What I'm Reading - 9/22/24

Happy Autumnal Equinox

Good morning from the Minot, North Dakota airport. Well, that’s where I am as I write this. When you read it, I’ll be in Palo Alto.

The duck and goose hunting trip in Saskatchewan was fantastic. However, this trip was not convenient for me work-wise. A lot is happening around the election and with the projects I’m working on. However, I’ve promised myself that I’d prioritize time with my family as much as possible, and I’m so glad I did. I’ll be talking about this trip for years. I wouldn’t be talking about whatever speaking engagement I would have been doing instead.

I won’t show a picture of all the birds we shot as I know that’s not everyone's jam, but there were a lot. Let me know if you want to see them, and I’ll gladly share them. I will share a picture of me in the blind the first morning. Not only did we have northern lights while a beautiful full moon set as we set up the decoys and blind, but we also had a gorgeous sunrise.

Have a great Sunday. Let me know if anyone will be at the Trust and Safety Researcher’s conference at Stanford later this week!

What I’m Reading

AI Developments

1. Axios: Exclusive: Johnson's hands-off plans for AI 

2. Center for Democracy and Technology: Brief - Generating Confusion: Stress-testing AI Chatbot Responses on Voting with a Disability 

Stories About Specific Countries

1. Brazil: Elon Musk’s X Backs Down in Brazil

2. LatAm Journalism Review by the Knight Center: In Brazil, politicians are bombarding journalists with lawsuits over unfavorable coverage

3. Reuters: Meta bans Russian state media for 'foreign interference'

4. The New York Times: On YouTube, Major Brands’ Ads Appear Alongside Racist Falsehoods About Haitian Immigrants 

5. Politico EU: French PM Barnier unveils new government, putting budget and EU affairs under his purview

Political & Social Commentary

1. Who Targets Me: County-level spending map by the US Presidential campaigns on Meta ads

2. Researcher Support Consortium: Toolkit for Institutions Supporting Researchers

3. Business Insider: Elon Musk's X is the least-trusted Big Tech company, according to a survey — on par with the US government

4. Just Security: Musk, X, and Trump 2024: Where are the Legal and Ethical Boundaries? 

5. TechCrunch: Bluesky addresses trust and safety concerns around abuse, spam, and more 

6. New York Times: Kamala Harris Outspends Donald Trump by Tens of Millions Online

7. Los Angeles Times: ‘How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter’ authors say platform is ‘a tool for controlling political discourse’ 

8. Morning Consult: The Buzziest Brands for Each Generation 

9. The Atlantic: A New Front in the Meme Wars

10. Michael Tackett: The Price of Power: How Mitch McConnell Mastered the Senate, Changed America, and Lost His Party

11. Regulate Tech: Regulate Tech 2024:3 Working with new governments - the first 100 days and more 

12. Pew Research Center: More Americans are regularly getting news on TikTok, especially young adults 

13. National Democratic Institute: Generative Artificial Intelligence and Electoral Integrity

14. The Washington Post: California passes AI laws to curb election deepfakes, protect actors 

15. The Washington Post: The Washington Post’s essential guide to tech policy news 

16. Stanford Continuing Studies: The Right to Vote and the Law of US Democracy 

17. Center for Democracy & Technology: The Future of Speech Online 2024: AI, Elections, & Speech Day 1 

18. Center for Democracy & Technology: The Future of Speech Online 2024: AI, Elections, & Speech Day 2 

19. Campaign Trend: Platform Politics – Katie Harbath 

20. The New York Times: How A.I., QAnon and Falsehoods Are Reshaping the Presidential Race 

21. POLITICO: Welcome to the global 'AI sovereignty' race 

22. Center for Democracy and Technology: Report — Rules of the Road: Political Advertising on Social Media in the 2024 U.S. Election 

23. WIRED: US Senate Warns Big Tech to Act Fast Against Election Meddling 

24. Morning Consult: How Democrats’ and Republicans’ Media Consumption Habits Differ 

25. Acquired Podcast: The Mark Zuckerberg Interview 

26. Philanthropy: Can Elections Ever Be Normal Again? These 22 Nonprofit Leaders Have a Plan. 

27. The New York Times: Aaron Sorkin Thinks Life Still Imitates ‘The West Wing’

28. The New York Times: The Star-Making Machine That Created 'Donald Trump' 

Legal & Regulatory

1. The New York Times: Instagram, Facing Pressure Over Child Safety Online, Unveils Sweeping Changes 

2. FEC: FEC approves two advisory opinions, Final Rule on candidate security, notice of disposition of rulemaking, and interpretive rule 

3. Infogram: Commissioners: Key proposals and directorates for digital strategy 

4. TechPolicy.Press: Transcript: US Senate Intelligence Committee Hearing on Election Protection 

Miscellaneous Insights & Reports

1. Variety: PBS' Tense 'Deadlock' Offers New Model for News With Revered Format 

2. PBS: (Video) Deadlock - How would you respond to these ethical dilemmas?

Company Announcements

1. Microsoft: Russian election interference efforts focus on the Harris-Walz campaign

2. Meta: Meta's Annual Human Rights Report 

3. The Verge: Google outlines plans to help you sort real images from fake

4. Hollywood Reporter: Snapchat Plans Major Revamp of App In Bid to Rival TikTok 

5. Office of the Director of National Intelligence: Joint ODNI, FBI, and CISA Statement 

6. Time: THE OFFICIALS Presented by TIME Studios 

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