#techdirt — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #techdirt, aggregated by home.social.
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Court to DOGE: Asking ChatGPT 'Is This DEI?' Is Not Proper Legal Process
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Interesting read on #Techdirt about #AI generated code, #copyright, and a possible future for #FLOSS.
Like with regular text content, I'm confused about the copyright status of computer code, computer binaries, and exactly how much human effort is needed.
That said, the idea of FLOSS turning into shared #GenerativeAI prompts seems unlikely but not impossible. Maybe we should do this defensively before hedge funds do it offensively?
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Sens Ask Gabbard to Tell Americans That VPN Use Subjects Them to Surveillance
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Some news organizations are restricting access to the #WaybackMachine over fears of AI scraping. Mark Graham @mark, director of the Wayback Machine, explains why these concerns are unfounded and that blocking archives risks harming the public record.
Get the story on Techdirt 🔗
https://www.techdirt.com/2026/02/17/preserving-the-web-is-not-the-problem-losing-it-is/ -
I think #Chekov said something to the effect of, you can't show the #audience a #performative, #senseless act of #parliament in Act One unless the #government shoots itself in the foot with it in Act Three.
#C18 #FootGun #AntonChekov #BigTech #DinosaurMedia #TechDirt #LinkTax
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[Summary] Age-verification laws claim to protect, but they actually exclude the marginalised, erase online anonymity, and create massive privacy risks for everyone.
https://1312blogs.org/kalvin0x58c/10-not-so-hidden-dangers-of-age-verification-techdirt
#AgeVerification #DigitalRights #Privacy #TechEthics #Censorship #InternetFreedom #DataProtection #SocialJustice #MarginalizedGroups #Techdirt #OnlineSafety #HumanRights #DigitalSovereignty #Equity #IdentityTheft #Surveillance
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[Summary] Age-verification laws claim to protect, but they actually exclude the marginalised, erase online anonymity, and create massive privacy risks for everyone.
https://1312blogs.org/kalvin0x58c/10-not-so-hidden-dangers-of-age-verification-techdirt
#AgeVerification #DigitalRights #Privacy #TechEthics #Censorship #InternetFreedom #DataProtection #SocialJustice #MarginalizedGroups #Techdirt #OnlineSafety #HumanRights #DigitalSovereignty #Equity #IdentityTheft #Surveillance
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[Summary] Age-verification laws claim to protect, but they actually exclude the marginalised, erase online anonymity, and create massive privacy risks for everyone.
https://1312blogs.org/kalvin0x58c/10-not-so-hidden-dangers-of-age-verification-techdirt
#AgeVerification #DigitalRights #Privacy #TechEthics #Censorship #InternetFreedom #DataProtection #SocialJustice #MarginalizedGroups #Techdirt #OnlineSafety #HumanRights #DigitalSovereignty #Equity #IdentityTheft #Surveillance
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[Summary] Age-verification laws claim to protect, but they actually exclude the marginalised, erase online anonymity, and create massive privacy risks for everyone.
