#TikTok agrees to pay at least $100M in #Alabama settlement

https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/26/tiktok-agrees-to-pay-at-least-100m-in-alabama-settlement/

#privacy #BigTech #TechAddiction

‚Auf der Suche nach Minderjährigen will Meta Nutzer*innen auf #Facebook und #Instagram umfassend durchleuchten. Der Konzern will sogar die Knochenstruktur von Menschen auf Fotos auswerten. Wie gefährlich ist das? ….‘

Analyse von @sebmeineck

https://netzpolitik.org/2026/du-siehst-aber-jung-aus-meta-will-uns-bis-auf-die-knochen-ueberwachen/

#Netzpolitik #Überachung #Meta #Instagram #Altersverifikation #Datenschutz #Privacy #Technology #BigTech

Mit dem "Kids Act" plant die EU neben der #Chatkontrolle ein weiteres Instrument zur Massenüberwachung und autoritären Kontrolle im digitalen Raum. Wieder ist "Kinderschutz" nur ein Vorwand.

Die von der Kommission vorgestellten Pläne sehen vor, dass zukünftig alle Menschen beim Nutzen von nicht eindeutig jugendfreien Websites, Spieleplattformen aber auch dem Download von Apps, einen digitalen Altersnachweis erbringen müssen. Damit geht das Vorhaben der EU sogar weiter als ähnliche Entwicklungen in Australien.

Die eigens von der EU Kommission entwickelte Altersverifikations-App wird wahrscheinlich die Nutzung eines Smartphones erzwingen
(#Digitalzwang) und nur auf den OS eines Tech Konzerns wie Google oder Apple funktionieren (#Lobbyismus). Auch die Mitgliedsstaaten sollen Apps bzw. "digitale Identitäten" dazu zur Verfügung stellen.

Während die EU gezielt Desinformationen von angeblichem Jugendschutz und Datenschutzfreundlichkeit dieser Apps streut und die Öffentlichkeit täuschen möchte, zeichnet sich ab, dass der Datenschutz keineswegs dauerhaft gewährleistet ist und dass Funktionserweiterungen (#function creep) einfach möglich sind.

In jedem Fall sind die Europäische Union und viele nationale Regierungen mit Vorhaben wie dem "Kids Act" und "digitalen Identitäten" dabei, Werkzeuge zur Kontrolle von Informationszugängen und Kommunikationsmöglichkeiten einzuführen, die sich nicht nur auf den digitalen Raum beschränken. Dies fügt sich in den Rahmen der autoritären Transformation ein, die mit der Digitalisierung zB in Form von biometrischer Massenüberwachung, Verhaltens-Scoring und KI-basierten Policing- und Tötungssystemen wie Palantir einhergeht.

https://netzpolitik.org/2026/eu-kids-act-eu-kommission-will-netz-mit-alterskontrollen-zupflastern/

https://edri.org/policy-files/age-verification/

#KidsAct #EU #Europa #Überwachung #Alterskontrolle #Altersverifikation #Palantir #BigTech #Überwachungskapitalismus

Long-form interview on Daniel Denvir's excellent #TheDigRadio w/ #BenTarnoff & #QuinnSlobodian about their book #Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed.

"What the world’s bizarre richest man reveals about our financially fabulist, hard #tech, #farRight political-economic era."

https://thedigradio.com/podcast/muskism-w-ben-tarnoff-quinn-slobodian/

#Musk #ElonMusk #techFutures #BigTech #techCriticism #techOligarchs #SiliconValleyRight #books @bookstodon

Is this a joke?

"The company said that its Open Agent Safety Platform includes open source software that 'sets boundaries for agents', and follows a series of revelations from top AI companies about their models escaping and breaking into other organizations."

AP: Nvidia unveils security platform to stop AI agents from going rogue after new, troubling incidents https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-ai-agent-artificial-intelligence-safety-3c4d7c1cfde82851c0577d1fa29b8621 @AssociatedPress #bots #infosec #BigTech #OpenAI #Nvidia

@Tutanota good idea! Anyone wanting to ditch #bigtech can do so with our step by step free online course, The Big Tech Walkout:

https://cademy.io/rebel-tech-alliance/courses

Enjoy!

@noybeu @EUCommission Ireland? Big Tech’s bitch? Aral, how rude!

Oh?

“Before the meeting closes, Prime Minister Kelly has a favour to ask. Europe is steaming about privacy and Facebook, and they’re about to adopt a law – the General Data Protection Regulation – to crack down on how Big Tech uses personal data. Exactly who will enforce the law is still being negotiated. Kenny wants it to be Ireland. We do too. But we’ve got a problem because no one believes Ireland will be tough enough on the tech companies. With good reason. Kenny needs to make it seem like his regulator – the Irish Data Protection Commission – is on the case right now, doing proper oversight, a watchdog Europe can trust with this responsibility. “Ireland’s been criticized,” he says, which is true, and asks if we can assist in “building up the credibility” of his regulator by talking publicly about its audits of Facebook privacy, and the changes we’ve made because of it. In other words, we should tell the world that the lapdog has been a pit bull. Of course, Sheryl agrees to this.”

https://ar.al/2025/03/21/careless-people/

#ireland #eu #BigTech #GDPR #AI #privacy #humanRights #democracy

Ireland = Big Tech’s bitch
EU = ?

