#information freedom

[the-most-humble-blog]

🛡️ BLACKSITE ENTRY — “AGE VERIFICATION ISN’T ABOUT PROTECTING KIDS. IT’S ABOUT COLLARING THE INTERNET.” | Mr. Humble | Blacksite Literature™

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They said it was to “protect the children.” Twenty-five states later, the only thing they’ve protected is a pipeline straight to your ID, your face scan, and your history. Fiction gets locked down. War footage? Free to stream. The message is clear: Violence keeps you obedient. Sexual autonomy makes you dangerous. And this isn’t the last wall they’ll build — it’s just the first one you didn’t fight.

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[noescape-vg]

Hey can we maybe hold off on nuking LibGen for a minute

So today the Atlantic came out with a story that detailed how Meta had used LibGen to train its Large Language Model. LibGen is a popular “shadow library” that collects millions of books – mostly nonfiction works, but there’s a sizable fiction library too – and makes them available for download in a variety of formats. Various authors are, understandably, ripshit mad about this. It is an insult…

Hey can we maybe hold off on nuking LibGen for a minute

[advancedmedicineexchange]

Dr. Rashid A. Buttar, Founder of Advanced Medicine Exchange

[daltongraham]

OMFG I’m actually going to DataRescue SF!!!! I got in and so did my partner, which is key because without him there’s no way I’d get through the commute and 8 hours of work. Not at all sure how I’m going to do it but I’m going to beg borrow and steal spoons because FUCK this is how I can best resist. This is the type of work I’m trained for. This is the type of work I adore. 

(Just send good thoughts, if you will, that I can actually survive it and do something helpful)

[daltongraham]

The responsible application of science to government

No date set yet. Very important plan, in the face of today’s gag orders on federally funded scientific organizations (USDA and EPA).

[daltongraham]

Today’s call issue: scientific gag orders

Called my rep and senators today in DC. (Will take me some practice before I have the balls to call their local offices on the same day about the same issue, as one Senate staffer recommended.)

Here's today's phone script, in case you want to use it:

May I speak to the staffer in charge of science? My name is [name] and my zip code is [zip]. I am calling to ask [title, person] to ensure that federal agencies are allowed to communicate with the public about their federally funded work. The president's gag orders are not acceptable. I am also concerned about the presidential order mandating that scientific data be reviewed by political appointees. This is not how science works, and this cannot be allowed to stand. I am an American taxpayer, and I deserve to see the results of the work of my federal agencies. I am counting on [title, person] to help protect my access to this information. Thank you.

[daltongraham]

Today’s activism: research

(2 Feb 2017) Digging down to find out who to contact, when, about the proposed gag order on GPS info for federal databases. 

To recap: the key text for the House version, HR 482, is:

no Federal funds may be used to design, build, maintain, utilize, or provide access to a Federal database of geospatial information on community racial disparities or disparities in access to affordable housing.

(The key text in the Senate version, S 103, is the same.)

Other than being sick and anti-poor, what really frightens me is that this will have a chilling effect on all federally funded geoscience (and probably other) databases. Because they all have the potential to be used to analyze racial disparities or disparities in access to affordable housing.

Provide access to. What this means is that all geoscience data would be quarantined. As I mentioned yesterday, this would have wide-reaching and deadly effects.

They are in committees right now. If they get out of committee I’ll be a lot more loud about this.

[kaile-hultner]

Hey can we maybe hold off on nuking LibGen for a minute

So today the Atlantic came out with a story that detailed how Meta had used LibGen to train its Large Language Model. LibGen is a popular “shadow library” that collects millions of books – mostly nonfiction works, but there’s a sizable fiction library too – and makes them available for download in a variety of formats. Various authors are, understandably, ripshit mad about this. It is an insult…

Hey can we maybe hold off on nuking LibGen for a minute