Technology
Thoughts for the Year
I’m sure there are other things, but these for me are the standouts.
Has Orwell’s 1984 Become Reality?
The more the process is ramped up, the louder critical voices become (and protests are likely to occur) and, correlatively, the more anxious the neo-fascists become, to close the net around citizens of the world.
Digital ID, Free Speech and Our Children
Today, we are wrapping our children up in digital cotton wool! What are the implications? I ask you.
Privacy for the Powerful, Surveillance for the Rest
Protecting kids is a weak pretext for total digital surveillance. What’s worse, the EU’s monitoring exempted its own politicians from scrutiny. Their privacy matters, but not yours.
To Shift Food Labelling to QR Codes
Consumer groups are urging New Zealanders who value clear food labelling to make submissions opposing any move toward QR-code-only disclosures, arguing that on-pack labels remain essential for informed decision-making.
Crypto Bro Gets His Comeuppance
Only invest what you can afford to lose, which should be pretty obvious. In fact, putting money in crypto can be quite fun. But please, don’t treat it as serious investment.
The Plan of MrBeast and the Rockefellers
The water is free, but the children are the price.
The Machines Are Here
AI wargaming and battle management for NATO. How three experiments show the future of human-machine teaming in combat, strategy, and command.
The New Gene Technology Bill Protests
Co-organiser Karen Tonks says New Zealand First has the power to have the legislation thrown out. “It needs to be chucked out. It’s not fit for purpose. And so email all of the eight New Zealand first MPs. Send them an email and put the pressure on them.”
I Told You So
This isn’t all bad news. Just like the internet took away many jobs, it has created far more new jobs and new opportunities.
Who Needs Spies When You Have Insurance Companies?
Over and over again, America keeps getting caught with its pants down.
The Community He Kept Alive
Fifteen years of child exploitation. Millions to Clinton. The network now shielding the Seditious Six. Start with Roblox, then escalate to Discord for control. On Discord: sextortion and self-harm rituals.
Brown Pushes a Digital Health Overhaul
While the minister touts “stronger cybersecurity”, no details were offered about how the system will avoid the failures seen in recent high-profile public-sector breaches.
The Agendas of Biotech Are Now Being Put on the Table
It is long past time for a public discussion of the limits of what is actually known about DNA and the risks to human life that are being recklessly hazarded.
The UK and Canada Lead the Descent
Both nations are exporting their digital control frameworks through the Five Eyes alliance, a covert intelligence-sharing network uniting the UK, Canada, US, Australia, and New Zealand.