“AI: EU Member States plan ‘digital expropriation’ of Europeans in the interest of AI companies

In a leaked document, the Irish Presidency proposes to EU Member States that the interest of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta and SpaceX to make profits should take precedence over the fundamental right to data protection. Use of personal data ‘in the context of AI’ should automatically be lawful. There seems to be wide informal agreement by many Member States. In particular, Big Tech would be able to use all personal data collected over the past decades with virtually no restrictions, as long as this happens ‘in the context’ of AI.” – @noybeu

https://noyb.eu/en/ai-eu-member-states-plan-digital-expropriation-europeans-interest-ai-companies

Hey, @EUCommission, you Big Tech’s bitch too? Shall we just do away with all this “human rights” and “democracy” malarkey and let you guys breathe a little?

#ireland #eu #BigTech #GDPR #AI #privacy #humanRights #democracy

Sue them. It's high time someone did.

Time: Australia Condemns ‘Unacceptable’ OpenAI Breach of Government Health Portal https://time.com/article/2026/09/24/australia-condemns-unacceptable-openai-breach-of-government-health-portal/ @time #BigTech #infosec #databreach #OpenAI

The Theater of the absurd.

AP: Tech leaders to UN: For the sake of humanity, please control the AI technology we created https://apnews.com/article/ai-artificial-intelligence-un-security-council-64519ea66b38e2600026f4481ad7f211 @apnews #BigTech

"Google is bringing its age assurance technology — which uses artificial intelligence to detect underage users — to Canada.

“Our age estimation model uses machine learning to interpret a variety of signals already associated with a user’s account, such as the types of information a user has searched for or the categories of videos they’ve watched on YouTube,” the company said in a blog post Monday.

The company says that if the technology identifies someone as underage, their Google account will be changed to include additional protections, such as safeguards on content recommendations.

If it mistakenly identifies an adult as being under 18, the company says that person will be able to prove their age using things like a government ID or a selfie.

“In the coming days, we’ll begin to gradually roll out this technology in Canada, carefully monitoring progress as we expand its availability,” Jeanette Patell, director of government affairs and public policy at Google Canada, said in the post.

She said the company won’t be collecting any new information that isn’t already associated with the user’s account."

https://www.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/article/google-to-begin-using-age-assurance-tech-to-identify-underage-accounts-in-canada/

#Canada #AI #BullhshitTechnology #Google #AgeVerification #Censorship #BigTech #Surveillance

New Europol proposal pushes for deregulation and more AI in policing

https://statewatch.org/uncategorized/new-europol-proposal-pushes-for-deregulation-and-more-ai-in-policing/

‚Under a new proposal, Europol is set to receive unprecedented access to personal data related to current and potential cross-border investigations. It’s part of a wider plan to expand the use of AI in policing….‘

#Europol #Data #BigTech #Surveillance #Police #Repression #AI #Privacy #Europe

Keep the Internet free

We are not terrorists. Autistici.org is an infrastructure of dissent!

‚On August 26, 2026, the United States placed the Italian collective Autistici/Inventati on its terrorism sanctions list, accusing it of providing online services to violent groups. Since 2001 the collective has offered free email, hosting and other tools to activists, and it rejects the accusations entirely. Two days later its website disappeared from the internet — not because the machines were switched off, but because the address that leads people to them stopped working.‘

Join the campaign for a free internet!

Follow the case here!

https://keepitfree.ai/

Defend #AutisticiInventati @cavallette

#USA #Italy #Repression #Internet #TechnoFascism #BigTech

Alt...

Schwarzer Hintergrund weise große Beschriftung R*ESIST darunter autistici*org inventati*org (* jeweils in rot)

@evan

Also, #bigtech 's plan to IDENTIFY ALL HUMANS.

Disheartened by yet another day with more news about AI in browsers?

Come on over, you're welcome here. ❤️

#AI #browser #BigTech

So we've figured out that smoking is bad for you (actually, we fought an uphill battle to even get scientists to universally agree, and even today people are grasping for any pseudoscientific evidence to the contrary). But instead of fighting the tobacco companies and eliminating this awful habit, we've decided to ban children from smoking and limit smoking zones. We know how well that worked. And now there are all these vapes, and we pretend that everything is fine.

We've figured out that alcohol is bad for you. But instead of fighting the booze companies and eliminating this nasty habit, we've decided to ban children from drinking, and adults in some contexts. We all know how well that worked. And now all the booze companies are selling alcohol-free beer to keep everyone ready to drink the serious stuff.

Now we've figured out that a lot of shit that #BigTech is giving you is bad for you. You can guess where this is going…

Most businesses create social media accounts, and the reason is obvious: to reach customers and partners.

But imagine living in a world dominated by major tech platforms, walled gardens where millions, sometimes billions, of people interact every day. That’s our current reality, shaped by growing corporate control over our digital lives.

Now think of any small business you know: a bar, a restaurant, a tattoo studio, a local shop, a vet clinic…

If most people are still on traditional platforms, what arguments would you give a small business to convince them to share their content on #Pixelfed or #Mastodon, instead of staying on #Instagram or moving to #Bluesky?

