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Public Service Internet monthly newsletter (July 2026)

Social playing cards with some on fire — Generated by Gemini modified by Ian

We live in incredible times with such possibilities that is clear. Although its easily dismissed reading the rule of the super rich on hearing about gig working nurses and is W social European and open or not??

To quote Buckminster Fuller “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.“

You are seeing aspects of this with a google engineer charged for inside trading on polymarket, cheap balcony solar equipment flooding the market and the open rights groups notes to our new prime mister in the UK.

Intimacy at risk

Ian thinks: This is such a good conversation about the state of looks-maxing, the difficulty of dating apps, and ultimately intimacy Its the reason why I started the podcast making the familiar strange.

You also fill every moment with media?

Ian thinks: I am so guilty of filling every moment with media, mainly podcasts, I am so use to my text to speech to read a lot of the stories in this internet notes. But this piece points the problems and reminds me of societies which don’t have lots of advertising everywhere.

Enshittification as an opportunity for better?

Ian thinks: Cory Doctorow and many others have mentioned the opportunities which have arisen due to the regime Trump and the silicon valley billionaires have pushed us into. One opportunity is highlighted here, with Meta providing a binary choice to existing users. There is always a third way, and that is to leave for something far better.

Imprison the government?

Ian thinks: During the PublicSpaces conference, myself and Laurens talked about the challenges to democracy. In his latest newsletter, he clearly links the unlawful riots in Northern Ireland and the external influences. I can only add, the UK police’s statement feels like they don’t fully grasp the impact of social media controlled by disruptive trillionares.

Standing for democracy and the rule of law ?

Ian thinks: This interview with Palantir UK head is unreal. Its one thing for Thiel and Karp to go off the very deep end but its quite something trying to defend them as the UK head. This is must watch to truely understand how shadowy this company represents its self, by not really answering straight forward questions.

World has moved on, have you?

Ian thinks: Cory’s connection with the Dark tower and the enshittified state we are in (and its getting worst every day) is a good connection. Cory’s addressing of nostalgia is also perfect, as this is not that. There is a lot in the post but the main point, about this being a political problem is apt. I recommend the open rights group in the UK, which I’m an advisor for.

We need to talk about AI successionism

Ian thinks: In my research into AI, I have seen points towards people who believe human kind is purely here to foster super AI in to existence. Booster, doomer or somewhere else, this is a something we should all be very aware of. The religion of AI is very real.

Watch the AI doc? TL:DR?

Ian thinks: Quote a lot of the time, people talk to me about AI and I always ask them what aspect of AI are they focusing on. Secondary I suggest watching the AI Doc, as I have done here. Now if most can’t watch because its not freely available. Now there is a TL:DR summary all can watch freely.

AI is here so what next?

Ian thinks: There is a lot of conversations about AI, but this mature conversation about what to do with AI is something we need a lot more of. Although I don’t agree with everything which is said, there is a lot of questions we should all be asking instead of the race to AI general intelligence.

Telling us to get off X? Why don’t YOU get off X?

Ian thinks: This is great someone in the UK government actually says this out loud. But it doesn’t go far enough. Recently the University of Sheffield Student Union took a strong stance calling out much of the US big tech for their complicity; and them selves up on the Fediverse. If only democratic governments would do the same?

Public Service Internet monthly newsletter (Jan 2026)

This scientist predicted AI-induced delusions…

We live in incredible times with such possibilities that is clear. Although its easily dismissed reading Arduino’s new terms of service, reading the awful story of the man behind evil twin wifis on airplanes and please stop using AI browsers.

To quote Buckminster Fuller “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

You are seeing aspects of this with Apple working with the EU’s DMA, E-petition digital ID debate now on youtube and UK flat owners could have a legal right to fibre.

France turns hostile to privacy and encryption?

Ian thinks: Worrying that the stance on open Android apps outside the play-store is undecided, but even worst to see the crack down on encryption comes to the likes of privacy centred Graphene OS.

Remember the pipe dream of the metaverse?

Ian thinks: Travel back a few years when Facebook become Meta, Horizon worlds was on the tip of lots of tongues. But for the wrong reasons as this video makes super clear. Even I was shocked to see an average of 900 people using it along side #4.4 billion in loss income while Zuck’s glaze is elsewhere.

