Internet crackdown on Trump, supporters spreads from AWS to Twilio, Stripe and others
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A counterprotester named Kathy, who only gave her first name, holds a sign near the Twitter building. Twitter banned President Trump last week, and other internet companies have since followed.Nick Otto / Special to The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
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Twilio CEO Jeff Lawson speaks at a tech conference in 2016. His company withdrew services from Parler, an app used to plan the Capitol riot.Liz Hafalia / The ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
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Amazon Web Services also stopped providing technical services to the Parler app.Yi-Chin Lee / Houston Chronicle 2019Show MoreShow Less
If there’s anything that everyone across the political spectrum can agree on, it’s that misinformation is widespread. It’s easy to feel powerless, but there are ways that ordinary people can play a role in the solution.
As tech companies and researchers continue working to thwart a range of “information disorder,” experts say that ordinary citizens can also play important roles in combating online untruths. Consider it a cyber civic duty.
Why We Wrote This
Nobody likes being wrong. But what if corrections came from someone you trust? Experts urge Americans to fight misinformation as a shared responsibility.
Is this an AI newsroom?
“We may see a kind of simple report card or badging system on news articles indicating the degree or role that AI and humans played in creation.”
Public trust in journalism will require clear disclosure when newsrooms use text-generating AI tools like GPT-3. At first, outlets that use AI tools will be seen by the public as a binary: Either this is a publication that publishes AI-generated news articles, or it isn’t. We’ll also see a debate on which topics make the use of AI tools unacceptable for reporting, versus those where an AI tool might be the best first source for rapid coverage.
Updated on Dec. 22.
On Tuesday, former congresswoman Katie Hill (D-Calif.) sued her ex-husband, Kenneth Heslep, along with the owners of Redstate.com and the Daily Mail, saying they had distributed what amounted to “nonconsensual porn.” As NBC News first reported, the 41-page lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for emotional distress and violation of state law for distribution of intimate personal material without Hill’s consent.
Two weeks ago, Hill won a temporary restraining order against Heslep. Hill accused him of choking and threatening her during years of abuse, as well as leaking nude photos and other information that led to her resignation.