Have you tried already? What were the results?

#SocialMedia #BigTech #Fediverse

@omkar_foss

Totally. The way #AI wrecks #FOSS culture leads to a lot of soul searching on the merits of the FOSS model we always held dear. FOSS in-the-large may be complicit even to the rise of #BigTech and #LLM, while for individual participants - all working on proper principles and values - it is inherently unsustainable, a burnout factory.

I think AI also opens opportunities. Corporations using it further retracted from directly serving people, leaving empty space, niches for small initiatives to occupy and focus on humaness, real human-to-human connection we crave.

#HCOSS fits perfectly.

Social experience design #SX uses the concept of #SOSS here. See the quoted toot. FOSS software is delivered via Social supply chains, where the needs of all participants in the delivery process are considered.

This concept fits perfectly with the solution-oriented #ActivityPub fediverse of #apps and #services, to offer support. #ForgeFed makes a start on this path.

https://social.coop/@smallcircles/116441367197290233

I’m going to start a tech company that rejects AI, and call it Misanthropic.

#tech #technology #BigTech #IT #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #LLM #LLMs #ML #MachineLearning #GenAI #generativeAI #AIAgent #AISlop #FuckAI #Fuck_AI #enshittification #anthropic #claude

@thenewoil

💣 "Protect us from AI attacks!" says Big Tech.

While they: • Dump your children into their algorithms • Sell your privacy for clicks • Build their own AIs without brakes.

They're not the fire department. They're the arsonists. 🔥

#ai #bigtech #Hypocrisy #algorithms

I am doing my part, fighting #BigTech

#ArcaneChat #european #europe #android

@EUCommission Right, well, I’ve registered small-web.eu and small-tech.eu as backups for now.

Thankfully, with what I’ve built this year, the Small Web doesn’t need TLDs to work (see https://ar.al/2025/06/25/web-numbers/) but still, here’s hoping it doesn’t come to that because it will be a right hassle to move stuff over.

Buy, hey, better safe than sorry.

And I’m definitely reconsidering my choices when it comes to payment services/merchant of record for Catalyst (the free/open Small Web hosting app I’m building).

#US #fascism #ICAAN #TLDs #internet #web #BigTech #BigWeb #EU #SmallWeb #SmallTech #webNumbers

I hope the RAM price misery will result in a revival of "dumb" tech. A good old regular TV set doesn't need RAM. 👍

#tech #BigTech #RAM #memory #TV #television #enshittification

@ashwin @trashheap @MsDropbear42 @lianna In short:

- People Pioneers (we have enough Tech 'Pioneers' or those in the chain of the those ring-leaders / #bigtech #bosses)

Welp, I guess that wraps it up for usable read-only reddit with this bullshit login for old.reddit.com under the guise of 'safety'. Will not be using the enforced-scrolling UI where you can see only one post on a massive screen. But you don't have to login for that which is somehow 'safe'. #BoycottReddit #NeverLogin #BigTech #Reddit #TabsClosed #Enshittification
Amendment: You have to log in for that too now actually after looking at like six posts.

"What truly binds together this movement is a desire for freedom from, if not total control over, nation-states; a belief in the superiority, either innate or engineered, of a superior class of elite coders and engineers; and a complete rejection of any conception of social responsibility or equality under the law."

Ali Winston reviews @gilduran 's #TheNerdReich: #SiliconValley Fascism and the War on Democracy

https://thebaffler.com/latest/revenge-of-the-nerds-winston
#tech #BigTech #SiliconValleyRight #books @bookstodon

fighting #Meta and big tech, one distant cousin at a time 😈

#ArcaneChat #decentralization #android #Europe #European #signal #telegram #family #encryption #bigtech

Using 30 months of panel data on 26,811 Chinese students in grades 7-12, it has been studied how generative AI affects homework productivity and learning.

● X-Axis: Homework scores
● Y-Axis: Exam scores

🔗 https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6868618

#tech #BigTech #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #LLM #AISlop

Alt...

Using 30 months of panel data on 26,811 Chinese students in grades 7-12, we study how generative AI affects homework productivity and learning. The data combine monthly closed-book exams, high-school and college entrance exams, and homework scores and completion time across nine subjects. We exploit staggered AI adoption in a difference-in-differences design. AI adoption raises homework scores by 18% and reduces completion time by 30%, but lowers monthly exam scores by 20% within six months. High-stakes entrance-exam scores fall by 18 and 24%, with the full penalty emerging only after about two years. The losses are largest in social science subjects, followed by STEM and languages, and are especially large for junior students, high-achieving students, and boys. The learning losses are concentrated among roughly 80% of AI users whose behavior is consistent with homework outsourcing, as indicated by exceptionally short homework completion time coupled with high homework scores. AI users who maintain similar homework completion time as non-AI users experience small learning losses.

It is #TimeToResist a system that sacrifices a liveable planet to power endless server racks.

It is #TimeToResist the forces pushing for profits at the expense of planetary wellbeing and social justice.

It is #TimeToResist AI data centres sucking up increasingly scarce fresh water and guzzling fossil fuel energy like there’s no tomorrow.

Take action - link in bio.

