Encore of Revival: America, October 11, 2021

Social media algorithms are a huge problem. Burning out YouTubers probably wouldn’t have hit the radar, only driven users elsewhere. But, Frances Haugen’s revelations from Facebook could be a game changer. This has full attention from both parties in Congress; more importantly, it has the attention of the American public.

The arguments says that greed directed Facebook to use “ranking” algorithms, which decide what users see on Facebook. It was purportedly safe because of AI. The moral lapse from greed is obvious. The untrustworthiness of AI is a warning for those who might follow this Google executive religion, that literally worships a man-made AI as a deity. But, no one in the discussion looks at the turning point of Facebook’s moral wandering: going public. It all started after Facebook’s IPO.

Once Facebook was publicly traded on the stock market, news stories quoted large investors angry that there weren’t more opportunities to place advertisements. Facebook stock tumbled after some bad images in the press, allowing opportunist investors to get more control of Facebook at a lower price. Now, we see the results of a heavy profit -oriented Facebook. The problem started when the company went public. Now, the problem has manifested itself through ranking manipulation. If the ranking manipulation can end across the social media empire, so many other problems would be solved. And, Facebook might be the last straw.

At the hearing, Haugen said:

If we had appropriate oversight or if we reformed 230 to make Facebook responsible for the consequences of their intentional ranking decisions, I think they would get rid of engagement ranking.

While Congress heard matters of greed and ranking manipulation in social media, the Arizona legislature dug deeper into election fraud form 2020. Nothing would undo Biden’s presidency because Congress chooses the president. But, major changes to end election fraud in the future could be soon coming. And, those who knew Trump had the vote would be vindicated, especially from attacks by a news industry that has contradicted everything coming from the Arizona hearings.

Changing social media may be the last hope for Democrats. They aren’t pushing their own political agenda because they know that their majority is not backed by the actual vote. If Biden and the House truly believed that they won the election fair and square, they would be pushing their Leftist goals hard. But, they aren’t. And, that says a lot about what they know that they aren’t telling us. So, they must join Republicans to force the issue on social media, essentially converting Facebook—and in turn YouTube—into public utilities.

When does regulation of hate become censorship of free speech? Facebook deleted content labeled as “misinformation” which is now seen as truth out of Arizona. But, movements should be larger than Facebook. If any fundamental change is to happen in a nation, it shouldn’t be from one post going viral on a website. That’s not what daily, ordinary social media platforms are for. We need daily events and lifestyle highlights to become viral. But, movements that change humanity must be bigger than anything social media could help or hinder. Such a movement is what we are looking at. Putting a stop to “ranking” algorithms was just one clip along the way of something much bigger—something that is already here and will only grow.

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Encore of Revival: America, July 26, 2021

Facebook church and vaccine passports—that’s what they said we shouldn’t fear. But, they’re here. The sultan of censorship, Facebook, is the favored platform of Hillsong’s virtual church. The problem isn’t with Facebook, but with Christian contradiction. The same people who view the online platform as having censored their champion president are the same people turning to Facebook when they get a free online video handout. Like an abused dog, they come right back to eat out of the hand that beat them.

As this “Delta Variant” of the China-centered pneumoniavirus comprises 40% of the pandemic from Florida, Missouri, and Texas, “vaccines” are the way out. If you want to drink inside rather than outside at an inside-only seating bar in San Francisco, you’ll need a vaccine card—exactly where we were promised things wouldn’t go. Of course, they have their reasons. If the promise makers were trustworthy, they’d find a way to stop those bars from making the requirements that fuel fear.

It’s not the vaccines nor the vaccine cards nor Facebook nor Sunday church that we need to fear. We should only fear contradicted living. But, in the wake of our hypocrisy, a new hope arises, celebrating people who live authentically.

Skateboarding has finally come to the Olympic Games!

This is a game-changer. And, it vindicates all those skaters who were chased by haters. Some of those kids whom house wives threw potted plants at could have medals hanging around their necks. The Times will never let history forget how much the victors are hated along the journey to the platform where the haters change their tune and hail the hated success. Hopefully history can teach more of us to not hate the good things that give us excellent results we want.

Skateboarding has become the adopted fifth element of hip hop culture, adding to DJ, MC, graffiti, and street dancing. It allows self expression to be yet one more healthy pursuit of passion that changes all our lives for the better, including mine, as Editor in Chief. Thank you skateboarding, for all you have done and will continue to do. You will always have a special place here at Pacific Daily Times.

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Encore of Revival: America, July 12, 2021

Trump and Conservatives are gearing up for elections less than 16 months away. CPAC is among the first venues that will rally the Conservative base. Convinced of election rule breaking in 2020, any attempt to break rules at polling stations in 2022 will be met with fierce and potentially lethal force from the gun-wielding base. They are stoked. Trump’s presence at CPAC only throws gasoline on the fire.

