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Site URL: www.techdirt.com
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Low Orbit Satellite Companies Respond To Scientists’ Concerns About Light And Environmental Pollution With Even Bigger, Brighter Satellites
Published: September 28, 2024 02:39
Scientists say that low earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations being built by Amazon, Starlink, and AT&T pose a dire threat to astronomy and scientific research, and that too little is being done to address the issue. Back in 2022, scientists declared…
Ctrl-Alt-Speech: Is This The Real Life? Is This Just Fakery?
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/09/27/ctrl-alt-speech-is-this-the-real-life-is-this-just-fakery/
Published: September 27, 2024 21:22
Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast about the latest news in online speech, from Mike Masnick and Everything in Moderation‘s Ben Whitelaw. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Pocket Casts, YouTube, or your podcast app of choice — or go…
Don’t Forget That The Same People Banning Books Want To Ban Porn
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/09/27/dont-forget-that-the-same-people-banning-books-want-to-ban-porn/
Published: September 27, 2024 20:00
PEN America published recent data on book bans and removals just in time for Banned Books Week. Key findings indicate that most books challenged by censorship advocates this past year focus on LGBTQ+ subject matter. Additionally, Iowa and Florida are…
Yet Another Study Shows ShotSpotter Can’t Fight Crime Or Get Help To Shooting Victims Faster
Published: September 27, 2024 18:03
This would seem like a truly extraneous nail in the coffin of ShotSpotter deployment in Chicago, but there are far too many city council members still willing to prop up under-performing tech with faith-based arguments. And there’s the company itself,…
Daily Deal: 2-in-1 Keychain Wireless Charger for iPhone and Apple Watch
Published: September 27, 2024 17:59
This 2-in-1 Keychain Wireless Charger with 2,500mAh battery will charge your Apple Watch 3-5 times on a full charge. Its magnetic design ensures perfect alignment and it works seamlessly with all Apple Watch series. It features Type-C port for versatile…
Quick Let’s Watch Everyone Flip Sides On Twitter’s Handling Of The Hunter Biden Laptop vs. The JD Vance Dossier
Published: September 27, 2024 16:27
It’s been all of [checks calendar] one freaking day since we wrote about Elon Musk’s hypocrisy on free speech compared to the old Twitter regime, and he has to go and make another example. Twitter, under old management: Briefly limits sharing of (at the…
Meta, Deutsche Telekom Standoff In The EU Is Something To Keep An Eye On
Published: September 27, 2024 12:30
Telecom lobbyists have been working overtime in both the US and EU, trying to get policymakers to force internet companies to pay them billions of extra dollars for no coherent reason. These efforts, routinely dressed up as serious adult policy, usually…
Gates Foundation Shows That ‘Gold Open Access’ Was A Mistake, And ‘Diamond Open Access’ Is The Future
Published: September 27, 2024 03:05
The Gates Foundation is one of the most influential funding bodies in the world. According to one ranking, it is the second largest charitable foundation, and as of 31 December 2023 had an endowment of around $75.2 billion. That makes a shift in its…
Trump Loses Copyright Suit Over ‘Electric Avenue’ 2020 Campaign Video In Summary Judgement
Published: September 26, 2024 21:58
Here’s a phrase I have to use but hate doing so: let’s go back to the 2020 presidential campaign. During what was essentially a multi-year advertisement for just how absolutely petty, stupid, and disingenuous a political system could possibly be, the 2020…
DoNotPay Has To Pay, After FTC Dings It For Lying About Its Non-Existent AI Lawyer
Published: September 26, 2024 19:55
Remember “DoNotPay”? They were the company, run by Joshua Browder, claiming to be the “world’s first robot lawyer.” There were all sorts of sketchy things going on, some of which dated back to “DoNotPay’s” earliest days. But things really came to a head…
Now That Six ‘Goon Squad’ Deputies Are Going To Jail For Torturing Two Black Men, The DOJ Says It’s Time To Investigate Their Employer
Published: September 26, 2024 17:56
One of the most horrific acts of police brutality has now resulted in two DOJ investigations. The first concerned the torture of Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker by six white deputies who referred to themselves as the “Goon Squad” for their willingness to…
Daily Deal: uTalk Language Learning
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/09/26/daily-deal-utalk-language-learning-4/
Published: September 26, 2024 17:52
uTalk can help you start speaking like a native within minutes. Using the uTalk learning App you can listen to real native speakers to help you navigate through your next vacation or business trip. With more than 2,500 words and phrases to learn in each of…
Elon Musk’s ExTwitter Regularly Caves To Censorship Demands; Way More Than Old Twitter
Published: September 26, 2024 16:25
Among the key reasons Elon Musk insisted he had to buy Twitter were (1) that it was too political in how it was managed and how content moderation was done, (2) the company was not as transparent as it should be, and (3) it was too quick to censor. Since…
