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news4dzhozhar · 2 years ago

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"Shoot at everything": How Israeli pilots killed their own civilians

**PLEASE SHARE & REPOST TO HELP SPREAD THE TRUTH**

Over the last few days, this video clip has gone absolutely viral. Syrian Girl, a user on X (formerly Twitter), shared it with the compelling caption, “BREAKING: Israel admits Apache helicopters fired on their own civilians running from the Supernova music festival.”

Syrian Girl also shared this passage from an article in Yedioth Ahronoth, a major Israeli newspaper, that has been quoted in several other publications:

“The pilots realized that there was tremendous difficulty in distinguishing within the occupied outposts and settlements who was a terrorist and who was a soldier or civilian … The rate of fire against the thousands of terrorists was tremendous at first, and only at a certain point, did the pilots begin to slow down the attacks and carefully select the targets.”

Since Syrian Girl posted the tweet on 9 November, the embedded video has been viewed almost 26 million times. The tweet itself has been reposted or liked almost a quarter of a million times.

Syrian Girl’s tweet has given many the impression that this type of footage has just emerged.

In fact the Israeli army published similar footage in the middle of October, though its significance may have escaped many at the time. And while Syrian Girl only posted a 14-second clip, the video released by the Israeli military is almost three minutes long.

As The Times of Israel reported on 15 October, the army published video claiming it shows “helicopter gunships striking Hamas terrorists as they streamed across the breached border from Gaza” on 7 October.

The army video was also published by other major media outlets at the time.

It’s not clear whether the clip posted by Syrian Girl is sourced from the same longer video released by the Israeli army.

But the army video almost certainly does show Israeli helicopter pilots shooting at Israeli civilians, and possibly soldiers as well.

“Shoot at everything”

The quote in Syrian Girl’s tweet comes from an article published on 15 October in Hebrew by Yoav Zitun, military correspondent for Ynet, the online outlet affiliated with Yedioth Ahronoth.

The full article translated into English appears below. Zitun’s article also includes the video released by the Israeli military – and that is the video at the top of this article.

Zitun does offer clear evidence that the Israeli military fired indiscriminately, targeting Palestinian fighters and Israeli civilians alike.

He cites the startling case of one Lieutenant Colonel A., the commander of Squadron 190 who around mid-morning of 7 October, “instructed the other fighters in the air to shoot at everything they see in the area of the fence, and at a certain point also attacked an IDF [Israeli army] station with trapped soldiers in order to help the fighters of Navy commando Unit 13 attack it and liberate it.”

But Zitun’s account indicates that this was not isolated.

“The air force has begun to summarize the events of the surprise attack that began the war in Gaza, and it emerges that there was a fog of war during the first hours of Black Saturday, not only for the fighters on the ground, but also for the air teams that were summoned to the skies of the western Negev,” Zitun’s article begins.

“Difficult to distinguish” between fighters and civilians

“After the pilots realized that inside the army stations and the settlements that were conquered, it was very difficult to distinguish between terrorists and [Israeli] soldiers or civilians, the decision was made that the first objective of the fighter helicopters and the armed Zik [Elbit Hermes 450] drones is to stop the deluge of terrorists and the murderous masses that flowed into Israeli territory through the holes in the fence,” Zitun writes.

Zitun then adds: “Twenty-eight fighter helicopters shot over the course of the day all of the ammunition in their bellies, in renewed runs to rearm. We are talking about hundreds of 30 millimeter cannon mortars (each mortar is like a hand grenade) and Hellfire missiles,” he adds.

“The frequency of fire at the thousands of terrorists was enormous at the start, and only at a certain point did the pilots begin to slow their attacks and carefully choose the targets.”

At least one Israeli survivor has said that another Israeli woman was killed when a helicopter fired on the vehicle she was in with Palestinians and other Israelis.

Another Israeli survivor account in which the only reported shooting and killing of Israeli civilians appears to have been done by the “IDF,” from a helicopter.

Citing the Israeli military’s preliminary investigations, Zitun describes an utterly chaotic situation: “The air activity on the first day was not organized, and in the skies pilots had to improvise solutions to the complicated and unprecedented situation: much of the firing and targeting directions received from forces battling on the ground reached the pilots via phone calls or images sent by WhatsApp.”

The most bizarre element of the account in Zitun’s article is the claim that “Hamas made it more difficult for helicopter pilots and the drone operators” by using a ruse.

According to the Israeli military investigation, Zitun says, the Hamas fighters had been ordered “to march slowly towards the settlements and army stations, and inside them, and not to run under any circumstances, to make the pilots think they are Israelis.”

It is not explained why anyone would think Israelis would not run amid such a violent and chaotic situation, but according to Zitun, the army concluded that “the deception worked for a little while, until the Apache pilots understood they needed to sidestep their restrictions.”

He also says that some pilots started “on their own initiative to spray the terrorists with cannons without permission from their superiors.”

Two elements stand out here: By the military’s own admission, Israeli pilots could not distinguish clearly between Palestinian combatants and Israeli civilians but decided to open fire with massive amounts of weaponry anyway.

300 “targets”

Perhaps in order to preempt the obvious conclusion that Israel killed many of its own people, Zitun inserts this strange sentence: “Reflecting on the enormous number of murdered and kidnapped, the air force is convinced that without the fire support and many attacks carried out by the IDF fighter helicopter pilots on that day, the carnage would have been much greater.”

According to the air force, Zitun writes, “in the first four hours from the start of the battles, helicopters and fighter craft attacked about 300 targets, most in Israeli territory.”

Israel pilots fired at hundreds of targets on their own territory without even having a clear picture of who or what they were shooting at.

With that admission, it would be all but impossible for the Israeli military not to have killed large numbers of its own people.

Blasting away at civilian cars

In light of Zitun’s report, the video released by the Israeli military last month may show much more than Israeli officials are willing to admit.

The video released by the Israeli army shows the helicopters and perhaps drones firing away at civilian cars the identity of whose occupants cannot be determined. They may well have been Israeli civilians trying to flee the area. At one point, a car comes under fire and people pour out only to be machine-gunned by the Israeli aircraft.

It also appears far more likely that the graphic images of burned bodies distributed by Israel and its propagandists – supposed evidence of Hamas atrocities – were caused by helicopters firing heavy caliber shells or Hellfire missiles, rather than the light weapons that the Palestinian fighters were generally seen carrying.

Accumulating evidence

Over the last month, compelling testimonies and other evidence have appeared in Israeli media indicating that a large though undetermined number of Israelis were killed on and after 7 October by Israeli forces.

These accounts have been reported in English primarily by independent media, including The Electronic Intifada, Mondoweiss and The Grayzone.

One of the first testimonies was from Yasmin Porat, who survived the violence at Kibbutz Be’eri.

She told Israeli state radio that Palestinian fighters treated her and the other Israelis they were holding “humanely.” Israeli security forces then showed up and started a gunfight.

Porat said that the heavy fire from the Israeli side killed almost all the civilians, along with many of the Palestinian fighters.

Need for investigation

Mainstream media and Western governments have ignored the story, preferring to stick to Israel’s lurid, unsubstantiated and often outright false atrocity tales – such as the infamous claim that Hamas fighters beheaded dozens of Jewish babies.

While sometimes unjustly questioning well-documented Palestinian death tolls, media and governments have accepted without question Israel’s claim that 1,400 people were killed on or just after 7 October.

On Friday, Israel revised that death toll down to 1,200.

While there can be no doubt given the evidence and testimonies available so far that Israel killed some of its own people on and after 7 October, knowing exactly how many would require an independent investigation – something Israel will almost certainly not allow.

But a good start would be for mainstream media – and its various investigative powerhouses – to do their own examinations and test Israel’s often outlandish claims against the evidence.

