That Packers game was insane! I never thought we’d make the playoffs, and I’m so proud of the team and excited for next season.
I love living in DC, but I do miss having proper winters. We haven’t had snow in over two years … until this week. Two storms made their way through the area, which I was able to enjoy because I could stay at home or on the shore while the snow came softly down. This is a picture from my apartment on Kent Island yesterday morning, right after the sun came up.
Later today, I’ll be headed to much warmer temperatures in Miami, Florida, for the Knight Foundation’s Informed Conference. Their last conference in November 2022 was one of the best I attended, and I’m so excited to see everyone who will be there. Some sessions will be live-streamed, so it’s worth looking at the agenda.
A few more things to mention before we get to the links.
First, a few of you asked me if I read all the links I share. I at least skim everything and read the vast majority more deeply. I often read many of these at night or on the weekends when I have more time, so this is also my way of saving things for later. For academic papers, I read at least the abstract. That said, my goal in sharing any link is because I think some of you might find it helpful. My goal isn’t to make you anxious - I just read a lot.
Second, I’ve added new gear to the Panic Responsibly site, including this hoodie. I asked ChatGPT to write me some lines for marketing material, and it gave me, “Embrace the chaos with a clear mind and style to match. Our 'Panic Responsibly' merchandise line is more than just a statement—it's your armor in the face of life's unpredictabilities. Shop now and wear your resilience with pride!”
I kind of like it.
Lastly, this past week, my colleagues released a paper, “Can Big Tech Contribute to Breaking Putin’s Censorship.” This paper aimed to look at how decisions by tech companies when Russia invaded Ukraine impacted Russian independent media. The paper focuses on understanding the impacts and opening a dialogue with tech, civil society, government, and others about what might help opposition voices be heard. With European officials like Jourová pressuring social media companies to promote opposition media in places like Belarus, we need more discussions about the ethics and principles of choosing which content to promote.
Stay warm!
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What I’m Reading
New York Times, Ezra Klein Podcast: Opinion | A Republican Pollster on Trump’s Undimmed Appeal
The Atlantic: You Should Go to a Trump Rally
Reuters: US political ad spending to soar in 2024 with TV media the biggest winner - report
Politico: ‘Scared to Death’: Election officials on edge ahead of 2024 vote
Bloomberg: What's at Risk as Half of the World's GDP Heads Into an Election Year
NBC News: Disinformation poses an unprecedented threat in 2024 — and the U.S. is less ready than ever
Axios: Exclusive: Altman says ChatGPT will have to evolve in “uncomfortable” ways
The Verge: A new kind of climate denial has taken over on YouTube
Foreign Policy: FP at Davos: The Year the World Votes
Nieman Lab: Did the battle against “misinformation” go too far?
Context: The deepfake elections are here
Rest of World: The data collection app at the heart of the BJP’s Indian election campaign
Politico: How Judge in India Blocked Americans From Reading a Blockbuster Reuters Investigation
RTE: Irish X employee takes defamation case against Elon Musk
The Guardian: Slew of deepfake video adverts of Sunak on Facebook raises alarm over AI risk to election
Edelman: 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer
MIT Technology Review: Four things to know about China’s new AI rules in 2024
Chicago Tribune: Paige Alexander and Kristin Lord: 2024 is the year of elections. Let's act now to protect them.
CNBC: EU Commission’s Jourová on AI’s potential to disrupt elections
NOTE: Politico Pro reports that Jourová will “kick off a “democracy tour” focused on election security and the rule of law.”
ABC Australia: Risky AI tools to operate under mandatory safeguards, as government lays out response to rapid rise of AI
The Markup: Each Facebook User is Monitored by Thousands of Companies
Bloomberg: Davos 2024: Meta’s Nick Clegg Wants Standards on Generative AI Watermarking
Bloomberg: Google Plots Product Overhaul for EU’s Digital Dominance Rules
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: Navigating malign influence campaigns in the Philippines: a guide for journalists and newsrooms
Authority for Consumers & Markets: ACM publishes for consultation its DSA guidelines for providers of online services
Reuters: EU sends information request to 17 tech firms including Amazon, Apple, Meta
U.S. State Department: The Framework to Counter Foreign State Information Manipulation
National Democratic Institute: Democracy @ Davos
Integrity Institute: Child Safety Online
Global Government Forum: How civil servants can safeguard a democratic ecosystem in the age of misinformation, AI and Big Tech
R Street: Online Content Moderation from the Trenches: Veterans Who Have Fought the Fight
Who Targets Me: Online Political Ad Trends
Red Oak Strategic: Scaleable tech used to count Iowa caucus results
Stanford/UC San Diego: Watch Your Language: Investigating Content Moderation with Large Language Models
London School of Economics: The Digital Service Act’s Red Line: What the Commission Can and Cannot Do About Disinformation
Blackbird.AI: Deep Fakes and Disinformation in Taiwan
TechCrunch: OpenAI announces team to build 'crowdsourced' governance ideas into its models
OpenAI: Democratic inputs to AI grant program: lessons learned and implementation plans
Bluesky: Bluesky 2023 Moderation Report
Hollywood Reporter: CNN’s Mark Thompson Outlines Digital Future for Cable Channel, Unveils New Org Structure
Green Bay Press-Gazette: 2 brothers. One a Packers fan. One a Cowboys fan. And one viral moment between them that lit up the internet during Sunday's playoff game.
Please support the curation and analysis I’m doing with this newsletter. As a paid subscriber, you make it possible for me to bring you in-depth analyses of the most pressing issues in tech and politics.