Ben Whitelaw

Australia is getting a AI Safety Institute. So, what does the government think is the biggest risk from AI?

Is it catastrophic threats like Skynet, current issues like deepfakes or squandering AI's potential with red tape?

I wrote about the jockeying over what AISI will do: www.crikey.com.au/20...

Also @techdirt.com is announcing we're NOT teaming up with any prediction markets, because why?

Meta won’t let morality get in the way of a product launch What a great time to add facial recognition to everything!

“Just because you are outside of your home doesn’t mean you have consented to having a random bozo collect your face and your name, the latter of which can enable them to search for your digital presence or even home address. The act of existing in public should not carry those risks.”

Ctrl alt speech episode page with 1 day ago highlighted

Hard fork podcast episode page with 17h ago highlighted

Receipts to prove it:

Let Fly the Claudes of War, with Casey Newton - Ctrl-Alt-Speech In this week’s roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Ben is joined by Casey Newton, founder and editor of Platformer and co-host of Hard Fork, a podc...

It will forever be a point of professional pride that Ctrl-Alt-Speech beat Hard Fork to announcing the news of @caseynewton.bsky.social’s engagement. Scooping the scoop machine. Have a listen podcast.ctrlaltspeech.com/2315966/epis...

Let Fly the Claudes of War, with Casey Newton - Ctrl-Alt-Speech In this week’s roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Ben is joined by Casey Newton, founder and editor of Platformer and co-host of Hard Fork, a podc...

I've been traveling, so I missed yet another Ctrl-Alt-Speech this week, but @benwhitelaw.bsky.social secretly replaced me with @caseynewton.bsky.social and I don't think anyone could tell the difference... podcast.ctrlaltspeech.com/2315966/epis...

Whoops, Websites Realize That Killing Their Comment Sections Was A Mistake So for years we pointed out how the trend of news websites killing off their comment section (usually because they were too cheap or lazy to creatively manage them) was counterproductive.…

“A subscription to news outlets doesn’t just have to provide access to journalism, it can feature participation in journalism.” 👏👏👏

@techdirt.com’s @karlbode.com notes that online comment sections can actually help bring new life to a news organization.

*chef's kiss*

The consensus I'm getting from nearly everyone I speak to – with the notable exception of Spurs fans – is that Spurs going down would be the shot in the arm the country needs at this difficult moment #lufc

I had a great time talking the latest tech policy news with Ben, including some deep cuts on meta political ads during Hungary’s parliamentary election and a new report on debanking from @publicpubics.bsky.social and @internetmaggie.com

Thanks Michael! I agree, there’s much more to be done there

Panic! At The Discord - Ctrl-Alt-Speech In this week’s roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Ben is joined by Dr Blake Hallinan, Professor of Platform Studies in the Department of Media &am...

Come for the 2000s pop rock episode title, stay for @blakeplease.bsky.social’s razor sharp insights and American eagle impression. This week’s Ctrl-Alt-Speech is live! podcast.ctrlaltspeech.com/2315966/epis...

The social media ban brigade won’t like this one

This headline should’ve been ‘My big blimp gets all the blows to work hard, damn right it’s better than yours’

Google warns EU against ‘erecting walls’ in tech sovereignty push [FREE TO READ] Europe risks undermining its own competitiveness drive through curbs on US groups, tech company says

‘Open digital sovereignty’ has the vibe of a couple insisting they’re ‘taking space’, right before a messy breakup. as.ft.com/r/21a7dcc7-f...

Put a pin in it Your most frequently asked questions, dinner reservations, and vacation itineraries are already top of mind. Now they can be top of chat as well. In the latest version of Signal rolling out now, you c...

Oh cool- @signal.org just added a feature that was part of my PhD dissertation: pinned messages in online groups

signal.org/blog/pinned-...

Many thanks for that too! And for the link to Joan Westernberg piece, I'd not come across that.

Journalism insight in your lugholes Three fabulous podcast episodes that are well worth your time.

Bit of a stonking week in podcast listening:
* @benwhitelaw.bsky.social and @masnick.com on the return of comments
* Ezra Klein, Cory Doctorow and Tim Wu on the internet we ended up with
* @arusbridger.bsky.social and @lionelbarber.bsky.social interviewing @eliothiggins.bsky.social.

Links here:

Thanks for the inclusion Adam. And glad you also enjoyed the Ezra Klein Show this week too!

The number eight at Bramall Lane that #LUFC should consider buying is, ironically, not the one we’ve been linked to for the last two years.

Think Globally, Stack Locally - Ctrl-Alt-Speech In this week’s roundup of the latest news in online speech, content moderation and internet regulation, Mike is joined by Konstantinos Komaitis, Senior Resident Fellow for Global and Democratic Govern...

New Ctrl-Alt-Speech: Think Globally, Stack Locally with guest host @kkomaitis.bsky.social!

podcast.ctrlaltspeech.com/2315966/epis...

This week we start with a stack of TikTok stories: new ownership, unnecessary ToS freakout, unnecessary moderation freakout, but also some actual concerns.

Age Verification Is Reaching a Global Tipping Point. Is TikTok’s Strategy a Good Compromise? TikTok’s new age-detection tech seems like a better solution than automatically banning youth accounts. But experts say it still requires social platforms to surveil users more closely.

I spoke with WIRED about the risks online age verification present, especially under the threat of an administration that will do anything in their power to surveil, oppress, and kill us.

www.wired.com/story/age-ve...

Screenshot of an online forum discussion thread on a September 25, 2012 article from the Times of London. The thread contains four comments: First comment posted at 9:29 AM by a partially redacted username. The text discusses being in mid-forties with a job, wife, and teenage children, mentioning dark thoughts about ending it all. Second comment posted at 10:01 AM by a partially redacted username. Suggests talking to a professional about personal issues and mentions stress, depression, health, or aging as possible reasons for thoughts. Recommends releasing pressure by writing things down. Third comment posted at 10:58 AM by Ben Whitelaw, identified as Communities Editor, with a small avatar image. Recommends speaking to the Samaritans, describes them as trained professionals available 24 hours a day, and includes a URL link: http://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help-you/contact-us. Ends with "Hope that helps, regards, Ben - Communities Editor". Fourth comment with no timestamp visible, asking why not seek help and wishing the person well.

You never know what’s going to happen in the comments. Here, over a decade ago, a commenter on a Times of London article bore their soul, and other commenters showed up for them.

@benwhitelaw.bsky.social l says, “I believe in the comments, and I think they have a future.”

A woman on my commuter train just squeezed herself onto a busy carriage, shouted ‘who dares wins!’ at the people standing on the platform and laughed maniacally and that’s why I love this city

There’s up to seven from Bournemouth (2 dropped), Fulham (1 dropped), Man City (1 dropped) and Newcastle (1 or 3 dropped, depending on your view)

Only seven less than Bielsa? What a return

💬🗞️ Why newsrooms are taking comments seriously again Three lessons from running comments at The Times of London

News site comment sections can be oases of public discourse because newsrooms are invested in quality. Encouraging to read they may be having a renaissance according to @benwhitelaw.bsky.social who shares lessons from moderating comments at the Times of London.
newpublic.substack.com/p/why-newsro...

Ok that’s wild

Please help this Brit understand why they are so expensive

Thanks Maik, might be time to return to it