#AI #BigTech #ClimateCrisis #noplanetB #livesbeforeprofits

Bipartisan 'Uprising' Against #Flock Cameras: a Larger Fight Against #BigTech and #Surveillance?

https://yro.slashdot.org/story/26/08/16/217209/bipartisan-uprising-against-flock-cameras-a-larger-fight-against-big-tech-and-surveillance

#privacy #ALPR #police

Switching from #WhatsApp / #Telegram to #Signal is not a solution if you really care about #resilience and #autonomy

all of them are centralized services and depend on phone numbers, which makes them easy to censor, the best services are the one that don't require any personal data at all to register, like #ArcaneChat

Keep the #family safe 💜✨

#OpenSource #European #Europe #android #aws #bigtech #amazon #diday

Interview: "Silicon Valley billionaires’ war on democracy"

"A small circle of Silicon Valley billionaires & venture capitalists have concluded that democracy is in their way — & that they should be governing in its place."

"Their fringe ideologies [are now] in the White House." DOGE was one, cutting USAID, another.

“They have so much money, they can turn these weird ideas into policy & cause tremendous damage.”

~Gil Duran

https://www.npr.org/2026/08/10/nx-s1-5927227/silicon-valley-billionaires-war-on-democracy

#USPol #EUPol #BigTech #news #democracy .

Alt...

Silicon Valley billionaires at inauguration

Young people have their say: rethink the UK social media ban.

It makes a bad situation worse. Teens are just being pushed into unregulated spaces.

A ban does nothing to actually tackle the cause of online harms coming from the business model of the platforms themselves.

That’s what we need to fix.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/prime-minister-burnham-uk-government-scotland-keir-starmer-b3031838.html

#socialmediaban #ageverification #bigtech #onlinesafety #ukpolitics #ukpol

A customer today: we want to set you up as a regular vendor and do POs. Could you please fill all your company information in this Google form?

Me: hmmm, NOPE!

#bigtech #degoogle

#BigTech Wants to Harvest Your Thoughts

https://www.wired.com/story/book-excerpt-the-vanishing-earth-james-crawford-brain-mining/

#privacy #neurotech

Interview: "Silicon Valley billionaires’ war on democracy"

"A small circle of Silicon Valley billionaires & venture capitalists have concluded that democracy is in their way — & that they should be governing in its place."

"Their fringe ideologies [are now] in the White House." DOGE was one, cutting USAID, another.

“They have so much money, they can turn these weird ideas into policy & cause tremendous damage.”

~Gil Duran

https://www.npr.org/2026/08/10/nx-s1-5927227/silicon-valley-billionaires-war-on-democracy

#USPol #EUPol #BigTech #news #democracy .

Alt...

Billionaires at trump inauguation

A curious irony in the fact a great many of the free and open source platforms championing digital sovereignty are themselves utterly infrastructurally dependent on big tech apparatus GitHub, itself owned (and mined) by the ruthless and closed source market monopolist Microsoft.

We're gaining ground fast, but we've still got a way to go in the truly sovereign platform space. To use is to support, and that means any point along the supply chain.

#bigtech #floss #digitalsovereignty

"Free" lunch solves the monetary problem:

Instead of #BigTech charging for #storage and #services, it's given "free" (someone else is paying)...

This logic can by-pass even the cleverest people's logic in not asking:

?--> "Why is it free?" and
?--> "What is the long-term implications of using those people and putting my data there?"

Interview: "Silicon Valley billionaires’ war on democracy"

"A small circle of Silicon Valley billionaires & venture capitalists have concluded that democracy is in their way — & that they should be governing in its place."

"Their fringe ideologies [are now] in the White House." DOGE was one, cutting USAID, another.

“They have so much money, they can turn these weird ideas into policy & cause tremendous damage.”

~Gil Duran

https://www.npr.org/2026/08/10/nx-s1-5927227/silicon-valley-billionaires-war-on-democracy

#USPol #EUPol #BigTech #news #democracy .

Psst, tired of AI being pushed into absolutely everything and Chrome watching you while you browse? Here's how to switch in just a few minutes. 💪

#Chrome #Vivaldi #Browser #AI #Privacy #BigTech

Alt...

Screen recording on macOS: Chrome navigates to Vivaldi.com and downloads Vivaldi Browser, which is then installed. Vivaldi opens for the first time, the user signs in, sets it as the default browser, and imports data from Chrome with a single click.

Switching from #WhatsApp / #Telegram to #Signal is not a solution if you really care about #privacy, #resilience and #autonomy

all of them are centralized services and depend on phone numbers, which makes them easy to censor, the best services are the one that don't require any personal data at all to register, like #ArcaneChat

Keep the #family safe 💜✨

#OpenSource #European #Europe #android #aws #bigtech #amazon #diday

Nazis do Nazi things!

Meta Caught Paying Nazis to Post on #Facebook #FckNzs

‚Meta was paying out-and-out neo-Nazis to post on Facebook, an investigation from Australia’s ABC News found.
These pages and individual creators posted content that appeared to be in clear violation of Facebook’s own hate speech policies. Nonetheless, they were able to earn money on their posts through the platform’s “Content Monetization” program — which is invitation-only….‘

https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/meta-caught-paying-nazis-to-post-on-facebook.

