Feed Items
A fusion of authoritarianism and corporatism is destroying what’s left of already soggy U.S. federal consumer protection and corporate oversight. You might not know this because the U.S. press and many policymakers genuinely don’t appear to care, but it’s happening all the same.
Whether by dodgy Supreme Court ruling, executive order, or captured regulators, the U.S. authoritarians, often in...
This week, our first place winner on the insightful side is Strawb with a reply to a couple parts of a comment on our post about “Trump derangement syndrome” turning out to be pretty damn correct:
“Why? Is your contention that non-democratic or abnormally-democratic government inherently represents an “existential threat”?“
That seems an odd question. If a democratically elected leader chooses...
Five Years Ago
This week in 2020, we wrote about how the idea that banning TikTok thwarts Chinese intelligence was ridiculous, and how any real threat probably comes from America’s feebly secured infrastructure. As for failed security, we looked at the incredible waste of Baltimore’s aerial surveillance program, and as for worrying “security”, we looked at how San Diego cops were using an old...
We’ve talked a bunch about the lawsuit drama between Nintendo and the Pokémon Co. against PocketPair, the makers of the hit game Palworld. The short version goes something like this. Palworld is clearly inspired by the Pokémon world and games, but does not directly copy anything from those properties. Nintendo in particular seems very annoyed by this game even existing, but, again, no actual...
This series of posts explores how we can rethink the intersection of AI, creativity, and policy. From examining outdated regulatory metaphors to questioning copyright norms and highlighting the risks of stifling innovation, each post addresses a different piece of the AI puzzle. Together, they advocate for a more balanced, forward-thinking approach that acknowledges the potential of technological...
Age verification laws and regulations that target online pornography and digital sex work are far from being the “modest” child safety measures intended to protect public decency favored by the far–right.
Proponents of these laws benefit from the fearmongering and framing of age verification as a necessity to protect children from inappropriate material found on the internet. But often in the...
There was a colloquy at oral argument earlier this year in the Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton case between Justice Kavanaugh and FSC that raised the unsettling prospect that at least several of the Supreme Court justices did not understand what preliminary injunctions are for. In that case, the bad Texas law had already been enjoined by the district court (correctly) applying strict scrutiny,...
The US Court system’s electronic filing front-end has always been a mess. Not only is it prohibitively expensive for most casual users, it’s prohibitively dysfunctional even for power users. Whoever isn’t discouraged by the outdated front end will be just as unimpressed by its back end. PACER charges per page like it’s a librarian running paper copies on a mimeograph. It also charges per page of...
The 2025 Java Bundle has 6 courses designed to help you build real projects and fast-track your way to a becoming a Java expert. Courses cover the fundamentals of Java with exercises to help you improve your skills. You’ll learn how to build a website with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. There’s also a course to help you master Git and GitHub. It’s on sale for $30.
Note: The Techdirt Deals Store is...
Donald Trump has declared war on American cities, and he’s sending in the troops to prove it. As Rolling Stone rightly notes regarding Trump seizing direct control of DC law enforcement by deploying the National Guard:
President Donald Trump has expanded his military campaign against the United States by deploying armed troops to yet another major metropolitan area, announcing on Monday that he...