Author: Caitlin Cory

Big data and artificial intelligence concept. Machine learning and circuit board. Deep learning

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Caitlin Cory
Date
May 6, 2024

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, COSM 2023, Google, Jay Richards}

Final Release of COSM 2023 Videos!

_{The fourth and final tranche of COSM 2023 videos is now available.} _{Caitlin Cory
May 6, 2024

3

Artificial Intelligence}

The fourth and final tranche of COSM 2023 videos is now available — featuring topics such as how advances in artificial intelligence may affect automobile transportation, solutions to the vast amounts of energy artificial intelligence will require, and why we might be on the brink of seeing the most disruptive innovations the world has ever seen. If you weren’t able to attend, or perhaps you want to revisit some of your favorite speakers, take a look at our COSM 2023 playlist on YouTube! A few highlights of the recently released videos: You can also watch backstage interviews, in which Senior Fellow Jay Richards goes into greater depth with several speakers on the topics addressed onstage. Click here to go to Read More ›

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Caitlin Cory
Date
April 19, 2024

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
capitalism, COSM, COSM 2023, Electronics, George Gilder, Graphene, Jay Richards, Medicine}

COSM 2023 Now on YouTube!

_{COSM 2023 explored the nature of artificial intelligence, as well as its future potential and risks.} _{Caitlin Cory
April 9, 2024

3

Artificial Intelligence}

You can now watch the 2023 COSM Technology Summit on YouTube. If you weren’t able to attend, or perhaps you want to revisit some of your favorite speakers, we are now releasing the second tranche of videos for your enjoyment. Click here to go to the COSM 2023 Playlist on YouTube! COSM 2023 explored the nature of artificial intelligence, as well as its future potential and risks. Stephen Wolfram spoke about his efforts to make the world more computable so that computers can help us understand the world. Afterward, George Gilder and Bob Metcalfe joined him in a fascinating discussion about Turing machines, neural networks, and AI-driven language models. A panel featuring William Dembski, Robert Marks, and George Montanez offered Read More ›

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Caitlin Cory
Date
April 14, 2022

Categorized
Censorship, Social Media

Tagged
censorship, Elon Musk, Free speech, Twitter}

Musk Offers Twitter $41 Billion, Exciting Free Speech Advocates

_{Will Musk succeed in his effort to "unlock" Twitter's free speech potential?} _{Caitlin Cory
April 14, 2022

5

Censorship, Social Media}

News has moved fast since it was revealed last week that Elon Musk purchased a 9.2% stake in Twitter. Since then, Musk was offered a seat on Twitter’s board, an offer he at first accepted, and then declined. Now, Musk has upped the ante by offering to buy Twitter for $41 billion. In his letter to the board, Musk referenced his desire to make Twitter “the platform for free speech around the globe,” and stated that he has the ability to “unlock” Twitter’s “extraordinary potential.” Here’s his full letter: Bret TaylorChairman of the Board, I invested in Twitter as I believe in its potential to be the platform for free speech around the globe, and I believe free speech is Read More ›

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Caitlin Cory
Date
April 12, 2022

Categorized
Censorship, Environment, Social Media

Tagged
Climate change, Free speech}

Pinterest Bans Climate Change “Misinformation”

_{Pinterest might be the first company to implement such a strict ban, but what if it's not the last?} _{Caitlin Cory
April 12, 2022

6

Censorship, Environment, Social Media}

Last week, Pinterest banned climate change misinformation from its platform, becoming the first major social media company to do so outright. The policy raises free speech concerns. Since not all scientists agree on the nature of climate change, what causes it, and what the solutions are, how is the issue to be discussed if alternate points of view are banned from public platforms? Pinterest is an image-sharing social media site, where users share ideas that they can “pin” to their own boards on everything from recipes to interior design to fashion. On April 6, Pinterest announced their new climate misinformation policy, aimed at “remov[ing] content that may harm the public’s well-being, safety or trust.” As of the policy announcement, any Read More ›

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Caitlin Cory
Date
April 5, 2022

Categorized
Censorship, Social Media

Tagged
decentralization, Elon Musk, Free speech, Jack Dorsey, Larry Sanger, Twitter, Web3}

Dorsey Talks Decentralization and Musk Buys Twitter Share

_{Will this be the upset many free speech advocates hope it could be?} _{Caitlin Cory
April 5, 2022

6

Censorship, Social Media}

Last week, I wrote about the buzz around internet decentralization, especially as there appears to be talk at Twitter of moving in such a direction. The buzz continues, this time with vocal support from former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, coinciding with a bold financial move from Elon Musk. On April 2, Dorsey reminisced on Twitter about the early, decentralized days of the Internet, and said that centralization “really damaged the internet. I realize I’m partially to blame, and regret it.” The problems of social media platforms have been made clear in the past few years, specifically when it comes to data privacy and how to handle (or even define) harmful content while also respecting free speech. But there isn’t as much Read More ›

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Caitlin Cory
Date
March 30, 2022

Categorized
Censorship, Social Media

Tagged
Bluesky, decentralization, Encyclosphere, Free speech, Jack Dorsey, Larry Sanger, Parag Agrawal, Twitter, Web 3.0, Wikipedia}

Could Decentralization Fix Twitter’s Censorship Problems?

