March 22, 2018

For Many Facebook Users, a Last Straw That Led Them to Quit

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/technology/users-abandon-facebook.html

"Debates over privacy have plagued Facebook for years.

But the news that Cambridge Analytica, a political data firm that worked on President Trump’s 2016 campaign, was able to gain access to private data through the social network has sparked an unusually strong reaction among its users.

The hashtag #DeleteFacebook appeared more than 10,000 times on Twitter within a two-hour period on Wednesday, according to the analytics service ExportTweet. On Tuesday, it was mentioned 40,398 times, according to the analytics service Digimind."

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There may be a lot of reasons to stay on Faceplant, social, work, personal, etc., but there is the fact they were complicit in undermining democracy around the world by going to bed with a company that they allowed, for $$$$, no doubt, to seize personal information on 50 million American users with just a pinkie swear they would not misuse it?? FB was at least willfully blind with customers personal information while at the same time they loudly proclaim to protect it. Fool me once...

Is that not a good reason enough? Also, perhaps employers, schools, businesses, institutions, workplaces, etc. maybe need to start a conversation with their stakeholders about whether supporting an usurper of democracy is good idea - no matter how useful, is it worth that price?

If you are on FB, are you planning on deleting?

March 4, 2018

Is "Russian bot" the best term to use to identify real person troll farm postings?

Not only at DU, but generally?

Voting options below. Suggestions?

March 3, 2018

AFL-CIO lauds Trump's tariffs The Hill

Over the top headline, but the tariffs being approved by unions has to be news you can use.

The nation's largest federation of unions on Thursday praised President Trump's plan to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, even as GOP lawmakers in Congress and U.S. trade partners condemned the proposal.

"For years, we have called attention to the predatory practices of some steel exporting countries. Such practices hurt working people and cheat companies that produce in the U.S. We applaud the administration's efforts today to fix this problem," AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said in a statement.

"Trump also received sharp rebukes for the plan by Republicans in Congress, warning of the tax burden such tariffs might impose on working Americans."

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/376368-afl-cio-lauds-trumps-move-to-impose-tariffs

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Would tariffs on steel (25% import) and aluminum (10%) be a net positive or a net negative for the economy and blue collar workers?

March 1, 2018

Republican governments are willing to impose government sanctions on domestic corporations for

exercising their first amendment rights*, while refusing to support sanctions on a hostile foreign nation attempting to interfere with those same first amendment rights? All in aid of a single tax exempt, social welfare non-profit?

Have I got that right?

*see Citizens United for the irony

Are Republican state government threats to punish corporations for exercising their first amendment rights illegal and unconstitutional?