As I noted in a recent Electronic Intifada livestream, they are failing miserably to do that:

Israel never substantiated claims it made about beheaded babies and systemic mass executions that "defined the public mood" that led to its ongoing genocide in Gaza, says @AliAbunimah.

Translation of Ynet article

Translation for The Electronic Intifada by David Sheen.

SOURCE: Ynet

SUBHEAD: The first helicopters were summoned from the north ironically, and reached the Gaza envelope about an hour after the battles began. The terrorists were instructed not to run so that from the air they will be thought of as Israelis. The pilots fired at those who crossed the fence, and even right inside the settlements. The pilots received information from the ground to their mobile phones. In four hours 300 targets were attacked | The events of Black Saturday [2023-10-7].

BYLINE: Yoav Zeitun

DATELINE: 15 October 2023

BODY: The air force has begun to summarize the events of the surprise attack that began the war in Gaza, and it emerges that there was a fog of war during the first hours of the Black Saturday, not only for the fighters on the ground, but also for the air teams that were summoned to the skies of the western Negev.

The first pair of fighter helicopters that was immediately available to the Gaza Division reached the Gaza envelope about an hour or more after the start of events, around 7:30 to 8:00, from Ramat David base in the north [SW Galilee]. This though the Apache helicopters’ parent squadrons are at the Ramon base, which is closer to the Gaza Strip. At the Ramon base they quickly understood that something odd is developing and they got a fighter helicopter in the air with the Commander of the 190 Squadron Lt. Col. A himself, arriving at the Gaza envelope at 8:32.

After the pilots realized that inside the army stations and the settlements that were conquered, it was very difficult to distinguish between terrorists and [Israeli] soldiers or civilians, the decision was made that the first objective of the fighter helicopters and the armed Zik [Elbit Hermes 450] drones is to stop the deluge of terrorists and the murderous masses that flowed into Israeli territory through the holes in the fence. Twenty-eight fighter helicopters shot over the course of the day all of the ammunition in their bellies, in renewed runs to rearm. We are talking about hundreds of 30 millimeter cannon mortars (each mortar is like a hand grenade) and Hellfire missiles. The frequency of fire at the thousands of terrorists was enormous at the start, and only at a certain point did the pilots begin to slow their attacks and carefully choose the targets.

It turns out that the Hamas made it difficult for helicopter pilots and the drone operators: the investigation revealed that the invading forces were asked in their final briefings to march slowly towards the settlements and army stations, and inside them, and not to run under any circumstance, to make the pilots think they are Israelis. The deception worked for a considerable while, until the Apache pilots understood they needed to sidestep their restrictions. Only around 9:00 did some start on their own initiative to spray the terrorists with cannons, without permission from their superiors.

The air activity on the first day was not organized, and in the skies pilots had to improvise solutions to the complicated and unprecedented situation: much of the firing and targeting directions received from forces battling on the ground reached the pilots via phone calls or images sent by WhatsApp. Reflecting on the enormous number of murdered and kidnapped, the Air Force is convinced that without the fire support and many attacks carried out by the IDF fighter helicopter pilots on that day, the carnage would have been much greater.

Something else that helped the Air Force commanders realize the severity of the event in its early hours occurred around 10:00 AM, when the commander of Squadron 190 Lt. Col. A. got out of his helicopter at Ramon [Air Base] to rearm and refuel. He extracted the full video that the helicopter camera documented and quickly broadcast it to the IDF HQ at the Kirya [in Tel Aviv]. In less than 20 minutes he was in the air again, and with the information extracted, he instructed the other fighters in the air to shoot at everything they see in the area of the fence, and at a certain point also attacked an IDF station with trapped soldiers in order to help the fighters of Navy commando unit 13 attack it and liberate it.

In one instance, removing his own self-imposed restrictions, he shot a distance of only twenty meters from one of the houses on the kibbutz in order to cover the Deputy Commander of Division 80 that was called in from the Sinai sector and killed four terrorists in a difficult battle. According to the Air Force, in the first four hours from the start of the battles, helicopters and fighter craft attacked about 300 targets, most in Israeli territory.

On the ninth day of the war (Sunday) the Air Force is embedded in the effort to eliminate the leaders of Hamas, while preparing for its massive contribution in advance of a ground invasion. The Air Force has not related to the dilemma created by attacking targets in which Hamas leaders like Muhammad Deif and Yahya Sinwar are hiding next to Israeli hostages used as human shields.

The Air Force is working to create a new barrier between Israel and the Gaza Strip up to three kilometers wide, and to encourage the Gazans to go southward in advance of the heavy bombardment that will rain down on Gaza City and the northern towns. The phrase currently driving the Air Force is “the destruction of military capabilities, movements and authorities of the terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip that threaten Israel.” The pilots were instructed to act calmly and professionally, with organized intelligence and operational logic behind every one of the thousands of attacks carried out up to now.

Currently the air effort is invested in Gaza, but at heightened readiness for days of battle that is already unfolding in the north. The IDF explains that the Air Force is trained and equipped to deal with two fronts simultaneously, but its preference is to focus on one main theater. Thus for example the Air Force is not automatically attacking every Hezbollah anti-aircraft missile launcher that shoots a rocket at Israeli drones.

At the same time, the IDF has identified for some time a great effort by Iran to transport advanced weaponry to Hezbollah in Lebanon. According to the foreign press, it was the Air Force that in recent days attacked the Syrian airports of Aleppo and Damascus, shutting them down, along with the large weapons transports on the way to Lebanon.

Air Force Commander Major Tomer Bar spoke about the events of the first day, saying: “There are many stories of courage by soldiers on the ground. The pilots killed many terrorists and helicopters brought fighters to the battlefield while under fire. We are proud of them and of the reservists who prove the strength of the IDF and the Air Force. We are investigating every day, and improving every day.”

Regarding a ground invasion, Bar said: “We are preparing the theater for the most effective maneuvers possible, and are removing as many threats as possible from the ground and the air, in order to give the fighters operational freedom of action. At present we are focusing on the southern theater but are prepared at a high state of readiness to any development that could also occur in the north.”

Footage released by Israeli military can be viewed here:

youtube

#friendly fire #journalism is dead #share the truth #israel lies #israel is committing genocide #genocide #israel is an apartheid state #apartheid #ethnic cleansing #save palestine #seek truth #free palestine 🇵🇸#gazaunderfire #gaza under attack #israeli propaganda #Youtube

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marketingprowave · 1 year ago

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Using Analytics to Improve Your Digital Marketing ROI

Businesses are deluged with enormous data from several marketing channels in the modern digital era. Effective use of this data may significantly increase marketing initiatives' return on investment (ROI), including digital media. Analytics gives companies the means to convert unstructured data into plans that can be put into practice, which helps them maximize their marketing efforts and provide better results. This all-inclusive strategy entails defining precise goals, monitoring pertinent KPIs, assessing results, and improving strategies using data-driven insights. You may increase the return on your marketing spending by making well-informed decisions and allocating resources more effectively by incorporating analytics into your digital marketing strategy. This tutorial explains how to use analytics to increase the return on investment from your digital marketing.

Set Clear Goals and KPIs

The first step in using analytics to boost the return on investment in digital marketing is establishing specific objectives and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). It isn't easy to gauge progress and make wise judgments without well-stated objectives. Clearly state the goals you have for your digital marketing campaigns. Be specific when outlining your objectives: raising sales, improving consumer involvement, or raising brand exposure. Ensure your goals align with your marketing plan and overarching corporate objectives. Every goal ought to support your organization's overall mission and vision. Ensure that your objectives can be measured and quantified. This enables you to monitor your development over time and evaluate the efficacy of your tactics with objectivity. Choose KPIs that accurately show how close you are to achieving your goals. For instance, if your objective is to increase website traffic, relevant KPIs might include unique visitors, page views, and referral sources with the help of Digital Marketing Strategies.

