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The battle between Google and, to a lesser extent, Facebook, and traditional news media in Australia reached a head earlier this month when the tech giant threatened to withdraw its popular search services from the country. The bone of contention is a proposed law that frames a bargaining code to ensure that news outlets are compensated for the content they generate. The dispute frames the issue of the dominance of a handful of companies in the digital news landscape. Second, given the abiding importance of quality journalism in informing public debate, it could provide the template for how news organisations businesses and revenue models will evolve.

The proposed law has come not from Australias media watchdog but from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which found after an 18-month investigation that the control over the distribution of content that Google and Facebook have, and the profit from news content they corner, threatens the viability of traditional media. For example, for every $100 of digital advertising revenue accrued in Australia, $53 goes to Google, $28 to Facebook and $19 is shared among the companies that often actually produce content. Under the new law, if an agreement cannot be reached between online platforms and media houses in a stipulated period, the matter will go into arbitration, where the decision will be binding. It is this final clause that Google objects to the most. As a compromise and a strategy Google has launched its News Showcase in Australia, and is trying to strike a deal with media groups before the new law comes into effect. News Showcase and a similar initiative by Facebook in the UK in December 2020 pay news outlets licence fees to use their content. The fear, especially among smaller media houses, is that without a law, they will have no bargaining power vis a vis digital behemoths.

There is little doubt that technology has changed how content is consumed and shapes how news outlets must evolve. In entertainment, for example, large studios like Disney have launched their own platforms to compete with the likes of Netflix and Amazon. Given the monopolistic control that Google and Facebook enjoy and questions over their algorithm-led editorial judgment preserving the diversity of the media landscape has merit. Already, the spectre of regulation seems to be pushing these companies to share profits with those who create content and report the news. Negotiations between old media and new in Australia will be keenly watched.

See the article here:
The digital bargain - The Indian Express

Mayor Greg Fischer today joined National Weather Services Meteorologist-in-Charge John Gordon, Public Works Director Vanessa Burns, Louisville Fire Departments Major Bobby Copper, and Resilience and Community Services (RCS) Director Tameka Laird and Coalition for the Homeless Executive Director Natalie Harris to update residents on the actions the city is taking to prepare for another round of winter weather.

The National Weather Service (NWS) reports multiple rounds of wintry weather are likely to impact the region later today through early Friday morning with more than 4 inches of snow possible across central and eastern Kentucky. NWS anticipates ice accumulations under a quarter inch will be possible across southern and eastern Kentucky.

All of this could again create dangerous road conditions, and thats why I continue asking everyone to stay home as much as possible when were seeing winter weather and bitter cold temperatures like were experiencing this week, said the Mayor.

The Metro Snow Removal team is working 12-hour shifts, so they can provide 24-hour treatment of Metro snow routes. Crews are continuing to apply salt at 600 lbs. per lane miles of roadway, plowing and treating roads with calcium chloride making them as safe as possible.

We really appreciate our Metro Snow Team putting in the extra work to keep our streets clear, the Mayor said. Theyve been out treating, salting and plowing the roads around the clock for several days.

To stay informed on the Snow Teams progress, click on theMETRO SNOW MAPhttps://www.lojic.org/snow-map

Vulnerable residents

RCS remains in constant contact with community partners, including the Coalition for the Homeless to ensure shelters across the city are available.

Its very challenging work, and our partners at the Coalition for the Homeless are vital, Laird said. I cannot express enough thanks to Executive Director Natalie Harris and her work at the Coalition for the Homeless.

Laird also emphasized the importance of Operation White Flag for unsheltered residents. The program goes into effect when the temperature or wind chill is below 35 degrees. For more information, call the Single Point of Entry at 502-637-2337.

Shelter availability:

St. Vincent de Paul, 1034 S. Jackson St., has shelter space available (for men only).

Wayside Christian Mission,432 E. Jefferson St., has shelter space available and is operating 24/7. Wayside is also helping to provide transportation services for those needing to reach shelters. Call 502-996-1888.Pets are accepted in the Low Barrier Shelter at Wayside. During White Flag, previously barred clients are allowed inside, except for those barred for violence against staff or other clients.

