Tonu Basu
@tonubasu.bsky.social
Policy wonk, tech & governance. Strong opinions on multi-stakeholderism, open government & India. Indian classical dancer & toddler mum. Personal account RT≠agree
Reposted by Tonu Basu
🧵 Thread ahead.
For over a decade, the evidence shows that social media platforms, especially Meta and Google, have profited financially from spreading misinformation because they sell highly engaging content to advertisers.
Below are some examples of how they profit from spreading misinformation.
For over a decade, the evidence shows that social media platforms, especially Meta and Google, have profited financially from spreading misinformation because they sell highly engaging content to advertisers.
Below are some examples of how they profit from spreading misinformation.
February 25, 2025 at 7:23 AM
🧵 Thread ahead.
For over a decade, the evidence shows that social media platforms, especially Meta and Google, have profited financially from spreading misinformation because they sell highly engaging content to advertisers.
Below are some examples of how they profit from spreading misinformation.
For over a decade, the evidence shows that social media platforms, especially Meta and Google, have profited financially from spreading misinformation because they sell highly engaging content to advertisers.
Below are some examples of how they profit from spreading misinformation.
Reposted by Tonu Basu
NEW: updated long-run gap in voting between young men and women in Germany:
Gender divide continues to widen, but contrary to what is often assumed, young men continue to vote roughly in line with the overall population, while young women have swung sharply left.
www.ft.com/content/29fd...
Gender divide continues to widen, but contrary to what is often assumed, young men continue to vote roughly in line with the overall population, while young women have swung sharply left.
www.ft.com/content/29fd...
February 24, 2025 at 9:16 AM
NEW: updated long-run gap in voting between young men and women in Germany:
Gender divide continues to widen, but contrary to what is often assumed, young men continue to vote roughly in line with the overall population, while young women have swung sharply left.
www.ft.com/content/29fd...
Gender divide continues to widen, but contrary to what is often assumed, young men continue to vote roughly in line with the overall population, while young women have swung sharply left.
www.ft.com/content/29fd...
Reposted by Tonu Basu
Extremely Polarized Democracies Often See Democracy Erode
Of 52 cases where democracies became severely polarized, half experienced democratic backsliding.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Of 52 cases where democracies became severely polarized, half experienced democratic backsliding.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
How Political Polarization Ends
History shows that, if left untreated, extreme political and social divisions are a mortal threat to democracy.
www.bloomberg.com
January 17, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Extremely Polarized Democracies Often See Democracy Erode
Of 52 cases where democracies became severely polarized, half experienced democratic backsliding.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Of 52 cases where democracies became severely polarized, half experienced democratic backsliding.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
That point in the history of the world when self proclaimed guardians of free speech and information integrity are the likes of Meta and Delhi police. m.thewire.in/article/gove...
Delhi Police Can Now Order Social Media Companies to Remove 'Illegal Content' Under IT Act
The notification issued by the Delhi Home Department states that the L-G has notified senior police officers to issue the takedown orders.
m.thewire.in
January 9, 2025 at 12:00 PM
That point in the history of the world when self proclaimed guardians of free speech and information integrity are the likes of Meta and Delhi police. m.thewire.in/article/gove...
Great perspective from my former colleagues at OGP - the lack of oversight over Low Earth Satellites and AI can do significant (and ongoing) harm, but with the essential safeguards, the potential to tackle corruption
🚀 Space, AI, and Open Government
Satellites will reshape governance. They might help find illegal activity and they might help enforce sanctions, but who decides how and when they’re used? With Dieter Zinnbauer. bit.ly/4ivSFof (Inspired by the new NDI report www.ndi.org/publications...)
Satellites will reshape governance. They might help find illegal activity and they might help enforce sanctions, but who decides how and when they’re used? With Dieter Zinnbauer. bit.ly/4ivSFof (Inspired by the new NDI report www.ndi.org/publications...)
The Next Orbital: Low Earth Satellites and AI are Changing the Fight against Corruption
Pairing low earth orbit (LEO) satellites with AI has led to groundbreaking gains in the fight against corruption, human rights violations…
bit.ly
December 11, 2024 at 9:25 AM
Great perspective from my former colleagues at OGP - the lack of oversight over Low Earth Satellites and AI can do significant (and ongoing) harm, but with the essential safeguards, the potential to tackle corruption
Sen Ted Cruz requests documents from the Dept of Justice on whether "foreign entities are directly or indirectly engaging in
political activities in an attempt to influence U.S. AI policy." 😶 The letter makes for an interesting read. www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...
political activities in an attempt to influence U.S. AI policy." 😶 The letter makes for an interesting read. www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...
www.commerce.senate.gov
December 4, 2024 at 4:14 PM
Sen Ted Cruz requests documents from the Dept of Justice on whether "foreign entities are directly or indirectly engaging in
political activities in an attempt to influence U.S. AI policy." 😶 The letter makes for an interesting read. www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...
political activities in an attempt to influence U.S. AI policy." 😶 The letter makes for an interesting read. www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...