Track and Collect Data

Data collection and tracking are essential for making well-informed decisions and maximizing the impact of digital marketing initiatives. Google Analytics is an effective tool that offers data on user behavior, website traffic, and conversion metrics. Other analytics tools that provide features comparable to Google Analytics are Adobe Analytics and Matomo. Use a TMS such as Google Tag Manager to manage and distribute tracking tags throughout your website effectively. Use e-commerce monitoring if your website has e-commerce features to monitor sales, income, and product performance. To determine the success of your online sales efforts, keep an eye on essential indicators like conversion rate, average order value, and revenue per visit. Social media sites include built-in analytics tools (like Twitter Analytics and Facebook Insights) to monitor audience demographics, engagement, and reach—track metrics like shares and likes.

Analyze Traffic Sources and Campaign Performance

You must analyze traffic sources and campaign effectiveness to understand better how people engage with your digital marketing efforts and optimize your tactics for better outcomes. Use web analytics tools to track and examine user behaviour, conversion metrics, and traffic sources. Create personalized dashboards and reports to track key performance indicators (KPIs) about campaign effectiveness and traffic sources. Calculate how much traffic comes from Yahoo, Bing, and Google search engines. Monitor the traffic from sponsored search campaigns, such as those run through Bing, Google, and other PPC (Pay-Per-Click) networks. Keep an eye on traffic coming from blogs, social media, other websites, and other sources of referrals. Examine visitors who use bookmarks or put your website's URL directly into their browser. Calculate the traffic from social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Conclusion

Businesses may improve their comprehension of what works and what doesn't in their digital marketing initiatives by methodically implementing these methods. This enables them to make more strategic decisions, resulting in higher investment returns.

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101214132 · 2 years ago

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Is social media useful in spreading information on Covid-19 in Malaysia?

In the age of digital connectivity, social media platforms have become powerful tools for information dissemination, community engagement, and awareness campaigns. The COVID-19 pandemic, a global health crisis that has reshaped the way we live and communicate, has accentuated the role of social media in spreading information. In this blog post, we will explore the dynamics of how social media has been utilized in Malaysia to share crucial information about COVID-19.

The Speed of Information:

One of the undeniable advantages of social media is its ability to deliver information swiftly to a vast audience. In the context of COVID-19, this rapid dissemination has proven vital for keeping the public informed about the latest developments (Hussain, 2020). Health organizations, government agencies, and public health experts in Malaysia have utilized platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to share real-time updates, guidelines, and important announcements (Maryani et al., 2022). The speed at which information travels through these channels has been instrumental in helping Malaysians stay abreast of the evolving situation.

Community Engagement and Support:

Beyond serving as a channel for official updates, social media platforms provide a space for community engagement (Mat Dawi et al., 2021). Malaysians have used these platforms to share their experiences, ask questions, and provide support to one another. During times of uncertainty, the sense of community fostered on social media can be a source of strength. Through group discussions, live sessions, and shared resources, individuals can connect and navigate the challenges posed by the pandemic together (Mat Ruzlin et al., 2021).

Awareness Campaigns in the Digital Realm:

Governments and health organizations have harnessed the power of social media for public awareness campaigns (Maryani et al., 2022). These campaigns go beyond traditional advertising methods and leverage the interactive nature of these platforms. Information on preventive measures, symptoms, testing centers, and vaccination updates has been disseminated through local culture, reaching a wide audience, and promoting understanding (Maryani et al., 2022). Social media's reach and accessibility make it an effective tool for broadcasting critical information to diverse segments of the population.

The Battle Against Misinformation:

The dual nature of social media as both a potent force for good and a potential breeding ground for misinformation has been underscored by researchers such as Hussain (2020). The rapid sharing of information on these platforms has indeed led to the dissemination of inaccurate or misleading content, posing a significant challenge, especially during a global health crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic (Hussain, 2020). Recognizing this, Malaysia has proactively addressed the issue by leveraging social media not only as a means of communication but as a tool to combat misinformation. Initiatives led by health authorities, as highlighted by Yusof et al. (2020), have involved actively engaging with the public online. These efforts go beyond traditional communication channels, enabling health authorities to debunk myths, provide fact-checks, and address public concerns directly. By fostering a two-way communication channel on social media, Malaysia aims to ensure that accurate and reliable information prevails in the digital landscape, enhancing public understanding and trust during these challenging times.

Information Overload:

The digital age has ushered in an era of information abundance, and nowhere is this more evident than on social media platforms. As Yusof et al. (2020) point out, the sheer volume of information can be overwhelming for users in Malaysia and globally. Navigating through a deluge of posts, articles, and updates becomes a daunting task as individuals seek reliable and accurate information about COVID-19 (Yusof et al., 2020). This challenge underscores the critical importance of media literacy and honing critical thinking skills. Malaysians, like their counterparts around the world, find themselves in a constant struggle to sift through the noise, discern credible sources, and make informed decisions about their health and safety. In the face of a pandemic, where the accuracy of information can have profound consequences, cultivating a population that is adept at critically evaluating digital content becomes an indispensable aspect of public health resilience.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the impact of social media on spreading information about COVID-19 in Malaysia is multifaceted. From rapid information dissemination and community engagement to awareness campaigns and the battle against misinformation, social media has played a pivotal role. As we navigate the waves of this ongoing pandemic, it is essential to leverage the benefits of social media while addressing the challenges it presents. Malaysians, like global citizens, are adapting to a digital age where information is both a lifeline and a challenge, and the responsible use of social media remains a key factor in shaping the narrative of our shared experience.

List of References:

Hussain, W 2020, ‘Role of social media in covid-19 pandemic’, The International Journal of Frontier Sciences, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 59–60.

Maryani, A, Triwardhani, IJ, Pratama, R & Mustafa, MZ 2022, ‘The use of social media for the Covid 19 Prevention Campaign’, Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research.

Mat Dawi, N, Namazi, H, Hwang, HJ, Ismail, S, Maresova, P & Krejcar, O 2021, ‘Attitude toward protective behavior engagement during covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia: The role of E-government and Social Media’, Frontiers in Public Health, vol. 9.

Mat Ruzlin, AN, Chen, XW, Yunus, RM, Samsudin, EZ, Selamat, MI & Ismail, Z 2021, ‘Promoting mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A hybrid, innovative approach in Malaysia’, Frontiers in Public Health, vol. 9.

Yusof, AN, Muuti, MZ, Ariffin, LA & Tan, MK 2020, ‘Sharing information on covid-19: The ethical challenges in the Malaysian setting’, Asian Bioethics Review, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 349–361.

#MDA20009 #Week7

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incorrectclc · 8 years ago

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Murderer: Any last words?

Yoojin: Thanks.

#clc #yoojin #choi yoojin #choi yujin #source: twitter user @deluge #incorrect quotes #incorrect clc quotes

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titles-for-tangents · 3 years ago

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I’m bringing this up because this seems to be the only article I’ve read so far that really addresses how much of human history we’d be losing. To quote:

“Musk himself acknowledges that Twitter is a public forum, and it’s this fact that makes the potential loss of the platform so significant. Twitter has become integral to civilization today. It’s a place where people document war crimes, discuss key issues, and break and report on news.

“It’s where the US raid that would result in Osama bin Laden’s death was first announced. It’s where people get updates on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It’s where news of the downing of flight MH17, a Malaysia Airlines plane that was likely shot down by pro-Russia forces in Ukraine in 2014, first surfaced. It is a living, breathing historical document. And there’s real concern it could disappear soon.

“‘If Twitter was to “go in the morning”, let’s say, all of this—all of the first-hand evidence of atrocities or potential war crimes, and all of this potential evidence—would simply disappear,’ says Ciaran O’Connor, senior analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), a global think tank. Information gathered using OSINT (open-source intelligence) has been used to support prosecutions for war crimes, and acts as a record of events long after the human memory fades.”

