Pluralistic: Private equity plunderers want to buy Simon & Schuster (08 August 2023)

Today's links

Private equity plunderers want to buy Simon & Schuster: From the same parasites that infected your hospital's emergency room and sucked Toys R Us dry.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2008, 2013, 2018
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Pluralistic: Forcing your computer to rat you out (02 August 2023)

Today's links

Forcing your computer to rat you out: Self determination starts with the right to decide who can know which facts about you.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018, 2022
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Microincentives and Enshittification

How the Curse of Bigness wrecked Google Search.

A clip from a Jenga ad showing a dad knocking over the Jenga tower.

It’s hard to convey just how revolutionary Google Search was when it debuted in 1998. It blew rivals — from AskJeeves and Altavista to Yahoo — out of the water. It was so good, it was almost spooky, surfacing the best of the web with just a few clicks.

Today, Google owns the search market, controlling more than 90 percent of searches. Its worth hovers in the trillion-dollar range, and it employs some 180,000 people in offices all over the world. Almost every online journey we take starts with a Google search.

And here’s the thing: Google Search suuuuucks.

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Pluralistic: Saving the news from Big Tech with end-to-end social media (13 June 2023)

Today's links

Saving the news from Big Tech with end-to-end social media: The final installment in my EFF series on saving the news.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2013, 2018, 2022
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Pluralistic: To save the news, ban surveillance ads (31 May 2023)

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To save the news, ban surveillance ads: No publisher will ever beat ad-tech at spying, but no tech company will ever understand a publisher's content better than they do.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018, 2022
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Pluralistic: To save the news, shatter ad-tech (25 May 2023)

Today's links

To save the news, shatter ad-tech: Structural separation will help the news claim their fair share.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018, 2022
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Pluralistic: How to save the news from Big Tech (18 May 2023)

Today's links

How to save the news from Big Tech: Four prescriptions from EFF.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2013, 2018, 2022
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Pluralistic: The IRS will do your taxes for you (if that's what you prefer) (17 May 2023)

Today's links

The IRS will do your taxes for you (if that's what you prefer): After years of expensively purchased delay, Turbotax and its fellow tax-profiteers are losing the fight to make you pay them to tell the government what it already knows.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2008, 2013, 2018, 2022
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Pluralistic: Look at all the great stuff we lost because of inflation scare-talk (05 May 2023)

Today's links

Look at all the great stuff we lost because of inflation scare-talk: We swapped pandemic aid, new spending and minimum wage hikes for wage suppression and mass layoffs.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2008, 2013, 2018, 2022
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Pluralistic: Convicted monopolist prevented from re-offending (27 Apr 2023)

Today's links

Convicted monopolist prevented from re-offending: Microsoft won't be allowed to buy Activision.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2003, 2013, 2018, 2022
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