#Tag
The erosion of privacy rights we are seeing worldwide is directly linked to the rise of authoritarianism we are seeing worldwide.
#Privacy #Democracy #HumanRights #ChatControl #AgeVerification
Macron #digitalsovereignty we have great franco DE cooperation [I wish they didn't keep harping on about that; our strength is 27+] lots of buzzwords agendas etc. in a #democracy like the US it is not sustiinable to have tech companies without regulation. You cannot delegate your democracy to "the seven magnificents" We do believe in sovereignty, but we do not reject regulation because we know the consequence: the loss of choice, the loss of innovation, and more than that the loss of democracy.
#StandWithUkraine #SlavaUkraini
🇺🇸➡️🇺🇦 Sent off genuine CAT 7 tourniquets and US flags yesterday from the USA to my Ukrainian friends, who will deliver them directly to the frontline brave medics and defenders.
🎯Every act of solidarity matters for #Ukraine.
Ultra- #rich media owners are tightening their grip on #democracy. It’s time to wrest our power back
The richest man on Earth owns X.
The family of the second-richest man owns #Paramount, which owns #CBS, and could soon own #WarnerBros, which owns #CNN.
The third-richest man owns #Facebook, #Instagram and #WhatsApp.
The fourth-richest man owns the #WashingtonPost and Amazon #MGM Studios.
Another #billionaire owns #FoxNews, the #WallStreetJournal and the #NewYorkPost.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/13/trump-media-ultra-rich-democracy
How did this happen and why is it being tolerated?
"They’re on street corners, utility poles, even garbage trucks... and they’re tracking everywhere you go.
Welcome to the world of Automatic license plate readers. These aren't just cameras. They're part of a cloud-based #surveillance network logging your movements in real time, and creating a warrantless database for law enforcement."
Ultra- #rich media owners are tightening their grip on #democracy. It’s time to wrest our power back
The richest man on Earth owns X.
The family of the second-richest man owns #Paramount, which owns #CBS, and could soon own #WarnerBros, which owns #CNN.
The third-richest man owns #Facebook, #Instagram and #WhatsApp.
The fourth-richest man owns the #WashingtonPost and Amazon #MGM Studios.
Another #billionaire owns #FoxNews, the #WallStreetJournal and the #NewYorkPost.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/13/trump-media-ultra-rich-democracy
This Thursday: Online symposium and discussion @utrechtuniversity's @visions-for-the-future.sites.uu.nl about our colleague @LisaHerzog's new book "The Democratic Marketplace: How a More Equal Economy Can Save Our Political Ideals" (Harvard UP, 2025)
Commentaries by Julie Rose (Dartmouth) and Tom Parr (Warwick). Opportunities for Q&A interspersed throughout.
Register: https://visions-for-the-future.sites.uu.nl/events/speaker-series-with-dr-lisa-herzog/
#market #democracy #capitalism #equality #PoliticalPhilosophy #philosophy #economy
I write about the Fediverse quite often here. The main reason I find the Fediverse movement so important is because I care about #democracy. In this post I explain why the *Fediverse loves democracy*.
(This post is a bit long. If you want a snappier version, just be patient: My main goal with this blog is to develop these arguments, so I may post a snappier version in the future :))
There are many good introductions to the #Fediverse around, but here a quick recap touching upon the main features in the light of democracy:
Some may describe the Fediverse rather narrowly, as a network of social media platforms that all speak the same language (most notably the activityPub protocol). Great examples of such platforms are the remotely Twitter-like #Mastodon, the video sharing platform #peerTube and the inspiring #Bonfire project. More than as a network, I like to view the Fediverse as a movement. A movement of people developing, using, celebrating social web software that is free and open for everyone, and owned by no one.
The core idea is that, as long as software developers agree on the language (protocol) that their social platforms speak, you can have an evolving network where new softwares platforms come and go, and anyone has the agency to define theirselves what their digital social world looks like.
For example, a politician with snappy opinions may look for a twitter-like platform. An acid techno producer may choose something like the good old myspace. A faculty of film history may like to post their archives on a Youtube-like platform.
The previous paragraph may seem like old news to you. Now, realize, that in the Fediverse, all such platforms also exist, but then interconnected: The politician may connect to the acid techno producer’s music channel; the acid techno producer may follow the film history movie archive. Note how different this is from the “fenced gardens” of classic big tech platforms that can’t interoperate.
Platforms in the Fediverse and the language they speak. Image cropped from the figure made by Imke Senst and Mike Kuketz (CC BY-SA 4.0)Classic big tech social media are monopolists, each being one huge platform: You connect to old friends on facebook, you humbly brag on LinkedIn, you dance on TikTok. If you don’t like the direction a platform is evolving – maybe you hate how facebook feeds you with AI-generated advertising – your only choice is to leave and lose all your connections.
