Why Technology Must Be Regulated
May 17, 2019
“The point of modern propaganda isn’t only to misinform or push an agenda. It is to exhaust your critical thinking, to annihilate truth.”
“One of the strengths, and weaknesses, of liberal democratic societies is giving the benefit of the doubt even to one’s enemies”
“Somehow, people always forget that it’s much easier to install a dictator than to remove one”
– Garry Kasparov
A Rose By Any Other Name Will Still Kill Us All: Despite this spring’s devastating floods across much of the Midwest, that have submerged farms, split open levees and left people stranded for days or weeks, a stubborn denial of human-caused climate change remains. Davenport, Iowa was inundated two weeks ago when the Mississippi River reached record levels and rushed into town. Now that the river is retreating toward its banks, the conversation about what to do carefully avoids any mention of climate change. Davenport’s mayor said it would just be “divisive” to take a stance on that topic. “We know there’s something going on, so how do we come together and deal with that?” the mayor said. “Let’s not try to label it. Let’s not try to politicize it. It’s just a matter of something is changing.”
The two-term mayor understands his constituency. Disasters like what Davenport experienced have renewed national attention on how climate change can exacerbate flooding, and how cities can and should prepare for a future with more extreme weather. Because many people living in some of the hardest-hit areas still refuse to accept the science and recognize the dangerous forecast, trying to have that conversation is a bridge too far for most political and business leaders. Davenport just embraced its proximity to the Mississippi, erecting temporary barriers whenever the river rose.
In recent years downtown Davenport boomed; warehouse buildings with waterfront views became upscale condos, trendy shops and new restaurants. The river was also growing fiercer, so the temporary flood barriers became a regular feature. When the Mississippi rose again this spring it lingered on the city’s doorstep for more than a month. Then on April 30 a barrier split open, and churning, murky water consumed several blocks of downtown with a tsunami-like force, swallowing cars and stranding dozens of people.
Chinese Tech vs. America Tech: President Trump issued an executive order Wednesday, invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Trump declared a national economic emergency, which empowers the government to ban the technology services of “foreign adversaries” deemed to pose “unacceptable risks” to national security, including from cyber-espionage and sabotage. Neither specific countries nor companies were named, but the move reflects government concerns that equipment from Chinese suppliers like Huawei could pose an espionage threat to US internet and telecommunications infrastructure. Huawei responded in a statement saying: “If the US restricts Huawei, it will not make the US safer, nor will it make the US stronger. It will only force the US to use inferior and expensive alternative equipment, lagging behind other countries … and ultimately harming US companies and consumers.” Trump’s order directs the commerce department to draw up an enforcement plan within 150 days. (Guardian)
From Canada With Secrets: China’s foreign ministry said Thursday that two Canadian men detained since December have been formally arrested on espionage charges. Former diplomat Michael Kovrig, detained while visiting Beijing, was arrested on suspicion of “gathering state secrets and intelligence for abroad.” Business consultant Michael Spavor was detained in northeastern China and accused of “stealing and providing state secrets for abroad.” It was speculated that the men were being held in retaliation for Canada’s arrest of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, China’s biggest telecommunications company. Canada arrested Meng last December at the request of the US government, which wants her extradited to stand trial on fraud charges. Beijing’s continued fury over Meng’s arrest makes it more likely now the two Canadians will face trial and conviction, further deepening the standoff with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration. (NYT)
Canada Isn’t Getting Their Allowance This Week: Philippines’ president Rodrigo Duterte had given Canada a deadline of Wednesday midnight to take back more than 100 shipping containers of household trash it had sent to the southeast Asian country over five years ago. The rubbish had been mislabeled as recyclable materials. Shortly after the May 15 deadline passed, Philippines’ foreign secretary tweeted that the country’s ambassador and consuls to Canada were being recalled immediately. A spokesman for Duterte warned that Canada would have to pay extra storage fees and other penalties, or Manila would “throw back their trash back at them.” (NYT)
- Mexico’s Congress Votes to Expand Domestic Workers’ Labor Rights (NYT, $)
- Uber Drivers Are Contractors, Not Employees, Labor Board Says (NYT, $)
- How the Promise of a $120 Billion Uber I.P.O. Evaporated (NYT, $)
- The Trade Secret: Firms That Promised High-Tech Ransomware Solutions Almost Always Just Pay the Hackers (ProPublica)
- In North Korea, Worst Drought in Decades Adds to Food Crisis (NYT, $)
- U.S. Ambassador Says Israel Is ‘on the Side of God’ (NYT, $)
- Spies, Stealth and Threats: How Militants Infiltrated a Vital Army Base (NYT, $)
- Who killed the prime minister? The unsolved murder that still haunts Sweden: Three decades ago, Olof Palme was assassinated on Stockholm’s busiest street. The killer has never been found. Could the discovery of new evidence finally close the case? (Guardian)
How Much Money Does Trump Inc. Make?: The Washington Post gathered data on individual Trump businesses through public records, internal company data and interviews with current and former Trump employees to assess the Trump Organization’s financial health. Documents provided to Miami-Dade County, Florida show that between 2015 and 2017 the Trump Doral resort’s net operating income fell by 69 percent. A tax consultant hired by the organization to try lowering the property’s tax bill told an official late last year the resort was “severely underperforming” other resorts in the area. The reason she gave was: “There is some negative connotation that is associated with the brand.”
