Autoweek | Nico Hulkenberg shrugs off F1 'Halo' device censorship | Autoweek Autoweek Nico Hulkenberg says he is not bothered by being edited out of an official F1 video about the controversial "Halo" concept. In Hungary last weekend, drivers ... Nico Hulkenberg unaffected by F1 Halo censorship - F1i.com |
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Nico Hulkenberg shrugs off F1 'Halo' device censorship | Autoweek - Autoweek
August 4, 2017 by Terry Flew, The Conversation Our internet is becoming increasingly fragmented thanks to local laws. Credit: c12/Shutterstock
Both The Economist and WIRED are worried about the "splinternet". The UK research organisation NESTA thinks it could "break up" the world wide web as we know it.
What is this awkwardly named idea? It's the concept that someone's experience of the internet in Turkey, for example, is increasingly different from their experience of the internet in Australia.
Travellers to China, in particular, will be familiar with this phenomenon. Thanks to the government's tight control, they have to use Baidu rather than Google as their search engine, and are unable to access Facebook or news sites like The Economist and the New York Times.
We have a growing splinternet because of regional content blocking and the need for companies to comply with diverse, often conflicting national policies, regulations and court decisions.
This tension is particularly apparent when it comes to the likes of Google, Facebook and Twitter. These platform companies have users in almost every country, and governments are increasingly insisting that they comply with local laws and cultural norms when it comes to access and content.
The internet was never truly open
The idea of the internet as an independent, global and unregulated platform has always been something of a fiction. Even at the height of techno-futurist rhetoric about its potential to transcend national boundaries in the late 1990s, there were always exceptions.
The Chinese Communist Party understood from the start that the internet was simply a new form of media, and media control was central to national sovereignty and its authority.
But the splinternet refers to a broader tendency to use laws and regulatory powers within territorial jurisdictions to set limits on digital activities.
A threshold moment was Edward Snowden's revelations in 2013. The documents he shared suggested that the US National Security Agency, through its PRISM program, had been collecting information from global users of Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft and Yahoo.
In countries such Brazil, whose leaders had had their communications intercepted, this accelerated moves towards developing national internet control.
Brazil's Marco Civil da Internet law, for instance, now requires global companies to comply with Brazilian laws around data protection.
Is this a bad thing?
Until now, much of the appeal of the internet has been that it's driven by user content and preferences, and not by governments.
But people are paying more attention to hate speech, targeted online abuse, extremism, fake news and other toxic aspects of online culture. Women, people of colour and members of certain religions are disproportionately targeted online.
Academics such as Tarleton Gillespie and public figures such as Stephen Fry are part of a growing rejection of the typical response of platform providers: that they are "just technology companies" intermediaries and cannot involve themselves in regulating speech.
A UK House of Commons report into "hate crime and its violent consequences" noted that:
"there is a great deal of evidence that these platforms are being used to spread hate, abuse and extremism. That trend continues to grow at an alarming rate but it remains unchecked and, even where it is illegal, largely unpoliced."
If we say online hate speech "should be policed", two obvious questions arise: who would do it and on what grounds?
At present, content on the major platforms is largely managed by the companies themselves. The Guardian's Facebook Files revealed both the extent and limitations of such moderation.
We may see governments become increasingly willing to step in, further fragmenting the user experience.
Fair play for all
There are other concerns at play in the splinternet. One is the question of equity between technology companies and traditional media.
Brands like Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Netflix and Amazon are eclipsing traditional media giants. Yet film, television, newspapers and magazines are still subject to considerably greater levels of country-specific regulation and public scrutiny.
For example, Australian commercial television networks must comply with locally produced material and children's content regulations. These mostly do not apply to YouTube or Netflix despite audiences and advertisers migrating to these providers.
It is increasingly apparent to media policy makers that existing regulations aren't meaningful unless they extend into the online space.
In Australia, the 2012 Convergence Review sought to address this. It recommended that media regulations should apply to "Content Service Enterprises" that met a particular size threshold, rather than basing the rules on the platform that carries the content.
Do we want a splinternet?
We may be heading towards a splinternet unless new global rules can be set. They must combine the benefits of openness with the desire to ensure that online platforms operate in the public interest.
Yet if platform providers are forced to navigate a complex network of national laws and regulations, we risk losing the seamless interconnectedness of online communication.
The burden of finding a solution rests not only on governments and regulators, but on the platforms themselves.
Their legitimacy in the eyes of users is tied up with what Bank of England chair Mark Carney has termed for markets is a "social licence to operate".
