NZ consumed 30% more Russian disinformation than the USA during Covid
Russian troll farms successfully penetrated Kiwi country and culture. The consumption remained high and the fervour hasn’t stopped
Media
interweb
News and New Zealand Democracy
How do we prevent the decline of broadcast tv news being a deep wound to our democracy?
My Way or the Huawei
I like my Huawei phone. I’m looking forward to the new Mate 60Pro. It’s launch means the US-led sanctions aiming to crush Huawei, with New Zealand as a fast follower, have completely failed to set back Chinese technology.
Weird stuff Jacinda Ardern has been accused of
It appears that social media allegations against Jacinda Ardern are becoming more and more extreme.
The Non-Partisan Populism of Popper’s Paradox
When democracy and free speech are hijacked to silence others, they can no longer support their principles and become a contradictio in terminis.
The top seven things Covid has changed
Covid has fundamentally changed society for the better in surprising ways.
Death tax fake news
Social media was responsible for the repeated broadcasting of the claim that Labor in Australia intended to bring in a death tax. What should happen when claims that are clearly wrong are made?
Jacinda achieves international commitment to social media change
Jacinda Ardern has shown true international leadership by achieving considerable international consensus to effecting change in the way that social media operates.
Regulating social media
Is it possible that the zeitgeist for global social media regulation is peaking at the right time, and the big tech giants will accede?
Confirmation bias
The internet neatly divides us into separate isolated tribes with polarised views of what are the issues and what is reality. How do we engage in a civilised discussion to educate each other and reach a consensus of what we should be doing?
WTF Free Speech coalition?
The Free Speech coalition has attacked the Chief Censor’s decision to rule the Christchurch Mosque killer’s manifesto as objectionable as an attack on free speech. But the New Zealand Council for Civil Liberties has characterised the Censor’s decision as being entirely conventional.
GCSB head Hampton gazumped by Pompeo
On Wednesday GCSB chief Andrew Hampton told a Select Committee there was absolutely “no pressure” publicly or privately on his decision to block Huawei. On Thursday US Secretary of State Pompeo publicly warned that “United States would not be able to partner with or share information with countries that adopt Huawei Technologies Co Ltd systems.” What a difference a day makes.
Spark vs Spooks
Spark wants Huawei’s 5G technology because its the best and the cheapest. The GCSB spooks don’t want us to have it because 5Eyes and because the US has yanked their chain. The Prime Minister says no decision has been made – the media and the world think it is a goneburger. We should support New Zealand’s Spark, not US corporate interests.
Safe from prying 5Eyes
I like my Huawei phone. Apparently the US National Security Agency can’t break its encryption. That’s presumably the “security” issue why Spark is being blocked from using Huawei, and why Meng Wanzhou is held hostage in Canada at the behest of US neocons.
Simon Bridges wants a new senior social media advisor
Simon Bridges has advertised for a Senior Social Media advisor.
Simon says the weirdest things – Ardern is apparently like Trump
Simon Bridges has caused jaws to drop everywhere by comparing Jacinda Ardern to Donald Trump.
Censorship
It seems that if you’re the right person, harbour the correct thoughts, have the right connections, and you don’t like whatever the political opinion, news or information that’s floating about is, then you can get it banned.
Algorithms are threatening our democracy
Algorithms are a form of fascism – yet a fascism from data manipulation rather than from the state. Are they a threat to our democracy?
The right loses its shit after a public servant accidentally tweets from the wrong account
An accidental tweet from a Government account has led the right to claim the existence of all sorts of conspiracies.
The UK Social media political arms race
Robert Peston in the Spectator has analysed the social media performance of the two big parties in the United Kingdom and has concluded that Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour had a significant advantage over Theresa May’s conservatives.
Facebook and democracy
A long and interesting read in The Atlantic. “The very roots of the electoral system had been destabilized.”
Digitally shaping the election
Social media offers a rich tool for profiling voters and targeting election advertising or informal messaging. There’s a good piece on RNZ today looking at the issue. How long before we see the methods used by Brexit and Trump campaigns employed in NZ?
The United Airlines fiasco
United Airlines in America has in the past few days provided a text book example of how a large corporation should not behave.
Glorifying ignorance (and why the death of the MSM won’t be all bad)
Hey Mike Hosking – how many dead and deformed babies is the precious Olympic schedule worth to you anyway?
Key on cyberbullying
Any campaign against cyberbullying is going to need a more plausible figurehead than Key.
The flag change campaign’s last throw of the dice
The pro change Flag Campaign has been launched on Social Media using themes that will appeal to progressives about the need for change. The problem is what they want it to be changed to.
Business as Usual
Danyl McLauchlan at the Dim-Post remarks that the Opposition continues to be unable to get voters to question the Key Government or to even consider the alternative that they are presenting.
Your Favourite Conspiracy Sucks
The return of the X Files has got me thinking. Just how hard is it to keep a big conspiracy secret? Happily, a British scientist has the answer; it’s bloody hard. More or less impossible, actually, according to his new formula. It seems the truth really is out there.
New Zealand wins fossil of the day award – again
For a small country New Zealand is certainly punching above its weight. It has been awarded a second fossil of the day award by the Climate Action Network.
A flag that suits Key’s NZ
Lyndon Hood in a work of bleak genius has come up with a flag that really suits Key’s NZ.
A silly act: it begins
When Parliament passed the Harmful Digital Communications Act, many people warned that it would be abused to stifle political speech. And it has, with NZ First MP Tracey Martin incorrectly accusing a political blogger (who supported a rival NZ First MP) of violating the Act. A bad first start. But it figures, the act is silly, slow and unworkable.
What do you reckon?
Video clip to make you all chuckle
Open Internet and New Zealand media companies
Spark, MediaWorks, Sky TV and TVNZ are threatening to take Callplus to Court because it, like many overseas companies, offers the ability to locals to obtain an American IP address.
New site – Evening Report
Selwyn Manning has set up and will edit a new site (eveningreport.nz). Nice to see another progressive net news and current affairs site being set up. It will be interesting to see how this one develops. But there is a lot of room for different media in the net space.
How does #nzpol do on Facebook?
Feinstein Doak has a post up with the Top Political Facebook Posts of 2014, and the results are interesting.
Free speech and surveillance online
A long, fascinating piece by Glenn Greenwald on The Intercept this morning.