dissent.digital
@dissent.digital
Documenting our dissent from Big Tech. A weekly digest keeping you informed of big tech’s most egregious bullshit, subscribe free: https://dissent.digital #tech #bigtech #privacy #humanrights #billionairesarebad
Artists are fighting AI theft in court and starting to win. #copyright
Artists are lawyering up against AI slop, and some are even winning
The dozens of artists suing big AI companies are optimistic about their chances in court, less so about the future AI is heralding.
theverge.com
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 Daily Dissent #14
eBay And Former Execs Agree To Pay $56 Million For Trying To ‘Crush’ A Journalist
For much of Techdirt’s nearly three decades in existence we’ve covered attacks on the media by the rich and powerful. And sometimes we’ve been on the receiving end of such attacks…
techdirt.com
OpenAI’s rogue AI agent hacked four public services just to solve a test. #openai
OpenAI’s Rogue AI Agent Hacked More Than Just Hugging Face
In a new disclosure, OpenAI says its agent used exposed logins to gain access to at least four “publicly available services” in its unhinged quest to solve a test.
wired.com
eBay just paid $55.7 million to settle an unhinged harassment campaign against two critics. #ebay
Ebay Has to Pay $55.7 Million in Settlement for Its Unhinged Harassment Campaign
For months on end, eBay employees and contractors made life hell for a couple that had criticized the company. Six years later, the company is finally paying up.
wired.com
Logitech is keeping replaceable mouse batteries exclusive to Europe. #logitech
Logitech will pull a Nintendo — only European mice will come with replaceable batteries
It’s not just about cost, says Logitech G boss.
theverge.com
Brazil's strict new laws for kid-safe social media make US protections look weak by comparison. #onlinesafety
Brazil gives parents social media controls for their kids. Should the US? – The Markup
California is leading on kids’ data privacy in the U.S. but still lags internationally.
themarkup.org
Tuesday, August 4, 2026 Daily Dissent #13
‘Own the Narrative’: Leaked Flock Guide Shows How It Teaches Cops to Promote Its Tech
"This document shows a coordinated effort from Flock Safety to compel law enforcement agencies to convince our elected leaders to represent their interests as a company rather than the interests of concerned citizens."
404media.co
AI just out-persuaded professional canvassers and world championship debaters in a massive new study. #persuasiveai
AI Systems Out-Persuade Expert Humans, Including Professional Canvassers And World Championship Debaters
Persuasion plays a key role in society. Whether it is political or financial decisions, workplace or family choices, or simply reading a book or article (like this one), often someone is trying to …
techdirt.com
Xbox workers speak out as Microsoft uses AI to fuel a crisis of mass layoffs in gaming. #xbox
Xbox workers speak out about layoffs, AI, and how big tech brought a crisis to gaming
Three Microsoft workers hit by mass layoffs reveal what it's like to be run over by a tech giant in the age of AI--and how they're fighting back.
bloodinthemachine.com
Trump just let ISPs hide their bogus fees by gutting broadband price transparency rules. #telecom
Trump Just Made It Easier For Your ISP To Rip You Off With Bogus Fees
Here’s a short crash course in U.S. telecom policy.Giant and very unpopular companies like Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, and Charter created regional monopolies that work tirelessly to erode al…
techdirt.com
Classic Google. They'll find a way to make "opening up" feel like a closed ecosystem anyway 🙄
Grok's CLI just got caught uploading your local files to the cloud. #grok
The Pulse: Grok’s CLI caught uploading all your local files to the cloud
Also: engineering leaders concerned about continued increase in code review load, devs at enterprises surprised by high enterprise pricing, and more
newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com
Hundreds of illegal SFPD searches prove once again why cops can't be trusted with surveillance tech. #flocksafety
Cops Continue To Prove They Can’t Be Trusted With Surveillance Tech
This is probably nothing more than another data point in a deluge, but it’s worth pointing out because it’s instructive. Cops are using a whole lot of surveillance tech these days. Floc…
techdirt.com
The EU ordered Google to open Android to AI rivals, but Google still outplayed Apple at the regulatory game. #google
Google is better than Apple at playing the AI regulations game
Google scored a grace period to bring Android in line with EU rules, while Apple must make Siri AI compliant before launch.
