Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation
by Jillian C York & Corynne McSherry
“Six years ago—one month into a global pandemic—we argued that the automated moderation processes many platforms were rapidly adopting should be highly transparent, easily appealable, and temporary. We warned that ‘protocols adopted in times of crisis often persist when the crisis is over.’ That warning proved prescient. The use of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) to identify, flag, and moderate content has become the new norm—a permanent feature of how platforms govern speech online. In this two part series, we’re take stock of this new norm, and considering what platforms can and should do to ensure that AI serves online expression rather than stifling it.” (07/07/26)
“As I travelled on the London Tube to meet CounterPunch writer and esteemed art historian Stephen Eisenham, I read journalist Owen Matthews suggesting Putin ‘lives in a parallel reality, a sealed bubble of disinformation where all the data he receives confirms the wisdom of his choices.’ It got me wondering what else on leaders and protected bubbles was out there. Did it include Donald Trump? It’s called echo chambers, information cocooning, courtier syndrome. Some political scientists call it the ‘dictator’s dilemma’: rulers depending on information from below, while their own power discourages uncomfortable truths.” (07/08/26)
“An under-construction Manhattan highrise at risk of collapse was stabilized late Tuesday and some evacuations of nearby buildings were lifted. ‘We’ve been monitoring the building for many hours and have not seen any movement,’ Ahmed Tigani, commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings, said during a news conference Tuesday. By nighttime, residents were allowed back into several of the seven buildings that were evacuated as a precaution. The scene unfolded throughout the day after the precarious conditions were spotted in the morning at the 1970s-era building, which is being converted into luxury apartments. Construction workers at the site and people in nearby buildings — including a school, diplomatic offices and several hotels — in the busy corridor of midtown were rushed out after firefighters were called there around 8 a.m. ET.” (07/07/26)
“A few years ago, Seattle imposed what amounted to a $26 an hour minimum wage for persons who deliver food for app-based services like DoorDash. Unfortunately for drivers, they don’t get paid this wage while waiting for the next order they can deliver. Thanks to the new costs, customers say things like ‘I ordered a $12 sandwich. $12 grew to $32! I just deleted the app.’ Drivers say things like ‘Work has become slow because of the new law.’ DoorDash reports 1.7 million fewer orders in Seattle in 2024. The new law took effect in January of that year.” (07/07/26)
“School districts and states will argue that they have had to bear the costs of treating a generation of adolescents suffering from the effects of addictive social media use. But there’s a problem: there are real questions about whether social media addiction actually ‘exists’ in a legal sense, and if it does, whether it is the cause of psychological problems or the consequence of them.” (07/08/26)
“Lawyers for the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk are expected to keep questioning the reliability of DNA testing that prosecutors said links the defendant to the suspected murder weapon when a weeklong hearing continues Wednesday. A member of Tyler Robinson’s defense team interrogated a DNA analyst from the FBI on Tuesday about the techniques she used to connect Robinson to a rifle found wrapped inside a towel at Utah Valley University, where Kirk was shot in September while speaking to a crowd. Defense lawyer Michael Burt cast doubt on the analyst’s conclusions — a theme that’s likely to come up again during the five-day preliminary hearing. ‘She can’t match Mr. Robinson to the questioned samples,’ Burt concluded. Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride countered that the reliability of the DNA testing could be examined if the case goes to trial.” (07/08/26)
“Congress recently allowed Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to lapse, now giving them until March 2027 before surveillance authority ends to extend, reform, or completely eliminate the program. If 702 is to be continued, Congress needs to use this eight-month window to revise 702 to meet constitutional standards that protect Americans’ privacy, a standard that each reform attempt thus far has consistently fallen short of.” (07/07/26)
“Thousands thronged the streets of Najaf on Wednesday as the coffin of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, moved through the holy city in a procession devoted to Iraq, home to Shia Islam’s most sacred shrines. … After a massive procession in Iran’s holy city of Qom, Iraqi officials and senior politicians received Khamenei’s remains on Tuesday night at Najaf International Airport, in the presence of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and one of the late leader’s sons. … Khamenei’s final burial will take place on Thursday in his hometown of Mashhad in northeast Iran.” (07/08/26)