_{Decentralization is not an automatic guarantee of internet freedom, but it may be a good first step} _{Caitlin Cory
March 30, 2022

6

Censorship, Social Media}

Twitter is considering decentralization according to a recent report from The New York Times. But what does decentralization mean, and how would it impact our experience with social media? Is this a solution to all the problems around censorship standards that Big Tech companies have faced in recent years? According to The New York Times, Twitter is following the early vision of a former employee named Blaine Cook by “funding an independent effort to build a so-called open protocol for social media. It is also weaving cryptocurrency into its app, and opening up to developers who want to build custom features for Twitter.” Kate Conger reports: Some skeptics believe Twitter is jumping on the web3 bandwagon, joining a trendy movement in tech to shift many Read More ›

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Caitlin Cory
Date
March 11, 2022

Categorized
Censorship, Global Technology, Social Media

Tagged
Alexander Lukashenko, Facebook, Hate speech, Instagram, Meta, Russia, Twitter, Ukraine, Vladimir Putin, WhatsApp}

Meta Suspends Hate Speech Policy in Countries Near Russia

_{Hate speech and death threats against Russian and Belarusian political leaders and their militaries are temporarily allowed in twelve Eastern European countries} _{Caitlin Cory
March 11, 2022

4

Censorship, Global Technology, Social Media}

In a dramatic change of policy, Meta (formerly known as Facebook) will temporarily allow users of Facebook and Instagram in twelve countries to post hate speech and death threats directed toward Russian and Belarusian military personnel and political leaders within the context of the conflict in Ukraine. The change was first reported by Reuters on Thursday morning. A Meta spokesperson told Reuters, “As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders.’ We still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians.” Calls for violence against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko are Read More ›

Futuristic portable device and many pictures.

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Caitlin Cory
Date
March 10, 2022

Categorized
Censorship, Social Media

Tagged
censorship, Election fraud, misinformation, YouTube}

YouTube Suspends News Show for Reporting on Misinformation

_{The show's host has accused YouTube of failing to "distinguish between misinformation and reporting"} _{Caitlin Cory
March 10, 2022

4

Censorship, Social Media}

Last week, YouTube suspended a popular daily news show from The Hill for including in its reporting footage of former President Donald Trump repeating the claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him, a claim that violates YouTube’s policies on misinformation. The co-hosts of the show have criticized the suspension, arguing that the policy, as enforced, is a threat to journalism on YouTube. One of the co-hosts posted about it on Twitter: Robby Soave and Ryan Grim co-host Rising, a daily morning news show for The Hill, one of the country’s leading political newspapers. Last week, they discovered that their channel had been temporarily suspended based on two videos that the show posted that had violated YouTube’s policies. The Read More ›

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Caitlin Cory
Date
March 4, 2022

Categorized
Social Media

Tagged
Big Tech, Facebook, Facebook Files, Joe Biden, mental health, social media, Twitter}

In State of the Union, Biden Vows to Curb Social Media Harms

_{Biden addressed the mental health harms of social media use on children and teens} _{Caitlin Cory
March 4, 2022

5

Social Media}

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden referred to the harms of social media in his State of the Union address, announcing policy proposals to curb those harms. In response, however, some have been critical of the president’s remarks, accusing him of ignoring social media’s deeper dangers. Over an hour into his speech, President Biden turned to mental health and the emotional toll the pandemic has had, especially on children. Then he turned to the emotional health toll exacted by social media, long before the first COVID-19 lockdowns. “Children were also struggling before the pandemic – bullying, violence, trauma, and the harms of social media,” he said. “It’s time to strengthen privacy protections, ban targeted advertising to children, demand tech companies stop Read More ›

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Caitlin Cory
Date
March 2, 2022

Categorized
Social Media

Tagged
Big Tech, Donald Trump, Free speech}

Trump Releases Truth Social, Users Run Into Errors

_{The jury is out on whether this will stand as a true rival to Twitter} _{Caitlin Cory
March 2, 2022

4

Social Media}

Last week, former President Trump unveiled his new social media app: Truth Social, a free-speech alternative to Twitter. It immediately became the number one free app on Apple’s App Store and boasted half a million users within its first forty-eight hours. But hiccups soon followed, including error messages and long wait times for access to the platform. The app went live on February 21, which was (perhaps not coincidentally) President’s Day. But those who signed up to join were automatically placed on a waitlist, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. When a Post reporter tried to sign up for a Truth social account on Tuesday morning, he was told that he was number 387,392 on a waitlist. “We love you, and you’re Read More ›

