Pluralistic: Ireland's privacy regulator is a gamekeeper-turned-poacher (15 May 2023)

Today's links

Ireland's privacy regulator is a gamekeeper-turned-poacher: Dublin is a made town.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: Ireland's privacy regulator is a gamekeeper-turned-poacher (15 May 2023)"

Pluralistic: Clarence Thomas and the generosity of a far-right dark-money billionaire (06 Apr 2023)

Today's links

Clarence Thomas and the generosity of a far-right dark-money billionaire: Harlan Crow showered the judge with millions in off-the-books, illegal "gifts."
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2003, 2013, 2018, 2022
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: Clarence Thomas and the generosity of a far-right dark-money billionaire (06 Apr 2023)"

Pluralistic: SVB's investors will get $2b in public bailout money (18 Mar 2023)

Today's links

SVB's investors will get $2b in public bailout money: Also, Silicon Valley is apparently a neighborhood in Manhattan?
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018, 2022
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: SVB's investors will get $2b in public bailout money (18 Mar 2023)"

Pluralistic: Turbotax is blitzing Congress for the right to tax YOU (20 Feb 2023)

Today's links

Turbotax is blitzing Congress for the right to tax YOU: Why do Americans have to pay Intuit to tell the IRS things it already knows?
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: Turbotax is blitzing Congress for the right to tax YOU (20 Feb 2023)"

Pluralistic: Here are just two of the corporate giveaways hidden in the rushed, must-pass, end-of-year budget bill (22 Dec 2022)

Today's links

Here are just two of the corporate giveaways hidden in the rushed, must-pass, end-of-year budget bill: Crashing airplanes and starving old people.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2002, 2017
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: Here are just two of the corporate giveaways hidden in the rushed, must-pass, end-of-year budget bill (22 Dec 2022)"

Pluralistic: EU to Facebook, 'Drop Dead' (07 Dec 2022)

Today's links

EU to Facebook, 'Drop Dead': Ringing down the curtain on the consent theater.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2002, 2012, 2017, 2021
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: EU to Facebook, 'Drop Dead' (07 Dec 2022)"

Pluralistic: 23 Nov 2022 Citizens United and the FTX meltdown

Today's links

Citizens United and the FTX meltdown: The Keating Five were amateurs.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2012, 2017, 2021.
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: 23 Nov 2022 Citizens United and the FTX meltdown"

Pluralistic: 21 Nov 2022 Universities secretly sold their students to online casinos

Today's links

Universities secretly sold their students to online casinos: It's varsity-level corruption.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2002, 2007, 2012, 2017, 2021
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: 21 Nov 2022 Universities secretly sold their students to online casinos"

Pluralistic: 11 Oct 2022 Trusting (machine learning) trust; The housing market turns (more) toxic

Today's links

Undetectable, undefendable back-doors for machine learning: IMPNet will give your model hallucination and you can't stop it.
Shelter in place: Prison for homelessness and lock-ins for home owners.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: None
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Continue reading "Pluralistic: 11 Oct 2022 Trusting (machine learning) trust; The housing market turns (more) toxic"

Regulatory Capture

Beyond Revolving Doors and Against Regulatory Nihilism.

A Soviet editorial cartoon featuring an ogrish capitalist in top hat and tails yanking a dollar-sign-shaped lever that ejects a tiny bureaucrat from a seat; ranks of bureaucrats behind him wait their turns, grinning idiot grins.

The Murder of Net Neutrality Was Wild

Here’s a story about “regulatory capture”: Donald Trump appointed Ajit Pai, a former Verizon lawyer, to run the Federal Communications Commission, which is in charge of regulating companies like Verizon. Verizon — and the other big telcos and cable operators — wanted to kill Net Neutrality.

Net Neutrality is the idea that your ISP should send you the bits you request as quickly and reliably as it can. That means when you click a link, your ISP does its level best to get that link for you.

Continue reading "Regulatory Capture"