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.
Lawmakers could debate an important law that affects speech on the internet. Or they could yell.
Shira OvideToday'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.
124d
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...
The Senate’s biggest privacy hawk talks about Section 230 and sending Mark Zuckerberg to prison.
Shira OvideInstead 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.
124d
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 OvideFascinating 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.
125d
Recent developments point to promise for driverless car technology, if we stay realistic.
2
Shira OvideIn 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.)
126d
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."
127d
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.
American politicians are divided on almost everything. They agree on this: Big Tech must change.
1
Shira OvideIn 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.
129d
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 OvideThis story is about bonding over video games, Canadian-ness, mental health, the pandemic and just...IT IS NICE. READ IT.
by @LaurenRowello
129d
Selling 5G capability is a huge opportunity for phone companies. Be careful.
Shira OvideIn 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.
130d
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.
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 OvideIt 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.
131d
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 OvidePlease 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.
131d
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.