Remember Facebook dating?

Ian thinks: Talking about Meta, surprisingly Facebook dating its doing very well, although not promoted or talked about at all. There’s a plan to do more in 2026, I expect the changes at Hinge will have an influence to reflect Zuckerberg’s plans for more AI bots?

Dating coaching with Chat GPT?

Ian thinks: We all know people who are using AI for different aspects of life but as a dating coach is on the up-tick The notable part is this has been published in the female fashion magazine Elle, and indicates a worrying trend of AI mingling with human intimacy.

The enshittification of Airbnb and so much more…

Ian thinks: As a Airbnb host myself, I can agree about the enshittification of the platform Airbnb. I personally have had to fight against the decay of the platform from AI pricing, scramble for superhost status and so much more.

The everyday problems of privacy

Ian thinks: This video explains just a few of the problems with being private on the internet today. I recently did similar and found it painful, emailing back and forth to confirm everything, in the end I just gave up.

Talking LLM bias in detail

Ian thinks: AI bias was heavily talked about for years, then things went quiet. I found this detailed conversation with Harvard psychologist Mahzarin Banaji, perfectly timed in the face of the rise of LLMs. I found the API vs chat interface differences really powerful.

AI psychosis? What could be done?

Ian thinks: You likely have heard of it but its when AI echos and encourages paranoia and delusions. There are many real examples, but this well watched video although curated for performance shows how things can accelerate downwards ever so quickly. The big question is what can be done?

The authoritarian pipeline made visible

Ian thinks: Francesca Bria and others clearly highlight the huge problems with the current tech setup in the states. In this interactive mapping, its insane how interwoven everything is, but hardly surprising. What this means for Europe is a big question and the key point.

The next 10 years of public service in the UK?

Ian thinks: Every 11 years the UK government puts out a green paper for the future of the BBC public charter. As a public consultation, there is a call for feedback and thoughts on the future of public service and the BBC. Highly recommend spending the time on this, and its open to all

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Public Service Internet monthly newsletter (Dec 2025)

Traffic jam of cabs in New York shot from the back with red lights from the cabs — Cars everywhere: (cc-by-nd) https://www.flickr.com/photos/strolicfurlan/24747443097/

We live in incredible times with such possibilities that is clear. Although its easily dismissed seeing the questionable AI courtcase in the UK, Zuck running an illegal school and big tech refusing to talk about election influencing in the Netherlands.

To quote Buckminster Fuller “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

You are seeing aspects of this with Android supporting airdrop, The Eurosky sovereign bluesky project now has open code and Dr Ruha Benjamin’s unlearn speech from Mozfest 2025.

The future of addiction

Ian thinks: I found this conversation spot on, as it touches on many things I find really interesting right now and links them up. From the problems of mass social media to weaponized addiction being generated on mass. Addiction is always a contentious point but regardless, it all points to a future where our revealed preferences are indulged without friction for profit and control..

Why we need a war on cars

Ian thinks: I don’t drive a car, and this episode is full of interesting points including the one about superman, electric cars effect on space and the city and the social impact on loneliness.

The characteristics of a AI bubble

Ian thinks: If you are in the tech field or even looking in, its clear everybody is talking about the AI bubble but this podcast from Wired again, really breaks down the characteristic of a bubble.

Keep Android open

Ian thinks: Great site, seems Google might have listened to the pressure in recent days. What they mean by an alternative is a big question however.

Reasons for divorce: AI relationship

Ian thinks: We all new this was coming. You message first thing in the morning, last thing at night, you message on the toilet! That relationship seems so innocent but engaging. Now there is legal challenges a foot, which could make that relationship grounds for a divorce.

Digital legacy and death tech overview

Ian thinks: This video from Wired magazine, starts off with the usual cryogenic nonsense but then grief bots and AI avatars suddenly become a lot more real. I especially like the shout out to get a will and manage your digital legacy. This is something I am working on with a project called Machine readable wishes.

NSA’s mobile phone guide

Ian thinks: The NSA’s mobile guide is interesting reading, there are nuggets of information such as restart your phone weekly and have a case which block room audio. Paranoid or just good advice?