Salvation Army, 911 S. Brook St., is operating a Healthy Day Shelter location at their campus with a 400-person capacity. No reservations are required. They also are operating a Healthy Overnight Shelter with a 70-bed capacity for men and women at the Brook Street campus. Call 502-671-4904 to check bed availability.

The Healing Place(for men only) at 1020 W. Market St. has a 48-bed capacity. Call 502-585-4848 to check bed availability.

Overflow Capacity:In addition, Wayside Mission, which operates Hotel Louisville, can make overflow/shelter beds available if needed. Call 502-389-9009. Transportation Available to Shelters: Wayside is also helping to provide transportation services for those needing to reach shelters. Call 502-996-1888.

How the Community Can Assist:Ending homelessness remains a community challenge, and urge concerned residents to help with donations athttps://louhomeless.org/

The citys Meals on Wheels frozen meal deliveries today are being rescheduled and Senior Nutrition distribution sites will be closed. The homebound seniors continue to be contacted by the Office of Resilience and Community Services staff for health check-ins and to check food supply.

Drop-off locations for the Eviction Prevention, Metro Utility Assistance and the LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) programs are open today, however, applicants are encouraged to use their best judgment regarding travel. Applicants with scheduled appointments the week of February 15 will be provided an extension for submitting documentation through Friday, February 26, if needed.

LMPDDue to weather conditions, LMPD is not responding to non-injury motor vehicle collisions, and instead, requests that motorists to use theselinks to file non-emergency/non-injury reports:

Non-injury accident:

http://www.louisville-police.org/337/Report-an-Accident

How to file an incident report:

http://www.louisville-police.org/187/File-a-Police-Report

LFDTheLouisville Division of Firereminds residents to use safety precautions when heating their homes as it the second-leading cause for house fires.LFD recommends the following safety tips:

Candles:Flashlights and battery-operated candles are recommended for emergency lighting. Ifyou are using real candles, be sure they are in a sturdy non-combustible container, keep them clear of combustibles and never leave them unattended. Be sure to extinguish candles before leaving the home or going to sleep.

Generators:Do not use generators indoors or inside attached garages and remember to keep them at least 10 feet away from the home. When fueling the generator, make sure the engine is stopped, always use the recommended type of fuel and allow it to cool down for at least 15 minutes before refueling and 30 minutes after prolonged use.

Carbon Monoxide:Never warm a vehicle in a closed garage, clear snow from outdoor vents and frequently test carbon monoxide detectors. Always use gas-burning ovens and stoves appropriately and never use them to heat a residence.

Space heaters:Make sure it meets the industrys testing standards and has built-in safety features, like an automatic shut off or an overheat shut off feature. Do not use if the electrical cord is damaged, always unplug when leaving the room or going to bed, and remember to keep space heaters at least 3 feet away from any combustibles, draperies or furniture.

Downed trees and power lines:DO NOT handle any telephone, cable, or electricallines; as they may be electrically charged and DO NOT attempt to move or go near tree limbs on your home or near electrical lines; as they may be charged.

When using a fireplace:Make sure it has been serviced by a certified technician and keep fires small. Always make sure the flue is in working condition and use a screen to keep embers and sparks inside the fireplace.

LouVax

The LouVax site at Broadbent Arena is back in operation today and opened at 9 a.m. Operations are expected to resume normal hours on Friday. On Saturday, the LouVax site is extending its hours for a one-time event for required second-dose appointments from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Saturday session is by appointment only.

Our LouVax team has been a model of efficiency and a great example around the country for mass vaccinations, the Mayor said.

TARCAll TARC routes are operating on Winter Weather Detours at this time. For real-time updates, and to help plan ahead with a list of the most common detours implemented during severe winter weather, please visit the News & Events page atridetarc.org

SidewalksHomeowners are reminded that they are responsible to shovel the sidewalk in front of a house they own or rent in within a timely matter of 24 hours. This includes keeping the area free of all overhanging trees, shrubs, and other debris that block walkways.