The article notes how even the Library of Congress tried documenting stuff on Twitter for eight freaking years and simply had to stop in 2018 just due to the sheer deluge of information. Think about just how much has happened post-2017 in particular, post- the #Me Too movement. The #Black Lives Matter movement. How many crimes actively caused by the police that people captured on camera and help fuel #Defund the Police. How former President Trump would howl random insanities, instructions, and declarations in a complete breach of protocol both security and otherwise and Twitter was instrumental in deplatforming him, and not only did we get to have five minutes of peace for once, suddenly it opened up the conversation about how large social media sites can and should deplatform hate speech. Twitter is where we all noticed someone cracked into the CDC’s account in one of the first of many moments where the public’s trust in them began to wither and crumble during a pandemic. According to William Kilbride, executive director of the Digital Preservation Coalition, “There’s no indication that those formal records of government agencies have ever been archived, or indeed how they’d go about doing that.”

If you use Twitter for any reason, please find a way to back up your data now. The article goes on to say, “Many users have taken it upon themselves to independently back up their data, while the Internet Archive can be used to permanently store snapshots of Twitter’s webpages in a more reliable place than Twitter’s own servers. But both methods are not without their own issues: multimedia often isn’t stored alongside such methods of archiving tweets—something that would impact the vast numbers of accounts posting images and videos from Iran’s revolution, or documenting Russia’s invasion of Twitter—while accessing the information easily requires knowing the exact URL of any given tweet to access it. ‘You may have trouble finding that if it’s not already been preserved in some way somewhere else on the internet,’” says Eliot Higgins, whom the author notes as the “founder of open-source investigators Bellingcat, who helped bring the perpetrators of the downing of MH17 to justice.”

Storage already was a very real problem, and the recollection of that data is going to be far, far hairier if possible at all. I’m not on Twitter so I’m sure someone much more versed in legal and I.T. issues would be able to clarify if users will be able to get their data back. Don’t get me wrong: watching Elon Musk go bankrupt and his empire burn all around him has been and will continue to be cathartic as hell, especially over the class action lawsuits coming against him. But that will be just the first half of the parade before people try to get back their records of lost art, lost journalism, lost quotes, lost photography and films, lost records of how people have been faring during the pandemic across all walks of life. There’s a very real chance we’re not going to get those back. Yes, much of Twitter is full of brainrot. It’s also full of celebrities, artists, and organizations where their accounts can be as professional as they want it to be. Think about how many tweets you see copy-pasted to Tumblr and copy-pasted Tumblr posts get retweeted back to Twitter. Think about how Eli Lily just had to confront their horrible insulin prices this past week alone and how once again, the conversation turns to accountability and how life can simply be better than this dystopian, sick age we’re living in. This is arguably bigger than even the loss of Vine; I would say it’s a wee bit closer to the burning of the Library at Alexandria.

While there absolutely is worth in having community corkboards, the next social medial empire that will fall like Facebook is going to care even less about you and wipe out even more important moments in human history. Social media sites like Twitter are (again I need to use this word) instrumental as fuck for helping to instigate very real social change, even if they’re created for dumb and/or fun reasons and get quickly grandfathered into serious issues simply because they’ve been popular for so long they’ve just stuck around long enough to see them. Sites like Twitter have allowed people to get out the message out to vote and directly interact with politicians for better and worse. Sure, something will take its place, and Mastodon is already there to try to do just that. We should have healthy competition and no one should run a monopoly to encourage their status as billionaire (we shouldn’t have billionaires in the first place for that matter, but that’s a discussion for another day). The point is the fate of this closing era is going to be at the whims of a very particular twit this weekend, and the window of time to save what we can from the already burning pyre is rapidly closing.

I really, really don’t want to see Twitter to go up in flames. The best outcome for this would be to see all of its employees get much better-paying, unionized jobs and Elon Musk continues to peel and reveal himself for the insufferable jackass that he is.

#twitter #current events #history #human history #important #mit technology review #long posts #article is by chris stokel-walker #social media

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gcgmalaysiageeks-blog · 4 years ago

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Top 10 best tech news sites

Searching for the most dependable sources of information about the latest technological developments? GCG Malaysia lists down the best tech news sites that you can rely on! The proliferation of online publications and blogs has resulted in a deluge of knowledge about computers, mobile devices, software, and operating systems, among other topics. Andy from GCG Malaysia says “Finding trustworthy websites, on the other hand, can be a challenging task”. You may stay up to speed with the latest technical developments by visiting some of the most reputable websites listed below - GCG Malaysia.

1. Techcrunch.com

Those looking for information on technology companies GCG Malaysia recommend turning to TechCrunch, which publishes daily updates on the latest developments in the field. This website focuses on the business aspects of technological innovation, such as key acquisitions, funding sources, and product debuts, among other topics. Brand names such as Google, Apple, and Twitter may be searched for in order to find news stories about them.If you want, you may filter news and reviews by checking other category channels such as Enterprise, Startups, or Mobile, among others - Ally from GCG Malaysia notes. A particularly interesting feature of Tech Crunch is Crunch Base, a massive database of technology businesses and startups that is constantly being updated.

2. Arstechnica.com

This website has been up and running for over two decades, which is an extremely long period of time. In addition to breaking news and opinions, Ars Technica also publishes reports on business, legal repercussions, security, and other topics of interest to the general public.GCG Malaysia recommends this site as there is no one-way street in the conversation, either. Readers may connect with one another by visiting the Ars Technica forums, which allow for conversations on topics like hardware changes, operating systems, software, and video game development.

3. Thenextweb.com

This website is continuously on the lookout for the most recent devices, online app upgrades, and service additions, among other things. Discover how to get a head start on the newest technology upgrades, and if you're in the market for a new device, go no farther than The Next Web for inspiration. It is possible that something better may be released in the near future. Unlike many other technology websites, The Next Web has managed to stay out of controversy and has continued to grow in the face of adversity - GCG Malaysia.

4. Engadget.com

Since 2004, GCG Malaysia notes that this site has been assisting consumers in making educated technology purchase decisions, which is rather impressive. It should come as no surprise that the mix of posts on Engadget has had such success, given that it was founded by Peter Rojas, a co-founder of Gizmodo.

5. NewYorkTimes.com

It's no surprise that this long-standing journal has developed a blog that covers all things technological! All corners of the Internet report on bits' findings, along with feature stories on the latest products, events, and gadgets. It's no wonder that Bits had to include us as one of the leading technology websites - GCG Malaysia.

6. Wired.com

This site examines the culture surrounding technology. Andy from GCG Malaysia says If you like a lively, relaxed read, this site is for you. Wired showcases entertainment, commentary, economics, and security news about gadgets.

7. Gizmodo.com

The power of crowd-sourced knowledge and blogging is highlighted by Gizmodo. Powered by Kinja which gives every user, even readers, the ability to contribute with their own blog articles. GCG Malaysia claims this feature encourages more individuals to share their voices on the news stream.

8. Tomshardware.com

If you need a site to aid with projects, GCG Malaysia suggests you try this one. In Tom's Hardware, you may learn how to construct your own computer. People who have built or changed computers realize how tough it is to monitor reviews, upgrade parts, and sales. Luckily, Tom's Hardware helps you find practical information about computer parts, including cases, motherboards, and processors. If you're trying to construct a computer, then this is the last thing you should look at.

9. 9to5Mac.com

It's remarkable, but it includes much more than Apple goods - GCG Malaysia. They have thousands of Mac OS X and iOS compatible accessories in their database. This site is among the most reputable for Apple related news, and even the founding team has appeared in Business Insider.

10. Cnet.com

The CNET download library, available early on, was a significant reason why early consumers like CNET. This publication has been established since 1994 and since 2008 has belonged to The CBS Corporation. The bulk of material on CNET is reviewed, which helps users to pick the finest hardware, software and technology services.