Ian thinks: I recently gave a talk about AI to a health insurances. I talked a lot about loneliness and bots. Although I didn’t include it, this detailed video forecasts the logical end of social being the dead internet theory but far far worst.

What does 47,000 conversations with ChatGPT tell us?

Ian thinks: Remember when OpenAPI was sharing chatGPT conversations? Well analysis of the conversations by the Gerrit De Vynck tells us exactly how puppy like and integrated it is with peoples lives. Counter to what the AI companies have been saying, this is worry-some to hear and read.

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Public Service Internet monthly newsletter (July 2025)

A couple look at a TV while the camera looks over their shoulders

We live in incredible times with such possibilities that is clear. Although its easily dismissed seeing how how much time we are spending on our smartphones. whats happening with GDPR and the low-background steel problem of the AI contaminated internet?

To quote Buckminster Fuller “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

You are seeing aspects of this with scientists proving ethical sourced AI is possible, plastic which dissolves in water and opensource coming to rescue owners of the humane pin.

Ian thinks: Its finally available, the report myself and BBC R&D colleagues wrote on the emerging crisis for the social platforms. Exploring the toxic and polarised online environments but also the enormous potential to transform the world in positive ways, if built with the right values.

Theranos is back?

Ian thinks: Remember the whole testing a drop of blood to diagnose critical diseases? Well believe it or not Holmes is back in the form of Haemanthus who’s CEO happens to be Holmes partner.

Oversharenting has its own murky marketplace

Ian thinks: I did see the Ella campaign a while ago, if you haven’t see it go watch it. The video from NBTV, goes much further looking into sharing data without understanding or concern of how others will abuse it.

Ian thinks: Automatic Content Recognition, is actually old news (as the UCL study shows) but recently become a long clearer recently as more researchers and journalists take a look at the privacy policies of smart TVs.

Building the EuroStack

Ian thinks: There has been a lot of discussion recently about Europe as the 3rd way (between commercial and government). Digital sovereignty is pinned to the stack along with the move to strategic autonomy and being Europe its a of the EU but isn’t exclusive to Europe. Providing

This is the year of Open source in Europe, doubtful?

Ian thinks: Great to see more European countries using open source but there is a big question… What went wrong last time? We assume technology would save us and didn’t. We need to trace back the power and money.

Love with AI, all dopamine and no rejection?

Ian thinks: Cathy Hackl, took the plunge into the AI as a partner, and the results are what you imagine but the gentle responses do connect on some level. Hackl does point to this being a good simulator, which I’m less sure of because we all know the business model behind them?

Could chatbots have a public service remit?

Ian thinks: Following the endless amount of chatbot news and last months in joke about the sentient machine therapist. Tiku and Marx, discuss the real harms of chatbots generally. Which leads me to think could a LLM based chatbot be trained and given the metric of public service. Dare I say the loneliness epidemic is one good reason.

Bounce your followers around?

Ian thinks: As seen at the Fediforum last month, Bounce brings the ability to move around federated social networks but keep the followers. This is something which makes the fediverse unique.

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Public Service Internet monthly newsletter (May 2025)

Man looks around a scene from his past using a new technology which allows him to step into a picture

We live in incredible times with such possibilities that is clear. Although its easily dismissed reading how social media is impacting young people, how everyone can be scammed even Troy Hunt was phished.

To quote Buckminster Fuller “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

You are seeing aspects of this with Hull Uni’s research into loneliness, a short prologue to the future of social and of course the FTC taking Meta to court.

Mozilla Festival 2025 global call for participation

Ian thinks: The Mozilla global festival 2025 call for participation is live. The theme this year is unlearning and includes unlearning design, security, harmful tech systems, traditional profit models, tech governance and tech Immateriality. A lot of unlearning! Get your proposals in before the 21st May deadline

The importance of the digital legacy across the world

Ian thinks: Not only do I think Digital legacy is important (even playing a part in Black Mirror’s Eulogy), if you attend Republica 2025, do look out for our conversation titled six feet under the data centre. One part of the conversation is how different nations/cultures face digital legacy and what could be learned for the future. This rest of world article is just the start.

Starlink’s impact on the Amazon?