Although Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and others operate globally, they need to be aware that the public expects them to be a force for social good locally.
Explore further: Facebook, Google crack down on hate speech: EU
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Facebook, Google and other US internet giants have sharply boosted efforts to clamp down on online hate speech, a top European Union official said Thursday.
Britain's interior minister is traveling to California to press Internet firms including Facebook, Twitter and Google to stem the flow of extremist content online.
Facebook said Tuesday its ranks of monthly active users had hit the two billion markmeaning more than a quarter of the world's population is on the giant social network.
Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube announced Monday the launch of an anti-terror partnership aimed at thwarting the spread of extremist content online.
Facebook said Tuesday that it deleted about 66,000 posts a week in the last two months as the social media giant cracks down on what it deems to be hate speech.
Internet giants Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube are not doing enough to fight online hate speech despite "moving in the right direction", the European Commission said on Tuesday.
It has been argued that the ability of humans to recognize social signals is crucial to mastering social intelligence - but can robots learn to read human social cues and adapt or correct their own behavior accordingly?
The small, ornate figurines look like relics of a bygone age: a serene Buddha's head from the Tang dynasty, or a collection of stone-faced soldiers from the Qin era.
Research scientists have achieved a new world record in tape storage their fifth since 2006. The new record of 201 Gb/in2 (gigabits per square inch) in areal density was achieved on a prototype sputtered magnetic tape ...
The near-supersonic rail system known as hyperloop has passed another key milestone on its path to become reality, the US startup Hyperloop One said Wednesday.
Researchers are looking to insects - specifically cicadas - for insight into the design of artificial surfaces with de-icing, self-cleaning and anti-fogging abilities.
High-speed images of a common laser-based metal 3-D printing process, coupled with newly updated computer models, have revealed the mechanisms behind material redistribution, a phenomenon that leads to defects in printed ...
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The 'splinternet' may be the future of the web - Phys.org - Phys.Org
Snopes creator David Mikkelson has secured half a million dollars to keep the iconic fact-checking website Snopes afloat, thanks to a judges ruling in an ongoing court battle.
Mikkelson cannot be removed as chief exec of Snopes.com, while the disputed $500k will be released to the firm that controls Snopes, Bardav Inc.
Proper Media does not have standing to seek removal of Mikkelson. Plaintiffs have not presented sufficient evidence to prove fraudulent acts, wrote Judge Judith Hayes of the San Diego Superior Court in her tentative ruling, published late yesterday.
The judge also ruled that Proper Media, the ad firm which is in dispute with Bardav and which had withheld the $500k, could continue with its claim for breach of contract against Bardav. Vincent Green, one of Proper Medias five directors, is accused by Proper of conspiring with Mikkelson to block the rest of Proper Medias directors from being able to seize full control of Bardav and thus Snopes.
In addition, the source code and templates for Snopes.com will remain under control of Proper Media, despite Mikkelson applying for them to be transferred to Bardav.
Snopes, as all internet users know, is the original fact-checking website. It mostly debunks viral rumours, including such tales as cats being accidentally fired at jet engines during bird strike tests and social media sites demanding upfront payments unless gullible users forward on a particular message.
As we reported in July, Snopes is in trouble thanks to a battle between two companies claiming ownership of the iconic website. Its parent company, Bardav, is being challenged by its advertising partner Proper Media for control of the business.
Proper Media, while placing ads on Snopes and collecting the revenue, was said to be withholding at least $500,000 from Bardav. Proper claims ownership of 50 per cent of Snopes on the basis that Mikkelsons ex-wife sold the firm her stake in the site when she and Mikkelson divorced in 2016. Mikkelson himself owns the other half, which is not in dispute.
Barbara Mikkelsons stake, the newspaper reports, was split between Propers five directors in varying proportions. Proper Media claims that its directors shareholdings amount to making it a beneficial owner of shares in Snopes, entitling it to a seat on Snopes board. Mikkelson says that the five individuals each hold minority stakes and no board seat is due.
The case continues, with more hearings due to take place later today.
PROPER MEDIA LLC VS BARDAV INC is being heard in the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego.
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Snopes lawsuit latest: Judge orders disputed cash can flow to fact-checking site - The Register
This may be goodbye for MartinShkreli. The34-year-old "PharmaBro"was foundguilty on two counts of securities fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit fraud at a federal court in Brooklyn.He faces up to 20 years in prison.