AT&T, T-Mobile Embrace ‘Open Access’ Fiber After Years Of Opposition
Published: September 26, 2024 12:26
Two years ago, Techdirt’s Copia Institute released a report discussing how open access fiber networks were a potential path toward boosting fiber competition in the United States. Such networks, sometimes community owned, involve collaboratively building a…
In-N-Out Bullies Local Sports Bar Into Poke-N-The-Eye Menu Item Name Changes
Published: September 26, 2024 03:10
We’ve talked a great deal about the trademark adventurism of famed burger chain In-N-Out. While In-N-Out has shown itself to be a happy trademark bully in several ways, most of our posts on the company have to do with the trademark tourism it engages in.…
FCC Regulation Of AI In Political Ads Is Bad From Every Angle
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/09/25/fcc-regulation-of-ai-in-political-ads-is-bad-from-every-angle/
Published: September 25, 2024 23:01
Efforts in Congress to ban the use of AI in political ads have largely stalled. So, naturally, the White House is attempting an end-around through the Federal Communications Commission. While not an outright ban, the FCC’s proposal to regulate the use of…
Kentucky Sheriff Murders Judge And It Sure Looks Like It Has Something To Do With His Deputy Raping Parolees
Published: September 25, 2024 20:40
This is pretty harrowing all the way through. No one’s getting away with anything, so there’s that small comfort. But what motivates a well-liked sheriff of a small county in Kentucky to cross every possible line and kill a judge in his own chambers? The…
Top EU Court’s Advisor Explains Why Video Game Cheats Are Not Copyright Infringement
Published: September 25, 2024 19:09
One of the reasons that today’s copyright is such a bad fit for the modern digital world is that its roots lie deep in 18th-century law and analogue objects like books. This fact has created a kind of legislative drag that means copyright is always decades…
Ex-Congressmen Pen The Most Ignorant, Incorrect, Confused, And Dangerous Attack On Section 230 I’ve Ever Seen
Published: September 25, 2024 17:52
In my time covering internet speech issues, I’ve seen some truly ridiculous arguments regarding Section 230. I even created my ever-handy “Hello! You’ve Been Referred Here Because You’re Wrong About Section 230 Of The Communications Decency Act” article…
Daily Deal: StackSkills Unlimited
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/09/25/daily-deal-stackskills-unlimited-23/
Published: September 25, 2024 17:47
StackSkills is the premier online learning platform for mastering today’s most in-demand skills. Now, with this exclusive limited-time offer, you’ll gain access to 1000+ StackSkills courses for life! Whether you’re looking to earn a promotion, make a…
Apple Dumps Suit Against NSO Group After Israeli Government Walks Off With A Bunch Of The Company’s Files
Published: September 25, 2024 16:33
Well, it worked. We’ll have to see how this plays out in the lawsuit WhatsApp brought against NSO Group, but it has managed to shed one litigant thanks to intervention from the home team: the Israeli government. In July, documents obtained by Distributed…
Kaspersky Leaves U.S., Deletes Itself, Swaps Everybody’s Antivirus For Software Nobody Asked For
Published: September 25, 2024 12:26
Back in 2017, the Trump administration signed new rules banning Russian-based Kaspersky software on all government computers. Last June, the Biden administration took things further and banned distribution and sale of the software, stating that the…
NYPD Officers Shot Innocent Bystanders, Fellow Cop Chasing Down A Fare Jumper
Published: September 25, 2024 02:56
I don’t know why the press feels the need to provide cover for law enforcement officers who screw up so badly they injure innocent people and their own coworkers. But they do. It’s not even the “view from nowhere.” It’s the “view mostly likely to exonerate…
‘Cards Against Humanity’ Sues SpaceX, After ‘More Racist Billionaire’ Snuck Up On CAH’s Ant-Border Wall Property ‘From Behind’
Published: September 24, 2024 22:44
Agree with them or not, the folks behind Cards Against Humanity certainly do have a penchant for flair. As you may recall, back during the Trump presidency, when we were still hearing about how a border wall would be built and then billed back to a…
Twitter Tried Removing The Block Feature Before. It Didn’t Go Well. Elon’s Doing It Again Anyway
Published: September 24, 2024 20:21
Elon Musk’s superpower does not appear to be rocket science or electric cars—it’s an uncanny ability to misunderstand why ExTwitter’s features exist. The clear takeaway from the book “Character Limit” about his Twitter takeover was that he only views the…
Court Shuts Down Tennessee’s Attempt To Ban People From Talking About Abortion Options
Published: September 24, 2024 18:10
Tennessee’s government cranks out a lot of stupid laws. It’s been doing it for years, but things have accelerated recently as the state’s legislators seek to curtail rights for, well, pretty much everyone but white men. It has enacted book bans, anti-trans…
Daily Deal: The Ultimate Learn Unity Game Development Bundle
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/09/24/daily-deal-the-ultimate-learn-unity-game-development-bundle/
Published: September 24, 2024 18:05