Animal ServicesLouisville Metro Animal Services is reminding residents to contact animal control to report pets left outside without proper shelter. If you are unsure whether to place a service request, we encourage you to contact animal control to discuss your options with an officer at 502-473-PETS or by email at[emailprotected].

LibraryThe Louisville Free Public Library will operate on a modifiedschedule for today. Library staff will contact everyone with appointments to confirm or reschedule, depending onpatrons' preferences. As conditions change, please check the Library's website, http://LFPL.org,orsocial media for updates.

Zoo

The Louisville Zoo is open to the public today.

view the NWS briefing slides:https://www.weather.gov/media/lmk/BriefingSlides.pdf

Read this article:
City prepared for another round of winter weather - LouisvilleKy.gov

Red Bull's decision to run their own-branded Formula One engines from 2022 using Honda technology puts the former champions on a par with the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari, team principal Christian Horner said on Monday.

We have taken control of our own destiny, in respect of integrating power unit with chassis," he told reporters in a video call.

Red Bull finished second to Mercedes last season, with Dutch driver Max Verstappen the best of the rest, but faced the departure of engine supplier Honda at the end of 2021.

They have opted to form a power train company using the Japanese technology in a move made possible by F1 agreeing an engine development freeze until the next generation power unit comes in for 2025.

Horner said Red Bull, who also have sister team AlphaTauri, were taking a long-term view because the investment in facilities was significant.

We've got the short-term scenario of the existing regulations and then of course whatever the new regulations are, we need to be in a position to take that on as well, he said.

Horner added that the new facility at Milton Keynes would be fully capable of designing and operating the next generation of engines. The power units from 2022 will be branded as Red Bull.

We won't be beholden on a partner so we've got the independence to do it ourselves, he said of the longer term. If an exciting partner comes along, then of course it makes sense to look at it very seriously.

He said there had been no discussion of any eventual Honda return, however.

Horner said the move was a big commitment by Red Bull, who won four drivers' and constructors' titles in a row between 2010-13 at the end of the V8 era.

It puts us on an even keel with the likes of Mercedes, the likes of Ferrari and Renault, he said. You'd have never thought we could have done what we've managed to achieve over the years with the chassis. The challenge now is to try to replicate that within the power unit.

Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault are the only teams that make their own engines and chassis.

Horner said some staff could be redeployed into the power train department, protecting jobs vulnerable to a new budget cap.

See more here:
Red Bull have taken control of their own destiny, says Horner - TimesLIVE

The CJI sought to know from Jain as to what would be the action from the government and asked him to file the response in six weeks while tagging the matter with the pending petition.

The top court had on October 15 last year issued notices to the central government, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Internet and Mobile Association of India.

The plea filed by advocates Shashank Shekhar Jha and Apurva Arhatia also sought a proper board/institution /association for the monitoring and management of content on different OTT/Streaming and digital media platforms.

With cinema theatres unlikely to open anytime soon in the country, OTT/Streaming and different digital media platforms have surely given a way out for film makers and artists to release their content without being worried about getting clearance certificates for their films and series from the censor board, the plea said.

Excerpt from:
Contemplating some action on regulating OTT platforms, Centre tells SC - National Herald

Jack Balkin, a law professor at Yale, writes in an email:

Some of the most troubling features of social media come from business models based on surveillance and monetization of personal data. Social media will not improve as long as their current surveillance-based business models give them the wrong incentives.

Trump, in Balkins view, showed how to use social media for demagogic ends to harm democracy.

But, he added,

Trumps success built on decades of polarization strategies that relied on predigital media talk radio and cable. Without talk radio and Fox News, Trump would have been a far less effective demagogue.

Do social media drive polarization? Balkins answer:

The larger and more profound causes of polarization in the United States are not social media, which really become pervasive only around 2008 to 2010, but rather decades of deliberate attempts to polarize politics to gain political power. Once social media became pervasive in the last decade, however, they have amplified existing trends.

