Theory

Category: Theory

FAQ about the project to decentralize social media
June 25, 2019
Internet, Social, Theory
See also: Declaration of Digital Independence — Social Media Strike! — FAQ about the project to decentralize social media — Resources General questions What is the Declaration of Digital Independence? Here it is.
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Version history for “Declaration of Digital Independence”
June 9, 2019
Theory, Internet, Social
1.3 (2019-06-29) Added CC-by-sa license (thought I had done this earlier but apparently not). 1.2 (2019-06-29) Added a quote from Thomas Jefferson, author of the original Declaration, and a picture of his Monticello.
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Some thoughts on the new Voice.com project
June 1, 2019
Internet, Social, Everipedia
This evening we finally learned what the #B1June hype was all about: among other things, a new social media system called Voice.com, built by Block.one, the company behind the outrageously well-performing EOS token.
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How to write an app (that respects privacy and supports security)
May 24, 2019
Privacy, Tech and Coding
Some difficult-to-meet requirements Be open source. Don’t make users have to trust your black box. I don’t want to have to trust you. I don’t know you. Don’t just release your in-house source
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Talk back: Why should we have more restrictions on “harmful” speech on social media?
May 10, 2019
Theory, Internet, Social, Politics, Philosophy
Dear all, This is a different sort of blog post. Rather than me writing yet another essay to you, I want to open the floor to you. I want you to answer something
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How I got rid of Google calendar
May 8, 2019
Privacy, Tech and Coding
It was about 2013 that my friend Terrence Yang told me I should be using Google Calendar, because everybody was using Google Calendar. So I did. And he was right: almost everyone else
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If you want government censorship through the back door, advocate for social media regulation
May 7, 2019
Communication, Social, Politics, Theory
Last week, Facebook permanently blocked the accounts of a motley assortment of conservatives, libertarians, and anti-Semites. This set the Internet, especially the free speech loving parts of the Internet, in an uproar. (That
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A Free Speech Credo
May 4, 2019
Communication, Politics, Philosophy
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
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An opinionated FAQ about Facebook’s censorship of the alleged “far right”
May 3, 2019
Social, Politics, Philosophy
A lot of people understand neither free speech nor what the far right is. Here’s a beginner’s guide. Yesterday, Facebook and Instagram, which are owned by the same company, announced a purge—a fair
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Remarks on the drug crisis
April 30, 2019
Theory, Culture, Politics
As a drug-legalization libertarian, watching this video wasn’t easy: It’s a highly opinionated piece of propaganda; but it is also extremely persuasive. Thinking about this might make me moderate my position on drug
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