The Ultimate Learn Unity Game Development Bundle has 10 courses to help you learn how to create your own games. Unity allows you to easily make cross-platform 2D, 3D, VR, AR, and mobile games. It powers indie and AAA games, films, job training apps, and…
Newsom’s Unconstitutional AI Bills Draw First Amendment Lawsuit Within Minutes Of Signing
Published: September 24, 2024 16:35
I do not understand why California Governor Gavin Newsom thinks he has to be the Democratic equivalent of Texas Governor Greg Abbott or Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, signing obviously unconstitutional laws for the sake of winning culture war arguments.…
T-Mobile Leans On Recent Supreme Court Chevron Ruling To Insist The FCC Can’t Require All Phones Be Unlocked
Published: September 24, 2024 12:30
Last July the FCC announced it was moving forward with plans that should make unlocking your mobile phone easier than ever. According to the FCC announcement, the agency, with broad and bipartisan public support, has been working on new rules requiring…
It Happened Again: Child In UK Initially Denied Passport Over Copyright
Published: September 24, 2024 02:55
It happened again and it has to stop. Back in 2014, we talked about how a UK woman had trouble getting her passport approved because her middle name was “Skywalker” and the UK’s passport office for some reason thought that Disney would have to give its…
Chicago’s ShotSpotter Fans Fail To Save City Contract Despite Last-Minute Maneuvering
Published: September 23, 2024 22:17
The writing was on the wall, or rather, on the City of Chicago’s Inspector General’s report: The CPD data examined by OIG does not support a conclusion that ShotSpotter is an effective tool in developing evidence of gun-related crime. Kind of a big problem…
OCLC Says ‘What Is Known Must Be Shared,’ But Is Suing Anna’s Archive For Sharing Knowledge
Published: September 23, 2024 20:05
Back in March, Walled Culture wrote about the terrible job that academic publishers are doing in terms of creating backups of the articles they publish. We also mentioned there two large-scale archives that are trying to help, Sci-Hub and Anna’s Archive. …
Ken Paxton’s Anti-Trans Hotline Trolled To Death Following Ban On Drivers License Gender Changes
Published: September 23, 2024 18:05
If it can be accessed via the internet, it will be. That’s a fact too many entities learn far too late. Amazingly, this wholly expected outcome often comes as a surprise to entities with lots power, money, or expertise — the sort of people you’d think…
Daily Deal: The Ultimate Software Testing Bundle
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/09/23/daily-deal-the-ultimate-software-testing-bundle/
Published: September 23, 2024 18:00
Get the skills you need to become a software tester with the Ultimate Software Testing Bundle. Software testing is performed to identify differences between given input and expected output and to verify that software products function according to…
Mistrial Declared In Bribery Trial Of AT&T Executive
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/09/23/mistrial-declared-in-bribery-trial-of-att-executive/
Published: September 23, 2024 12:27
I’ve covered telecom giants like AT&T for most of an adult life. And I can tell you with absolute certainty that the company all but owns most state legislatures, who are happy to pass no limit of terrible, anti-consumer, anti-competitive legislation in…
Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/09/22/funniest-most-insightful-comments-of-the-week-at-techdirt-128/
Published: September 22, 2024 19:30
This week, our first place winner on the insightful side is an anonymous response to a comment arguing that Cloudflare isn’t very important to the internet: I would like to hear your argument as to why DDoS mitigation is not an essential part of hosting a…
This Week In Techdirt History: September 15th – 21st
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/09/21/this-week-in-techdirt-history-september-15th-21st/
Published: September 21, 2024 19:10
Five Years Ago This week in 2019, some investors were getting sick of AT&T’s obsession with mergers, leading the company to think about dumping DirecTV. Nintendo was ramping up its war on ROM websites, while Congress was moving forward with plans to…
Speculation: Patent At Heart Of ‘Palworld’ Suit Could Be For Capturing Characters With A Ball
Published: September 21, 2024 02:39
As we just talked about the joint lawsuit filed in Japan by Nintendo and The Pokémon Co. against Pocketpair, the company behind the hit game Palworld, we still don’t have all the details. But one of the strange things about the suit is that is not a…
Ctrl-Alt-Speech: Smells Like Teen Safety
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/09/20/ctrl-alt-speech-smells-like-teen-safety/
Published: September 20, 2024 22:31
Ctrl-Alt-Speech is a weekly podcast about the latest news in online speech, from Mike Masnick and Everything in Moderation‘s Ben Whitelaw. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Pocket Casts, YouTube, or your podcast app of choice — or go…
MAGA World’s Belief In Their Made Up Claim That Biden Is ‘Censoring’ Conservatives On Social Media May Kill KOSA
Published: September 20, 2024 20:22
MAGA world’s false belief that Joe Biden is “censoring conservatives” on social media may actually kill the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). As we mentioned earlier this week, while KOSA has already passed the Senate and advanced in a different form out of…