https://1312blogs.org/kalvin0x58c/10-not-so-hidden-dangers-of-age-verification-techdirt
#AgeVerification #DigitalRights #Privacy #TechEthics #Censorship #InternetFreedom #DataProtection #SocialJustice #MarginalizedGroups #Techdirt #OnlineSafety #HumanRights #DigitalSovereignty #Equity #IdentityTheft #Surveillance
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‘Free Speech Absolutist’ Elon Musk Hides Effective Political Ad That Calls Out GOP
#TechDirt #ElonMusk #FreeSpeech #PoliticalAd #GOP #HiddenAd #Politics #News
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‘Free Speech Absolutist’ Elon Musk Hides Effective Political Ad That Calls Out GOP
#TechDirt #ElonMusk #FreeSpeech #PoliticalAd #GOP #HiddenAd #Politics #News
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‘Free Speech Absolutist’ Elon Musk Hides Effective Political Ad That Calls Out GOP
#TechDirt #ElonMusk #FreeSpeech #PoliticalAd #GOP #HiddenAd #Politics #News
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‘Free Speech Absolutist’ Elon Musk Hides Effective Political Ad That Calls Out GOP
#TechDirt #ElonMusk #FreeSpeech #PoliticalAd #GOP #HiddenAd #Politics #News
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‘Free Speech Absolutist’ Elon Musk Hides Effective Political Ad That Calls Out GOP
#TechDirt #ElonMusk #FreeSpeech #PoliticalAd #GOP #HiddenAd #Politics #News
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DOGE to Fired CISA Staff: Email Us Your Personal Data
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2025/03/doge-to-fired-cisa-staff-email-us-your-personal-data/
#U.S.Cybersecurity&InfrastructureSecurityAgency #U.S.CitizenshipandImmigrationServices #CentralIntelligenceAgency #nationalsecurityagency #ChristopherStanley #ALittleSunshine #TheNewYorkTimes #TheComingStorm #HunterStrategy #JakeWilliams #MikeMasnick #ShaneHarris #TheAtlantic #FannieMae #KashPatel #RobJoyce #Starlink #Techdirt #NBCNews #DOGE
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DOGE to Fired CISA Staff: Email Us Your Personal Data https://krebsonsecurity.com/2025/03/doge-to-fired-cisa-staff-email-us-your-personal-data/ #USCybersecurity&InfrastructureSecurityAgency #USCitizenshipandImmigrationServices #CentralIntelligenceAgency #nationalsecurityagency #ChristopherStanley #ALittleSunshine #TheNewYorkTimes #TheComingStorm #HunterStrategy #JakeWilliams #MikeMasnick #ShaneHarris #TheAtlantic #FannieMae #KashPatel #RobJoyce #Starlink #Techdirt #NBCNews #DOGE
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"Three chains (#CVS, #Kroger, and #RiteAid) all told Congress they don’t even do a legal review of the #subpoenas handed to them by #government agencies. Instead, they apparently #assume that if the government’s name is on it, it must be a #valid request." - #Techdirt
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"Enjoy Public Libraries W/You Still Can"
Corporations fighting hard to erase ownership and move to "rental" model...
Places like the #InternetArchive need our Support.
Read more on #Techdirt:
#InternetArchive #Library #Libraries #WEF #4IR #GreatReset
https://www.techdirt.com/2022/06/29/enjoy-digital-ownership-and-public-libraries-while-you-still-can/ -
Is it just me? Ever since Mike Masnick went all-in on Bluesky, I just have no desire whatsoever to read anything at (or from) Techdirt.
It's like, Bluesky is obviously in its "gateway drug" period, but you can already see the enshittification coming (and bits are here, with them welcoming fascism and silencing dissent), and Masnick still cheerleading for it being good and proper and wholesome and just what the 'net needs just fills me with rage.
He's supposed to have more sense than that.
#TechDirt #MikeMasnick #BlueSky #rage #fediverse #mastodon #gateway #GatewayDrug #enshittification #e14n #Masnick #fascism #dissent #rage
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GOP Cries Censorship Over Spam Filters That Work https://krebsonsecurity.com/2025/09/gop-cries-censorship-over-spam-filters-that-work/ #NationalRepublicanCongressionalCommittee #NationalRepublicanSenatorialCommittee #RepublicanNationalCommittee #FederalTradeCommission #RaymondDijkxhoorn #ALittleSunshine #AtroTossavainen #AndrewFerguson #TheNewYorkPost #PekkaJalonen #SundarPichai #Koli-LõksOÜ #MikeMasnick #404Media #Alphabet #Techdirt #ActBlue #WinRed #SURBL
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GOP Cries Censorship Over Spam Filters That Work
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2025/09/gop-cries-censorship-over-spam-filters-that-work/
#NationalRepublicanCongressionalCommittee #NationalRepublicanSenatorialCommittee #RepublicanNationalCommittee #FederalTradeCommission #RaymondDijkxhoorn #ALittleSunshine #AtroTossavainen #AndrewFerguson #TheNewYorkPost #PekkaJalonen #SundarPichai #Koli-LõksOÜ #MikeMasnick #404Media #Alphabet #Techdirt #ActBlue #WinRed #SURBL