Ian thinks: Unreported world is great at highlighting these stories and this one reminds me of the same problems of surveillance, and parents and young people are facing all over the world

Equality breeds conflict and vulnerability for us all

Ian thinks 3 white men (Zuckerberg, Bezos and Musk) are on track to become trillionares a level wealth that is unimaginable. This video is a good summary of where we are and huge problem. The Buy, Borrow and Die loop hole is so prolific even I have heard about it. Gary Stevenson has plenty to say about this all and is included in the video

How surveillance works in protests

Ian thinks: With the up-tick in surveillance, is it possible to protest without being tired to a protest? Short answer not really but there are some practical tips to consider when near or in a protest. I wonder how many of us knew about the London tube trial?

The digital coup and surveillance fascism?

Ian thinks: Carole Cadwalladr’s nervous but ever-so important talk, is right on the nose and strongly worded. Well shared and delivered right at the moment but if you find it short on substance; I recommend the follow up spicy interview with Cadwalladr and Anderson.

ReWild and ReWeirding the internet?

Ian thinks: Watching Rushkoff’s talk from SXSW 2025, with his thoughts from being an agent of change to an agent of care. Its clear to me there is so many connections with Maria Farrell’s ReWild the internet. If only they could come together in some way?

Growing with scale is so 2015

Ian thinks: This short which is a clip from the larger session about building communities across the social web. The whole session is worth a watch from SXSW’s social web space, covering the Fediverse (ActivityPub & ATproto) with a interesting panel from across the Fediverse. Also keep some time for Cory Doctorow in the same space.

The decline of ownership we all experience now

Ian thinks: Rossmann, is a loud critic of the right to repair and ownership battle. Although he’s style is pretty in your face, he raises good points and many examples demostrating how enshittification and DRM go hand in hand with dense EULAs. Synology’s change and Black Mirror’s common people are examples.

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Public Service Internet monthly newsletter (Jan 2025)

The image is a very detailed, black-and-white sketch-like illustration featuring a complex scene of interconnected figures and technology. The artwork portrays various individuals in different environments to represent the relationship between technology and humans. In the foreground, multiple people are surrounded by computer screens filled with data visualisations, charts, and technical information. A woman seated in an armchair appears deep in thought, surrounded by data-filled monitors. Beside her, a man leans over, using a tablet to assist with their inspection of a plant or tree. In the centre, a figure holds a large frame or screen displaying anatomical illustrations, representing the use of AI to analyse medical imagery. To the left, another person is intently observing a computer screen, while a second figure nearby is deeply immersed in analysing data. A woman dominates the right side of the composition, gazing upwards as if in contemplation or envisioning something beyond the immediate scene. The background features more people, including a family holding hands, and other abstract representations of data. — Ariyana Ahmad & The Bigger Picture / Better Images of AI / AI is Everywhere / CC-BY 4.0

We live in incredible times with such possibilities that is clear. Although its easily dismissed while hearing about the Character.AI courtcase, seeing the Tesla’s crash footage and choose your phrase now before its too late?

To quote Buckminster Fuller “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

You are seeing aspects of this with people turning away from online dating, W3C weighting into the ethical web principles and could cotton and squid bones soak up our out of control microplastics problem?

Ian thinks: These are my big over arching themes for 2025. There is a lot of resources I could point to but this interview about AI via Tech won’t save us, is a good example of what and why? If you are not thinking and acting on these themes in this year, you need to stop and think why.

Meet the global underclass of digital workers who speak out about AI training

Ian thinks: Mozilla spent a lot of effort raising the voices of the global south works or as the video says global underclass of digital workers, however it is good to see the German broadcaster also covering this important issue. As it never gets enough attention in the AI hype bubble.

Charlie Brooker, Black mirror and the state of Technology

Ian thinks: This interview recorded with Charlie Brooker, is full of nuggets of provocative statements around not only Black Mirror but also his wider thoughts on media and technology (especially around AI). Although filmed a while ago its worth watching ahead of the new season of Black Mirror.

What happens when you swipe smartphones away form teenagers?

Ian thinks: Although this experiment is anything but scientific, its is good to see the reactions and discussion of not just the teenagers but also the parents which took part. Perfectly timed following the Australian social media ban for under 13’s. Also seems to be available on youtube in full.

