english
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Longtermism: „An odd and peculiar ideology“
Émile P. Torres beschäftigt sich mit Fragen zum Ende der Menschheit und kommt dabei zu anderen Schlüssen als die Longtermisten. Longtermism: „An odd and peculiar ideology“ Émile P. Torres calls one of the most influential philosophies of our time an ideology: Longtermism is the central school of thought of tech giants like Elon Musk and Skype founder Jaan Tallinn. In an interview, Torres explains why it is so dangerous.
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PimEyes-CEO: „The user is the stalker, not the search engine“
Giorgi Gobronidze: "academic curiosity." PimEyes-CEO: „The user is the stalker, not the search engine“ Giorgi Gobronidze bought one of the world’s most controversial face search engines. In his first in-depth interview the new PimEyes-CEO explains how his company wants to detect stalkers and why PimEyes is available in some authoritarian regimes.
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Mikko Hyppönen: The first time we encountered law enforcement malware
Mikko Hyppönen. Mikko Hyppönen: The first time we encountered law enforcement malware Mikko Hyppönen is a security expert and author. In an excerpt from his new book “If It’s Smart, It’s Vulnerable” he writes about government malware and the techniques of law enforcers. He also reveals how he learnt about German law enforcement malware and how the Chaos Computer Club made sure that everybody could detect it.
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TOCA: TikTok creators unite against opaque rules
Amelia Som speaks up for creator's concerns TOCA: TikTok creators unite against opaque rules They want to join forces and change TikTok. Around 1,000 creators have formed an alliance. One focus is discrimination against marginalized groups. In an interview, project manager Amelia Som tells why she loves TikTok – and where TikTok fails.
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NCMEC figures explained: How the spectre of millionfold abuse haunts European policy-makers
Figures around sexualized violence against children often lack classification NCMEC figures explained: How the spectre of millionfold abuse haunts European policy-makers How can sexualized violence against minors be quantified? Many misleading figures are circulating – and on the basis of these figures politicians are calling for more surveillance. An analysis of the biggest misunderstandings.
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Platform work: “Fight for something more than just a Directive”
Tea Jarc bei einer Demonstration gegen Uber 2016 / Tea Jarc at a protest against Uber 2016. Platform work: “Fight for something more than just a Directive” Many young workers delivering food or driving cars are technically not even employed. How can a trade union work to improve their conditions? Tea Jarc, president of Slovenian union Mladi Plus, has worked for years advocating for them. And she has seen enough to be afraid of the platform companies’ lobbying power.
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Series on Digital Colonialism: The bloody footprint of our digital devices
Families of deceased miners accuse US tech firms of profiting from child labor and horrible working conditions in cobalt mines. Series on Digital Colonialism: The bloody footprint of our digital devices Although neither smartphones nor many electric cars would work without cobalt, workers mining the precious raw material in Congo live a dangerous life. Some families of deceased workers tried to fight back, but it is hard to hold tech companies like Tesla or Apple accountable. Part 4 in our series on Digital Colonialism.
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Series on Digital Colonialism: Western tech companies saving billions in taxes in the global south
Tech companies save billions in the global south (symbol image) Series on Digital Colonialism: Western tech companies saving billions in taxes in the global south Unfair tax laws help Facebook, Google and Microsoft save billions in taxes in the global south – enough to employ 1.7 million nurses in 20 countries within three years. Part 3 of our series on Digital Colonialism.
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Dude, where's my privacy?: How a Hollywood star lobbies the EU for more surveillance
Actor Ashton Kutcher has invested heavily in tech Dude, where's my privacy?: How a Hollywood star lobbies the EU for more surveillance The European Union debates a new law that could force platforms to scan all private messages for signs of child abuse. Its most prominent advocate is the actor Ashton Kutcher.
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Series on Digital Colonialism: Global labor chains of the western AI
Cheap labor in the Global South creates an almost infinite potential for exploitation. Series on Digital Colonialism: Global labor chains of the western AI Western tech firms are outsourcing tasks like data labeling or content moderation to countries in the Global South. They are pitting off poor workers against each other – on a global scale. Part 2 of our series on digital colonialism.