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DOGE Didn't Cut Government Waste. It Was Government Waste
https://www.techdirt.com/2026/03/17/doge-didnt-cut-government-waste-it-was-government-waste/
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Turns Out the DOGE Bros Who Killed Humanities Grants Are Sensitive About It
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The Wyden Siren Goes Off Again: We’ll Be “Stunned” By What the NSA Is Doing
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The Government Told Courts It Could Easily Refund Tariffs. Now It Says It Can't
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Training students to prove they're not robots is pushing them to use more AI
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Rubio to World: Stop Doing the Exact Same Thing the US Just Did
https://www.techdirt.com/2026/03/03/rubio-to-world-stop-doing-the-exact-same-thing-the-us-just-did/
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It Looks Like The FBI Straight Up Lied To A Judge To Get Permission To Seize Georgia Voting Records
Thanks, Tim Cushing and @mmasnick of #techDirt & @6820211 for this:
> Earlier this month, the FBI decided it was going to help Donald Trump steal back the election he’s claimed for half-a-decade was stolen from him. The state whose Secretary of State was asked directly by the outgoing president in January 2021 to “find 11,780 votes” was raided by Trump 2.0, who still somehow thinks he can win the election he lost back in 2020... It’s not just revenge Trump is seeking. He’s also hoping to find anything that will allow him to cast doubt on midterm election results now that it seems entirely possible the GOP might lose its majority in the legislature...
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DOGE Bro's Grant Review Process Was Literally Just Asking ChatGPT 'Is This DEI?'
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How Close Can #AI Get To Writing A #Techdirt Post? - https://www.techdirt.com/2026/02/18/how-close-can-ai-get-to-writing-a-techdirt-post/ key point in this @mmasnick post: "even just writing out the prompt itself took time, and this piece would still need a fair bit of editing anyway for publication which would probably take away any time benefit."
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How Close Can AI Get To Writing A Techdirt Post?
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#WaybackMachine Director Pushes Back on AI Scraping Fears Driving Archive Blocks
https://blog.archive.org/2026/02/18/wayback-machine-director-pushes-back
As reported by Nieman Lab last month, some major media organizations—including The #NewYorkTimes, #TheGuardian, and #Reddit—have started blocking the Wayback Machine from archiving their sites over unfounded concerns about AI scraping.
Mike Masnick in #Techdirt explained why this is “a mistake we’re going to regret for generations.”
limiting #webarchiving threatens our shared #digitalhistory. -
ICE, CBP Knew Facial Recognition App Couldn't Do What DHS Says It Could
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My inner 1st Amendment dork is shining bright today.
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Happy to be a 2026 @techdirt.com supporter. Keep up the good work!
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A very annoying myth that just won't die is "#SocialMedia is the ultimate evil and 100% a danger for children."
This myth is a justification for national Social Media bans for youth, like in #Australia or (soon?) #France.
This narrative ignores the positives of social media. The actual effects of social media are … complex.
#TechDirt writes on how the panic is all #bullshit and how the #science paints a different story:
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US Threatens UK over Grok Investigation Because Only the US Can Ban Foreign Apps
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Judge to Texas: You Can't Age-Gate the Internet Without Evidence
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You Shouldn’t Have To Hate Your News Source To Support It
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Support Techdirt: Where Bari Weiss Is Not Our Editor In Chief
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TikTok Deal Is the Shittiest Possible Outcome, Making Everything Worse
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Hi @mmasnick
I don’t want to appear rude, but listening to the latest #techdirt podcast just plain dumbfounded me.
How can you dance around the topic of the #AI #tech giants being liable for anyone in a generic way? Why does it have to be the small guy who solves it?
Do you not see, that if government made law that robots.txt was legally binding & enforced it, it would be trivial to have it contain prices for scraping url’s as well?
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Section 230 Faces Repeal. Support The Coverage That’s Been Getting It Right All Along.
