Category: Communication
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A Free Speech Credo
I. Free speech is nothing if not offensive. Free speech just is the right to say offensive things. Popular, safe speech needs no protection; only unpopular, unsafe speech does. Free speech needs protection precisely because and to the extent that it bothers, annoys, dismays, infuriates, emotionally wounds—and, yes, offends—other people. You have the right to offend…
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Join me on my new friends list
> Go here to subscribe < My theory is that people have a hard time keeping away from Facebook because Facebook scratches a certain kind of online socialization itch. Well, since I’m leaving Facebook on #DeletionDay (Feb. 18), I reasoned, I should provide another outlet for that socialization behavior. But I wanted to be in control,…
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Why I quit Quora and Medium for good
It’s not a temporary rage-quit; I’ve deleted both accounts. I have zero followers, no content, and no username. I’m outta there. This is going to be more interesting than it sounds, I promise. When I first joined Quora in 2011, I loved it, with a few small reservations. Then, after some run-ins with what I…
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A plea for protocols
The antidote to the abuses of big tech is the very thing that gave birth to the Internet itself: decentralized, neutral technical protocols. The thought that inspires my work. Ever since I started work on Nupedia and then Wikipedia, a thought has always inspired me: just imagine the stunning possibilities when people come together as…
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How I set up private email hosting for my family
Here’s how I actually set up my own private email hosting—sanger.io! I already finished choosing a private email hosting provider. So what was the next step? I still had to choose a plan with my chosen provider (InMotion Hosting, which didn’t pay me anything for this) and make it official. The details are uninteresting; anybody…
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How I chose an email hosting service to replace Gmail
I want to lock down my cyber-life. One basic constraint is that I want to replace Gmail, and when I do so, I never want to change my email address again. My biggest concern is that I never again want to be beholden to any major Internet corporation that has shown its contempt for privacy…
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Social media stupidifies and radicalizes us
Back when the buzzword switched from “Web 2.0” to “social media,” I started to get quite suspicious. When I was participating in online communities, I wasn’t propagating “media.” That is something that boring corporate media types did. What would those boring corporate media types, or rather their Silicon Valley equivalents, do with once-unconstrained, lively, frequently…
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I am informed; you are misinformed; and the government should do something about this problem
Poynter, the famous journalism thinktank, has published “A guide to anti-misinformation actions around the world.” This sort of thing is mostly interesting not just for the particular facts it gathers but also for the assumptions and categories it takes for granted. The word “misinformation” is thrown around, as are “hate speech” and “fake news.” The…