Science & Tech

Media Executive Warns Big Tech Is Secretively Seizing “All The Power” Over Information

Testifies that Google and Facebook are trying to have a monopoly on news with ‘black box’ algorithms.

Published

11 months ago

24 June, 2020

Steve Watson

Soeren Stache/picture alliance via Getty Images

Newspaper executive Peter Wright has slammed big tech for secretively developing and changing algorithms for news distribution without giving the industry any indication whatsoever of what they are doing.

Wright of DMG Media, which is the parent company of The Daily Mail, was testifying before the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee Tuesday.

He accused companies like Google and Facebook of ‘monopoly behaviour’ as they seek to seize ‘all the power’ in online news and advertising.

Wright claims that the Mail’s online daily traffic from Google searches has been diminished by 50 per cent in just one year after the company changed the algorithm for news content in 2019.

“Google and Facebook in our view are market dominant companies and they behave in the way that market dominant companies do,” Wright stated, noting that it is significantly impacting journalism.

“Google and Facebook both distribute our content via algorithm. Those algorithms are what is known in the digital world as a ‘black box’ – they are secret, you have no idea how they work. But we can see and measure the results,” Wright said.

Wright also implied that the Mail’s pro Brexit stance led to it being targeted by big tech for diminished online distribution.

He noted that last June “over the space of three days, our search visibility, which is the measure of how often your content is appearing against a basket of search terms, dropped by 50 per cent, and it was particularly marked against some particular terms. One of them for instance was ‘Brexit’.”

Wright noted that after his group protested, normality eventually returned.

“But this is monopoly behaviour. You can’t do this if you’re in a business relationship with someone where there’s any semblance of equality of power,” he urged.

Wright noted that Google and Facebook are not regulated and so they are getting away with a secretive takeover of content.

“As far as the commercial relationship between news publishers and the platforms is concerned, it’s a business relationship between two partners in which one partner has all the power,” Wright declared.

He described Google as “completely dominant” in search and digital marketing, the two main avenues for distributing news content, and Facebook (which also owns instagram) as “dominant in social media”, pointing out that they make “more money out of advertising than our newspapers do.”

Despite the vast power that these companies have in such areas, Wright noted that their terms of service are completely “opaque”.

“Even the contracts that we sign to use their services are often presented to us on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. So what we’re asking for here is for regulation, and the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) are about to report on a massive piece of work they’ve been doing, to address the complete imbalance in the business relationship,” Wright asserted.

Science & Tech

Instagram To Allow Users To Choose From 41 Pronouns – Woke Mob Complains There Aren’t Enough

These people will literally complain about anything, even when it’s aimed at pleasing them

Published

12 hours ago

12 May, 2021

Steve Watson

Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Facebook owned Instagram has decided to introduce a feature allowing users to pick from a list of 41 pronouns, thus saving on characters in the bio, but the woke brigade has already complained that there are not enough choices on offer.

The photo sharing app announced that the pronouns are to get a dedicated section:

Add pronouns to your profile ✨

The new field is available in a few countries, with plans for more. pic.twitter.com/02HNSqc04R
— Instagram (@instagram) May 11, 2021

The effort to cater to woke trendies appears to have backfired, however, with many taking offence that their particular pronoun of choice isn’t on offer.

This should just be a box for us to type in. Having us pick from a predetermined list excludes people who use less common neopronouns, it/its people, people who use all or no pronouns, people who want to list their pronouns in multiple languages, and anyone who wants to show >4
— margaretmadole (@margaretmadole) May 11, 2021

These people will literally complain about anything, even when it’s aimed at pleasing them:

hey that’s cool! but could you please add a neopronoun feature??? also maybe add “any pronouns” and it/it’s prounouns?? thanks!!
— Belladonna (@b00bs42069) May 11, 2021

this is incredibly cool, but maybe can you please add an it/its option? some trans and nonbinary individuals like it/its pronouns
— aesop (@tetchousuehiro) May 11, 2021

At time of writing ‘squirrel’ isn’t an option. How dare they.