#Meta #BigTech #TechFascism

We tend to think that markets reflect consumer choice

But the artificial-intelligence boom has been powered by the investment decisions of concentrated capital rather than by consumer demand
https://jacobin.com/2026/08/ai-llms-monopoly-bubble-capital

#fucksamaltman #bigtech #fuckai #llms #uspol #aitheft #techbros #aibubble #ai #consumerpower #nobodylikesai #aisuc

FACEBOOK IS TOXIC. META IS AWFUL.
WHY CONTINUE FEEDING IT? 💎

Nearly everyone complains about Facebook and Meta.

The algorithms are toxic.

The advertising is invasive.

The outrage is manufactured.

CHILDREN ARE BEING HARMED.

Privacy is disappearing.

And then millions of people open Facebook or Instagram.

Again.

And again.

I genuinely do not understand it.

If you believe these companies are damaging children, manipulating attention, and making billions from human vulnerability, why are you still giving them your presence?

Especially the parents.

If Facebook and Instagram are unhealthy for your children, what exactly are you modeling by remaining there yourself?

“We know this place is harmful, darling, but Mummy and Daddy have photographs to look at.”

I left Meta years ago.

I didn’t die.

My friends did not evaporate.

Civilization continued.

There is email.

There are phones.

THERE IS THE OPEN WEB.

There is even the terrifying possibility of seeing another human being, god forbid, in person.

Meta survives because people who complain about it continue supplying exactly what it needs:

Their attention.

Their relationships.

Their outrage.

THEIR CHILDREN.

You do not have to wait for Zuckerberg to become a better person.

You can simply leave today.

The door swings both ways.

@DigitalCoup
@economics_that_works

#Facebook #Meta #Instagram #SocialMedia #Algorithms #BigTech #DigitalWellbeing #OnlineSafety #ChildSafety #Privacy #AttentionEconomy #TechEthics #SocialMediaAddiction #Zuckerberg #DeleteFacebook

Are you aware that your personal data is extremely valuable? ‘ I have nothing to hide’ is a poor excuse for taking no action. Would you be fine with the mailman opening and reading your mail in advance and selling your data to third parties? Why do you think that’s okay online then? How well are you protected? Try this free Quick Scan to find out! Privacy is not a crime.
https://tally.so/r/xXLyWy

#privacy #degoogle #bigtech #privacymatters #eu #digitalsovereignty #cybersecurity

"NHS England has admitted that a data protection document inaccurately stated who could access patient information, failing to disclose that Palantir staff could view identifiable data held within part of its Federated Data Platform.

The US spy-tech firm won a £330 million contract to provide the platform in 2023 after it was awarded £60 million in COVID-era contracts without competition. The system is designed to improve data sharing across the NHS in England and help tackle the backlog in patient care.

In May, NHS England confirmed that Palantir staff can access identifiable patient information within the platform's National Data Integration Tenant, an arrangement that was not accurately reflected in its Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA).

Following a request for clarification from the National Data Guardian (NDG), an independent statutory office that advises England's health and care system, NHS England admitted the error."

https://www.theregister.com/public-sector/2026/07/29/nhs-england-rapped-over-inaccurate-palantir-patient-data-disclosure/5280233

#DataProtection #UK #NHS #PatientData #PublicHealth #Healthcare #Palantir #BigTech

When an app is free, the business usually runs on data. It learns what you do, builds a profile, and sells advertisers access to it. That is the trade, and it is worth understanding. Once you know how it works, adjusting a few settings puts you back in control of most of it.

#privacy #bigtech #indigoprivacy

@EUCommission and yet your top officials spend between 90 and 100% of their meetings with those same #bigtech companies' lobbyists. And then you create these #omnibus #deregulation initiatives to make it easier for them to do what they want.

See page 15: https://corporateeurope.org/sites/default/files/2026-03/REPORT_CORPORATE%20CAPTURE.pdf

Seems like the only thing preventing you from completely handing over the #EU to #bigTech are those pesky social interest groups you refuse to meet with and meddling citizens concerned about their rights and freedoms.

Which software ecosystems have you been brave and courageous enough **to abandon completely**? Check all that apply

Please boost for #Science

#SocialMedia #Meta #Google #Microsoft #internet #web #apps #Bigtech

Here's to the crazy ones. The digital revolutionaries. The #fediverse builders. The ones who see social media differently.

They're not fond of #BigTech. And they have no respect for the #SurveillanceEconomy.

You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.

Because they change things.

While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.

Because the people crazy enough to think they can change social media, are the ones who do.

Quite interesting, isn't it? Aotearoa NZ is discovering that decentralised for power grid infrastructure is the way to go for resilience, cost and meeting climate goals. Additionally, it gives us significantly more sovereignty from overseas suppliers.

Now Aotearoa will also need to see this with IT infrastructure. #Decentralisation to boost resilience over centralisation via SaaS and hyper scaler's #cloud infrastructure.

