James Williams may not be a household name yet in most tech circles, but he will be. For this second in what will be a regular series of conversations exploring the ethics of the technology industry, I was delighted to be able to turn to one of our current generation’s most important young philosophers of […]
View More The adversarial persuasion machine: a conversation with James WilliamsCategory: Democracy
The adversarial persuasion machine: a conversation with James Williams
James Williams may not be a household name yet in most tech circles, but he will be. For this second in what will be a regular series of conversations exploring the ethics of the technology industry, I was delighted to be able to turn to one of our current generation’s most important young philosophers of […]
View More The adversarial persuasion machine: a conversation with James WilliamsDemocracy is good for business
Watching our democracy function (or malfunction) over the past few years, I have come to the conclusion that there is a slow-moving crisis developing for our democracy — and our economy.
View More Democracy is good for businessCongress needs your input (but don’t call it crowdsourcing)
Like many modern digital innovations, “crowdsourcing” is a concept borrowed from the commercial tech industry.
View More Congress needs your input (but don’t call it crowdsourcing)2018 Midterms: 4 resources every voter should know about
Voting in the U.S. can be confusing. By design, every state is different. On top of that, disinformation meant to discourage voting is rampant this election. Cut through the noise, arm yourself with the facts and vote. We’ve got resources to help you. 1. Fill out a sample ballot for your state If you’re not […]
View More 2018 Midterms: 4 resources every voter should know aboutIn State Tectonics, an explosive ending for the future of democracy
An omnipotent data infrastructure and knowledge-sharing tech organization has spread across the planet. Global conspiracies to disseminate propaganda and rig elections are ever present. Algorithms determine what people see as objective truth, and terrorist organizations gird to bring down the monopoly on information. Malka Older faces a problem few speculative science fiction authors face in […]
View More In State Tectonics, an explosive ending for the future of democracyWest Virginia will use blockchain-backed smartphone voting in 2018 midterms
A new pilot program in West Virginia aims to take voting into the technological future. In doing so, the state has cast its eye toward one of the most popular tech buzzwords of 2018.
West Virginia has contracted the Boston company Voatz to enable vot…
Facebook finally hands over leave campaign Brexit ads
The UK parliament has provided another telling glimpse behind the curtain of Facebook’s unregulated ad platform by publishing data on scores of pro-Brexit adverts which it distributed to UK voters during the 2016 referendum on European Union membership. The ads were run on behalf of several vote leave campaigns who paid a third company to […]
View More Facebook finally hands over leave campaign Brexit adsFacebook under fresh political pressure as UK watchdog calls for “ethical pause” of ad ops
The UK’s privacy watchdog revealed yesterday that it intends to fine Facebook the maximum possible (£500k) under the country’s 1998 data protection regime for breaches related to the Cambridge Analytica data misuse scandal. But that’s just the tip of the regulatory missiles now being directed at the platform and its ad-targeting methods — and indeed, at […]
View More Facebook under fresh political pressure as UK watchdog calls for “ethical pause” of ad opsGet your trusted midterm elections news from us, says Apple
Apple News has a new old mission: Curating political news and analysis by paying a team of experienced human editors to quality-assess journalism, rather than letting unchecked algorithms run wild and exaggerate anything — no matter how awful, obnoxious or untrue. ‘Fakebook’ eat your heart out. Apple says human curation is not a new direction […]
View More Get your trusted midterm elections news from us, says Apple‘The New York Times’ profiled the most selfish person in America
/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F730910%2Fdd733528-6c46-4607-998a-edda57084a10.jpg)
Everybody who has dealt with any minor amount of stress has had the fantasy of packing up and running away from all of their problems, disappearing from modern world almost entirely.
Erik Hagerman, dubbed “The man who knew too little” by The New York Times, did just that. On Saturday, Hagerman was the focus of a newly published profile describing how, after the election of Donald Trump, he left his busy life behind and started up his own pig farm.
But Hagerman went much further than that — and much more selfish. He created what he calls “The Blockade,” a nearly total media blackout that has allowed him to stay 100 percent ignorant of the day’s news outside of the weather, local real estate listings, and how the Cleveland Cavaliers are doing. Read more…
More about Politics, New York Times, Democracy, Man Who Knew Too Little, and Selfish
View More ‘The New York Times’ profiled the most selfish person in AmericaTh U.S. needs to create civic social networks
I have no doubt that the same great minds who are actively driving new platforms for commerce and engagement can formulate a new product (or adapt an existing one) that allows elected officials to engage the American people in a civic environment…
View More Th U.S. needs to create civic social networks