#technology #tech

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xinonthisplanet · 6 years ago

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I can find everything on the internet. But why I still know nothing about the truth?

Technology changes the way we acquire information. You always won’t miss hot news, even never watch any news channels. You can find everything you want by google, whether a receipt of making the best steak or the reason of Brexit. But a study by Toff & Nielsen (2018) shows that more and more people still feel that “I don’t know what to believe”. Why we fail to be closer to the truth? When accessing to information is becoming free and easier, maybe we should consider what we actually pay for this.

(Illustration by Michael Kupperman)

Technology has made information overloaded in daily life. Firstly, social media is providing a variety of news all the time, regardless of people’s real needs. Sometimes when we see links that friends share on Facebook, we always click and read them with a long time going, then we realize that there is nothing values. At the same time, we tend to find that we are deluged with information when searching for more details about something, which will cost us even more time to understand and select what we want. Jane, an interviewee in the study by Toff & Nielsen (2018), said that she often felt overwhelmed when seeing lots of information which she called a “black hole of information”. The issue for her is to make sense of information rather than approaching it. It seems that plenty of information just be simply presented by platforms, and users have to spend more time and energy to find out what they really want.

(illusion by ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES)

What is more, technology worsens the situation of producing and spreading misinformation. Everyone can post viewpoint online and claim it is true, which means that fake news may come from the famous, corporations even individuals with different purposes. Furthermore, research suggests that excitation and emotion play a significant role in spreading online information (Lewandowsky et al.,2017), so the emotional fake messages may touch us earlier than boring facts. In modern life, we rely on opinions on Twitter instead of professional knowledge, to decide if the new avian flu actually infects human beings, or if global warming really caused by greenhouse gas emission (Lewandowsky et al.,2017). But concerning the truth, do we need to prove the authority and rationality of every information before believing it? I think It is too difficult for people without science training.

(illusion by me_irl)

In all ages, I think, accessing to truth is costly, and technology can not change this fact. It just changes the form of information and how we get it. “I can find everything” is an illusion that technology creates for us. What we actually pay for the truth when enjoying the convenience of approaching information? More time and energy, disbelieve of media, higher demand for professional quality and so on. The worse situation may be created, which people could not believe anything then they give up and choose to be blind. When truth being centralization, people can be deceived and incited easily by the owner of the information. As Hannah Arendt said in 1978, “A people that no longer can believe anything cannot make up its own mind. It is deprived not only of its capacity to act but also of its capacity to think and to judge. And with such a people you can then do what you please.”

Everyone needs facts to make the best choice in our life. In the future, dealing with sources online may become an essential skill, and now, we should get rid of our arrogance firstly, being humble and cautious with information.

(586 words)

Reference:

Benjamin Toff, Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, 2018. “I Just Google It”: Folk Theories of Distributed Discovery. Journal of Communication, 68(3), 636–657, https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqy009

Stephan Lewandowsky, Ullrich K.H.Ecker, John Cook, Beyond Misinformation: Understanding and Coping with the “Post-Truth” Era. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition.6(4), 353-369, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211368117300700#sec0060

Hannah Arendt. 1978. Hannah Arendt: From an Interview. The New York Review of Books . https://www.nybooks.com/contributors/hannah-arendt/

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bradypnoea · 4 years ago

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As a new Loki and Tom Hiddleston fan, I’m actually pretty jealous to see someone (aka you) be a fan of his for over 10 years now. I didn’t even know that TH has also played Loki for 10 years as well. What’s it like supporting the actor as well as witness what the filmmakers have done to his character? You’ve probably seen so much happen within the fandom and I wish I got to see how rowdy and wild it got (but at the same time, I’m glad I avoided that).

First of all, welcome! I'm terrible at joining fandoms full stop so I have to commend you on jumping in at such a tumultuous time. I’ll try to make this a brief overview of the early days, ‘cause I know I could go on for hours. I can’t speak to the atmosphere on platforms other than Tumblr really, though I have a vague awareness of the goings-on and Major Historical Events on Facebook and Twitter.

Honestly, my comparably extensive experience as a My Chemical Romance fan prepared me well for this fandom, with minor differences (obviously). From 2011-2015, I had to describe Tom by way of, “Did you see Thor/The Avengers? He plays Loki. No, he doesn’t look gaunt and greasy in real life.” Similar to band forums and chat boards, Tumblr offered a respite from that. A major portion of the contemporary user-base was a direct reflection of the surge in UK media popularity, propelled by personalities that enjoyed — let’s say — ‘off-center’ pop culture. The TWH fandom grew steadily yet in my opinion managed to retain an almost insular climate, though I remember Loki content wasn’t far removed from the inescapable Superwholock deluge which annoyed many users.

Day to day happenings were almost mundane: Tom tweeted with some regularity, shared daily song recommendations, interacted with replies, and posted seemingly anything that popped into his head. It felt almost gratuitous, particularly the second half of 2013, the earnest sincerity and encouragement of his own supporters. Tumblr seized that energy and used it as inspiration. Artists became well known for incredible graphics work, fic writers gained popularity in and outside of Tumblr, blogs popped up cataloguing photos of the man himself in varying degrees of tight trousers, the prominence of few cosplayers elicited threads of discourse which continue to this day. If I recall correctly a few fan projects actually made their way to Tom, notably a photobook involving ‘Wendy’ the false moustache. (I think there may still exist a self-recorded video documenting his receipt/reaction of it?) And I have to specifically mention the user Torilla, whose tireless work in sourcing and providing high quality photos to the masses cannot be overstated.

Such is the nature of modern fandom however, when a person attracts such a large number of supporters, the support can quickly shift from admiration to expectation to violation. I can’t recall the exact dates offhand but between ‘13-’15, personal photos were taken from Facebook and widely shared, real people were impersonated online by fans, crowds started to become physically threatening. Not to mention the increasingly invasive actions of paparazzi and fan photographers. When ‘Coriolanus’ premiered at the Donmar late 2013 it was presumed that Tom’s activity on Twitter had declined due to a busy working schedule; by the end of the play’s run, stage door signings had been suspended for safety and privacy concerns.

Throughout 2014, between back to back to back to back projects, fan misbehaviour, and growing scrutiny on how public figures presented themselves online, it was rare to hear anything firsthand. By the time The Night Manager began filming in summer ‘15 the Tumblr fandom comprised discussions of production footage, press releases, a few interviews, and fan-generated content. In my mind that was the last period that the ‘community’ felt manageable — discourse was inevitable but fairly reasonable, even as films were unfavourably reviewed by critics.

Then came May 2016, and nothing was ever the same. Okay lmao that’s so melodramatic, but it’s not inaccurate! I’m not going into detail here but believe me, only since the West End run of ‘Betrayal’ has the fandom been revived to a sustainable degree. Optimism felt like a chore, especially when ‘Endgame’ premiered, and there was no shortage of negative assumptions about Tom’s seemingly indefinite hiatus from appearing on screen. Certainly, other users will have differing experiences and opinions on the 2016-2018 period, but I truly can’t imagine anyone was having an overly pleasant time.

As for my personal support/witnessing of MCU Loki’s character development, I probably have an unusually pessimistic-passive set of expectations, and it’ll be very interesting to return to this after I’ve watched the series! The Internet Joke goes something like, “I respect your interpretation of this character unless it’s different than mine,” which is funny! But I learned it’s almost a waste of energy to attempt interpreting nearly any MCU character because the inconsistent writing. I remember my dissatisfaction during the first watch of ‘The Dark World’ and afterward reading that Loki’s death was reversed when early test audiences reacted with confusion and disappointment, I understood then that the broad appeal of Loki was so necessary for profit that Marvel/Disney would never allow the character the room to shock and potentially repulse audiences like I wanted.