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Twitter Admits in Court Filing: Elon Musk Is Simply Wrong About Government Interference At Twitter
#Techdirt #TwitterCourtFiling #ElonMuskWrong #GovernmentInterference #FreeSpeech #SocialMediaRegulation #Politics #News
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Reading List For The Moment We’re In
These are difficult, stressful, head spinning times. What’s happening politically is not only wrong and dangerous, it is made more so because it is increasingly difficult to know where to turn to find good information. Now that the “Main Stream Media,” previously derided by those now in power, has capitulated and chosen a different main stream to drown in, I imagine that challenge will only continue.
It’s challenging to keep up with the pace of events and some ask why bother trying given that those we’ve relied on in the past have either turned coats or can’t keep up themselves. My answer is simple. I’d like to know more about the disease is causing me pain.
As is my habit, I follow a lot of sources. I’ve compiled and will continue to compile a list of those I find the most valuable. Some on this list cover news, some provide important context, and all are worth my while in my opinion. So, I’m sharing them here.
I’ll add to this list as I discover other sources worth recommending, so you might want to check back every now and then.
Mostly on a political front, Josh Marshall’s Talking Point Memo has always been an excellent source. It’s even more so now.
Mark Jacob covers not only the politics but those that cover the politics in Stop The Presses.
ProPublica has been a go to source for me for a while and it should be for you as well. Their investigations provide important context, but it is not a breaking news source.
Rolling Stone’s political coverage is solid reporting and solid context within this overwhelming pace of events.
The Tennessee Holler certainly covers the things going on in Tennessee as it competes to be ranked below Mississippi in most category measurements for success, but also is providing some excellent coverage and commentary on the larger U.S. picture.
Given that tech is now incestuously intertwined with our politics and governance, I highly recommend for recent, and I hope ongoing, coverage Wired, TechDirt and 404Media. Reporters from those publications are doing excellent work and it’s a good way to filter through some of the nonsense.
Feel free to leave a comment if you have a good source you’d like me to include. Feel free to refrain from offering sources such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, and others crossing the River Styx.
You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.
#donaldTrump #History #journalism #MarkJacobs #media #news #Politics #SocialMedia #TalkingPointsMemo #TechDirt #TennesseeHoller #Wired
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Reading List For The Moment We’re In
These are difficult, stressful, head spinning times. What’s happening politically is not only wrong and dangerous, it is made more so because it is increasingly difficult to know where to turn to find good information. Now that the “Main Stream Media,” previously derided by those now in power, has capitulated and chosen a different main stream to drown in, I imagine that challenge will only continue.
It’s challenging to keep up with the pace of events and some ask why bother trying given that those we’ve relied on in the past have either turned coats or can’t keep up themselves. My answer is simple. I’d like to know more about the disease is causing me pain.
As is my habit, I follow a lot of sources. I’ve compiled and will continue to compile a list of those I find the most valuable. Some on this list cover news, some provide important context, and all are worth my while in my opinion. So, I’m sharing them here.
I’ll add to this list as I discover other sources worth recommending, so you might want to check back every now and then.
Mostly on a political front, Josh Marshall’s Talking Point Memo has always been an excellent source. It’s even more so now.
Mark Jacob covers not only the politics but those that cover the politics in Stop The Presses.
ProPublica has been a go to source for me for a while and it should be for you as well. Their investigations provide important context, but it is not a breaking news source.
Rolling Stone’s political coverage is solid reporting and solid context within this overwhelming pace of events.
The Tennessee Holler certainly covers the things going on in Tennessee as it competes to be ranked below Mississippi in most category measurements for success, but also is providing some excellent coverage and commentary on the larger U.S. picture.
Given that tech is now incestuously intertwined with our politics and governance, I highly recommend for recent, and I hope ongoing, coverage Wired, TechDirt and 404Media. Reporters from those publications are doing excellent work and it’s a good way to filter through some of the nonsense.
Feel free to leave a comment if you have a good source you’d like me to include. Feel free to refrain from offering sources such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, and others crossing the River Styx.
