An interview with Estela Aranha, who forced Michael Shellenberger to apologize after exposing his manipulation of data to build a false narrative about “totalitarian” Brazil
By Brian Mier
On April 3, Michael Shellenberger tweeted a series of excerpts from emails by X executives dubbed, “Twitter Files Brazil”, which alleged to expose crimes by Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Moraes, he claimed, had pressed criminal charges against Twitter Brasil’s lawyer for its refusal to turn over personal information on political enemies. Elon Musk quickly shared the tweets and they viralized and were embraced by the international far right, to the joy of former President Bolsonaro and his supporters. A week later, Estela Aranha, former Secretary of Digital Rights in the Brazilian Justice Ministry, revealed rot at the heart of Shellenberger’s narrative. The only criminal charge filed against Twitter Brazil referenced in the leaked emails was made by the São Paulo District Attorney’s Office, after the company refused to turn over personal data on a leader of Brazil’s largest cocaine trafficking organization, the PCC. Shellenberger had cut the section of an email about a São Paulo criminal investigation and mixed it with communications complaining about Moraes on unrelated issues. Pressed by Brazilian reporters, Shellenberger wrote, “I regret my my mistake and apologize for it. I don’t have evidence that Moraes threatened to file criminal charges against Twitter’s Brazilian lawyer.”
Brazilian lawyer exposes deceit at heart of “Twitter Files”
Tag: digital rights
Biden Admin Awards Over $4 Million In Grants To Programs That Target “Misinformation” + Notes
Biden Admin Awards Over $4 Million In Grants To Programs That Target “Misinformation”
The State Department has awarded the following five grants since September 1:
An $18,000 grant to the Albanian-based non-governmental organization (NGO) the Institute for Democracy, Media, and Culture* to ensure a “whole-of-society response to cyber incidents and misinformation.” The associated program began on September 1, 2023.
A $14,500 grant to Paraguay’s American Cultural Center [Centro Cultural Paraguayo Americano] that will be used to implement workshops that “seek to combat misinformation and promote responsible digital citizenship.” The associated program began on September 1, 2023.
A $15,000 grant to the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at Udayana University to “raise digital literacy among selected amcors communities, journalists, and social media influencers to combat misinformation, pre-2024 general election.” The associated program is due to start on October 1, 2023.
A $50,000 grant to New York University to complete the implementation of a speaker series that supports “countering misinformation.” The associated program is due to start on October 1, 2023.
A $50,000 grant to the non-profit Digital Rights Nepal*** “to create a sustainable network of youth to promote digital rights, safer internet use and a collective resilience towards misinformation and disinformation.” The associated program is due to start on October 2, 2023.
***Digital rights are the new Internet Freedom (think Arab Spring).
Skeptical Notes:
Read More »The Protecting Kids On Social Media Act Is A Terrible Alternative To KOSA
We have covered the Protecting Kids On Social Media Act a few times, when it was first introduced back in April, where we highlighted how it was both unconstitutional and the rationale behind it was not supported by any actual evidence, and then again just recently when Senator Chris Murphy (one of the bill’s co-sponsors) wrote a ridiculously confused op-ed for the NY Times, claiming it was necessary because kids these days get too many music recommendations and no longer could discover new music on their own.
The Protecting Kids On Social Media Act Is A Terrible Alternative To KOSA
Related:
Senator Brian Schatz Joins The Moral Panic With Unconstitutional Age Verification Bill
Senator Brian Schatz is one of the more thoughtful Senators we have, and he and his staff have actually spent time talking to lots of experts in trying to craft bills regarding the internet. Unfortunately, it still seems like he still falls under the seductive sway of this or that moral panic, so when the bills actually come out, they’re perhaps more thoughtfully done than the moral panic bills of his colleagues, but they’re still destructive.
Senator Brian Schatz Joins The Moral Panic With Unconstitutional Age Verification Bill
Related:
Bipartisan Senate bill would ban social media algorithms for minors
Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Chris Murphy (D-Conn), Katie Britt (R-Ala) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark) introduced the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act on Wednesday. The bill would set a minimum age of 13 to use social media sites, and would require parental consent and age verification for users under 18.
Congress must ban TikTok. Only American companies can profit from my data.
I don’t know why I hate TikTok, I just know I’ve recently seen story after story about how bad it is on Twitter and in my Facebook feed, and now I’m very angry about it and want it banned.
Congress must ban TikTok. Only American companies can profit from my data.
Musk Agrees to Restore Twitter Content-Moderation Tools This Week
Musk Agrees to Restore Twitter Content-Moderation Tools This Week
Musk made the commitment during a Zoom meeting with the heads of some of the country’s leading racial justice organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Color of Change, and the Anti-Defamation League.
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Musk also asked the civil rights leaders to join his content-moderation council focused on handling speech and users on the platform, they said.
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Eisenstadt, ADL’s vice president, said her group will likely accept the invitation, though several attendees said they will hold off until they get more information about what the council will look like, how it will operate and who else will serve on it.
Related:
Anti-Defamation League Promises a War Against Palestine and Civil Liberties
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt equates anti-Zionism to white supremacy, claiming that “anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism”
Facebook Tells Moderators To Allow Graphic Images Of Russian Airstrikes But Censors Israeli Attacks
AFTER A SERIES of Israeli airstrikes against the densely populated Gaza Strip earlier this month, Palestinian Facebook and Instagram users protested the abrupt deletion of posts documenting the resulting death and destruction. It wasn’t the first time Palestinian users of the two giant social media platforms, which are both owned by parent company Meta, had complained about their posts being unduly removed. It’s become a pattern: Palestinians post sometimes graphic videos and images of Israeli attacks, and Meta swiftly removes the content, providing only an oblique reference to a violation of the company’s “Community Standards” or in many cases no explanation at all.
Facebook Tells Moderators To Allow Graphic Images Of Russian Airstrikes But Censors Israeli Attacks
Google Maps Is Misleading Users Searching For Abortion Clinics…And The GOP Is Threatening The Company If It Fixes That
Related:
Google Maps Regularly Misleads People Searching for Abortion Clinics
“When my partner left the room, I mentioned that I was in an abusive relationship,” said Chey, who asked that her full name be withheld for medical privacy reasons. The staff working at the CPC said that was all the more reason to have the baby. “They told me that carrying a pregnancy could help repair my relationship, that it would cause my partner to step up as a man, and that I would find purpose in life again.”
Domestic Violence And Pregnancy
Pregnant and recently pregnant women are more likely to be victims of homicide than any other cause of death.
A significant proportion of all female homicide victims are killed by their intimate partners.
Domestic violence during pregnancy puts your life and the life of your baby at risk.
Domestic violence is the number one cause of injury to women.
Abusive partners do not stop their violence after the baby is born.
Abusive partners do not become good fathers after the baby is born.
Nebraska Mother, Daughter Face Abortion Charges After Facebook Shares Chats With Police
Digital rights advocates on Tuesday said an abortion case in Nebraska illustrates how powerful tech companies like Facebook could play a major role in prosecutions of people who self-manage abortions as more states ban the procedure, and called on the social media platform to reform its privacy policies to protect users.
Nebraska Mother, Daughter Face Abortion Charges After Facebook Shares Chats With Police
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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