Clearly I’m still intrigued by fan interpretations because I’m consuming and curating fanworks for zero dollars(!!) but I let go of the expectation to be satisfied by canon MCU content, though I’ll admit it hasn’t stopped me from being disappointed by MCU writing! It also hasn’t softened the disappointment of encountering poor fan behaviour, but of course I pick my battles on that front. I’ve heard curiosity and compassion can solve all problems in time so I’ll keep working on that, offering it when I can.

With that I have to thank you for your interest and your kind message, I hope you find a few people to really connect with, and feel free to return to me if you’d like. My fingers are crossed for the next few years to be more pleasant for us, and the fandom can meet one another on respectable terms, learn and grow and all that. No accounting for trolls on Twitter though lmao

Oh! My favourite direction to send interested newcomers is toward the inactive remnant of thfrustration.tumblr.com (link), the preeminent Tumblr fan-fiction catalogue established in May 2012. It’s a nicely preserved record of the Golden Age as I like to call it. Be prepared to cringe a little! Much love. b|x

#b|anons #b|asks #long post #The Rest

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mariacallous · 2 years ago

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In the wake of Hamas’ deadly attacks on Israel this weekend—and the Israeli military’s response—journalists, researchers, open source intelligence (OSINT) experts, and fact-checkers rushed to verify the deluge of raw video footage and images being shared online by people on the ground. But users of X (formerly Twitter) seeking information on the conflict faced a flood of disinformation.

While all major world events are now accompanied almost instantly by a deluge of disinformation aimed at controlling the narrative, the scale and speed at which disinformation was being seeded about the Israel-Hamas conflict is unprecedented—particularly on X.

“For many reasons, this is the hardest time I’ve ever had covering a crisis on here,” Justin Peden, an OSINT researcher from Alabama known online as the Intel Crab, posted on X. “Credible links are now photos. On the ground news outlets struggle to reach audiences without an expensive blue check mark. Xenophobic goons are boosted by the platform’s CEO. End times, folks.”

When Peden covered the escalation in Gaza in 2021, the sources he was seeing in his feed were from people on the ground or credible news agencies. This weekend, he says, verified content or primary sources were virtually impossible to find on X.

“It’s getting incredibly hard to find people that actually live in Palestine or in southern Israel,” Peden tells WIRED. “It’s been incredibly hard to find their preliminary information and share their videos and photos. You have this perfect storm where on the ground, preliminary sources are not being amplified, especially those that maybe don’t speak English, which is a large majority of users in that area.”

Boosted by the algorithm that promotes users willing to pay X $8 a month for a premium subscription, posts from those with a blue checkmark shot to the top of news feeds for people seeking information about the conflict.

Rather than being shown verified and fact-checked information, X users were presented with video game footage passed off as footage of a Hamas attack and images of firework celebrations in Algeria presented as Israeli strikes on Hamas. There were faked pictures of soccer superstar Ronaldo holding the Palestinian flag, while a three-year-old video from the Syrian civil war repurposed to look like it was taken this weekend.

As a result, Peden says that he and his fellow OSINT researchers have to spend their time debunking years-old content rather than verifying and sharing real footage from the conflict.

Many of these videos and images racked up hundreds of thousands of views and engagements. While some later featured a note from X’s decimated community fact-checking system, many more remained untouched. And as Elon Musk has repeatedly done in recent incidents, the platform’s CEO made the situation much worse.

“For following the war in real-time, @WarMonitors & @sentdefender are good,” Musk wrote in a post to his 150 million followers on Sunday morning. Both the accounts Musk referenced are well-known spreaders of disinformation. For example, both accounts spread the lie that there had been an explosion near the White House in May, a story that made the US stock market briefly plummet before it was debunked.

Many users also pointed out that the @WarMonitors account had a history of posting antisemitic comments on X. Last year, the account replied to a post from Ye (formerly Kanye West) thanking the rapper and adding: “The overwhelming majority of people in the media and banks are zi0nists” while telling another X user in June to “go worship a jew lil bro.”

Musk deleted his recommendation soon after posting it, but not before it was viewed over 11 million times. Later on Sunday, Musk wrote: “As always, please try to stay as close to the truth as possible, even for stuff you don’t like.”

Experts believe that the proliferation of disinformation on X around the Israel-Hamas conflict this weekend is largely the result of changes Musk has made to the platform over the past year, including his decision to fire most of the people responsible for tackling disinformation.

“Elon Musk’s changes to the platform work entirely to the benefit of terrorists and war propagandists,” Emerson Brooking, a researcher at the Atlantic Council Digital Forensics Research Lab, tells WIRED. “Changes in profit and incentive structure mean that there’s a lot more tendency for people to share at high volume information which may not be true because they are trying to maximize view counts. Anyone can buy one of those little blue checks and change their profile picture to something that’s seemingly a media outlet. It takes quite a bit of work to vet who’s telling the truth and who’s not.”

X, which eliminated its entire PR team last year, responded to WIRED’s request for comment on the proliferation of disinformation on its platform with the automated message: “Busy now, please check back later.”

Peden says the Twitter algorithm has been designed to boost content that gets the most engagement, which incentivizes bad actors to share disinformation.

“The videos and images that you’re seeing of air strikes, they’re very prolific,” Peden says. “They’re very hard-hitting, and unfortunately that means engagement does incredibly, incredibly well. These images are horrible and dramatic, and they perform well. So there is an incentive by others, especially those trying to push a narrative to share an old video from years ago, just because people love looking at the stuff.”

In an echo of what happened when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, much of the primary footage emerging from the Israel-Hamas conflict over the weekend was posted first on the encrypted message platform Telegram. From there, it was taken and reshared on other platforms, but in most cases the footage was not fact-checked first or it was taken out of context to suit the narrative being pushed by the poster.

“There’s an immense amount of primary content that was first posted in Telegram groups in one form or another, but there’s essentially no way to vet that information. Then that primary information hits others platforms, notably Twitter, where there’s an immense battle of spin and narrative taking place,” Brooking says. “You have artisans on every side, as well as sympathizers from one group or another, who are also joining this [battle].”

The situation is so bad on X right now that even seasoned OSINT researchers are being duped by fake accounts, including one that shared a false claim about Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu being hospitalized over the weekend.

“Any sort of ground truth, which was always hard to get on Twitter, is now entirely out of reach,” Brooking says.

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orbemnews · 4 years ago

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If you’ve always wanted a Twitter blue check, now you can apply for one. Twitter said Thursday that it would begin allowing users to apply for verification, giving new hope to those who have spent years coveting the blue check mark that denotes some level of social media clout. Representatives from governments, companies and news organizations can apply to be verified, along with athletes, entertainers and activists. Twitter will slowly offer the application form to users over the coming weeks so it is not deluged with requests. To be eligible, users in those categories must confirm their email addresses or phone numbers and should not have recently violated Twitter rules, a spokeswoman said. Twitter users have clamored to be verified since the company granted its first verification in 2009 to an account belonging to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The blue check mark, which is displayed on a user’s profile, is viewed as an indicator of legitimacy and influence. But Twitter’s process for verifying accounts has been opaque. Without a clear path to verification, users have resorted to begging Twitter employees and other prominent tech figures to help them get verified. “I usually get a verification request every couple of days,” said Jane Manchun Wong, a software engineer who researches Twitter and other social media apps. (Ms. Wong does not work for Twitter and cannot verify accounts.) “I usually try to ignore them, but sometimes they begin to start spamming,” she said. In 2017, Twitter faced criticism after verifying the account of Jason Kessler, a white supremacist who has used Twitter to organize rallies like Unite the Right’s in Charlottesville, Va., where torch-wielding protesters marched through the streets chanting racist rallying cries. Twitter said it would stop verifying accounts until it could develop a coherent process for doing so. That didn’t happen. Instead, the company continued quietly verifying accounts, although it did not allow users to proactively apply for verification. The confusion over verification became a running joke at Twitter. In 2020, Twitter’s chief executive, Jack Dorsey, joked in an interview with Wired that users could be verified if they sent direct messages to the company’s head of product, Kayvon Beykpour. Mr. Beykpour was not, in fact, responsible for verifying users. Last year, Twitter finally took steps to fix the process. It published a draft verification policy and invited users to comment, before eventually opening up the application process on Thursday. Twitter said other account labels would be introduced soon, like an option for users to add their pronouns to their profiles, and that it hoped to begin verifying scientists and religious leaders later this year. “I’m hoping it will finally get people to stop DMing me, asking me to verify them,” B Byrne, Twitter’s product lead for profiles and identity, said of the new verification process. Source link Orbem News #apply #Blue #Check #Twitter #wanted #youve

