ECP NetHappenings Newsletter © 7-11-19
President Trump can’t block you on Twitter, federal court rules
https://thenextweb.com/us/2019/07/10/president-trump-cant-block-you-on-twitter-federal-court-rules/
Trump’s ‘Social Media Summit’: All the President’s Memes
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/business/trump-social-media-summit.html
Trump will mobilize its domestic-based trolls ahead of 2020.
In 2016, a “meme army” rose from the depths of 4chan and Reddit to support Mr. Trump’s candidacy by turning out a steady stream of pro-Trump images, videos and animation — the best of which were often shared by Mr. Trump and his inner circle on social media. Since his election, Mr. Trump has continued to look to his internet supporters as a kind of crowdsourced media consultancy, from which he draws slogans, video mash-ups and “Game of Thrones”-inspired memes. President Trump is assembling a group of his most ardent online supporters for a White House “social media summit.” The guest list has not been publicly released, but a motley grab bag of pro-Trump influencers have taken to Twitter to brag about their invitations, including James O’Keefe, the right-wing founder of Project Veritas; Bill Mitchell, a pro-Trump activist who has promoted the QAnon conspiracy theory; and a pseudonymous Twitter user, “CarpeDonktum,” who is perhaps best known for creating a doctored video of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. that Mr. Trump retweeted.
The group will have “a robust conversation on the opportunities and challenges of today’s online environment,” according to Judd Deere, a White House spokesman, who said last month that Mr. Trump would speak at the summit. Conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation and Turning Point USA have also said they would attend.
The summit illuminates the rising influence of online tastemakers within the political establishment. But it also has the makings of a West Wing pity party. Right-wing internet personalities, including Mr. Trump himself, have accused social media companies of being biased against them. Recently, Mr. Trump suggested that Twitter “should be sued because of what’s happening with the bias,” and in May, the White House released a “share your story” tool to collect anecdotes from people who feel their social media accounts have been banned unfairly.
2014 Adam Curtis – Oh Dear
This is not another conspiracy “Theory” when you can prove the intentional strategy of statecraft
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcy8uLjRHPM
Mozilla blocks UAE bid to become an internet security guardian after hacking reports
Firefox browser maker Mozilla is blocking the United Arab Emirates’ government from serving as one of its internet security gatekeepers, citing Reuters reports on a UAE cyber espionage program.
13-year-old scientist’s research shows hand dryers can hurt kids’ ears
Research finds many hand dryers operate at noise levels that are harmful to children. Nora Keegan is the 13-year-old student who did the study in the Canadian journal Paediatrics & Child Health.
Protip: If you want to learn about something specific, email an academic about their research. This is from David Fifield (published with permission) about how encrypted Tor traffic is censored in China. I hadn’t even asked what my question was yet, just if he was the right guy.
Eric Wall @ercwl:
Facebook’s Libra Masterplan
The social media company’s move into cryptocurrency takes advantage of regulatory loopholes
If Facebook’s blockchain handles 1,000 tps, that means you have to handle 1,000 tps as well (which you won’t) or blindly trust the system. Bitcoin doesn’t want you to trust the system. Bitcoin wants you to be the system.
“Libra “anonymity” 101: What Facebook says: private enough to hide you from corporations, but transparent enough for law enforcement to catch criminals Reality: transparent enough for corporations to track average users, but private enough to hide criminals from law enforcement”
With an account-based model (i.e. constant address reuse), every corporation should have an easy time deanonymizing every normal user and every business and map out exactly what everyone is doing. Running a full (non-block producing) node will supposedly be open to the public.
My own theory is that intially, Facebook won’t care about 0.01% of suspicious activity. It’s worth it, since keeping the system somewhat open allows for on/off-ramps to pop up everywhere on the planet without their help. Libra adoption > all.
Why Facebook’s plans for a cryptocurrency are already dead in the water
Scott Galloway Professor of Marketing @NYUStern
The Arrogance and Genius of Libra Coin
Facebook’s cryptocurrency partners revealed—we obtained the entire list of inaugural backers
Craig Wright faces tough questions in court
Freedom of the Press Foundation
https://medium.com/freedom-of-the-press-foundation
“Jane Doe” alleges Donald Trump sexually assaulted her on four separate occasions, culminating in a rape when she was just 13 at Jeffrey Epstein’s mansion. Her evidence? Three sworn declarations – from her, a friend she confided in at the time, AND one of Epstein’s recruiters. This case was filed in New York federal court in 2016. You can read her pleading here: https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000158-26b6-dda3-afd8-b6fe46f40000 … The case was NOT dismissed. Jane withdrew her complaint on November 4, 2016, saying she was “afraid to show her face” due to “numerous threats” against her.
Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘Pedophile’ Island
More than two decades ago, Little St. James Island, a small body of land tucked in the U.S. Virgin Islands, began to change in ways that that locals on other islands regarded with suspicion. Plants were cleared. Poles bearing American flags went up. Security guards lined the beaches. These transformations, according to the Associated Press, happened when the island was bought by a now-disgraced billionaire: Jeffrey Epstein, who was indicted earlier this week on charges that he ran a sex-trafficking ring of underage girls in the early 2000s.