Meta briefly blocked Australians from posting news to Instagram and Threads. The company said it was an “error,” but it seems more like they decided to give people a taste of what will happen if the government says they have to keep paying news publishers.
Crikey
Meta blames 'error' for stopping users from posting Australian news to Instagram and Threads
After users speculated that the issue could be linked to a looming fight with Australian media companies, Meta confirmed that it was an 'error...
 #tech #news #meta #facebook #instagram #threads #journalism #australia
A few years ago, Mark Zuckerberg was one of the most reviled figures in Silicon Valley. Today, Elon Musk has taken his spot and Zuckerberg’s makeover has led far too many people to downplay the continued harms of his reign. Don’t buy the “Zuckessance.”
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Roundup: Don't buy the "Zuckessance"
Read to the end for a forthcoming tech book you might like
 #tech #meta #markzuckerberg
the AI industry is reaching new levels of evil
The Verge
Palantir partners with Microsoft to sell AI to the government
Palantir benefits from the AI gold rush.
 #tech #ai #palantir #microsoft
Shopify says it’s a different kind of company, yet it enables right-wing extremists to profit from Nazi memorabilia and hateful merchandise, and its COO cofounded a far-right “news” site. On #TechWontSaveUs, I spoke to @npub18fkk...yu2t and @npub1n780...wqs8 about the right-wing politics driving Shopify’s leaders.
Tech Won't Save Us
Shopify’s Right-Wing Inner Circle w/ Luke LeBrun & Rachel Gilmore - Tech Won’t Save Us
 #tech #podcast #shopify image
“The fact that we have secretaries of state begging a narcissistic billionaire to behave himself suggests to me that we as a society are highly endangered and unprotected by a lack of responsibility and hard decision making that should be made at the highest levels of government.” — @npub17tre...65vm https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/07/elon-musk-x-uk-trump-violence-00173067 #tech #socialmedia #elonmusk #politics
The courts are clear: Google is a monopolist. But will that monopoly be effectively curtailed? The ruling has been celebrated as a new dawn for the internet, but there are plenty of reasons to believe Google’s power may not be reined in as much as we hope. The fight is far from over.
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The Google monopoly ruling won’t save the internet
More competition won’t be enough to dismantle Silicon Valley’s power
 #tech #google #antitrust #monopoly #apple
Google being found guilty of monopoly practices is a landmark finding that will affect the coming tech antitrust cases, but now the question is about consequences. The remedies haven’t been decided. Microsoft escaped the worst of them two decades ago.
The Verge
Judge rules that Google ‘is a monopolist’ in US antitrust case
The DOJ and Google faced off in a 10-week trial.
 #tech #google #antitrust #monopoly
Tech donors are getting behind Kamala Harris as she gains momentum in the presidential race, but there are some big concerns. Her team now has two prominent Uber executives and she’s failed to defend FTC Chair Lina Khan from donor demands Harris fire her.
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Roundup: How tech is trying to shape the Kamala Harris agenda
Read to the end for some insight on the supply chains behind Amazon
 #tech #politics #kamalaharris #linakhan #uber
In Silicon Valley, there are a bunch of companies named after places and things from The Lord of the Rings. I decided to dig a bit deeper on them, and found the dark lord Peter Thiel holds the One Ring to rule them all — or close enough.
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Peter Thiel’s influence over a network of Lord of the Rings-inspired companies
The tech billionaire can’t stop naming companies after Tolkien’s fantasy world
 #tech #peterthiel #lotr #lordoftherings
debating whether to reach out to the photographer who took this pic in 2006 to see what else she has of peter thiel playing with lord of the rings toys image