Revenue fell at some Trump hotels in Chicago and New York after he entered the presidential race, and by the end of 2018, the Trump hotel chain had lost three locations when building owners cut ties with the Trump Organization. The decline at Doral is especially significant because the resort had seemed better insulated from political backlash than other Trump properties. It wasn’t. The Doral’s troubles hadn’t been reported earlier, and suggest the Trump Organization’s problems are bigger than previously known. Eric Trump, the president’s son who runs the business day-to-day, rejected the idea that the Trump brand is damaged. In a statement he said: “Our iconic properties are the best in the world and our portfolio is unrivaled by anyone.” (WaPo)
Merit Based Immigration: President Trump unveiled the outline of a plan to overhaul immigration in the White House Rose Garden Thursday. Speaking to an audience of Cabinet officials and GOP lawmakers, the president said: “Our proposal is pro-American, pro-immigrant and pro-worker.” The new plan contained few details and is primarily to showcase the kind of immigration that Trump and Republicans can support ahead of next year’s elections. The proposal emphasizes a merit based system, prioritizing high-skilled workers over those with family members who are US citizens. Applicants would be judged based on their age, English-speaking ability, job offers, and educational background. Trump contrasted his proposal, which includes revisions to border security and asylum policies, as a sensible modernization of the US immigration system vis-a-vis what he said Democrats wanted: “open borders, lower wages and frankly, lawless chaos.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called Trump’s offering a “dead-on-arrival plan that is not a remotely serious proposal.” (WaPo)
- Kushner skirts GOP senators’ key questions on his immigration plan (WaPo, $)
- Trump Can’t Stop Attacking Biden. G.O.P. Strategists Wish He Would. (NYT, $)
- Elizabeth Warren Deserves Your Undivided Attention: Drew Magary on the Massachusetts senator who’s lapping the democratic field ideas-wise. (GQ)
- The Man Behind San Francisco’s Facial Recognition Ban Is Working on More. Way More. (NYT, $)
- Pelosi and Barr Share a Gag About Jail and Handcuffs (NYT, $)
Why Technology Must Be Regulated
- Technology Is as Biased as Its Makers: From exploding Ford Pintos to racist algorithms, all harmful technologies are a product of unethical design. Yet, like car companies in the ’70s, today’s tech companies would rather blame the user. (Longreads)
- Why I (Still) Love Tech: In Defense of a Difficult Industry (Wired, $)
- These Are the Only Push Notifications You Should Allow on Your Phone (Gizmodo)
- Throw Your Laptop Into the Sea, the Surveillance Economy Will Still Win: Resistance is (currently) futile. Maybe it doesn’t have to be. (NYT, $)
- Facebook Restricts Live Streaming After New Zealand Shooting (NYT, $)
- Teenage girl kills herself ‘after Instagram poll’ in Malaysia: Police investigating after she asked her followers to choose death or life and 69% voted for death (Guardian)
- YouTube’s Newest Far-Right, Foul-Mouthed, Red-Pilling Star Is A 14-Year-Old Girl: “Soph” has nearly a million followers on the giant video platform. The site’s executives only have themselves to blame. (BuzzFeed News)
The New York Times and Generation Undefined
- Actually, Gen X Did Sell Out, Invent All Things Millennial, and Cause Everything Else That’s Great and Awful: Gen X set the precedent for today’s social justice warriors and capitalist super-soldiers. Enjoy, and also, sorry! (NYT, $)
- This Gen X Mess: The tech, music, style, books, trends, rules, films and pills that made Gen X … so so-so. (NYT, $)
- Are You Secretly a Millennial?: Xennials live in the cusp between Gen X and millennial. We can sort you with this quiz. (NYT, $)
- The Rise of the Haphazard Self: How working-class men detach from work, family and church. (NYT, $)
- Attention Young People: This Narcissism Study Is All About You (NYT, $)
LAST MORSELS
“To become good at anything you have to know how to apply basic principles. To become great at it, you have to know when to violate those principles.” – Garry Kasparov