The 204th Block: Post-truth, platform pandering, and no pranks
Ps. Nothing in this edition is a hoax (I double-checked, but let me know otherwise!!)
This week…
Your reading time is about 5 minutes. Let’s start.
Even though the press generally avoids pranks these days because we are in our post-truth era, I’m staying cautious with my news-sharing this weekend since April Fool’s Day is around the corner. (I’ve never found it funny even in the beforetimes era.)
Anyway, with conspiracies surrounding Kate Middleton (shadowy Russians started it), the Moscow attack (it’s Ukraine’s fault), and the Baltimore bridge collapse (where do I even start?)—also, is Boeing okay??—I’m sure there’s plenty of reading you’re doing lately that makes you feel like April Fool’s is every day.
And now, a selection of top stories on my radar, a few personal recommendations, and the chart of the week.
ICYMI: The Previous Block celebrated the disappearing bananas... and media companies, plus stories about the surveillance economy, platform wars, and word wars. CORRECTION NOTICE: None notified.TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION
How governments are using facial recognition to crack down on protesters
Darren Loucaides for Rest of World:
Over the past decade, there has been a steep rise globally in law enforcement using facial recognition technology. Data gathered by Steven Feldstein, a researcher with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, found that government agencies in 78 countries now use public facial recognition systems.
The public is often supportive of the use of such tech: 59% of U.K. adults told a survey they “somewhat” or “strongly” support police use of facial recognition technology in public spaces, and a Pew Research study found 46% of U.S. adults said they thought it was a good idea for society. In China, one study found that 51% of respondents approved of facial recognition tech in the public sphere, while in India, 69% of people said in a 2023 report that they supported its use by the police.
Loosely linked:
Threats, fear and surveillance: how Beijing targets students in the UK who criticise regime by Jessie Lau for The Guardian.
Twitter selling data to government spies while complaining about surveillance by Frank Landymore for Futurism.
Online gig work is feeding Russia’s surveillance machine by Niamh McIntyre for TBIJ.
Algorithms that predict crime are watching – and judging us by the cards we’ve been dealt by Tatiana Dancy of the University of Melbourne for The Conversation.
TIKTOK
TikTok turns to teenage ‘youth council’ as part of its latest safety push
Karissa Bell for Endgadget:
The council, made up of 15 teens from the US, UK, Brazil, Indonesia, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, and Morocco, has also weighed in on the app’s “youth portal” feature, which provides in-app privacy and security resources.
According to TikTok, the council is meant to advise on the safety policies and issues that often impact teens. The group also collaborates with UK online safety organization Praesidio Safeguarding, which helped select the council’s teenage members, all of whom are paid, according to TikTok. The company notes that CEO Shou Chew attended the most recent meeting in February, when the youth council asked TikTok to share more details about how reporting and blocking work in the app.
Lets you know the influence teens have on the platform. Loosely linked:
Germany’s AfD on TikTok: The political battle for the youth by Hans Pfeifer for DW.
By the numbers: The MEPs lighting up TikTok by Clothilde Goujard and Hanne Cokelaere for Politico.
The TikTokker on the red carpet by Kate Lindsay for Embedded.
PLATFORM PANDERING
LinkedIn targets users caught between TikTok and what used to be Twitter
Paul Sawers for TechCrunch:
Two weeks ago, TechCrunch broke the news that LinkedIn was getting into games, helping users “deepen relationships” through puzzle-based interactions. And on Wednesday, TechCrunch reported that the Microsoft-owned social network was experimenting with short-form videos.
It’s as if LinkedIn is targeting a whole new “type” of user — one caught in limbo somewhere between two other well-known social networks.
Wordle’s viral growth kicked off on Twitter, leading The New York Times to dole out a reported seven-figure sum for the web-based word game. And TikTok is well past the billion-user mark, recently becoming the first non-game app to hit $10 billion in consumer spending, all for short-form video.
Everyone wants to be TikTok but no one is TikTok except TikTok. Loosely linked:
Social media influencers are India’s new election campaigners by Varsha Bansal for Context.
Japan’s secret weapon to promote niche tourism spots by Yukana Inoue for The Japan Times.
The Reddit pages that investigate influencers by Feven Merid for CJR.
What I read, listen, and watch…
I’m reading A Psalm for the Wild-Built (2021) by Becky Chambers, a solarpunk novella about a monk and a robot wandering and wondering: What do people need?
I’m listening to On The Media on how memes and misinformation obscure the real causes of tragedies, from bridges to planes; and the politics to pundit pipeline.
I’m watching DW’s feature-length documentary on the AI battle between China, the U.S., and Europe.
Other curious links, including en español et français:
Scientists with East Asian and African names get short shrift in news coverage by Katie Langin for Science.
‘Exhausted and insulted’: how harsh visa-application policies are hobbling global research by Sandra Owusu-Gyamfi for Nature.
Moscow attacks: Why Putin was quick to blame Ukraine by Munira Mustaffa for The Interpreter.
From discredit to censorship, what happens when power comes after the press in Latin America by Suhelis Tejero for LJR.
Why Poilievre will win by David Moscrop for The Walrus.
El juez Pedraz rectifica y asume que bloquear Telegram es “excesivo” y “desproporcionado” por Elena Herrera en elDiario.es.
La era Javier Milei: políticos, periodistas y gente por Carlos Lazzarini en Letra P.
On a tous un accent ($) par Agathe Tupula Kabola dans La Presse.
Envoi de photo intime sur les réseaux sociaux : « Il faut parler de ce sujet dès les premiers usages numériques, à partir de 5 ans ou 6 ans » par Illyana Hamiti dans Le Nouvel Obs.
Chart of the week
While many Latina Americans continue to trust doctors, more than a quarter of a McKinsey survey say social media and health apps are their go-to for health information. Robin Roark et al. published the complete report here.