#DataSovereignty #decentralization #EnergyTransition #BigTech

OpenAI ‘Stargate UK’ plan was completely fake - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0IQ4cpDafQ

Blog post:
https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/07/06/openai-stargate-uk-plan-was-completely-fake/

by @davidgerard

#AI #GenAI #OpenAI #StargateUK #BigTech

@smallcircles @SabiLewSounds @dlakelan @cwebber @andrewrk while #BigTech gets #fractal we might as well ignore them and reconstruct the very fabric that is us as a society, as a group as a local gang #bildetBanden

Google and Meta both shipped facial recognition this week, days apart, for two different stated reasons — account recovery, catching AI catfish. Same instinct underneath: give us your face.

https://blog.ppb1701.com/everyone-knows-your-face

#bigtech #google #meta #privacy #biometrics #faceid #surveillance #userhostile #blog

RE: https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/116968826554216628

"When it comes to making a new, good internet, there's plenty of room for labor law, civil rights legislation, antitrust, and other legal regimes. But privacy has the biggest constituency, gets us the most bang for the buck, and has the fewest harmful side-effects. It's a policy we can all agree on, even if we don't agree on much else. It's a coalition in potentia that would be unstoppable in reality." - @pluralistic

#privacy #surveillance #SurveillanceCapitalism #tech #BigTech

"Rogue AI" n. (first attested mid 2020s) Software designed and rhetorically framed in order that legal responsibility for monetary or social damage is unattributable to the corporation producing it

#ai #bigtech #techbros

For the past three decades, #BigTech have been secretly, continuously, systematically tracking all aspects of our personal lives, and they have been exploiting that data to extract more and more profits. To the delight of many technology fanciers, all these nefarious acts are now #AI powered. It is only during this period of exploration that IT had its first billionaire.

We Americans have tacitly accepted this invasive surveillance, in exchange for essential modern goods and services, like toilets that flush automatically after shitting and shit-posting on social media in the wee small hour of the morning. So long as the two parties involved have the “meeting of the minds”, this process counts as a “fair exchange” under law.

It is now evident that our federal #government is using those same #surveillance technologies and procedures to monitor, control, manipulate, and oppress us. Regardless of our nonchalance, this process is "government overreach" in violation of our constitutional rights to privacy.

Why so dramatic a difference between these two forms of privacy violation that employ the same technologies and procedures?

• The first form of privacy violation is a private act that induces us to waste our time and money, individually and collectively.
• The second form of privacy violation is a governmental action that erodes our individual #freedom and our collective #democracy.

But we #American citizens are equally unperturbed by both forms of #privacy violation.

A new UK Prime Minister is a fresh opportunity to stand up to Big Tech.

We must break the excessive power that a handful of US-based companies have over our lives.

We've joined with partner organisations to end this dependency and unlock British innovation.

Read the joint letter ➡️ https://www.openrightsgroup.org/app/uploads/2026/07/Letter-to-Prime-Minister-Andy-Burnham.pdf

#burnham #bigtech #ai #digitalsovereignty #ukpolitics #ukpol

Alt...

Dear Prime Minister, You have inherited an economy that has been quietly wired to serve a handful of dominant US-based technology firms. You also have the rare opportunity to tap into the public mood by curbing their excessive power over the economy and our lives. A critical break with the UK’s current relationship with dominant Big Tech and AI monopolies is core to a successful premiership. The abuse of structural and market power of a small number of Big Tech companies is a root cause of many of the problems the UK public face: huge potential losses in tax receipts because of firms avoiding paying their fair share in taxes, an economy that feels increasingly out of reach for most, the extraction of value hindering real growth and innovation, and meaningful climate action being undermined. Our call to you is not for an anti-tech response, but an anti-monopoly one. Such a position would help unlock the British innovation and growth that these monopolies are currently suppressing.

Alt...

Use public procurement as an industrial-strategy tool. You have duly spoken about bringing "good growth in every postcode." We share that ambition, however a different kind of growth cannot take root while a handful of Big Tech monopolies sit astride the digital economy, extracting value from our communities, returning it to shareholders while harming the environment. Fair competition is therefore not just beneficial to consumers, but one of the essential drivers of long-term growth and the improvement of living-standards. We would welcome the chance to discuss these points further, and to support you in turning it into policy.

@aral The trouble with this and with technology is:

1 - #Tech is used for multiple purposes and with multiple people

This creates a fork and multiple reasoning / uses.

Control by individuals ?
- Most can't do it on their own
- Most don't have the money / time
= Most need help - even some #BigTech (at least to start with unless we do #handholding live video #walkthrough time)

"Europe wasted no time using its landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA) to try to rein in Big Tech. Companies like Apple, Meta, and Google have faced steep fines and orders to modify their business practices since the law came into force in 2024. And the hits keep on coming for Big Tech in Europe. After several months of consideration, the European Commission has announced new DMA measures that will force Google to support interoperability and competition in the European Union, and Google is not happy about it.

The new “specification measures” cover two elements of Google’s business: Android phones and search. Both changes could theoretically increase competition and give users more choices, but Google claims they will undermine privacy and security. But as a “gatekeeper” under the DMA, Google has no choice but to comply. As the European Commission points out in its announcement, these decisions are legally binding.

On Android, Google will have to open up access to competing AI platforms. Currently, Google’s Gemini gets preferential access to the system. Gemini is preloaded on all Google-certified Android phones and can wake up in response to the “Hey Google” hot word. Google’s AI also includes system and app automation features, screen content access, and more.