Is giving aid directly the best way to change poverty?

Ian thinks: I was heavily sceptical of this just by the title. However after watching and going through some of the research was convinced. It goes against so much of what we have been told/seen but in the right environment putting money into people’s hands is far more effective.

Thumbs up to surveillance in the UK?

Ian thinks: Recently news stories about the UK government warming to facial surveillance and recognition is concerning. This news story is a clear reminder the abuse of these systems needs to be taken very seriously when putting any kind of support such systems. If it’s not transparent and audit-able then it’s not in the public interest.

The weaponisation of data and the importance of activists

Ian thinks: Although seen as an annoyance by the mainstream, activist are important to make sense, shine the light of accountable and ultimately change perspective on a rapidly changing world. From Bellingcat to ProPublica from the Open Rights Group to Big Brother watch; OSINT (open-source intelligence) runs through their foundations. Something we all could learn and benefit from.

If you have nothing to hide?

Ian thinks: This video runs through a lot of the nonsense myself and others have said about privacy. Everything from privacy is dead to if you have nothing to hide. I have heard it all over time and the key points of privacy is about anatomy and rights.

Limitarianism, socialism, communism?

Ian thinks: I recently started reading the book by Limitarianism after reading about it, expecting similar arguments in the inequality circles. However Robeyns goes one further with tighter examples & arguments based on many studies. Could this be the next spirit or inner level?

Find the archive here

Public Service Internet monthly newsletter (Nov 2024)

Old woman steps out of a door, Nostalgia from Inside out 2

We live in incredible times with such possibilities that is clear. Although its easily dismissed while reading the politics of the io domain, seeing the real people who’s voice is used for AI misinformation and Tiktok misinformation advertising under the microscope.

To quote Buckminster Fuller “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.“

You are seeing aspects of this with wider Fediverse interest, more research why companies should be owned by employees and Rushkoff’s program or programmed rewritten for the AI future.

The lack of privacy behind those AI input prompts

Ian thinks: Another look at the uncomfortable side of AI, but this video outlines the problem and also offers some solutions beyond running your own LLM; including Venice.ai and Brave’s Leo LLM.

Could webarchives be more distributed?

Ian thinks: The internet archive and wayback machine has been a solid part of the internet for so long, the shock of many when it was taken offline recently has visceral. There are other web archives but this has shone a light on the absolute importance of archives and maybe more cooperation between archives to boost resilience.

Watch out for the nostalgic trap!

Ian thinks: Nostalgia gives a lot of people a fuzzy warm feeling even when you never actually experienced it as GenZ have demonstrated. It is very hard to explain how problematic nostalgia can be when thinking and writing policies for the future. The very notion of commercial nostalgia jacking, being used to weaponize nostalgia against ourselves is even more dangerous. The video shows talks through all this and how it was a commercial tactic for decades.

Why Surveillance Watch? The creator explains in depth

Ian thinks: This interview is full of interesting points about privacy and the problems we all face when attempting to protect our privacy. I can’t tell you how many times I have had to explain why I don’t use Whatsapp for example.

Embedding repair culture by looking at Berlin

Ian thinks: The rise of right to repair is exciting. However could paying people to repair their old goods be a mixture for something more sustainable? Or could make things more complex as other studies have shown in the past.

Where we are going, we don’t need environmental limits?

Ian thinks: I think Schmidt’s statement is very irresponsible to say the least, But he’s not the only one, following their Silicon values (Which was coined and written by Julian York) and the absolute push for revenue with complete dominance over human life; is shocking. However worst still is the belief the problem will be solved by emerging tech, is short term thinking and gambling with all our lives. In this case Gen AI, is clearly part of the problem and won’t save us.

What are the environmental costs of gen AI in real terms?

Ian thinks: Schmidt and all of the AI industry really need to take a serious look at the environmental impact. However those figures can be quite dry and difficult visualise. The Washington post have made the environmental damage more tangible using resources we use everyday.

Data vampires only respect Silicon Values

Ian thinks: This mini-series by Paris Marx is a powerful reminder of how little to zero care or attention is paid to democracy, the environment and humanity in the Silicon corps. I kept thinking about those Silicon values across the episodes, and its very clear across this 4 part series [2] [3] [4].