theverge.com
Meta can't seem to decide if its own NameTag face recognition tech actually exists. #meta
Here’s the Truth About Whether Meta’s NameTag Face Recognition Tech ‘Exists’
Since WIRED reported on Meta’s NameTag face recognition system, company executives have made confusing and conflicting remarks about its very existence.
wired.com
UK plans social media curfews for older teens and a total ban for kids under 16. #socialmediacurfew
The UK Is Planning a Social Media Curfew for 16- and 17-Year-Olds
The restrictions, which can be turned off, will include a crackdown on “addictive” app features and will be in addition to a total ban on children under 16 accessing platforms like TikTok and YouTube.
wired.com
YouTube and X are now gateways to cheap sites that create nonconsensual deepfake nudes. #deepfakes
YouTube and X Have Become ‘Gateways’ to Nudify Apps
A new study found that social media platforms are referring people to sites where they can create nonconsensual, sexually explicit deepfakes for as little as $1 an image.
wired.com
HUD is hiding how DOGE used AI for housing policy by citing legal privileges that don't exist. #doge
DOGE Used AI for Housing Policy. The Government Won’t Say How
In response to a public records request, HUD has withheld documents about DOGE’s use of AI—in part by citing a privilege that doesn’t exist.
wired.com
Over 200 top experts warn that AI could trigger an unprecedented wave of job displacement. #futureofwork
The loudest warning about AI and jobs yet
200 economists and AI leaders say something big is happening. What should we do about it? Plus: Apple sues OpenAI
platformer.news
Starlink just slapped users with a $1,500 surcharge as Musk's satellite network struggles to handle high demand. #starlink
Musk’s Starlink Socks Customers With $1500 ‘High Demand’ Surcharge
For years I’ve noted that while Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite broadband system can be very useful for people with no other options (warzones, RVs, boats, rural Americans), the network …
techdirt.com
Leaked SFPD drone videos reveal the true scale of surveillance watching San Francisco from above. #surveillance
A Leak of San Francisco Police Drone Footage Exposes the New Reality of Urban Surveillance
The SFPD’s exposure of hours of videos from drone platform Skydio reveals how broadly it’s watching the city from above—and how the results can spill online.
wired.com
Microsoft emissions soared 25% as data centers guzzle more power. #microsoft
Microsoft Reports a Massive 25 Percent Jump in Emissions
Data centers are driving up the company’s use of electricity—and carbon pollution.
wired.com
New research shows AI fiction is easy to detect because it's formulaic and lacks human complexity. #aifiction
AI Fiction Is Easy to Detect Because It's Stupid and Bad, Research Finds
ChatGPT uses too many dream sequences and Gemini won’t stop describing characters.
404media.co
The FTC is forcing John Deere to share repair software and tools with farmers and independent shops. #johndeere
FTC Strikes Settlement With John Deere On ‘Right To Repair’
To be clear, the FTC under Donald Trump and new boss Andrew Ferguson has been a dangerous embarrassment. Whether it’s the firing of both Democratic Commissioners, the politically motivated in…
techdirt.com
AI is making it trivial to build fake companies and even easier for Google search to vouch for them. #googleai
How Google And AI Nearly Made A Seasoned Reporter Spiral
This story was originally published by ProPublica. Republished under a CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 license. Last month, my colleagues and I published an investigation into a Texas oil refinery startup, Am…
techdirt.com
Meta’s relentless pursuit of author Sarah Wynn-Williams makes the tech giant look like a heartless bully. #meta
Meta’s Pursuit of the 'Careless People' Author Is Relentless and Self-Defeating
Yes, Sarah Wynn-Williams violated her deal to stay silent. But the power disparity bolsters the view that Meta is a heartless bully.
wired.com
The new Luddites are hitting the streets to break Big Tech's grip on our lives. #luddites
The Luddites take New York
The Summer of Ludd just wrapped in NYC; we talk to a participant and documentarian. Plus, is the Trump admin secretly worried about an AI bubble? The biggest-ever data center gets shut down, and more.
bloodinthemachine.com