“Third-party AI assistants are therefore limited in how they can offer their innovative services, making them less attractive to 60% of EU users who have an Android device,” the Commission said in its press release."

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/07/its-official-eu-will-force-google-to-share-search-data-and-open-up-ai-on-android/

#EU #Google #BigTech #DMA #Android #AI #Interoperability #Oligopolies #Competition #Antitrust

Amazon, Microsoft and Google now pump out 119 million tonnes of CO₂ a year from their AI and cloud build‑out, about a third of France’s annual emissions.

Do not believe Big Tech companies when they tell you AI will “solve” the climate crisis while their data centres guzzle fossil power and spew pollution on a country scale.

#ai #datacentres #bigtech #timetoresist

@rl_dane Does this come as a surprise to you?

#Linux is more corporate than ever but it didn't happen overnight. The OS drives #BigTech and companies around the world, and now it's pretty much the de facto OS for #AI.

Linus is a millionaire not because of the community but because of Big Tech and massive corporate contributions.

Part 2 of Long Reads' discussion with #BenTarnoff and #QuinnSlobodian, authors of #Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/long-reads-trillion-dollar-baby-w-quinn-slobodian-and/id791564318?i=1000775222782

for Part 1 v. https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/long-reads-trillion-dollar-baby-w-quinn-slobodian-and/id791564318?i=1000773249464

#Musk #ElonMusk #tech #BigTech #techCriticism #techOligarchs #SiliconValleyRight #books @bookstodon

EU regulators declined to extend Digital Markets Act interoperability rules to social networks, leaving users with fewer options to switch platforms. 🌐
EFF says existing protocols like ActivityPub show interoperability is possible and could improve privacy, competition, and user choice. 🔓

🔗 https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/european-commission-chooses-keep-eu-users-locked-big-techs-gates

#TechNews #EU #Europe #Interoperability #BigTech #Privacy #DigitalMarketsAct #DMA #Fediverse #OpenSource #DigitalRights #Technology #Security #WebFreedom #FOSS #UserControl #Freedom

RE: https://social.heise.de/@heiseonlineenglish/116917555903146572

Nearly a quarterof all domestic power is consumed by hyper scalers' data centres in Ireland. Let that melt on your tongue and see whether this is sustainable for the given #ClimateCollapse situation.

#LLM #GenAI #ClimateCrisis #DataCentres #BigTech

Guy boosted

heise online English » 🤖 🌐 2026-07-14
@heiseonlineenglish@social.heise.de

Ireland: Data centers consume 23 percent of the country's electricity

In 2025, data centers in Ireland consumed around 7663 GWh of electricity – more than all urban households combined. Despite a moratorium in greater Dublin area.

https://www.heise.de/en/news/Ireland-Data-centers-consume-23-percent-of-the-country-s-electricity-11364060.html?wt_mc=sm.red.ho.mastodon.mastodon.md_beitraege.md_beitraege&utm_source=mastodon

#AmazonWebServices #Energie #Google #IT #Klimaschutz #KünstlicheIntelligenz #Microsoft #Netzausbau #news

• #kunstlicheintelligenz

@elsua54 @timbray

When it comes down to it (developers / techies mostly) we #trust computers more than people (incl buying the #bigtech that backs all this).

No interest in amassing people or intelligence personally together (like how to talk and practise that as audio chats / hosted sessions).

Not using it to 'convert' & upskill logic / appreciate each other / help others up.

An #aesthetic social won't beat the whole virtual / electronic cycle that is un-ideal & contrary to purpose.

Microsoft macht jetzt Linux. Und nein, das ist kein Ausweg.

Azure Linux 4.0 ist da: quelloffen, Fedora-basiert, sauber gehärtet und komplett von Microsoft kontrolliert. Ich habe es mir auf meinem Proxmox angeschaut. Ein Blick auf die Distribution, die aussieht wie Freiheit und funktioniert wie eine Leine. Reden wir drüber!

https://www.chrislo.de/blog/microsoft-macht-jetzt-linux-azure-linux-ist-kein-ausweg/

#chrislo #Azure #AzureLinux #MicrosoftLinux #linux #fedora #DigitaleUnabhängigkeit #CloudAct #Fedora #OpenSource #BigTech

The transcript of yesterday's Role of Big Tech in Society debate in Parliament is here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-06-23/debates/FFC78426-519C-4C80-8E25-8FA7831C0B2A/RoleOfBigTechInSociety and it's somewhat supportive of open source software. Once you get past the Cloudflare challenge. #ukpolitics #bigtech

In case you haven't heard yet, the European Court of Justice dismissed Google's appeal last week, which means that even if they tried to get away with it, they'll have to pay the €4.1 billion imposed by the European Commission in 2018. The lawsuit focused on Google abusing its dominance by requiring distributors of Android devices to bundle Google Search and Google Chrome.

This is why we don't stop at building a decent browser, but also go the extra mile and get involved in regulatory work. Having real choices it's crucial for a healthy market.