Publishers should decentralised now?

Ian thinks: There is a number of journalists and news publishers who have switched their business models to one focused on supporting journalism by going direct to the reader. The podcast post outlines how the fediverse can support direct community relationships and sets out why it could signal the future of news.

Find the archive here

Public Service Internet monthly newsletter (Sept 2024)

We live in incredible times with such possibilities that is clear. Although its easily dismissed while seeing the pitch deck for active listening, yet another AI wearable trying to be a friend and AI generated slop everywhere (and its going to get a lot worst)

To quote Buckminster Fuller “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.“

You are seeing aspects of this with people put off with the AI branding, Passkey use growing and does X/twitter fall fowl of the EU’s DSA?

The deeper structural issues underlying the far right riots

Ian thinks: This good conversation about the UK’s far right riots following the Southport stabbings, links social media with the much deeper issues of misinformation and Islamophobia. I kept wondering if human scale networks could have limited the harm of these messages?

That 27 Billion hack includes UK and Canada people

Ian thinks: You likely have heard about the hack of the 27 billion of leak. However all the tools to check and the attention has focused on Americans. This is a problem as the effect is huge beyond credit scores, which has been mentioned too much.

Learning from the past for the future together globally

Ian thinks: This video is a good summary of how to stay cool, as the climate becomes warmer due to climate. The most interesting part is how we learn from the past and apply those lessons to the now and future?.

Who is that Surveillance company?

Ian thinks: This interactive map documents the hidden connections within the surveillance industry. Its quite something because so many of these companies are not well known and hide in plain sight.

Subscription models saving the earth?

Ian thinks: We all know the problems with subscription models and how difficult it is to unsubscribe. However what makes this video interesting is the last quarter about the effect of ownership on the environment, which got me thinking…

Government Internet shutdowns loom large

Ian thinks: The amount of government internet shutdowns in increasing across the world and although it almost feels unthinkable in the west. This video proves not only is it possible but it has happened before and there is a deliberate system in place to insure it.

Self checkouts have gone too far?

Ian thinks: I wonder how much of the switch back to manned tills by certain supermarkets is because people prefer talking to people (which we all know certain generations generally do not) or is it all due to the dent in their profits because of shoplifting?

What would you do if your Sonos turned into a brick?

Ian thinks: Although nothing has happened, Sonos once the darling of multi-room audio is in trouble. This article predicts what could happen with the closed ecosystem and points towards openness. Its a lesson which has happened and will happen again, Sonos or someone else.

Ian thinks: Although this business model feels like the wild west now and laws are catching up. This is clearly user hostile and should be top of mind for all those publishers thinking about the future impact of the trust

Find the archive here

Public Service Internet monthly newsletter (Aug 2024)

We live in incredible times with such possibilities that is clear. Although its easily dismissed while seeing Palestinians accounts shut down by Microsoft for no clear reason, a look at the global suppression of LGBTQ+ speech and the endless AI scraping.

To quote Buckminster Fuller “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.“

You are seeing aspects of this with a new Swiss law for the public sector, researchers using AI chat bots against scammers and the wrongful arrest of a black man down to facial recognition, knocking on to wider reform.

Crowd strike: the result of move fast break society?

Ian thinks: There is so much about the worldwide outage due to Microsoft and Crowd strike. Zitron zooms out and points fingers at shareholders supremacy , recent tech layoffs and the silicon value of move fast and break things.

What is the difference between Green growth and Degrowth

Ian thinks: In this thoughtful discussion Hickel outlines a number of key concepts of degrowth including, the assumption the rich countries should continue to increase growing for the rest of the century. Plus the metric of growth based on GDP, was never developed for this purpose warned the creator of it.

We let tech take politics out of innovation?

Ian thinks: This talk from Republica is raw and will caused a lot feelings. Deep down under the skin of the talk is the underlying understanding Tante has some very good points including the fact “we let tech take the politics out of innovation.”

Negotiability is needed in car privacy

Ian thinks: This video builds on the huge data privacy problem of modern cars. There is a huge problem of negotiability with the contracts you sign. Access to emergency service is important but that shouldn’t mean data being shared with an unknown amount of data brokers. Its time for a change.

