Tag Archive for: Being

News Orgs Attack Big Tech For Being Bad For Privacy… While Their Lobbying Against Big Tech That Will Harm Privacy

/in

It’s kind of difficult to take “privacy advocates” seriously if they’re supportive of the EARN IT Act and its structure that would effectively enable the Attorney General to ban real encryption. That’s why it was so ridiculous that vocal privacy advocate non-profit EPIC (in the midst of a truly horrifying scandal in which its President exposed employees to COVID-19 without telling them) came out in favor of the EARN IT Act. As with so much that EPIC does, the issue was more that they saw EARN IT as “anti-big tech companies” and to hell with how it actually impacts privacy and encryption.

This is an ongoing problem. Many people who (whether for good reasons or not) dislike big internet companies seem way too willing to embrace bills that appear aimed against them as a sort of “stick it to them” attack, rather than recognizing the long term impact of those bills. We’ve seen that in the past with bills from the EU’s Copyright Directive, the GDPR, and the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA), all of which some groups supported solely because it would “be bad” for Google, Facebook and other internet giants, without recognizing the wider impact.

Apparently we can add big news publishers to this list as well. While papers like the NY Times and the Washington Post have run a bunch of stories about how “big tech” is bad about privacy, it’s difficult to take them seriously when their lobbyists are out there lobbying in favor of a bill that would ban encryption. And yet, there is the News Media Alliance, formerly the Newspaper Association of America, cheerfully attacking Section 230 of the CDA (which, someone should remind them, all of their websites rely on…) at the DOJ’s hearing back in February. Because the EARN IT Act is structured in a way to try to play Section 230 and encryption off of one another, the News Media Alliance’s support of attacking 230 gives cover to the EARN IT Act’s effective chipping away at encryption.

And that should greatly concern all of the journalists who work for these newspapers, like the NY Times and the Washington Post among others. Reporters at those newspapers rely heavily on encryption as they cultivate sources. And the newspapers themselves rely strongly on Section 230 to protect them against bogus SLAPP suits, even as they pretend that Section 230 is a “special favor” for large tech companies.

The end result, as with EPIC, is that it seems that the focus on “big internet companies are the problem” means that they’re compromising on their own principles in order to “punish” the big internet companies. Suggesting Section 230 should be amended gives cover to the plan to trade Section 230 protections for undermining encryption — thereby undermining both. And that’s really dangerous, given that news reporters and news sites rely on both strong encryption and on Section 230.

The News Media Alliance is playing a dangerous game, while being blinded by its dislike of big internet companies.

Techdirt.

After Years Of Being Blamed For Everything, The World Turns To Video Games To Escape During Coronavirus Shut-In

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For years and years and years, video games have suffered the brunt of blame for all manner of the world’s ills. Real world violence? Video games. Mass shootings? Video games. Soccer team not performing well? Video games! Kids getting into hacking? Bruh, video games! Men not finding women attractive enough to keep the human race going? Video games did that, too!

Which makes it kind of fun to now see media outlets suggesting, nay, pushing those impacted one way or the other by the coronavirus outbreak to go jump into those same dastardly video games.

Think of gaming as a personal stimulus plan for a nation of unexpected shut-ins: It’s not a long-term solution, it won’t work for everyone, and it won’t solve the underlying problems — but it can provide limited, temporary relief for some.

Video games take many forms, but they are all essentially simulations. And when the real world is temporarily unavailable, a simulated version might be what we need.

Those of us who evangelize gaming, of course, have shouted this same line for years. Still, the point is only partially right. Yes, video games are something of a simulation… but typically a fantastical one. Which is the entire point, of course. During times of high stress, and being forced to be shut-ins by some invisible enemy that we may already have inside of us certainly qualifies, a little escapism through entertainment is nearly medicine. And certain games, frankly, are particularly well-suited to this situation.

Stuck inside a small house or apartment because your state is in lockdown? Fire up that big screen TV and Skyrim and just walk the wilds for a while. Miss being able to get out into your big city and enjoy a little freedom? GTA will at least give you a simulation of that, albeit an over the top ridiculous one. Just need to turn your brain off for an hour because you lost your job and need to relax? I’ll be damned if Stardew Valley won’t set you at ease.

That makes games useful in another way. Some of us are shut in alone. But especially in cities, many are now effectively trapped inside modest apartments with family or roommates, and little private space. Games offer a form of personal escape, a way to simulate being elsewhere from the confines of your couch.

And for those who are alone, games can also serve as social spaces, virtual fields of play for cooperative adventures or competitive contests. Many of today’s most popular games are online experiences that allow players to engage with friends as well as strangers, to forge digital versions of the same sort of bonds with teammates that can develop in the real world.

As the post notes, these are not long-term solutions, but they are therapy of a kind. All I’ll say is that we should be damned glad our PCs and consoles aren’t vengeful, or they’d refuse to help us in our time of need with all of the abuse we’ve heaped on them.

Techdirt.