But, a hot election in 2022 isn’t the only disturbance Washington faces. A lawsuit involving the Saudis threatens to reveal US State secrets. Apparently CIA, NSA, and the DoD got too cozy hiring overseas. Now, a lawsuit in Canada has become a problem for Washington.

Social media is also on the defense. Few respect YouTube and Facebook. Conservatives are censored and professional YouTubers are burned out from the algorithms that affect their rankings and views. With Trump filing a class-action lawsuit, Conservatives may be joined by disenfranchised Liberals, who face a choice: let big tech continue to squash them or file suit alongside the former president with whom they didn’t see eye to eye.

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Encore of Revival: America, June 7, 2021

The DOJ set an interesting precedent by siding with Google against the DOJ. This DOJ action transcends presidential administrations. The DOJ ordered Google to hand over email info about a few New York Times reporters—without Google telling the newspaper. Google resisted the government on the basis of its private contract with the New York Times. Finally, the DOJ caved and allowed a top executive to know, which led to negotiations and legal counsel.

Based on the DOJ having cooperated with Google’s private contract on user privacy, we now have a precedent that no digital company would be obligated to hand over user information without informing the users, not even in the face of a court order. Therefore, there is no excuse for censorship of private users on social media, including former President Trump. Companies only take users content and information if they want to, never because they must because, well, they don’t need to anymore.

We don’t know what Trump really thinks because social media giants found an excuse to mute him. If they want us to know what he truly thinks, they will unmute him. But, they don’t unmute him, so no one can trust hearsay about what Trump thinks. The latest nonsense was about him being re-instated in August. But, if Trump really thought that, Twitter and Facebook would allow him to say it for himself because it would be so embarrassing. If he’s too dangerous to be allowed to speak, then what they say he says is too dangerous to trust.

Social media giants are losing their power. Facebook objected to “digital services” taxes around the world. Now, all corporations face a flat 15% corporate tax, in G7 markets. Leaders facetiously thanked Facebook for urging governments to remove “digital services” tax. Facebook will get its way, which means Facebook will pay more, so Facebook won’t get its way because Facebook got its way. The same could be said about what Facebook doesn’t let Trump say for himself.

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Encore of Revival: America, May 10, 2021

Social media and elections approach their days of reckoning.

Facebook banned President Trump, supposedly for life, but they aren’t sure, and they have no standards. This is not any problem particular to Facebook, but to software developers at large. They have the power to play judge and jury with their customers—and in many situations they need to. But in their judging, they never took the time to research one of the most basic matters of justice: standards. Facebook seems to think that because they are a company that their customers don’t have any rights unless Facebook gives those rights. China says the same about Xinjiang, and Facebook gets ever closer to being declared a utility, especially with claims like this.

As for the elections, local governments continue to recount, but there was little to no dispute on counting. The disputes were about certifying elections—either at a metaphoric gunpoint like happened with threats in Michigan, or at polling stations with overt rule-breaking. Those are the issues not being addressed, suggesting this is some kind of grand-scale manipulation technique.

Nation-wide reform is inevitable, from government to the private sector.

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Encore of Revival: America, February 22, 2021

Drama and theater! The veil is lifting. Tech giants are useful, but they seem driven by parasites. The same can be said of legislative bodies, entertainment giants, and prosecutors going after the January 6 Capitol Insurrection.

Jessica Watkins has an interesting story to tell. Her defense of January 6 could convince the public that the prosecution is over-stating its case, looking to hang anyone and everyone possible as payback for the Capitol being breached. In acquitting those who occupied their legislative floor in 2014, Taiwan’s dignity far outshines that of America’s. To the US Supreme Court: You have a higher bar to reach, so to speak.

Social media takes a bumpy turn for the better. Australia’s social media law is somewhat vague, but mainly forces dialog. As understood by the Times, the Aussie law, along with the infamous ‘Articles 11’ of the EU law, aren’t aimed at the normal guy nor the pundit. Instead, they aim at huge tech giants who use AI to aggregate enormous numbers of new stories as one more added feature of their already behemoth-sized tech services. The infamous EU ‘Article 13’ law banning memes is another story. While Europe wants to tax links on Apple and Google, then ban memes for nearly everyone, Australia just wants Facebook and Google to have a conversation when they re-post part of a news story.

While the giants fight, originality steps up. In the approaching shadow of it becoming illegal to use any old music on YouTube, the need for original music spikes. Such laws were lobbied for by big entertainment companies; ironically it is big entertainment that now faces its fiercest competition from billions of ‘little guys’—who used to be their customers.

So, to the tech giants, tech-phobic lawmakers, copyright mongers, and prosecutors: Keep overreaching. Just keep overreaching.

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