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techcrunchappcom · 5 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://techcrunchapp.com/minority-communities-fighting-back-against-disinformation-ahead-of-election-national-news-the-black-chronicle/

Minority communities fighting back against disinformation ahead of election – National News – The Black Chronicle

Twitter screenshotBY: FERGAL GALLAGHER, ABC NEWS

(WASHINGTON) — Russian election interference, Iranian emails, falsities trumpeted by government officials and the explosion in popularity of online conspiracy theories have combined into a deluge of misinformation that’s left many American voters swimming upstream. Some advocates are working together to build a bigger boat.

Before many had even heard of Russian troll farms, back in 2014, Shafiqah Hudson and I’Nasah Crockett, two Black Twitter users with no technical or law enforcement background, helped curb disinformation by using an inventive hashtag.

Hudson spotted a number of Twitter accounts purporting to be Black feminists that appeared to be purposely sowing division, calling for an end to Father’s Day and using the hashtag #endfathersday.

“A lot of tweets featured really terrible approximations of African American Vernacular English, or AAVE,” Hudson told ABC News. “And you can’t fake AAVE.”

An online friend of Hudson’s, Crockett did some digging and discovered a few of these bad actors discussing tactics and boasting of their success on the website 4chan, a fringe social media platform that became a forum for right-wing hate speech and from which QAnon emerged.

Hudson began outing the fake accounts with the hashtag #yourslipisshowing — the hashtag stemming from a southern saying for something that’s supposed to be concealed but suddenly is on full display.

“It was our way of saying, ‘Hey, this thing that you think you’re hiding, everyone sees it,’” Hudson added.

The hashtag did have some success in curbing the disinformation — some of the accounts were taken down and some just stopped posting when tagged with the #yourslipisshowing — but many persisted for a long time.

A few years later, after the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke, the Mueller Report revealed that minority communities — Black communities especially — had been targeted by Russian trolls.

Both Hudson and Crockett are again seeing this kind of content circulating. They believe working together as a community can help counter it.

“I think they’ve learned,” Crockett said. “There’s a little less attempt to try and directly talk to a person and use AAVE, which could be incorrect, and more just an attempt to muddy the waters by just dumping information, overwhelming people, so you don’t even take the time to look up the source.”

The “More than a Vote” campaign is raising awareness and has the backing of celebrities such as Kevin Hart, Patrick Mahomes and LeBron James, who tweeted a video aimed at countering misinformation and voter depression. Disinformation experts from First Draft define voter depression as efforts to discourage voters from attempting to vote, whereas voter suppression is action taken to prevent people from being able to cast their votes.

Recognizing this would be a problem in 2020, and beyond, Amalia Deloney of the Media Democracy Fund helped establish the Disinformation Defense League. The DDL, now composed of more than 200 grassroots organizations across the U.S., is helping to mobilize minority communities to counter disinformation campaigns.

“The idea is to be a real research resource, a sharing network designed specifically to disrupt the voter suppression campaigns that are using radicalized disinformation tactics to deliberately depress Black, Afro-Latinx and Latinx community votes,” said Deloney, the DDL’s director.

The organization has purposely avoided the spotlight, partly to not attract more trolls but also because they want to spread their message not through traditional media sources or even public social media but in closed direct messaging areas such as Facebook Groups or WhatsApp groups. Much of the group’s messaging is via SMS. Deloney said that post-election there will be less of a need to operate below the radar and the DDL will take on more of a public stance.

Rather than trying to grow an online user base, the DDL seeks to leverage trust among its members and their communities to more effectively combat misinformation. Much of the disinformation is being circulated in closed groups, like private Facebook Groups, and private messaging groups on WhatsApp or WeChat, and the only way to counter that disinformation is through members of the public who already are in these private spaces online.

Deloney said the organization is not unlike “The Justice League,” a popular comic book series.

“We wanted to create a space where you could sit at the table with other superheroes and together you could do more than what was possible on your own,” Deloney added.

The basic premise is that by educating people about disinformation tactics and teaching them how to spot it, that helps inoculate the electorate against it.

Next week, two member organizations, MediaJustice and United We Dream, are organizing a full week of events that will include training sessions and a Twitter town hall. The DDL also offers training and resources in Spanish and works with many Latinx groups, including Mijente.

Claire Wardle, director of First Draft, one of the expert disinformation organizations that advises the DDL, said that communicating directly with minority communities is key in battling falsehoods.

“We’ve learned in 2020 that, as institutional trust in things like the CDC or the news media or academia has dropped, people are turning to one another for information,” Wardle told ABC News. “When it comes to fighting disinformation, there are real opportunities there for communities who trust one another to say, ‘Let’s help one another figure out what’s true or false and which bits of information are designed to divide us.’”

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#against #ahead #communities #disinformation #election #fighting #minority #National

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itslivelovemedia · 5 years ago

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TikTok and a New Form of Celebrity

Founded in 2016, TikTok established itself as a video-sharing social networking site where people can create dancing videos, comedic content and other videos displaying their talent. At the start of 2020, TikTok was the most downloaded non-gaming app succeeding Whatsapp and Facebook, marking a new and innovative form of video-sharing that allows anyone and everyone to make content desirable to them (Freier, 2020). The appeal of the app, especially for young people is its accessibility, variety in regard to content, and its ease of use (Zhou, 2019). Within this, a new form of celebrity has been established with young people reaching fame online. But the question is, why is this platform so successful and how has it changed the face of video-sharing?

Image source: Forbes

As of February 2020, the app has over 800 million monthly users, with people opening the app eight times a day and spending on average 52 minutes a day on TikTok (Aslam, 2020). The app is defined by viral trends, challenges and dances in which users replicate content amongst themselves in order to gain views, with the most popular ones leading to an influx of followers. The use of hashtags and the explore page further this, with some challenges including the #bottlecapchallenge, the renegade dance and the #WipeItDown challenge. Dance challenges have also led to the TikTok celebrities being created, with the same status as Instagram influencers and YouTubers (Abidin, 2018). Charli D’Amelio is the most followed TikTok user with over 58 million followers and a total of 4 billion likes on her videos. This represents a shift in the definition of celebrity, with D’Amelio making her way into mainstream media with an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon teaching him a TikTok dance.

youtube

TikTok’s success can be attributed to its short videos, with videos ranging in length from 15 to 60 seconds. This concurs with the shifting attention economy, where people in modern society have short attention spans due to the quick and evolving aspects of new and digital media, with human attention being viewed as a scarce commodity (Beller, 2006). TikTok epitomises this with the homepage of app taking you to the next video automatically leading to people spending hours on the app at one time. TikTok has been described as a ‘deluge’ with everything being decontextualized, fragmented, and fast paced in comparison to sites such as Twitter and Instagram (Haigney, 2020).

The future of TikTok is questionable, especially because of the ever-evolving media environment where new platforms and apps are created daily. But for now, TikTok provides a form of entertainment that has never been seen before, with its easy to consume nature, its appeal to those with short attention spans, and its wide range of content.

Word count: 455

References:

Abidin, C. (2018). Internet celebrity: Understanding fame online. Chicago: Emerald Publishing Limited.