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Series on Digital Colonialism: How Meta aims to dominate India’s agriculture sector
Will Meta soon control the Indian food supply market? Series on Digital Colonialism: How Meta aims to dominate India’s agriculture sector Facebook has entered a deal with India’s largest corporation, Reliance Industries, in a bid to monopolize the entire food supply chain in India. This deal could put the food security of more than 820 million people at risk. Part 1 of our series on digital colonialism.
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Climate measures: Behind closed doors, EU officials talk about banning Bitcoin
Klimakiller Bitcoin? Climate measures: Behind closed doors, EU officials talk about banning Bitcoin Crypto’s voracious appetite for electricity is causing alarm in Brussels. Behind closed doors, the European Commission and the German government are talking about countermeasures. We publish documents that show how the EU could ban Bitcoin.
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Russian exile medium Meduza: „Everything has changed dramatically“
The Meduza team. For security reasons, not all members of the editorial team can show their faces. Russian exile medium Meduza: „Everything has changed dramatically“ The news website Meduza was among the last independent reporters for Russia. At the beginning of March the website was blocked in Russia. There are also problems with funding. We talked with Katerina Abramova about the work in exile and the future of Meduza.
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XVideos: The porn empire next door
Krakovská 1366/25 in Prague - address of the world's largest porn empire. XVideos: The porn empire next door The world’s most visited porn site operates in the heart of Europe. Survivors of sexualized violence are raising serious accusations against XVideos. The trail of XVideos leads to the Czech Republic, France – and Germany.
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World's largest porn site: How XVideos does very little against sexualized violence
XVideos says it "continuously monitors" the platform - but not how it does so. World's largest porn site: How XVideos does very little against sexualized violence „Knocked out and fucked“: On XVideos clips dealing with rape are automatically recommended. Anonymous uploads raise doubts about whether recordings are consensual. Our research reveals how sexualized violence can spread on the platform.
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OSINT in the Ukraine: Putting the Pieces in Place
Meanwhile, OSINT often compares images from social media with satellite images. OSINT in the Ukraine: Putting the Pieces in Place Today, it is possible to observe crises unfold in unprecedented detail. A global community systematically evaluates publicly available information of all kinds and feeds it into the news flow. We spoke with someone involved as a volunteer for more than a decade.
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Violation of Twitter’s ban on political ads: No consequences for far-right presidential candidate
Max Otte, Germany, member of the CDU and leader of the Werteunion Violation of Twitter’s ban on political ads: No consequences for far-right presidential candidate The social media platform officially confirms that Max Otte violated the ban on political advertising several times. This was apparently possible because it did not properly control the advertisements.
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Future of online advertising: Adtech’s new clothes might redefine privacy more than they reform profiling
Once again, advertising technology is changing. But is the new direction the right one? Future of online advertising: Adtech’s new clothes might redefine privacy more than they reform profiling As the era of cookie tracking is about to end, a new battle for control over the billion dollar adtech business has begun. An astonishing partnership between non-profit Mozilla and surveillance capitalist Meta is only a small chapter of a bigger story, argues Michael Veale. For the next phase of online advertising could be even worse.
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Pegasus scandal in Hungary: „Not surprising, but still shameful“
Die Opposition demonstriert in Budapest vor der Fidesz-Parteizentrale gegen die Überwachung mit dem Spähprogramm Pegasus./ The opposition demonstrates in Budapest in front of the Fidesz party headquarters against surveillance with the Pegasus. Pegasus scandal in Hungary: „Not surprising, but still shameful“ When the Hungarian data protection authority concluded their investigation into the Pegasus scandal last week, they came to a surprising result: The surveillance of journalists and lawyers was supposedly legal, but those who helped uncover it should be investigated. Áron Demeter, head of Amnesty Hungary, talks about loopholes in the Hungarian judicial system.
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Depictions of child abuse: The internet forgets nothing, as long as it’s not supposed to forget
Police employees at a hotline for child abuse suspicions in North-Rhine Westfalia. Depictions of child abuse: The internet forgets nothing, as long as it’s not supposed to forget To this day the German Federal Criminal Police Office BKA and other law enforcement agencies fail to systematically remove content from darknet forums where child abuse material is shared. Leading investigators claim it is more important to find the perpetrators. Is that really mutually exclusive?