Plz add options for custom pronouns or something my pronouns are it/it’s and they’re not available ☹️
— onxy ZAY MONTH (@lonxyer) May 11, 2021

GODDAMNIT INSTAGRAM GIVE US AN “ANY PRONOUNS” FEATURE
— Lili (@mommymarxy) May 11, 2021

can you add like neo pronouns pls
— kai🍡 (@hearts4sana) May 11, 2021

why does it not let me put your/mom? this is incredibly discriminatory.
— roach enthusiast (@sterrobrys) May 11, 2021

Others bleated about how un-progressive other social media networks are now that Instagram has the feature:

Well thanks, @instagram! You can now add your pronouns. It’s a simple act, but an important one. @Twitter, you next? pic.twitter.com/uXgXCcm911
— Janis Irwin (@JanisIrwin) May 12, 2021

What's next? Race fields? Religion? Height? Disabilities?
— Neil Cauliflower (@NitroTurbo86) May 11, 2021

Many pointed out that the feature is useless because Instagram has banned them for posting the ‘wrong’ pictures and stories:

“Your comment went against community guidelines, your account is in danger of being taken down” love that little pop up message when I opened the app, would’ve been great to see what exactly I said so I can avoid saying it again, guess I’ll just never comment again…
— jamison.edits (@jtsmolic) May 11, 2021

anyways give me account back y'all literally disabled it for no reason
— aevum ♡ frazer (@TARDISGAYS) May 11, 2021

My Instagram was banned many months ago, and I have followed everything to show that it was a mistake, I have sent multiple requests and codes to fix this and I have got no response from any of your team. @instagram @InstagramComms @facebook #help #instagram #support #insta
— Ashlee Streat-Lovett (@ashta157) May 12, 2021

I’ve been trying to get my verified Instagram account back for half a year now. It says I need to contact you guys, and when I contact you no one responds.
— Matthew Lush (@MatthewLush) May 11, 2021

wish I could access my account to do so 😑 been locked out for months with 0 feedback from support nor does the help center work at all
— jessika t (@jessika_troche) May 11, 2021

how about u give back my 20k followers account
— ᴮᵉᶜᶜᵃ ❼ (@twltter_n_chill) May 11, 2021

This is really amazing @instagram but can you please bring back my disabled account so that I can access this feature <3

(It was disabled on wrong basis, as I had not violated any of the terms and conditions. I've replied to the mail with the photo about a week ago.)
— DL (@darklordspeakss) May 12, 2021

Beautiful. Can you give me my Instagram back?
— Carrie907 (@carrienewlove) May 11, 2021

Others noted that it’s probably just another way of targeting advertising:

Probably useful for advertising purposes to target individuals based on their pronouns?
— Daniel Ramirez (@drmzio) May 11, 2021

What really matters? Being able to call yourself ‘it’ or not having all your data and personal information hacked and/or sold?

Wonderful. Now do a better job at privacy and I might come back.
— The Devyn™️ (@devyn89) May 11, 2021

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Science & Tech

Airlines Won’t Call Digital ID A ‘Vaccine Passport’ Because “It Carries Too Many Connotations”

CEO says companies are “more focused on a credential, travel credential, if you will, to indicate that you’ve been vaccinated”

Published

3 weeks ago

21 April, 2021

Steve Watson

Thiago Prudencio/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

A report from Yahoo News notes that airlines won’t be calling the imminent vaccine passports by that name because “It carries too many connotations,” according to one aviation CEO.

The forthcoming ‘digital certificates’ that will show COVID-19 vaccination status won’t be referred to as vaccination passports says Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian, because that would turn people off.

Bastian declared that airlines are “more focused on a credential, travel credential, if you will, to indicate that you’ve been vaccinated and or tested based on the regulatory requirements.”

The CEO added that he expects “Either a vaccination or a test,” to be a requirement to travel, and airlines are “working with a number of technology providers to be able to facilitate that in an open source way.”

Right. A vaccine passport then.

That is exactly what the ID will be, but never mind, just call it something else to placate the sheeple and hope they remain only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air.

It’s the exact same policy that the UK government is adopting for the system which is slated not only for international travel but also domestically. We are also reliably informed that the vast majority of Brits are willing to accept vaccine passports in order to engage in basic day to day activities, and that they are willing to go along with the digital ID card system PERMANENTLY.

Recent surveys also indicate that almost half of Americans support the introduction of vaccine passports in order to get “back to normal.”

Airline consultant Mike Boyd warned that the companies “would rather not deal with this, but they need to express their points of view very carefully,” adding that creating a global protocol to enforce vaccine passports “could resemble a DMV [Department of Motor Vehicles] on steroids.”

The EU is already ensconced on the vaccine passport road, with a bloc wide ‘Digital Green Certificate’ system set to be rolled out in June.

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