Today's threads (a thread)
Inside: Paying consumer debts is basically optional in the United States; and more!
Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/12/do-not-pay/
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Today's threads (a thread)
Inside: Paying consumer debts is basically optional in the United States; and more!
Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/12/do-not-pay/
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Going to #Defcon this weekend? I'm giving a keynote, "An Audacious Plan to Halt the Internet's Enshittification and Throw it Into Reverse," today (Aug 12) at 12:30pm, followed by a book signing at the No Starch Press booth at 2:30pm!
https://info.defcon.org/event/?id=50826
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Paying consumer debts is basically optional in the United States: The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act protects the people who need it least.
https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/110876807189638595
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Attached: 1 image The vast majority of America's debt collection targets $500-2,000 credit card debts. It is a filthy business, operated by lawless firms who hire unskilled workers drawn from the same economic background as their targets, who routinely and grotesquely flout the law, but only when it comes to the people with the *least* ability to pay. 1/
Hey look at this
* How #Fanatics Is Building a Weird #Monopoly Over Sports #TradingCards https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/how-fanatics-is-building-a-weird
* How to Move Your Instagram Feed to #Pixelfed, the Photo App That Doesn't Track Your Every Move https://www.wired.com/story/migrate-move-instagram-to-pixelfed-no-tracking-fediverse/
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#20yrsago #Ultima’s economic indicators http://www.juliandibbell.com/playmoney/2003_08_01_playmoney_archive.html#106022990884580908
#15yrsago #TrafficCams bring in $250,000/month in a town with a $4.6 million budget https://web.archive.org/web/20080813150522/https://www.mcclatchydc.com/226/story/47592.html
#15yrsago #WalMart: you can’t scan century-old photos of your ancestors because copyright lasts forever https://www.flickr.com/groups/100_years_old/discuss/72157594167106526/
#15yrsago Janes in Love: #GraphicNovel is a call-to-art for young people https://memex.craphound.com/2008/08/12/janes-in-love-graphic-novel-is-a-call-to-art-for-young-people/
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#10yrsago #NYPD #StopAndFrisk procedure ruled unconstitutional https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/13/nyregion/stop-and-frisk-practice-violated-rights-judge-rules.html
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#10yrsago Podcast of “Metadata – a wartime drama” https://ia600704.us.archive.org/28/items/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_255/Cory_Doctorow_Podcast_255_Metadata_A_Wartime_Drama.mp3
#10yrsago Jimmy Wales: #Wikipedia won’t surveil users for China https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-DGB-28426
#5yrsago The eminently hackable police #bodycam https://www.wired.com/story/police-body-camera-vulnerabilities/
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Yesterday's threads: The Sacklers woulda gotten away with it if it wasn't for those darned meddling feds; and more!
https://mamot.fr/@pluralistic/110871883425734524
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Attached: 1 image Today's threads (a thread) Inside: The Sacklers woulda gotten away with it if it wasn't for those darned meddling feds; and more! Archived at: https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/11/justice-delayed/ #Pluralistic 1/
My latest book is Red Team Blues, available wherever books are sold!
Signed copies at Dark Delicacies (US):
and Forbidden Planet (UK):
https://forbiddenplanet.com/385004-red-team-blues-signed-edition-hardcover/
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My latest nonfiction book is Chokepoint Capitalism (with Rebecca Giblin), nonfiction about monopoly and fairness in creative labor markets.
https://chokepointcapitalism.com
Signed copies available from Book Soup:
https://www.booksoup.com/book/9780807007068
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My ebooks and audiobooks (from Tor Books, Head of Zeus, McSweeneys, Beacon and others) are for sale all over the net, but I sell 'em too, and when you buy 'em from me, I earn twice as much and you get books with no DRM and no license "agreements."
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Upcoming appearances:
* #SanDiego Union Tribune Festival of Books, Aug 19
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/festivalofbooks
* #BurningMan Center Camp, 1430h, Aug 29
https://playaevents.burningman.org/2023/playa_events/03/
* @eff Awards (#SanFrancisco), Sept 14
https://www.eff.org/awards/effawards/2023
* An Evening with #VESchwab (#DesMoines), Oct 2
https://www.thecabinidaho.org/all-events/ve-schwab
* 26th #ACM Conference On Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing keynote (#Minneapolis), Oct 16
https://cscw.acm.org/2023/index.php/keynotes/
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The San Diego Union-Tribune’s 7th Annual Festival of Books will be held on August 19 presented by the University of San Diego. The Festival of Books, hosted on the University of San Diego campus, is an event for book lovers of all ages. Attendees will enjoy workshops, activities, photo booths, live entertainment, discussions with award-winning authors and more.
Recent appearances:
* New Books Network
https://newbooksnetwork.com/the-internet-con
* #HauntedMansion #GhostPost Panel Live From #MidsummerScream
https://dizneycoasttocoast.libsyn.com/haunted-mansion-ghost-post-panel-live-from-midsummer-scream-disney-podcast-episode-1027
* how big tech makes the internet worse (What's Gonna Happen)
https://www.stitcher.com/show/what-s-gonna-happen/episode/how-big-tech-makes-the-internet-worse-with-cory-doctorow-305645071
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You can also follow these posts as a daily blog at pluralistic.net: no ads, trackers, or data-collection!
Here's today's edition: https://pluralistic.net/2023/08/12/do-not-pay/
--
If you're a @medium subscriber, you can read these essays - as well as previews of upcoming magazine columns and early exclusives on doctorow.medium.com.
My latest Medium column is "Fool Me Twice We Don't Get Fooled Again: There's a crucial difference between federatable and federated"
https://doctorow.medium.com/fool-me-twice-we-dont-get-fooled-again-20074e311f1f
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If you prefer a newsletter, subscribe to the plura-list, which is also ad- and tracker-free, and is utterly unadorned save a single daily emoji. Today's is "🔃". Suggestions solicited for future emojis!
Subscribe here: https://mail.flarn.com/mailman/listinfo/plura-list/
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I'm kickstarting the audiobook for "The Internet Con: How To #SeizeTheMeansOfComputation," a #BigTech disassembly manual to disenshittify the web and bring back the old, good internet. It's a #DRMFree book, which means #Audible won't carry it, so this crowdfunder is essential. Back now to get the audio, Verso hardcover and ebook:
http://seizethemeansofcomputation.org
eof/