How AI Could Take Over Elections--And Undermine Democracy
An AI-driven political campaign could be all things to all people.....»»
Can AI make democracy fairer?
Democracy in ancient Athens looked quite different from democracies today. Instead of elections, most offices—including those in the legislature, governing councils, and magistrates—were filled by citizen volunteers, selected by random lottery. T.....»»
Psychologist explains why spite could destroy liberal democracy
As communism imploded in 1989, the American political scientist Francis Fukuyama asked if liberal democracy was "the end of history," being the form all societies were destined to take. The past decades have suggested not. Illiberal democracies and h.....»»
Researchers call for shorter work week to boost productivity, lower burnout
Do you feel a bit sluggish after weekends? Would taking Friday or Monday off do the trick? Researchers from UK think tank Autonomy and the non-profit Association for Sustainability and Democracy (Alda) tend to agree in their joint report. They claim.....»»
Off-cycle elections result in less-representative local governments
Americans tend to be far more consumed with national politics than with local politics. As places like Utah, Arizona, Michigan and Maryland gear up to hold local elections this summer and fall, history predicts that they will see an average of 29-37%.....»»
Why China Undermines Bitcoin - as It Tests Its Own Digital Currency
The Guardian's UK/US site editor in the Asia Pacific timezone argues that China wants to undermine bitcoin because, behind the scenes, its reserve bank wants to set up its own digital currency — and then reboot the international financial syste.....»»
Gender pay gap means fewer female candidates on the ballot
A new study in the Journal of the European Economic Association, published by Oxford University Press, finds that electoral districts with a larger gender pay gaps show favoritism toward male political candidates in Parliamentary elections, with fewe.....»»
Researchers look to human "social sensors" to better predict elections and other trends
Election outcomes are notoriously difficult to predict. In 2016, for example, most polls suggested that Hillary Clinton would win the presidency, but Donald Trump defeated her. Researchers cite multiple explanations for the unreliability in election.....»»
Survey: Democratic attitudes can persist in countries with weak governance, even during pandemic
Research by Vanderbilt's Latin American Public Opinion Lab found that in Haiti, the COVID-19 pandemic rallied support for the incumbent administration, even though the public's commitment to it and to democracy itself was weak before the pandemic. Th.....»»
Hong Kong"s Apple Daily To Live On in Blockchain, Free of Censors
Hong Kong cyber activists are backing up articles by pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily on censorship-proof blockchain platforms after the newspaper was forced to shut down as it became embroiled in a national security law crackdown. From a report: Th.....»»
Ranked Choice Voting Reveals the Weird Math of Elections
The New York City mayoral race could show whether a new way of measuring voter desires can actually be an alternate timeline for democracy......»»
Analysis: Chile"s transition to democracy slow, incomplete, fueled by social movements
A new article analyzes Chile's transition in 1990 from dictatorship to democracy, the nature of democracy between 1990 and 2019, and the appearance of several social movements geared to expanding this democracy. The article, by researchers at Carnegi.....»»
Microsoft"s Smith Says Secret Subpoenas Hurt US Tech Companies
Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith criticized secret data subpoenas sent by the government to cloud providers like his company and Apple, saying gag orders on requests for personal information undermine freedoms and are hurting U......»»
Mitt Romney: It"s unacceptable Microsoft censored Tiananmen Square images in America
Senator Mitt Romney wants answers from Microsoft after the company blocked images and videos around the world of "Tank Man," the unidentified protester during China's brutal crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on J.....»»
Russia Puts the Squeeze on Social Media to Police Its Critics
Russia's government was quick to use social media when it tried to steer the course of U.S. elections, American officials say. It isn't quite as eager to see its own opponents at home try the same thing. From a report: Ahead of a parliamentary vote l.....»»
Microsoft removed "Tank Man" images on Tiananmen Square"s anniversary
Microsoft blocked images and videos around the world of "Tank Man," the unidentified protester during China's brutal crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989......»»
TikTok called out for lack of ads transparency and for failing to police political payola
TikTok announced a ban on political advertising all the way back in 2019. So you’d be forgiven for thinking the ugly problem of democracy-denting political disinformation doesn’t apply inside its walled garden of dancing Gen Zers. But you.....»»
When workers feel powerless, they get paranoid—and aggressive
When employees lack power at work, they can feel vulnerable and paranoid. In turn, that paranoia can cause people to lash out against colleagues or family members and even seek to undermine their organization's success, according to new research from.....»»
So, you want to democratize venture capital
A venture capitalist once told me candidly that whenever you see the phrase “democratization” in tech marketing material, think of it as a red flag. Democracy, generally speaking, often comes with an ironic caveat: It disproportionately b.....»»
EU suspects Facebook of abusing power with Marketplace, report says
Company allegedly pushed Marketplace to undermine rival classified ad sites. Enlarge The European Commission is on the verge of opening a formal probe of Facebook and its free Marketplace service, according to reports from Reuters and the Fin.....»»
WhatsApp sues India government over new regulations
WhatsApp is suing the Indian government over new regulations in India that could allow authorities to make people’s messages “traceable,” conduct mass surveillance and undermine users’ privacy. The instant messaging service, which identifies.....»»