Shira Ovide
I write the On Tech newsletter @nytimes about how tech is reshaping our world. [email protected]
Formers: tech columnist @bopinion & @WSJ reporter.
Last synced from Twitter 33d ago
‘He couldn’t move, and the rats were crawling all over him,’ says brother of man who plunged into Bronx sidewalk sinkhole
Leonard Shoulders, 33, was waiting for a bus on Third Ave. near E. 183rd St. in Belmont Saturday afternoon when the sidewalk opened underneath him and swallowed him.
We Need Policy, Not WrestleMania
Lawmakers could debate an important law that affects speech on the internet. Or they could yell.
Shira Ovide
Today's On Tech is (reluctantly) on the Senate hearing (sort of) about a bedrock law of the internet.
It is the job of law makers to tell companies what to do.
That's it. That's the newsletter.
Make laws not WrestleMania.
34d
Five Ways to Address Online Speech Problems Without Gutting the Law That Created Today’s Internet
The CEOs of Facebook, Twitter, and Google will face Congress on Wednesday in a hearing about Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
To Fix Section 230, Target Algorithmic Amplification
It now seems inevitable that the U.S. government will try to roll back some of the protections that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has provided to internet companies. The fine line it needs to walk is to reverse the slide of social...
Sen. Ron Wyden helped create the Big Tech industry. Now he wants to hold it accountable.
The Senate’s biggest privacy hawk talks about Section 230 and sending Mark Zuckerberg to prison.
Shira Ovide
Instead of watching the zoo of of today's Senate hearing, I will re-read this thoughtful interview with Sen. Wyden that gets into the worthy policy debate over Section 230.
34d
The Anxious Person’s Guide to the 2020 Election
We answered the questions on many voters’ minds as Election Day approaches.
Shira Ovide
The "anxious person's guide to the 2020 election" is basically FOR ME.
Also it is very very good. nytimes.com/interactive/20… pic.twitter.com/tMNmdDnrgD
34d
Video: How Homegrown Disinformation Could Disrupt This U.S. Election
In 2016, Russia developed a simple, effective playbook to undermine U.S. elections with disinformation on social media. Four years later, Americans are using the same playbook on each other.
Shira Ovide
Fascinating video (starring @daveyalba & @NYTnickc) on how a completely made up tweet (which misspelled Louisville) was weaponized by partisans to help sow doubts about the vote in the 2019 Kentucky governor's race.
35d
Driverless Cars Go Humble to Get Real
Recent developments point to promise for driverless car technology, if we stay realistic.
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Shira Ovide
In today's On Tech:
I talked with @olivercameron about why driverless car technology is harder than everyone thought, and why starting "humble" might be the best approach.
(We also talked about wild turkeys.)
36d
Trump Had One Last Story to Sell. The Wall Street Journal Wouldn’t Buy It.
Inside the White House’s secret, last-ditch effort to change the narrative, and the election — and the return of the media gatekeepers.
Shira Ovide
Yeah, @benyt of two minds cheering old school media gatekeepers but ambivalently is extremely extremely good.
36d
Apple, Google and a Deal That Controls the Internet
In a landmark antitrust complaint, the Justice Department is targeting a secretive partnership that is worth billions of dollars to both companies.
Shira Ovide
"Apple’s leaders have made the same calculation about Google as much of the general public: The utility of its search engine is worth the cost of its invasive practices."
37d
The White Issue: Has Anna Wintour’s Diversity Push Come Too Late?
Vogue’s September issue celebrated Black culture and contributors. But some employees say the magazine’s powerful editor fostered a workplace that sidelined women of color.
Why Washington Hates Big Tech
American politicians are divided on almost everything. They agree on this: Big Tech must change.
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Shira Ovide
In today's On Tech:
There's no one better than @ceciliakang to explain how Big Tech went from adored in Washington to political pariahs of the left and right.
39d
A ‘Final Fantasy’ Alliance Gets Real
Kate Armitage and Eric de Grandmont met online while playing a video game. During chats, they realized their connection ran deeper. Soon they were traveling between New Jersey and Canada and falling in love.
Shira Ovide
This story is about bonding over video games, Canadian-ness, mental health, the pandemic and just...IT IS NICE. READ IT.
by @LaurenRowello
39d
Shopping, Payments and Customer Service on WhatsApp - About Facebook
Helping people and businesses connect on WhatsApp and get business done.
Why the 5G Pushiness? Because $$$.
Selling 5G capability is a huge opportunity for phone companies. Be careful.
Shira Ovide
In today's On Tech:
Why are ads for 5G inescapable? Because $$$.
This is mobile phone companies chance to get you to pay more each month.
40d
TV Ratings for Many Sports Are Down. Don’t Read Too Much Into It Yet.
Incomplete data, a variety of new factors and an odd 2020 mean it’s way too early to know why Americans are watching less of some of the most popular leagues.
Shira Ovide
Astute @kevinmdraper analysis on the decline of TV sports ratings in pandemic 2020: nytimes.com/2020/10/22/spo… pic.twitter.com/pvH3sS1muM
40d
AT&T Chief Says Tech Giants Hold Too Much Power Over Streaming
HBO Max is gaining viewers but is up against big tech companies with outsize market power, said John Stankey, CEO of the service’s parent company who called for more scrutiny of platform operators.
Shira Ovide
It is always funny when the boss of AT&T decries monopoly behavior of other companies, as though he forgot the whole Ma Bell era.
But he's right.
40d
Big Tech’s Professional Opponents Strike at Google
An unlikely collection of lawyers, activists, economists and academics are fueling the tech backlash, armed with funding from billionaire sponsors.
We need to talk about Quibi's "The Golden Arm" episode
The first episode of 50 States Of Fright, a horror anthology from Sam Raimi on Quibi, has people howling thanks to an isolated clip that demonstrates what happens when you try to turn a folk tale into high drama.
Shira Ovide
Please someone buy the rights to Quibi's "The Golden Arm" series.
We need to preserve the best-worst piece of professional entertainment I have ever seen.
40d
Westminster Dog Show Will Move Outdoors in 2021
The event, long a fixture at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, will move to Lyndhurst, a riverside estate in Westchester County, in June to comply with pandemic restrictions.