Aslam, S. (2020). • TikTok by the Numbers (2020): Stats, Demographics & Fun Facts. Retrieved 22 May 2020, from https://www.omnicoreagency.com/tiktok-statistics/

Beller, J. (2006). The cinematic mode of production. Hanover, N.H.: Dartmouth College Press.

Freier, A. (2020). TikTok was most downloaded non-gaming app at the start of 2020. Retrieved 20 May 2020, from https://www.businessofapps.com/news/tiktok-was-most-downloaded-non-gaming-app-at-the-start-of-2020/

Haigney, S. (2020). TikTok is the perfect medium for the splintered attention spans of lockdown | Sophie Haigney. Retrieved 22 May 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/16/tiktok-perfect-medium-splintered-attention-spans-coronavirus-lockdown

Zhou, N. (2019). ‘It just takes off’: why short-video app TikTok has caused a global stir. Retrieved 21 May 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/aug/03/it-just-takes-off-how-the-short-video-app-tiktok-has-caused-a-global-stir

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ladystylestores · 5 years ago

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‘Terrace House’ star Hana Kimura: Japan to discuss cyberbullying laws after death of wrestler

Kimura, a cast member on the latest season of the Netflix show “Terrace House,” died on Saturday at the age of 22, confirmed World Wonder Ring Stardom, the professional wrestling organization that represented Kimura.

“We are very sorry to report that our Hana Kimura has passed away,” Stardom said in a statement. “Hana marched to the beat of her own drum. She was funny, charismatic and a truly kind person.”

The organization didn’t provide further information on her death, adding in a separate statement that “we are yet to grasp the details and continue to cooperate the investigation into the matter.”

Shortly before her death was reported, Kimura posted a photo of herself with her cat on Instagram, with the caption, “I love you. Live a happy, long life. I’m sorry.”

News of Kimura’s death sent shockwaves through Japan and the broader “Terrace House” fan base, with many people pointing to the deluge of abuse Kimura faced from social media users in recent months.

The wave of online criticism and harassment was heightened after an episode that aired on March 31, showing an argument between Kimura and another cast member.

That abuse came under scrutiny and widespread condemnation after Kimura’s death.

Japan’s Minister of Internal Affairs and Communication, Sanae Takaichi, pledged on Tuesday to speed up government discussions around cyberbullying legislation.

Takaichi would head a government panel to discuss whether internet users could be identified if their posts included “slander and defamation,” she said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga also expressed his condolences for Kimura’s death on Monday, saying, “It is important to improve literacy on the internet so that users won’t use comments to hurt others with slander.”

Former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama paid tribute to Kimura on Twitter, calling for punishment for “cowardly” anonymous cyberbullies.

Other cast members from “Terrace House” also stepped forward with their own experiences of online abuse.

“I was told if I become famous or join ‘Terrace House,’ receiving slander was unavoidable and it’s the tax of being a celebrity,” posted Ryo Tawatari, who left the show in February. “But is it really right? Honestly speaking, I receive lots of slander every day … Other members are in agony too.”

Emika Mizukoshi, who left shortly after Tawatari, described receiving messages online telling her to “go and die.”

“I also was slandered after joining Terrace House, and was hurt,” she said in an Instagram post. “But we on TV are all human and have feelings. Words can be deadly weapons … We have to end this trend where you can say anything to so-called famous people.”

The season’s upcoming episodes, which were set to air this week and next, have been suspended, said Netflix Japan in a statement.

International wrestling community grieves

Kimura was a rising star in the wrestling world. Her mother, Kyoko Kimura, was previously a famous professional wrestler, and Hana followed suit, graduating from a training academy in 2016.

She officially joined Stardom, a women’s professional wrestling group based in Tokyo, in 2019, and went on to win several championships and tournaments.

However, her role on “Terrace House” was what propelled her to greater fame — domestically and globally. The show, co-produced and distributed by Netflix, has gained international popularity in recent years, with a growing number of fans in the United States and Asia.

Sometimes dubbed an “anti-reality TV” show, “Terrace House” places six strangers together in one house, where they live and date throughout the season. Unlike typical dating shows, “Terrace House” is largely free of explosive drama and instead full of everyday mundanities like grocery shopping and day jobs.

Kimura joined the latest season set in Tokyo, which aired last May. While on the show, she discussed topics like the difficulties of being a female wrestler, public misconceptions about her job, and the struggle of work-life balance.

Fellow female wrestlers around the world took to social media after her death to pay tribute, express their condolences, and speak out against cyberbullying.

“There are no words that could possibly heal this wound,” said UFC Hall of Famer and former WWE women’s champion Ronda Rousey. “Cyberbullying is a very real and growing threat to us all as a society … Even a straw’s weight can be the one to break a camel’s back.”

“I didn’t personally know Hana Kimura, but it’s still very painful to learn about what happened,” said the WWE’s four-time women’s world champion Bayley. “When it comes to cyberbullying – don’t do it, don’t partake in it, and do not respond to it…Stand for something better.”

Other famous wrestlers who spoke out after Kimura’s death include Mick Foley, Nia Jax, and Kelly Klein.

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asfeedin · 5 years ago

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De Blasio’s social distancing line flooded with dick pics and Karen memes

Some people on the internet aren’t particularly fond of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s tip line for coronavirus social distancing violations — and that’s putting it lightly.

The line been flooded with harsh complaints and indecent messages, including dick pics, middle fingers, as well as Hitler and Karen memes, the NY Post reports.

There were also tons of links to news coverage claiming the NYC mayor was hitting the gym despite social distancing warnings. Some of the naysayers have actually posted their “tips” on Twitter.

This is actually one of the more polite examples:

pic.twitter.com/zJ9AXEgdFO

— Lizzy Lou Who

(@_wintergirl93) April 18, 2020

That said, it remains unclear if the backlash comes from New York City citizens or people unhappy with the approach de Blasio took with the social distancing violation line (chances are there’s a big overlap between the two groups). A lot of the complaints seem politically motivated, though.

Sources from the New York Police Department (NYPD) told the NY Post the tip line had also received images of actual penises, as well as false tips de Blasio had “coofed” at passers-by. At some point, the deluge of off-color texts got so bad, the service had to be temporarily suspended.

“The city has begun vetting everything before dispersing the information to precincts,” an NYPD source told the NY Post.

De Blasio first announced the social distancing violation line in a tweet posted on April 18, encouraging people to snap photos of rule-breakers and report them.

How do you report places that aren’t enforcing social distancing? It’s simple: just snap a photo and text it to 311-692. #AskMyMayor pic.twitter.com/WQdCcVf1Rl

— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) April 18, 2020

NYC has been hit pretty hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with nearly 140,000 confirmed cases so far. The violation tipping service aims to curb the spread.

Despite the flak, The Wall Street Journal reports more than 14,000 reports have been submitted to the line so far, but hardly any of the rule-breakers have faced any legal consequences.

In other parts of the world, governments have been working on mobile software to track coronavirus cases.

China rolled out an app that notified users if they had been in close contact with any infected individuals back in February, but later reports indicated the service was sharing citizen’s date with local police — a move many deemed as a violation of user privacy.

Russia, too, was reportedly developing a similar app, which many security experts worried could abuse the privacy of users. India is in a similar situation, with many citizens questioning how the government will handle their data — especially because of the country’s lack of privacy laws.

Big Tech is in on the coronavirus tracking business too, with Apple and Google teaming up to roll out a “a contact tracing approach designed with strong controls and protections for user privacy.” The companies are aiming to drop the first APIs in May, with plans to release the broader contact tracing system “in the coming months.”

Hopefully, it’ll be less intrusive than China’s alternative, and better received than de Blasio’s tipping line.

Read next: This planetary system’s perfect rhythm tells us a lot about how it came to be

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