Female scans face using facial recognition system on smartphone for biometric identification. Future digital high tech technology and face id

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Caitlin Cory
Date
February 16, 2022

Categorized
Data Privacy, Global Technology, Surveillance

Tagged
facial recognition technology}

IRS Backs Off on Facial Recognition Demand

_{Starting this summer, the IRS would have required all online users to submit a facial recognition scan. Now, they've changed their mind} _{Caitlin Cory
February 16, 2022

6

Data Privacy, Global Technology, Surveillance}

The IRS is abandoning a new security program that would have required all online users to submit facial recognition scans in order to access its online services. Last November, the IRS announced that in summer 2022, it would begin requiring all online patrons to verify their accounts via facial recognition. The program was to be operated by ID.me, a private, third-party partner of the IRS. ID.me also contracts with a select few other federal entities, as well as 27 U.S. states. Facial recognition technology is a controversial new form of security. It’s been widely embraced by the Chinese Communist Party in its effort to maintain social control over a large population, and it has begun to creep into some jurisdictions in Western Read More ›

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Caitlin Cory
Date
February 11, 2022

Categorized
Censorship, Social Media

Tagged
Facebook, Jen Psaki, Joe Biden, misinformation, Snopes, White House}

Fact Checkers Stifle Story on Government-Funded Crack Pipes

_{When official sources contradict each other, who has the authority to decide what is misinformation and what is not?} _{Caitlin Cory
February 11, 2022

4

Censorship, Social Media}

A Facebook fact-checking group censored a report released this week that the Biden Administration is providing grants that would fund the distribution of crack pipes to the addicted, labeling it as containing “partly false information” and burying any posts containing the report in users’ news feeds. The Washington Free Beacon reported on Monday that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is operating a $30 million grant program for harm reduction, a strategy to combat drug addiction that seeks “to reduce the negative personal and public health impacts of behavior associated with alcohol and other substance use.” Perhaps the best known harm reduction tactic has been the exchange or distribution of clean needles to the addicted. Now, it would Read More ›

Bearish stock financial, bear market chart falling prices down turn from global economic and financial crisis.

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Caitlin Cory
Date
February 9, 2022

Categorized
Business and Finance, Social Media

Tagged
antitrust, apple, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, metaverse, stock market, TikTok}

Zuckerberg’s New Meta Pummeled by Stock Market

_{Meta (Facebook reimagined) faces a gauntlet of challenges only months after Zuckerberg announced his new "metaverse" initiative} _{Caitlin Cory
February 9, 2022

4

Business and Finance, Social Media}

Last October, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would be undergoing a major facelift to become Meta. The Facebook platform we all know and love would remain as is, but Meta would become Facebook’s parent company with a primary focus of developing the “metaverse,” an immersive online experience that Zuckerberg called “the next frontier” of the internet. But Meta is off to a rough start. Facebook’s parent company shed more than $230 billion in market value Thursday, a one-day loss that is the biggest ever for a U.S. company and increases pressure on a stock market long powered by technology shares…. The Facebook parent company surprised investors with a deeper-than-expected decline in profit and a downbeat outlook. The company Read More ›

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Caitlin Cory
Date
February 4, 2022

Categorized
Censorship, Law, Social Media

Tagged
censorship, First Amendment, Free speech, New York, Royal Society, social media, Vivek Murthy}

New York Senate Tries To Shut Down Misinformation on Social Media

_{The introduction of the bill raises concerns about government's intrusion into the freedom of speech online} _{Caitlin Cory
February 4, 2022

6

Censorship, Law, Social Media}

In December, a bill was presented in the New York State Senate that would attempt to hold social media companies responsible for their role in circulating incitements to violence, incitements to self-harm, and misinformation. Introduced by Democratic/Working Families Party Senator Brad Hoylman of Manhattan, the legislation would empower the state’s Attorney General to bring an action against any social media company that allows for the circulation of content that incites violence or that “includes a false statement of fact or fraudulent medical theory…”. No person, by conduct either unlawful in itself or unreasonable under all the circumstances, shall knowingly or recklessly create, maintain or contribute to a condition in New York state that endangers the safety or health of the public through Read More ›

Young mechanic repairing the robot in his workshop

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Caitlin Cory
Date
January 27, 2022

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
Artificial Intelligence, Erik J. Larson, optimization}

AI Should Be Less Perfect, More Human

_{Authors Angus Fletcher and Erik J. Larson point us toward a more sustainable future working alongside artificial intelligence} _{Caitlin Cory
January 27, 2022

