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Daily Archives: October 6, 2020

Fake video threatens to rewrite history. Here’s how to protect it

Fast Company: “Since deepfakes burst onto the scene a few years ago, many have worried that they represent a grave threat to our social fabric. Creators of deepfakes use artificial intelligence-based neural network algorithms to craft increasingly convincing forgeries of video, audio, and photography almost as if by magic. But this new technology doesn’t just threaten our present discourse. Soon, AI-generated synthetic media may reach into the past and sow doubt into the authenticity of historical events, potentially destroying the credibility of records left behind in our present digital era. In an age of very little institutional trust, without a firm historical context that future historians and the public can rely on to authenticate digital media events of the past, we may be looking at the dawn of a new era of civilization: post-history. We need to act now to ensure the continuity of history without stifling the creative potential of these new AI tools…But in a world where information flows through social media faster than fact-checkers can process it, this disinformation sows enough doubt among those who don’t understand how the technology works (and apathy among those who do) to destroy the shared cultural underpinnings of society—and trust in history itself. Even skeptics allow false information to slip through the cracks when it conveniently reinforces their worldview. This is the age of post-history: a new epoch of civilization where the historical record is so full of fabrication and noise that it becomes effectively meaningless. It’s as if a cultural singularity ripped a hole so deeply in history that no truth can emerge unscathed on the other side…”

Judge Amy Coney Barrett: HerJurisprudence and Potential Impact on the Supreme Court

CRS report via LC – Judge Amy Coney Barrett: Her Jurisprudence and Potential Impact on the Supreme Court, October 6, 2020: “On September 26, 2020, President Donald J. Trump announced the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to the Supreme Court of the United States… Continue Reading

Ervin Staub: A Holocaust survivor’s mission to train ‘heroic bystanders’

BBC – “A training programme designed to discourage police misconduct is being adopted across the US after months of protests over the use of excessive force. The Holocaust survivor behind the training believes that, after initial success in one city, it can change police culture nationwide. As World War Two reached its crescendo, the actions… Continue Reading

KFF Issue Brief – Comparing Trump and Biden on COVID-19

KFF – “The first cases of a novel coronavirus were reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) in early January. Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic has become the worst health crisis facing the global community in more than a century. It has also taken a particular toll on the United States. Although the U.S. only… Continue Reading

US Elections Disinformation Tabletop Exercise Package

Ly, Oumou, and Jorhena Thomas. US Elections Disinformation Tabletop Exercise Package. Assembly: Disinformation Program, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, 2020. “Online foreign interference, coordinated influence operations, and disinformation have become the new normal for elections and other democratic processes. These problems overlay a difficult, dynamic, and ever changing political environment rife with contentious… Continue Reading

The Publisher’s Guide to Navigating COVID-19: Report Download

“What’s New in Publishing is proud to present The Publisher’s Guide to Navigating COVID-19, a special insight report sponsored by Sovrn and written by regular WNiP contributor and University of Oregon Professor, Damian Radcliffe. The report has also been made possible with the help of additional financial support for the author provided during summer 2020 by the School of Journalism and… Continue Reading

Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee Investigation Reveals Digital Economy Highly Concentrated, Impacted By Monopoly Power

House Committee on the Judiciary – Chair Jerrold Nadler: “The House Judiciary Committee’s Antitrust Subcommittee today released the findings of its more than 16-month long investigation into the state of competition in the digital economy, especially the challenges presented by the dominance of Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook and their business practices. The report, entitled… Continue Reading

NYPL’s 2020 Election Reading List: Read. Think. Vote.

NYPL – “As New Yorkers prepare for Election Day on November 3, The New York Public Library is proud to present its 2020 Election Reading List. The books on this list illuminate voting issues including healthcare, education, climate change, and foreign policy, and explore subjects including political polarization, the media, and movements toward greater justice… Continue Reading

Companies with happier employees outperform their peers

Fortune via Yahoo – “Corporate America is changing. Look no further than the Business Roundtable’s redefined statement of purpose for corporations. Instead of putting shareholders’ interest alone first, its members have agreed to prioritize the interest of various stakeholders, such as employees. So how does doubling down on employees affect the bottom line? Pretty well,… Continue Reading