Media Bits and Bytes - May 5, 2020
- Amazon VP Quits Over Firings
- Freedom of Press Day
- Encrypted Messaging Apps
- Anti-Lockdown and the Rightwing Media
- Congress Fights Over Digital Divide
- AI Can’t Legally Claim Credit For Inventing
- DOT ORG Is Not For Sale
- Computers Create Memes? (Affirmative, Dave)
By Tim Bray
May 1, 2020
Ongoing
An Amazon engineer and vice president “quit in dismay” on Friday, and followed up with a scorched earth open letter accusing the global behemoth of firing whistleblowers who were raising concerns about unsafe working conditions.
By Jan Lundius
May 1, 2020
Inter Press Service
UNESCO has declared that the 3rd of May will be a day to remind us that media are in several parts of the world under attack, their independence are denied, critical thinking is considered as a threat and journalists seeking the truth are harassed, threatened, roughed up, or even killed.
Encrypted Messaging Apps On the Rise
By Samuel Woolley
May 1, 2020
Brookings Tech Stream
Researchers have focused heavily on political manipulation campaigns on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Reddit. The next phase of “information operations” is already being deployed over encrypted messaging applications like Telegram, WhatsApp, and Signal.
Anti-Lockdown and the Rightwing Media
By Jon Allsop
April 17, 2020
Columbia Journalism Review
Whatever the source of the anti-lockdown protests, right-wing media has thrown its weight behind them. Several mainstream outlets have compared the anti-lockdown protests to the Tea Party movement.
Congress Fights Over Digital Divide
By Allison Stevens
April 13, 2020
Pennsylvania Capital-Star
Lawmakers are urging congressional leaders to prioritize emergency funding for high-speed internet access in upcoming coronavirus relief legislation.
AI Can’t Legally Claim Credit For Inventing
By Jon Porter
April 29, 2020
The Verge
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has ruled that artificial intelligence systems cannot be credited as an inventor in a patent.
By Kieren McCarthy
May 1, 2020
The Register
The decision by Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will likely spark a mixture of relief and celebration from millions of .org domain holders, including some of the world’s largest non-profit organizations.
Computers Create Memes? (Affirmative, Dave)
By Aja Romano
May 1, 2020
Vox
Imgflip’s neural-network meme generator is going viral for its eerie, hilarious coronavirus memes.