#BigTech #browser #Google #EuropeanCommission

"I can’t tell if Zuckerberg is dimwitted or just evil. The problem during the first era of the AI boom (circa 2023) was indeed that Meta was too slow to identify the metaverse flub. But that was no longer Meta’s problem entering the agentic coding era: The problem, rather, was that Meta had no coherent strategy. The last thing it should’ve done was “move fast enough to adopt” because “adopting” was not the answer to Meta’s problems. AI-assisted programming has developed in the last six months — contrary to Zuckerberg’s claim that it “hasn’t really accelerated” — but indeed not in the way Meta expected, because Meta’s vibes-based management this time was just plain wrong. AI never had the potential to replace so many workers at an instant. The vibe was — unlike in 2023 — not late, but wrong entirely. And I’m confident in saying only a fool could have lent credence to that laughably incorrect theory."

https://eshumarneedi.com/2026/07/03/zuckerberg-admits-metas-layoffs-were.html

#Meta #AI #Metaverse #AIBubble #BigTech #SiliconValley

Looking for alternatives to popular #Microsoft products? We can help! Take a look at these private alternatives👇🏼

Which of them are you using? 🤔

#microsoft #bigtech #bigtechalternatives

Alt...

Email. US based, Outlook. Eu based, Tuta Mail and Mailbox.org

Alt...

Video Call. US based, Microsoft Teams. EU based, OpenTalk and Digital Samba.

Alt...

Calendar. US based, Outlook Calendar. EU based, Tuta Calendar and Mailbox.org

Alt...

Office Suite. US based, Microsoft Office. EU based, Nextcloud Office and Cryptpad.

Pleased to share a piece I just finished with some guidance for small to medium sized organisations looking to migrate off big tech.

It's based on many years helping organisations and groups do exactly that.

While not definitive (there are other roads to the same place), I hope at least some of it is useful.

https://courses.nikau.io/2026/07/03/moving-your-org-off-big-tech/

#infrastructure #bigtech #datasovereignty

Alt...

The title image of the article, featuring a Nīkau palm in the foreground, at altitude on a clear and sunny day looking over a river running through the Tararua Ranges, Lower North Island, Aotearoa New Zealand (photo by me).

++ MASSIVER STAATLICHER ÜBERGRIFF AUF CAMP! ++

KI kurzschliessen!

‚Polizei räumt politisches und kulturelles Camp ohne rechtliche Verfügung und erledigt die Drecksarbeit für Tech-Oligarchen.

Heute morgen wurde in Benken auf dem Privatgrund eines solidarischen Bauers das “KI-kurzschliessen-Camp” mit politischem Programm gegen den massiven Ausbau von Datenzentren in der Region Schaffhausen aufgebaut.

Nach anfänglichen Verhandlungen begann die Polizei, sich zusammenzurotten. Vermummte Zivilpolizisten kesselten die Menschen vor Ort - begleitet von Drohnen und Polizeihunden. Menschen wurden kontrolliert und die Polizei verteilte Platzverweise.

Die Kantonspolizei gestand gegenüber einem Journalisten, dass sie zum Zeitpunkt des Übergriffs über keine Verfügung der Gemeinde verfügte. Die Polizei erledigt also eigenmächtig die Drecksarbeit für Tech-Oligarchen - und zeigt damit einmal mehr, dass sie lediglich die bewaffnete Hand der Reichen und Mächtigen ist.

Der Widerstand gegen Datenzentren und Big Tech in der Schweiz hat begonnen und weder polizeiliche Übergriffe noch Verbote werden die Bewegung aufhalten. Weitere Infos folgen - stay tuned!‘

https://mailchi.mp/761e4fd9b5ae/ki-kurzschliessen-camp

https://aufstaendederallmende.org/index.php/camp/

#Polizei #Polizeigewalt #Schaffhausen #Schweiz #BigTech #Repression #KI #Protest #Sabotage

Update on #LibrePhone, organizing locally, and more in issue 48 of the digital #Bulletin: https://u.fsf.org/4bk #BigTech #FreeSoftware #FSF #UptimeKuma #GTLTC

This is a privacy victory. It deserves to be celebrated. The Supreme Court ruled that geofence warrants violate the Fourth Amendment, 6–3.

https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/06/court-rules-that-law-enforcements-use-of-geofence-warrant-was-a-search

However, there’s a hidden detail that is worth flagging. And it’s not good.

This ruling arose from Chatrie v United States. Google gave generic cell phone records to the cops. No specificity means unconstitutional. Maybe.

The federal judge on the case agreed that it was unconstitutional. But she allowed evidence from the violation to be used anyway. Why? She cited that “even if there had been a violation of the Fourth Amendment, law enforcement officials had acted in good faith.”

In. Good. Faith.

This translates to “cops can violate the constitution if we believe their intentions are good.”

How many cops do you know who act in good faith?

#FourthAmendment #4thAmendment #Privacy #BigTech #SCOTUS #ChatrieVUnitedStates #Constitution #AbolishThePolice

Pleased to share a page and explainer for the AI tarpit project Science is Poetry, with legal statement, rationale(s), and a few deployment notes:

https://julianoliver.com/projects/science-is-poetry/

The page may grow a bit. Just wanted to get it out the door.

#AI #bigtech

Alt...

Title image for the Science is Poetry project page, featuring the word Counteroffensive followed by auto-generated babble on a purple background.