Tag: Taylor Lorenz

The Trump Admin Censored Jimmy Kimmel — And They’re Not Done

A commenter wrote this correction about the video:

1:25 Incorrect ❌ Jimmy never said the perpetrator is MAGA. What he said was that MAGA are doing everything hoping he’s not one of theirs. Massive difference! He said that because there was discourse about the perpetrators political beliefs so Jimmy was pointing out how the President & those on the right prematurely/irresponsibly blamed the left. It was a sensible statement from Jimmy. How people misinterpret words to suit their agenda is worrying. The truth is Trump’s cronies applied pressure to the network & this supposed joke was used as an excuse to get Jimmy off the air. (@Junier-Hussein on YouTube)

Footage of a couple on a giant screen during a Coldplay concert in Boston went viral because the man and woman were married—but not to each other. Within minutes of the video being posted on TikTok and X, users banded together to identify the couple in the video using AI and facial recognition.

Crowdsourced social media investigations are becoming more common, and those responsible are increasingly using dystopian surveillance technologies that police and federal agencies are using against illegal immigrants and marginalized groups. At the same time, our privacy is being eroded.

Jason Koebler of 404 Media sat down with Taylor Lorenz to explore the origins of the surveillance and entertainment economy, how and why it evolved, and what we can do to protect ourselves.

The UK’s Online Safety Act came into force this week and has wreaked enormous havoc. Entire forums, websites, communities, and important journalistic content are being censored. Users are being forced to scan their faces to use apps like Spotify and YouTube.

Like all such terrible censorship laws, the Online Safety Act claims to protect children from the dangers of pornographic and adult content. However, immediately after it came into force, platforms began classifying almost all breaking news, war reports, investigative journalism, political protest materials, and information on reproductive and public health as “explicit” or “harmful” content, thus denying access to it to anyone under 18.

Taylor Lorenz explains the consequences of the UK’s Online Safety Act, its significance for the future of the internet, and what we in the US face if we don’t act quickly to protect free speech online.