Shkreliwas convicted of only three out of eight counts. The charges stem from his time managing the hedge funds ofMSMBCapital Management and MSMBHealthcare between 2009 and 2014. The government has said thatShkrelidefrauded investors and stole upwards of $11 million from his companyRetrophinto pay the defrauded investors back.Shkrelidid not testify. The deliberation took five days.
The trial was an odd one:Shkrelireportedly read a book during the prosecutions rebuttal argument; the defense talked about how Shkrelibrushed his teeth often due to his anxiety; and Shkreliheldlivestream sessions after court.
Prosecutor Jacquelyn Kasulisremarked that the trial "has exposed MartinShkrelifor who he really isa con man who stole millions." Following the verdict,Shkreli told reporters, "This was a witch hunt of epic proportions."
"PharmaBro"Shkrelicame into the national spotlight in 2015 after his companyTuring Pharmaceuticals inflated the price of life-saving AIDS medicationsby more than 5,000 percent.Shkreli, a noted bad and terrible human being, has been in the news for doing a variety of bad and terrible things. From trying tobuythe gun George Zimmerman used to killTrayvonMartin to harassingwomen online to a very long list that I'm not even going to get into.
Though Shkreli is facing up to 20 years in prison, it's likely he'll receive, and serve, less than that.
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Farewell, Martin Shkreli: 'Pharma Bro' Convicted on 3 Counts of Fraud and Conspiracy - Complex
This summer, the introspective artist is using his wardrobe to say what's on his mind.
And Ocean's style has also followed in that path. While he can clean up nicely in a tuxedo, the artist seems to favor shirts printed with some Tumblr-esque text written across them. His text-heavy Panorama festival performance tee (more on that in a minute) was just the latest example of Ocean's sartorial Tumblr moments of late.
Just under a year ago, the "Pyramids" singer released the video for "Nikes," his first single after a four-year hiatus from dropping a musical project. The clip is a kaleidoscopic montage of scenes cutting from one to the next, but amongst them, Ocean appears standing on stage wearing a tee printed with the Jenny Holzer's text-based work Truisms. While that garment is one of a only a handful made by a gallery that exhibited Holzer's work, West Coast-based brand Rust issued a riff on the T-shirt that has stayed in high demand, consistently selling out since the "Nikes" video. Unsurprisingly, Rust's founder Sean Stanton attributes that Frank Ocean.
In another, shorter scene in "Nikes," the "Good Guy" crooner wore a blue Bianca Chandon hoodie with the word "LOVER" written on it in bold white letters while singing in remembrance of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old black teen shot by George Zimmerman. "RIP Trayvon," he sang, "That n**** looked just like me." By the time the video was released, the T-shirt has already been sold out, but the attention Ocean brought to it drove the tee's resale value up. They now go for easily over $100 on sites like Grailed.
But it's not only videos that the 29-year-old uses to turn streetwear pieces into grails. Paparazzi caught Ocean walking through Soho in New York with Luka Sabbat and Kendall Jenner this summer, pink-haired and wearing a striped "Maintain the Mystery" tee from the West Coast streetwear brand The Hundreds. For many, it was a cryptic answer to why he had cancelled a recent performance in Barcelona, which he should have been at that weekend. For others it was a reason to drop $39 and sell out the design.
At the FYF Festival last month, while most were talking about the way he serenaded Brad Pitt, the sartorially minded had an eye on his "Instant Karma" tee. Many have cited that shirt as a product of a 1992 project which saw Nike licensing the use of a John Lennon song of the same name. And though imagery of a shirt from that project is available, the design differs from Ocean's version. Nike does confirm that it did produce a similar shirt in the '90s, making Ocean's an authentic original.
But most recently, the idea of Tumblr post as Frank tee was on view at Panorama. There, his anti-discrimination tee made countless headlines, racketing up both an incredible amount of sales (over 5,500 according to the company who designed it, Greenbox) as well as a brewing controversy. In fact, it was recently revealed that the design initially was a tweet, essentially reblogged onto a shirt, reblogged onto the Blonde singer's grand stage. Seems like the attention the Frank effect brings can also have a downside.
In a world of embroidered trousers and overly-designed, heavily graphic-ed blazers (if you're into it, no shame) Ocean's pared back approach to dressing and it's added benefit of speaking without speaking, is refreshing, thoughtful even. But would we expect anything less from a guy who released an album one day to fulfill his label contract and launched himself as an independent artist the very next day with another?
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Frank Ocean Is Quiet. His T-Shirts Are Not - GQ Magazine