Must read!
"We highlight three main affordances of ‘open’ AI - transparency, reusability, & extensibility;[...]‘open’ AI allows some forms of oversight & experimentation...openness alone does not perturb the concentration of power in AI." @ainowinstitute.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
"We highlight three main affordances of ‘open’ AI - transparency, reusability, & extensibility;[...]‘open’ AI allows some forms of oversight & experimentation...openness alone does not perturb the concentration of power in AI." @ainowinstitute.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Why ‘open’ AI systems are actually closed, and why this matters - Nature
A review of the literature on artificial intelligence systems to examine openness reveals that open AI systems are actually closed, as they are highly dependent on the resources of a few large corpora...
www.nature.com
December 3, 2024 at 11:31 AM
Must read!
"We highlight three main affordances of ‘open’ AI - transparency, reusability, & extensibility;[...]‘open’ AI allows some forms of oversight & experimentation...openness alone does not perturb the concentration of power in AI." @ainowinstitute.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
"We highlight three main affordances of ‘open’ AI - transparency, reusability, & extensibility;[...]‘open’ AI allows some forms of oversight & experimentation...openness alone does not perturb the concentration of power in AI." @ainowinstitute.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Tonu Basu
Great piece on freedom of expression in armed conflict. Proud of my friend Chantal Joris for this deep and valuable contribution to the debate on this topic.
www.article19.org/free-express...
www.article19.org/free-express...
Information saves lives: How expression protects civilians in armed conflict - ARTICLE 19
ARTICLE 19’s new policy sets out how international law protects people’s right to free expression during armed conflict.
www.article19.org
December 3, 2024 at 10:59 AM
Great piece on freedom of expression in armed conflict. Proud of my friend Chantal Joris for this deep and valuable contribution to the debate on this topic.
www.article19.org/free-express...
www.article19.org/free-express...
In Dec, the UN General Assembly will adopt a new cybercrime convention, a massive blow to digital rights globally. Interestingly, both civil society & companies have criticised it. This great piece by @zaghdoudist.bsky.social highlights how cybercrime laws have been misused (in the Arab region).
Lessons from the Arab region for UN cybercrime convention
The UN cybercrime convention will allow governments across the Arab region and worldwide to use cybercrime laws to violate human rights.
www.accessnow.org
November 28, 2024 at 1:17 PM
In Dec, the UN General Assembly will adopt a new cybercrime convention, a massive blow to digital rights globally. Interestingly, both civil society & companies have criticised it. This great piece by @zaghdoudist.bsky.social highlights how cybercrime laws have been misused (in the Arab region).
"The discrimination perpetuated by UDK and ATP’s algorithms is happening in an environment of pre-existing inequalities...within Danish society,...embedded in the design of ATP’s algorithmic models, facilitating the categorization of individuals & communities based on difference or “othering”"
Denmark: AI-powered welfare system fuels mass surveillance and risks discriminating against marginalized groups – report
The Danish welfare authority, Udbetaling Danmark (UDK), risks discriminating against people with disabilities, low-income individuals, migrants, refugees, and marginalized racial groups through its us...
www.amnesty.org
November 27, 2024 at 12:57 PM
"The discrimination perpetuated by UDK and ATP’s algorithms is happening in an environment of pre-existing inequalities...within Danish society,...embedded in the design of ATP’s algorithmic models, facilitating the categorization of individuals & communities based on difference or “othering”"
Reposted by Tonu Basu
My sister is on hunger strike to free her son Alaa Abd el-Fattah from jail in Egypt. We don’t want her to die | Ahdaf Soueif
My sister is on hunger strike to free her son Alaa Abd el-Fattah from jail in Egypt. We don’t want her to die | Ahdaf Soueif
The British-Egyptian activist is imprisoned alongside thousands of other political detainees. We’re appealing to the UK government for help, says author Ahdaf Soueif
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2024 at 11:42 AM
My sister is on hunger strike to free her son Alaa Abd el-Fattah from jail in Egypt. We don’t want her to die | Ahdaf Soueif
New to bsky! Talk to me about digital policy and open government (I can tell you what not to do when designing policy processes, especially if you're a government official). Always happy to exchange notes on food recommendations, Indian classical dance (or any dance really) and the sunday papers.
November 27, 2024 at 9:18 AM
New to bsky! Talk to me about digital policy and open government (I can tell you what not to do when designing policy processes, especially if you're a government official). Always happy to exchange notes on food recommendations, Indian classical dance (or any dance really) and the sunday papers.