We cannot rely on tech companies to protect us, esp when they see the 246100 potential of AI. What we need is strong federal data privacy legislation that will actually protect us from corporate surveillance & stop companies like Zoom from harvesting & abusing our data for profit.

Meanwhile Zoom is still offering AI features in Zoom IQ. Zoom says participants will be notified when AI is in use but that doesn’t actually mean they can consent to its use or opt out (esp if it is in use at school or work and there is no alternative)

Zoom

How Zoom’s terms of service and practices apply to AI features

As part of our commitment to transparency and user control, we

Yes, Zoom listened this time and made changes but this should serve as a warning to other tech companies following this trend of misleading customers and trying to get away with stealing user data while hiding behind confusing policy updates

ICYMI: Following the backlash from ❤️Fight and other privacy experts, Zoom updated its terms of service AGAIN. This time to clarify that the company will not use any customer content to train Zoom’s or third-party AI

Zoom revises terms again to say it doesn’t use customer data to train AI models

Zoom has updated its terms of service (TOS) again to remove language about using content collected from its communication app to train artificial i...

STATEMENT: “The concerted efforts of Big Content to ensure the enshittification of public #libraries and shut down digital libraries like the #InternetArchive could not be clearer than they are with this new lawsuit from the world’s biggest record labels. #music #library #preservation #lawsuit #copyright #copyrighttroll

Fight for the Future

Statement: Major record labels sue to destroy Internet Archive’s 70-120 year old music archive

The same law firm that sued Internet Archive to end all libraries’ ownership and preservation of digital books is behind a new effort to shut dow...

New Substack post: Cops is internet is cops

Cops is internet is cops

Why pretend social media isn't the perfect place to go undercover?

Zoom’s Terms of Service update is staking a claim to user data and “customer content” to train its AI models. The company says this is necessary to provide its services to customers, but what it really wants is to profit from user data.

Popular Science

Zoom could be using your 'content' to train its AI

Though the video conferencing company adjusted its terms of service after public backlash, privacy experts worry it is not enough.

New Substack post is up :D It's about Pee-wee's Playhouse, obscenity, and the bad internet bills:

Policing the Playhouse

Who decides what's obscene? Some thoughts on KOSA and Paul Reubens's death

We launched a Substack this week! We’re calling it Touch Grass because its central focus will be connecting digital issues to the real world. We're thinking about it as an idea laboratory where we can expand on things—like Amazon worker towns, health tech, and algorithmic music taste—that might not have full campaigns yet. The goal is to make it fun to write and definitely fun to read. This week's post (by @anna) is about our Bad Internet Bills week of action:

"Think of the children" bills will break free speech

If they pass, it's goodbye to an open, creative, degenerate, anonymous internet.

We're hoping to hear Senators on the committee express concerns about KOSA. That would be a huge victory. The only reason that would happen is bc of the thunder we all are bringing to DC. Lately, lots of bills are getting passed out of committee only to die sad pathetic deaths.

Everyone is doing a fantastic job driving the opposition to KOSA. There’s no need to panic based on today’s vote, just take calm persistent-ass action every day, and take good care of yourselves too. The best place for updates & action will keep being

Fight for the Future

Bad Internet Bills

All of the bad internet bills. One website.

Also, for what it’s worth, there’s way less support for KOSA in the House of Representatives, which hasn’t voted on it at all yet, than there is in the Senate. TL;DR we have lots of ways to win!

If we want to kill KOSA, we do have to keep that activist pressure up in order to keep it from passing the full Senate. If KOSA passes out of committee today, we need to redouble our efforts and call our representatives every day telling them to vote NO on KOSA.

The next step is a Senate floor vote. That’s VERY different than a vote out of a committee. The work we are doing right now is setting the stage to make KOSA very controversial, as it should be. There is still a very good chance that it can die because of activist pressure.

Inside intel + expectations on the #KOSA committee vote today: they’re probably going to pass it out of committee. But! They’re shaking in their boots thanks to the thousands of people who are calling them out. What we’re doing is WORKING, and the fight is far from over.

Join us Monday as we dig into what #humanrights activists should know about the future of #AI and social media in our Emerging Tech for Activists Salon series with Amnesty International. RSVP:

Fight for the Future

Emerging Tech for Activists

Amnesty International and Fight for the Future host sporadic seasons of salons on emerging tech. Our first season, Web3 for Activists, is available...

We sent more than 100,000 emails and 6,000 calls from citizens opposing #KOSA through

Fight for the Future

Bad Internet Bills

All of the bad internet bills. One website.

and

Fight for the Future

Stop KOSA

KOSA is a censorship bill that won’t make kids safe. Instead, it'll put all internet users at risk, especially youth. If you believe in a fr...

today. Think Congress will get the message? Tune in for the KOSA vote tomorrow at 10 ET to find out:

Fight for the Future

Bad Internet Bills

All of the bad internet bills. One website.

Want more strong voices on what's real in AI? Join ❤️Fight and Amnesty International this Monday for a chat on the future of #GenerativeAI and social media. Meet panelists + learn more:

Fight for the Future

Emerging Tech for Activists

Amnesty International and Fight for the Future host sporadic seasons of salons on emerging tech. Our first season, Web3 for Activists, is available...

ALL OUT #NYC: #Amazon workers and community will lead a direct action at the #AWS summit in New York City on July 26 @ 12:30 PM to demand an end to Amazon’s contract with the Israeli military and government! RSVP: https://notechforapartheid.com/NYCAWS

RSVP Now: we're talking #AI & the future of #socialmedia with our friends at #Amnesty US on July 31. Join salon panelists from #OpenMedia, #Mozilla Fdtn, and more. Details + previous conversations at

Fight for the Future

Emerging Tech for Activists

Amnesty International and Fight for the Future host sporadic seasons of salons on emerging tech. Our first season, Web3 for Activists, is available...