In the Fediverse, in contrast, there are always alternative digital “villages” to move to. These villages can be built by anyone with the technical skills to set up a server. There are enough villages (and some small cities) that anyone can find a place where they feel at home. If you move to such a village, you just inform your connections that you moved, so you don’t loose your friendships!
Now, imagine what this freedom of digital movement would do to the common business models of facebook, tiktok, LinkedIn and Twitter, which is: Force-feeding you hateful content, only to get your attention. Making you addicted to collect your data 24-7. Taking big money from governments and companies for showing you their lies . Just imagine you can simply move away from such a place.
Obviously, when people can freely move, this business model is at risk. It is no coincidence that Musk hates the fediverse platform Mastodon.
Since Musk bought Twitter, it has become obvious that platforms may, and do become political. The much less popular twitter alternative #Bluesky is often called something like “liberal X competitor“. This should not be news to anyone. Facebook used to be rather clearly “woke”, 8chan has always been extremist right-wing. I believe it is only healthy when in the digital world, like in the offline world, there are communities of different political color.
Note however, that in the real world, it is common sense that when communities get segregated, problems occur. We are aware that only when we meet each other, we can build understanding and respect. This awareness still has to grow concerning our digital world.
In the big tech dominated digital world, Facebook accounts don’t interact with Twitter accounts, and Reddit users miss most of the fuzz on 8Chan; they are separated communities. Given that we spend ever more time online, it is only logical that in our communities seem to get ever more segregated and polarized.
In a federated social media space, in contrast, diverse communities stay connected. You may set up your own right-wing anti-woke Mastodon instance, but – if you do don’t screw up too badly and get blocked by other instances – you can still connect to people from different bubbles on other instances.
The Fediverse promises a digital society with freedom of movement and unlimited connectivity. These features quench the flames of hate and misinformation, and increases the mutual understanding and respect that are essential for a free and democratic society.
#bluesky #bonfire #democracy #fediverse #interoperability #mastodon #peertube
Wired asks: Has The U.S. Become A Surveillance State?
Yes, it has. The fact that they are still debating it reflects their privilege.
"Since the start of the second Trump administration, there's been open debate about whether the United States is descending into a modern high-tech surveillance state. But is there any truth to that? And what can existing surveillance states tell us about where the U.S. might be along the path?"
#surveillance #fascism #democracy
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iW22pj_wfLc
This Thursday: Online symposium and discussion @utrechtuniversity's @visions-for-the-future.sites.uu.nl about our colleague @LisaHerzog's new book "The Democratic Marketplace: How a More Equal Economy Can Save Our Political Ideals" (Harvard UP, 2025)
Commentaries by Julie Rose (Dartmouth) and Tom Parr (Warwick). Opportunities for Q&A interspersed throughout.
Register: https://visions-for-the-future.sites.uu.nl/events/speaker-series-with-dr-lisa-herzog/
#market #democracy #capitalism #equality #PoliticalPhilosophy #philosophy #economy
I write about the Fediverse quite often here. The main reason I find the Fediverse movement so important is because I care about #democracy. In this post I explain why the *Fediverse loves democracy*.
(This post is a bit long. If you want a snappier version, just be patient: My main goal with this blog is to develop these arguments, so I may post a snappier version in the future :))
There are many good introductions to the #Fediverse around, but here a quick recap touching upon the main features in the light of democracy:
Some may describe the Fediverse rather narrowly, as a network of social media platforms that all speak the same language (most notably the activityPub protocol). Great examples of such platforms are the remotely Twitter-like #Mastodon, the video sharing platform #peerTube and the inspiring #Bonfire project. More than as a network, I like to view the Fediverse as a movement. A movement of people developing, using, celebrating social web software that is free and open for everyone, and owned by no one.
The core idea is that, as long as software developers agree on the language (protocol) that their social platforms speak, you can have an evolving network where new softwares platforms come and go, and anyone has the agency to define theirselves what their digital social world looks like.
For example, a politician with snappy opinions may look for a twitter-like platform. An acid techno producer may choose something like the good old myspace. A faculty of film history may like to post their archives on a Youtube-like platform.
The previous paragraph may seem like old news to you. Now, realize, that in the Fediverse, all such platforms also exist, but then interconnected: The politician may connect to the acid techno producer’s music channel; the acid techno producer may follow the film history movie archive. Note how different this is from the “fenced gardens” of classic big tech platforms that can’t interoperate.
Platforms in the Fediverse and the language they speak. Image cropped from the figure made by Imke Senst and Mike Kuketz (CC BY-SA 4.0)Classic big tech social media are monopolists, each being one huge platform: You connect to old friends on facebook, you humbly brag on LinkedIn, you dance on TikTok. If you don’t like the direction a platform is evolving – maybe you hate how facebook feeds you with AI-generated advertising – your only choice is to leave and lose all your connections.
