Media Bits and Bytes – October 1, 2024

https://portside.org/2024-10-01/media-bits-and-bytes-october-1-2024
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  1. The Suppression of Trumps Vance Dossier
  2. Sam Altman’s AI Manifesto
  3. Doc Goes to the Heart of MAGA Violence
  4. Inside the Springfield OH News-Sun
  5. The End of Musical App Finale
  6. What Computers Can’t Do
  7. Do You Need a Virtual Private Network?
  8. Course on Digital Capitalism
  9. CNN Smears Rashida Tlaib
  10. AI and Spear Phishing

The Suppression of Trump’s Vance Dossier

By Ken Klippenstein
The Hill

X has been blocking links to a dossier with information from Trump’s campaign vetting Sen. JD Vance and his potential as a running mate. Meta followed suit on Facebook, Instagram and Threads. The reporter was suspended by X.

Sam Altman’s AI Manifesto

By Hallam Stevens
The Conversation

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman declares that we are on the verge of “The Intelligence Age”, powered by a “superintelligence” that may just be a “few thousand days” away. The new era will bring “astounding triumphs”, including “fixing the climate, establishing a space colony, and the discovery of all of physics”.

Doc Goes to the Heart of MAGA Violence

By Brandi Buchman
HuffPost

Nick Quested embedded with the Proud Boys in the run-up to Jan. 6, 2021, and portions of what he captured on film have come out in recent years. That includes footage of a critical meeting between members of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers in an underground garage just before the insurrection. His documentary,  “64 Days: The Road to Insurrection”, is coming out on Oct. 4.

Inside the Springfield OH News-Sun

By Josh Sweigart
Editor and Publisher

The false claim that Haitian migrants in Springfield were responsible for eating pets was quickly spread online, causing a wave of fear and confusion in the community. As national attention intensified, the Springfield News-Sun remained focused on delivering accurate, well-researched information to their community.

The End of the Musical App Finale

By Nitish Pahwa
Slate

Last month, nothing short of an earthquake-level upheaval struck the professional music industry. On Aug. 26, the president of the Colorado-based tech company MakeMusic announced that the firm would be making “no further updates” to Finale, the pioneering and popular music-notation app that the firm had been selling and updating for 35 years. 

What Computers Can’t Do

By Eli Zaretsky
London Review of Books

We think of human beings as essentially rational, problem-solving, goal-oriented animals – an idea that long antedates neoliberalism. At the same time, we think of the computer as a problem-solving calculator, though one with access to far more data than an individual person. Computers can think creatively. What computers can’t do is free associate.

Do You Need a Virtual Private Network?

By Zack Whittaker
TechCrunch

VPN providers funnel all of your device’s internet traffic through their own systems, under the premise that the provider shields your information from outside prying eyes, like governments, online advertisers, and even your home internet provider. The problem is, how do you trust that a VPN provider will protect all of your private internet browsing information?

Course on Digital Capitalism

Transnational Institute

This collection of materials is drawn from a dynamic six-week course that delved into the concept of digital capitalism — what it is, how it is being shaped, and its far-reaching impacts on our economy, society, and environment.

CNN Smears Rashida Tlaib

By Arwa Mahdawi
The Guardian

CNN has spent days amplifying a news story centered around a fabricated quote. And these smears aren’t just insulting, they put Tlaib in danger. Calling out or protesting against a genocide now seems to be considered a worse crime than committing one.

AI and Spear Phishing: New Directions in Disinfo

By Nina Jagannathan
Salon

Phishing has evolved beyond misspelled emails and dubious URLs. The Nigerian Prince has been dethroned by something far more insidious. Adding artificial intelligence to these deceptive tactics has made phishing harder to detect and more convincing.


Source URL: https://portside.org/2024-10-01/media-bits-and-bytes-october-1-2024