5

Artificial Intelligence}

Artificial intelligence is fragile. When faced with the ambiguity of the world, it breaks. And when it breaks, our untenable solution is to erase ambiguity. This means erasing our humanness, which in turn breaks us. That’s the problem Angus Fletcher and Erik J. Larson address in their piece published this week in Wired. AI can malfunction at the mildest hint of data slip, so its architects are doing all they can to dampen ambiguity and volatility. And since the world’s primary source of ambiguity and volatility is humans, we have found ourselves aggressively stifled. We’ve been forced into metric assessments at school, standard flow patterns at work, and regularized sets at hospitals, gyms, and social-media hangouts. In the process, we’ve lost Read More ›

closeup keyboard laptop and Google Ads AdWords app icon on smartphone screen. Google is the biggest Internet search engine in the world. Moscow, Russia - April 27, 2019

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Caitlin Cory
Date
January 21, 2022

Categorized
Law, Social Media

Tagged
antitrust, Cambridge Analytica scandal, Facebook, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Google, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai}

Facebook and Google Face Big Legal Challenges

_{The FTC, dozens of states, and private citizens are coming after the big tech companies for antitrust violations} _{Caitlin Cory
January 21, 2022

7

Law, Social Media}

How has 2022 begun for our favorite Big Tech companies? With a good chunk of lawsuits. As technology companies grow bigger, they face bigger legal challenges. Here’s a brief rundown of a few such challenges Facebook and Google face in the courts in this new year: FTC Antitrust Lawsuit Against Facebook Moves Forward Let’s begin at the federal level. Last June, Judge James E. Boasberg of the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia tossed out a lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) challenging Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp. According to Boasberg, the FTC failed to adequately show that Facebook holds a monopoly. Not to be dissuaded, the FTC re-filed with an amended complaint in August. Last Read More ›

Robot concept or robot hand chatbot pressing computer keyboard enter

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Caitlin Cory
Date
January 14, 2022

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Social Media

Tagged
Artificial Intelligence, Facebook, Sarah T. Roberts, social media, TikTok}

Will AI Take Over Content Moderation?

_{While content moderators report psychological trauma, experts weigh in on whether artificial intelligence could remove humans from the equation} _{Caitlin Cory
January 14, 2022

6

Artificial Intelligence, Social Media}

How do Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google, YouTube, and other platforms keep up with the millions upon millions of posts, comments, videos, and photos posted to their sites on a daily basis? It takes a partnership between artificial intelligence and human content moderators. In recent years, however, content moderators have begun to reveal that their work is often traumatizing. Moderators for Facebook and TikTok have gone so far as to sue for the psychological harm they have experienced at their workplaces, regularly reviewing images and videos that you and I never have to see depicting rape, murder, child trafficking, and other violent and graphic content. Subjecting workers to violent and graphic imagery is an unsustainable way of keeping the internet free of such Read More ›

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Caitlin Cory
Date
January 8, 2022

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Social Media

Tagged
Artificial Intelligence, Casey Newton, Content moderation, Facebook, Google, social media, The Verge, TikTok, YouTube}

Social Media Content Moderator Sues TikTok for PTSD

_{Social media moderators protect users from graphic content, but who protects the moderators?} _{Caitlin Cory
January 8, 2022

6

Artificial Intelligence, Social Media}

A social media content moderator is suing TikTok, a popular video app, for psychological trauma developed from 12-hour shifts moderating endless graphic videos. Candie Frazier works for Telus International, a Canadian contracting firm providing moderation services to social media apps like TikTok. Frazier filed a complaint with the California Central District Court in December, alleging that TikTok and parent company ByteDance do not provide enough support for the psychological wellbeing of their contracted moderators, whose job it is to remove violent, graphic, and otherwise inappropriate content from the platform. TikTok’s popularity exploded in the aftermath of pandemic lockdowns, especially among millennials and Generation Z. As of September, TikTok reported 1 billion users every month. In her complaint, Frazier explains that Read More ›

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Caitlin Cory
Date
December 22, 2021

Categorized
Data Privacy, Global Technology

Tagged
Thales}

A French-Based Company Wants to Make Your IDs Digital

_{What kinds of security concerns should be addressed before we consent to their vision of convenience?} _{Caitlin Cory
December 22, 2021

4

Data Privacy, Global Technology}

Imagine all of your information and documents – all of it – stored on your phone. We’ve grown accustomed to carrying around our banking and payment systems, address and phone books, and our social media apps on our phones, but now imagine even your passport and your driver’s license taking the form of a personal QR code. Imagine being asked to verify your identity not with a physical ID, but with the phone in your pocket. Thales Group, a French-based technology company, is asking you to imagine just such a reality. In October 2020, Thales posted a video to YouTube, showcasing their digital ID wallet and boasting of its many convenient qualities: The idea of storing your information in one Read More ›