In the Fediverse, in contrast, there are always alternative digital “villages” to move to. These villages can be built by anyone with the technical skills to set up a server. There are enough villages (and some small cities) that anyone can find a place where they feel at home. If you move to such a village, you just inform your connections that you moved, so you don’t loose your friendships!
Now, imagine what this freedom of digital movement would do to the common business models of facebook, tiktok, LinkedIn and Twitter, which is: Force-feeding you hateful content, only to get your attention. Making you addicted to collect your data 24-7. Taking big money from governments and companies for showing you their lies . Just imagine you can simply move away from such a place.
Obviously, when people can freely move, this business model is at risk. It is no coincidence that Musk hates the fediverse platform Mastodon.
Since Musk bought Twitter, it has become obvious that platforms may, and do become political. The much less popular twitter alternative #Bluesky is often called something like “liberal X competitor“. This should not be news to anyone. Facebook used to be rather clearly “woke”, 8chan has always been extremist right-wing. I believe it is only healthy when in the digital world, like in the offline world, there are communities of different political color.
Note however, that in the real world, it is common sense that when communities get segregated, problems occur. We are aware that only when we meet each other, we can build understanding and respect. This awareness still has to grow concerning our digital world.
In the big tech dominated digital world, Facebook accounts don’t interact with Twitter accounts, and Reddit users miss most of the fuzz on 8Chan; they are separated communities. Given that we spend ever more time online, it is only logical that in our communities seem to get ever more segregated and polarized.
In a federated social media space, in contrast, diverse communities stay connected. You may set up your own right-wing anti-woke Mastodon instance, but – if you do don’t screw up too badly and get blocked by other instances – you can still connect to people from different bubbles on other instances.
The Fediverse promises a digital society with freedom of movement and unlimited connectivity. These features quench the flames of hate and misinformation, and increases the mutual understanding and respect that are essential for a free and democratic society.
#bluesky #bonfire #democracy #fediverse #interoperability #mastodon #peertube
This #SolarPunkSunday support my short film, to enable me master the visual effects needed to bring a near future world to life. I'm telling a story set in a country without governments, politicians or police, where ordinary folk govern themselves in a direct #democracy Sharing this post with your networks, or donating, will help envision this future!
1410/2000
Details https://www.dilmandila.com/donate/wind-a-solarpunk-short-film
#solarpunk #mutualaid #crowdfunding #sff #scifi #writing #writingcommunity #BuyIntoArt #creativetoots
Let's be clear: What they want is privacy for the monarchs and nobles, and to remove it entirely from the peasants.
Because they want to control the peasants.
They want to control us, entirely.
We never left feudalism, the monarchs and nobles simply changed their titles and fashion, while letting us believe we could become one of them someday.
But we will always remain exploitable and expendable peasants to them.
We cannot wait after them to improve our lives. We must organize to take the power back to the people, where it belongs.
#Privacy #HumanRights #Democracy #Authoritarianism #MassSurveillance
This #SolarPunkSunday support my short film, to enable me master the visual effects needed to bring a near future world to life. I'm telling a story set in a country without governments, politicians or police, where ordinary folk govern themselves in a direct #democracy Sharing this post with your networks, or donating, will help envision this future!
1410/2000
Details https://www.dilmandila.com/donate/wind-a-solarpunk-short-film
#solarpunk #mutualaid #crowdfunding #sff #scifi #writing #writingcommunity #BuyIntoArt #creativetoots
Carol Cadwalladr on the Great AI Bubble ... and, buried lede, the way the same faces in the Epstein Files keep popping up in the AI Bubble. Odd, that.
https://toad.social/@wdlindsy/115560021315037492
@cstross
as bad as the epstein crimes are, keep in mind that it is a distraction.
The plan is to keep the media from talking about their plans to steal the #socialSecurity money and cut health care to the elderly and poor and destroy the education system.
Keep your eye on the ball or in this case the money.
#democracy is more than voting.
The right to protest is under attack, as has been clear by actions against protestors (not least linked to the proscription of Palestine Action).
Adam Weymouth's overview of the recent history of this threat linked to excerpts from letters he has received from imprisoned protestors is a useful contextualisation of where we are, and perhaps where we are going.
Authoritarianism always proceeds by stages & the public denial of those stages!
#Politics #Democrats #Republicans #Liberals #Conservatives #Vote #Election #DemocraticParty #DNC #RepublicanParty #RNC #GOP #DonaldTrump #Trump #JDVance #Vance #JoeBiden #Biden #KamalaHarris #Harris #TimWalz #Walz #Democracy #US #USA #ElonMusk #Musk #Fascism #Fascist #BernieSanders #Sanders #AOC #FraudSquad #Progressive #Progressives #GreenSocialist #GreenParty #EcoSocialist #EcoSocialism #Socialist #Socialism #Marxist #Marxism #Communist #Communism #Capitalist #Capitalism
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