloc customers also include the national police in El Salvador.
• U.S. customers include #ICE, the U.S. #military, #Texas Department of Public Safety, #DHS West #Virginia, #NYC district attorneys, and several #police departments in #LosAngeles, #Dallas, #Baltimore, #Tucson, #Durham and in smaller cities and counties like City of Elk Grove and Pinal County.
• Based on the responses to 96 #freedom of information requests we conclude that governments in #Europe and the U.K. are highly nontransparent about their potential use of ad-based surveillance.
• Cobwebs Technologies has links to the spyware vendor Quadream through Cobwebs Technologies founder Omri Timianker, who now oversees the international operations of Penlink.
• Webloc is sold as an add-on product to the social #media and #web intelligence #system Tangles. Based on technical #analysis and other sources we show that Tangles and other products developed by #Cobwebs Technologies are used in many countries across the globe.
• We briefly investigate another Cobwebs product named #Trapdoor that appears to help trick victims into revealing information. Our analysis leads us to believe that Trapdoor can help facilitate the #deployment of #malware on devices.
#tracking #gps #mobile #monitor #usa #smartphone #app #software #internet #online #bigbrother #bigdata #orwell #dystopia #privacy #economy #politics #security #news #cybersecurity #anonymity #fail #justice #user #freedom #ethics #abuse #omg #wtf #policestate #democracy #society #maga #conspiracy #www #socialmedia #bigtech
Location: Matrix
Two-Thirds of People Arrested by ICE in #Minnesota Surge Had No Criminal Records, New Data Reveals
source: theintercept.com/2026/03/30/ic…
“The data confirms what the American people have overwhelmingly known, which is that Operation Metro Surge in #Minneapolis was a complete failure,” said Elora #Mukherjee, director of the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School and a faculty fellow at the Deportation Data Project. “Instead of targeting the ‘worst of the worst,’ it was ordinary law-abiding people who were caught up in the #immigration dragnet, resulting in the needless and cruel separation of families and inflicting untold suffering on American children.”
#migration #usa #justice #crime #police #1312 #humanrights #fascism #racism #law #trump #ice #fail #problem #ethics #society #maga #politics #democracy #whitehouse #government #children #security #news
Location: Matrix
New Acid Horizon / LEPHT HAND crossover episode. It's about how psychedelic researchers & therapists address the spiritual concerns surrounding death & mystical experiences in medical settings, touching on the clinical “death transcendence scale,” Huxley's heroic final dose, & whether the psychedelic "good death" pacifies the excess & irrationality that makes life worth affirming. Deleuze, Foucault, & Nietzsche show up. Link:
Just a gentle reminder that the "If I don't club baby seals, someone else will club them"-style argument isn't an argument.
(Re: a conversation I had with a friend last night, not intended as a #vaguetoot against anyone on here)
There is no question that it is indefensible to use generative AI systems as they are currently constituted, especially the commercial ones, once one becomes aware of how they are made and operated and the destructive consequences they have already had and will surely continue to have. Among the many reasons using these tools is indefensible is that they represent an authoritarian invitation. You're invited to trade your morals and ethics for a bit of convenience, a reduction in friction, a learning experience, a rhetorical flourish, or maybe (a kind of) status. You thereby align yourself more and more with people who say things like "water is fake" or "fuck earth" as they make the computer systems enabling the horrors we're watching unfold on social media. You start to tell yourself stories, complexifying stories that explain why it's OK you did this thing that you know is not OK. You move in the direction of people who are already telling themselves stories like this. Maybe their stories have superior analgesic qualities to yours.
Nobody needs to go down this path.
#AI #GenAI #GenerativeAI #LLM #ethics #morality #authoritarianism
What if the machine were 10x more complex? 100x more complex? What if part of the machine could misbehave in such a way that the person at the end isn't harmed with certainty, but only with some probability? What if the machine has 10 switches, all of which have to be flipped by 10 different individuals before the machine starts and harms the person; do you hold any of the individuals responsible for the harm?
#morality #ethics #TrolleyProblem
(*) Trolley problems are silly because they are decontexualized, and so are the proposed Rube Goldberg ones. I am satirizing them all, in part, though I do think if you're going to play around with thought experiments RG is a bit closer to modern lived reality than a runaway trolley.