Can alternative business models survive in the future?

Ian thinks: This short documentary about John Lewis and Waitrose is quite telling as their business model feels so obscure now, especially in the face of stakeholder capitalism or as others call it Shareholder Supremacy. You can see the same of public service broadcasting and likewise their are lessons and difficult decisions which need to be made before its too late.

The LLM craze / bubble

Ian thinks: Interesting but sweary rant from a senior data scientist about the AI bubble and C-suite’s fascination with it. Good points made counting the business narrative of you need AI for everything.

Human Data Interaction needs to be a standard

Ian thinks: While watching this video about keeping contacts private, I couldn’t stop but think the whole notion of how apps, services and platforms interact with our personal data must change. Human data interaction is a step towards this but it needs standardisation and adopted very soon, because putting the burden on users through scope storage, permissions or installing GrapheneOS isn’t sustainable.

Welcome to the digital afterlife?

Ian thinks: The notion of a digital afterlife will either fill you with dread or joy. But what ever side you come down on, it’s clear existing power laws like enshitfication, surveillance capitalism, etc will be in full effort. Legal reform in this space to give agency to the user is essential and must come soon.

Influencer, human traffiker, and finally jailed

Ian thinks: The story of Kat Torres is a hard one to watch but a important one to see. There will always be influencers but could human scale social networks change this, I wonder?

Find the archive here

Public Service Internet monthly newsletter (July 2024)

Picture taken from Mozhouse Amsterdam 2024 Woman sat talking to a crowd with a screen saying We are life: AI accountability during war

We live in incredible times with such possibilities that is clear. Although its easily dismissed while seeing the ransomware attack on NHS hospitals, Meta’s EULA change to include feeding AI with your data and the terrible state of online shopping thanks to dropshipping and Temu.

To quote Buckminster Fuller “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.“

You are seeing aspects of this with publishers rethinking their online strategy, security services starting their own mini series and the introduction of the proton foundation.

The bigger impact of the law enforcement ANOM surveillance

Ian thinks: You might remember the ANOM take over? At the time I thought it was pretty clever but in this episode centred around Joseph Cox’s book Dark wire. I missed the bigger impact of surveillance and the chilling effect it had on encrypted messaging services/platforms.

Predicting the police and other artist AI visions

Ian thinks: I enjoyed this look at AI through the eyes of the different people in this episode. Critical in some parts and imaginative in others, its a good listen and gave me a base for many other thoughts.

How AI could threaten democracy, under our noses

Ian thinks: It was interesting to see Lawrence Lessig sound the alarm but also provide clear ideas of things which must change now. The talk is also from Germany which is deliberate as the advice is directly aimed at Europe, knowing it could trickle down into other countries like America.

Tech accountability during the time of war

Ian thinks: I didn’t get a chance to see this panel discussion live but I watched it streamed live while in Amsterdam for the Mozilla House festival. The experiences and descriptions really got me. Nearer the end I was energised while questioning where the accountability sits?

Mitigating GenAI hallucinations?

Ian thinks: Colleague Henry wrote a interesting analysis and guide to help with limiting the hallucinations found in the gen AI space. He’s not the only one looking, as this open access paper delves into this all too.

Is Microsoft tracking school kids a step too far?

Ian thinks: With strong laws like GDPR, it doesn’t take much to see companies like Microsoft potentially caught red handed. The question I do have is if they are potentially doing it for school kids, imagine whats happening to their customers?

Insight into the EU’s digital identity system

Ian thinks: I didn’t get the chance to be at this session at Re:publica but watching it back I am learned a quite bit and even more from the Q&A afterwards. Then looked to see how similar it is to Self Sovereign Identity?

Europe’s Path to Innovation in Public Interest

Ian thinks: Francesca Bria is great to watch again and incredible in person at the PublicSpaces conference. Centred around the idea of a 100 billion European digital sovereignty fund to ignite the innovation we all want to see. Its the kind of grand plan we all need and shes deadly serious.

AI is warping our love lives

Ian thinks: There has always been a industry interest in AI and love. The experts have varies of opinions and this insightful interview gives a good overview of the concerns and benefits of something which most won’t admit to or talk about.

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