Alas news isn’t free.

Doing some cost-cutting. No reason.

countries outside the US should start seeing social media companies like they see propagandistic state media. the fact average people can post doesn’t negate how the platform owner shapes what information we see, the power that gives them, and how little regard they have for social consequences.

Stayed up late to learn that Google and the DOJ are still not in agreement on how to turn Judge Mehta’s remedies into a coherent order.

Don't miss the amazing Doha Mekki on Google remedies from 2:21:50 www.youtube.com/live/AXzBofa...

And @dohamekki.bsky.social highlights how Democrats haven’t done a great job vetting judges for their views on economic power. “Let’s ask them about antitrust!” #courtsmatter

Fantastic back and forth between Roger Alford and Doha Mekki on all the ways Judge Mehta failed to understand the situation on the ground in search and generative AI.

Don’t forget that Meta’s vision for AR glasses is make money on more targeted ads, backed by a platform store like two companies it’s insanely jealous of.

"Judge Mehta’s remedies decision can be summarized as follows: hope that AI market developments alone discipline Google’s general search monopoly. These thoughts and prayers are insufficient." @sumitecon.bsky.social in @techpolicypress.bsky.social:

The Google search antitrust remedies trial decision fails to seriously contend with the tremendous advantages the company holds in the generative AI market due to its search monopoly says Kate Brennan, associate director at the AI Now Institute.

Why can’t Google just admit it’s opposed to the Global Privacy Control and giving consumers basic privacy rights? calmatters.org/politics/202...

🆕✍️ AI surveillance should be banned while there is still time. All the same privacy harms with online tracking are also present with AI, but worse. gabrielweinberg.com/p/ai-surveil...

A fundamental question that a bunch of LLM cheerleaders don't seem to be considering is what happens when there are no actual experts because everyone outsources tasks to LLMs and trusts they've got it right. If no person can validate the output, the output can't be validated.

Really interesting insight into how a jury thinks about Google’s privacy violations: www.mlex.com/mlex/data-pr...

Don’t worry! There’s a light! 🤦 www.vice.com/en/article/w...

"But the weak link is that agencies cannot impose remedies all by themselves. A judge has to establish the remedies...This is not a way to impose ongoing regulatory safeguards on an industry in need of permanent supervision,” writes Mark MacCarthy for @techpolicypress.bsky.social:

So much to unpack from Judge Mehta’s remedy opinion in the US v. Google search case. If these remedies ultimately go into effect, evidence indicates that Google’s dominance over online search – a critical information pathway for billions of internet users – will remain entrenched. Long 🧵⬇️

Yesterday’s decision in the antitrust case against Google is a slap on the wrist that will allow the company to stay a monopoly, rigging the game for themselves & hurting consumers. Full Monopoly Busters Caucus statement with @deluzio.house.gov, @pkryan.bsky.social, & @repangiecraig.bsky.social:

This is bad. Very bad. So, even where courts find illegal monopolization, the remedies are weak. Just ask, if you were Google, would you do it all again?

After 5 long years, a federal court found that Google had an unlawful monopoly and then did little to address it. Here’s DuckDuckGo’s statement from the other site:

As we wait (and wait) for the Google search case to drop, I joined the ABA’s Trust and Trade podcast to talk about how licensing Google search modules is the best remedy to make search more competitive. traffic.libsyn.com/trustandtrad...

"Moving Chrome into a steward-run structure would send a powerful signal: that regulators are not simply tinkering at the margins, but serious about creating a healthier digital ecosystem where competition, fairness, and accountability can thrive." -Ecosia’s CEO, Christian Kroll

The cherry on the top is the essay’s incorporation of Darth Vader’s approach to contract law.

Except we don’t regulate Google… www.cnbc.com/2025/08/27/g...

Should have started a Google case drop pool. Of course, I would have lost bigly.

But for real, Judge Mehta, anytime now.

Okay, there’s so much wrong with this, but also, HIPAA is the most eternally misunderstood privacy law.

Been hitting refresh all day, all week, all month. If you know, you know.

I agree with @caseynewton.bsky.social who writes the Platformer newsletter. "The best productivity hack in the world is simply liking your job." For 30 years as a college teacher I told my students: If you can't wait to get to work because you're so into what you are doing then you did it right.

"There’s a veritable cottage industry of AI-focused think tanks and panels in D.C., but 95% of them ignore antitrust. And in 2023, I noted that this search case would likely structure the industry, since it is an inflection point when artificial intelligence is emerging.”

New: My deep dive into the business of AI slop. wapo.st/4mFECxC

Privacy as a product of market capitalism and a bunch of other word salad.

"LLMs could provide the newest form of dangerously concentrated power, following in the footsteps of the big tech giants of today.” Jay’s use of Orwell’s “tank vs. musket” framing to discuss how to think about the risks and benefits of an #LLM #AI is . . . thought provoking.

“Over time, we’ll find the vocabulary as a society to be able to articulate why that is valuable,” Zuckerberg predicted. … 🙄🤢🤮

"People thought the Internet was going to be [a digital public square]. It's very much not that."

Neuro privacy needs to be a thing now. Confirmed. www.ft.com/content/0448...

As someone who spends a lot of time thinking about search, this was one of the more impactful policy reads I’ve seen this summer!

Gotta say I appreciate @mullvad.bsky.social’s advertising campaign in the belly of the tech beast.

Cuban is 100% right that some people are going to ask AI chatbots who to vote for. But I’m unclear on what political campaigns are supposed to do about that if they can’t tinker with the weights like Musk does to Grok.

I’m all for AI guardrails, but, um, skimming the text of this law seems like it imposes requirements on all general purpose LLMs? www.engadget.com/ai/illinois-...

"Instagram called the function “a new, lightweight way to connect,” in its launch announcement." @geoffreyfowler.bsky.social on Meta’s latest privacy LOL:

Unfortunately, this was too often Meta’s internal position whenever any anti-social use case of their products was identified. But hey, Meta’s surveillance glasses have that tamper-proof light no one can see for transparency’s sake!

Who wouldn’t want to listen to me and @achapell.bsky.social spar about privacy on @monopolyreport.bsky.social? www.monopolyreportpod.com/episode-41-d...

So @corbinkbarthold.bsky.social has pretty much perfectly distilled why everyone outside tech probably wants AI regulated. podcast.techfreedom.org

Didn’t need no help with this clue on today’s NYT Mini.

Okay, the mere notion that the eight year old Switch is going up in price is nuts. Blame tariffs, sure, but why is hardware powered by 2015 tech still $300 anyway?

I’ve been super interested in how courts are looking at the amicus armies in tech competition cases. This footnote from the 9th Circuit in Epic v. Google on security considerations is interesting: cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/op...