You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.
#donaldTrump #History #journalism #MarkJacobs #media #news #Politics #SocialMedia #TalkingPointsMemo #TechDirt #TennesseeHoller #Wired
-
Reading List For The Moment We’re In
These are difficult, stressful, head spinning times. What’s happening politically is not only wrong and dangerous, it is made more so because it is increasingly difficult to know where to turn to find good information. Now that the “Main Stream Media,” previously derided by those now in power, has capitulated and chosen a different main stream to drown in, I imagine that challenge will only continue.
It’s challenging to keep up with the pace of events and some ask why bother trying given that those we’ve relied on in the past have either turned coats or can’t keep up themselves. My answer is simple. I’d like to know more about the disease is causing me pain.
As is my habit, I follow a lot of sources. I’ve compiled and will continue to compile a list of those I find the most valuable. Some on this list cover news, some provide important context, and all are worth my while in my opinion. So, I’m sharing them here.
I’ll add to this list as I discover other sources worth recommending, so you might want to check back every now and then.
Mostly on a political front, Josh Marshall’s Talking Point Memo has always been an excellent source. It’s even more so now.
Mark Jacob covers not only the politics but those that cover the politics in Stop The Presses.
ProPublica has been a go to source for me for a while and it should be for you as well. Their investigations provide important context, but it is not a breaking news source.
Rolling Stone’s political coverage is solid reporting and solid context within this overwhelming pace of events.
The Tennessee Holler certainly covers the things going on in Tennessee as it competes to be ranked below Mississippi in most category measurements for success, but also is providing some excellent coverage and commentary on the larger U.S. picture.
Given that tech is now incestuously intertwined with our politics and governance, I highly recommend for recent, and I hope ongoing, coverage Wired, TechDirt and 404Media. Reporters from those publications are doing excellent work and it’s a good way to filter through some of the nonsense.
Feel free to leave a comment if you have a good source you’d like me to include. Feel free to refrain from offering sources such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, and others crossing the River Styx.
You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.
#MarkJacobs #Politics #TalkingPointsMemo #TechDirt #TennesseeHoller #Wired
-
Reading List For The Moment We’re In
These are difficult, stressful, head spinning times. What’s happening politically is not only wrong and dangerous, it is made more so because it is increasingly difficult to know where to turn to find good information. Now that the “Main Stream Media,” previously derided by those now in power, has capitulated and chosen a different main stream to drown in, I imagine that challenge will only continue.
It’s challenging to keep up with the pace of events and some ask why bother trying given that those we’ve relied on in the past have either turned coats or can’t keep up themselves. My answer is simple. I’d like to know more about the disease is causing me pain.
As is my habit, I follow a lot of sources. I’ve compiled and will continue to compile a list of those I find the most valuable. Some on this list cover news, some provide important context, and all are worth my while in my opinion. So, I’m sharing them here.
I’ll add to this list as I discover other sources worth recommending, so you might want to check back every now and then.
Mostly on a political front, Josh Marshall’s Talking Point Memo has always been an excellent source. It’s even more so now.
Mark Jacob covers not only the politics but those that cover the politics in Stop The Presses.
ProPublica has been a go to source for me for a while and it should be for you as well. Their investigations provide important context, but it is not a breaking news source.
Rolling Stone’s political coverage is solid reporting and solid context within this overwhelming pace of events.
The Tennessee Holler certainly covers the things going on in Tennessee as it competes to be ranked below Mississippi in most category measurements for success, but also is providing some excellent coverage and commentary on the larger U.S. picture.
Given that tech is now incestuously intertwined with our politics and governance, I highly recommend for recent, and I hope ongoing, coverage Wired, TechDirt and 404Media. Reporters from those publications are doing excellent work and it’s a good way to filter through some of the nonsense.
Feel free to leave a comment if you have a good source you’d like me to include. Feel free to refrain from offering sources such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, and others crossing the River Styx.
You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.
#MarkJacobs #Politics #TalkingPointsMemo #TechDirt #TennesseeHoller #Wired