Robert Frank, professor emeritus of economics at Cornell, is a leading proponent of the argument that the current business model of Facebook and other social media is a significant contributor to political and social dysfunction.

Writing on these pages, Frank argued on Feb. 14 that the economic incentives of companies in digital markets differ so sharply from those of other businesses.

Digital aggregators like Facebook, he continued,

make money not by charging for access to content but by displaying it with finely targeted ads based on the specific types of things people have already chosen to view. If the conscious intent were to undermine social and political stability, this business model could hardly be a more effective weapon.

Frank notes that the algorithms digital companies use to

choose individual-specific content are crafted to maximize the time people spend on a platform. As the developers concede, Facebooks algorithms are addictive by design and exploit negative emotional triggers. Platform addiction drives earnings, and hate speech, lies and conspiracy theories reliably boost addiction.

The profit motive in digital media, Frank contends, drives policies that result in the spread of misinformation, hate speech and conspiracy theories.

Eric B. Schnurer, president of Public Works LLC, a policy consulting firm, is similarly critical of the digital business model, writing in an email:

The social media companies discovered that there were limited means for making money off social media, settling on an advertising-based model that required increasing and retaining eyeballs, which quickly led to the realization that the best way to do so is to exploit nonrational behavior and create strong reactions rather than reasoned discourse.

Digital firms, in Schnurers analysis,

have now metastasized into this model where their customers are their raw material, which they mine, at no expense, and sell to others for further exploitation; it is a wholly extractive and exploitive business model, whatever high-minded rhetoric the companies want to spread over it about creating sharing and community.

There were early warnings of the dangers posed by new digital technologies.

Shoshana Zuboff, professor emeritus at Harvard Business School, pursued a line of inquiry as far back as 1981 with The Psychological and Organizational Implications of Computer Mediated Work that led to the broad conclusions she drew in her 2016 paper, Big other: surveillance capitalism and the prospects of an information civilization.

Big data is above all the foundational component in a deeply intentional and highly consequential new logic of accumulation that I call surveillance capitalism. This new form of information capitalism aims to predict and modify human behavior as a means to produce revenue and market control. Surveillance capitalism has gradually constituted itself during the last decade, embodying a new social relations and politics that have not yet been well delineated or theorized.

From a different vantage point, Christopher Bail, a professor of sociology at Duke and director of the universitys Polarization Lab, writes in his forthcoming book Breaking the Social Media Prism that a key constituency is made up of those who feel marginalized, lonely, or disempowered in their off-line lives.

Social media, Bail writes in his book,

offer such social outcasts another path. Even if the fame extremists generate has little significance beyond small groups of other outcasts, the research my colleagues and I conducted suggests that social media give extremists a sense of purpose, community, and most importantly self-worth.

The social media prism, Bail writes,

fuels status-seeking extremists, mutes moderates who think there is little to be gained by discussing politics on social media, and leaves most of us with profound misgivings about those on the other side, and even about the scope of polarization itself.

One of the striking findings of the research conducted at Bails Polarization Lab is that contrary to expectations, increased exposure to the views of your ideological opponents does not result in more open-mindedness.

Bail emailed me to point out that we surveyed 1,220 Republicans and Democrats and

offered half of them financial compensation to follow bots we created that exposed them to messages from opinion leaders from the opposing political party for one month. When we resurveyed them at the end of the study, neither Democrats nor Republicans became more moderate. To the contrary, Republicans became substantially more conservative and Democrats became slightly more liberal.

Bail also offered an analysis of this phenomenon:

The reason I think taking people out of their echo chambers made them more polarized not less is because it exposes them to extremists from the other side who threaten their sense of status.

In his book Bail put it this way, People do not carefully review new information about politics when they are exposed to opposing views on social media and adapt their views accordingly. Instead, he observes, they experience stepping outside their echo chamber as an attack upon their identity.

Read more here:
Opinion | Democracy Is Weakening Right in Front of Us - The New York Times