Finally something truthful from Facebook. They have never cared about protecting your privacy because, according to their own lawyers, they considered it nonexistent from the start.
After spending Memorial Day weekend at the beach enjoying the many freedoms afforded to me by the sacrifices of countless brave men and women from the past 300+ years of American history, a few thoughts come to mind. First and foremost, thank you to all those who serve our country.
As we reflect on their sacrifices this Memorial Day, it is also important to remember why some of those sacrifices were made, and engage in some uncomfortable dialogue about the United States Military’s history.
In many cases, particularly in the last 70 years, it seems that the United States government has taken advantage of the commitments made by our troops. There are plenty of examples of the United States utilizing military force where it was less than necessary, in some cases as a result of completely fabricated stories involving unproven threats to our national security. This heinous abuse of power must be called out when it occurs, and we must demand better of our leaders than to use our troops as pawns for their own political agendas. We need to respect these brave men and women enough to only ask them to defend our country when it is truly necessitated.
It is essential that the American public wisen up and do a better job of calling out our leaders when they prematurely threaten military action as a solution to a problem, as is currently happening with the conflicts in Iran, Venzuela, and the US-Mexican border. We have to put an end to the pattern of engaging in endless wars that result in thousands of troops laying down their lives because the civilians are too ignorant and apathetic to call out our government when they deploy our troops without just cause. Military force should only be utilized when we have stone cold proof that it is the only way to resolve a direct threat to our national security, anything else is disrespectful to our troops and their families.
North Carolina senator Richard Burr has demonstrated his disregard for the constituents he serves multiple times, and his ignorance related to technology issues proves that he doesn’t care enough about those he represents enough to educate himself on important issues. The most striking example of this was his prominent role in trying to force Apple to write a new, parasitic version of iOS that would’ve allowed the FBI access to the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone, but would have come at the expense of every iPhone and iPad user’s privacy, as it would’ve created the possibility of unauthorized backdoor access for every modern iOS device in the world.
Contributing to his prior displays of technological ignorance is this pandering tweet:
As 5G networks become a reality, it’s critical we get them right. I appreciate @AjitPaiFCC working with Sprint and T-Mobile to make sure rural areas will be widely connected under 5G and that America continues to lead on this next frontier.
It’s clear based on his tweet that he does not understand 5G technology on a fundamental level. While it will increase upload/download speeds, the primary benefit of 5G is that these networks will be capable of delivering fast internet connections to enormous groups of people in the same area: think of times where your phone is practically incapacitated by the number of other devices trying to connect to the internet. Some good examples where 5G would be most helpful include times when you’re at a concert, or in the middle of Manhattan, or at a football game. These are the instances where 5G will shine—when there are thousands of devices in the same spot all vying for a connection.
While it will help everyone, the 5G rollout should absolutely NOT focus on rural areas, because that is exactly the opposite of where its deployment will be most beneficial; they should give top priority to urban areas, because to do anything else would be to ignore the true nature of the technology they’re racing* to implement.
*A race which, despite Mr. Burr’s nationalistic allusion, we are losing.
Taylor Swift is an incredible songwriter. She’s got an unparalleled knack for writing extremely specific yet intensely relatable lines that hit home with fans and casual listeners alike. She’s broken more records than I can name from memory, and every album she releases has multiple chart toppers. She’s become a household name, and managed to remain relevant for thirteen years without a lull in her popularity. She is perhaps the ONLY artist to successfully transition from country to pop, a feat which she managed to pull off fearlessly and with class, as opposed to the scores of country artists who have recently attempted the same transition but ended up creating a gross country-pop hybrid which, unfortunately, is becoming the new norm for country music.
I want to briefly comment of her latest release (a more thorough analysis of her new music will be coming in the next few months). Taylor’s latest single is called “ME!,” and it serves as the lead single for her upcoming 7th album (for which she still hasn’t confirmed a title, though I tend to believe it will be called Kaleidoscope). Coming on the heels of the darker, more serious reputation era that preceded it, ”ME!” is a firm step in a much lighter and more jovial direction. While a little repetitive and not lyrically groundbreaking, the track is fun and upbeat, which is a welcome shift after having spent a while with the more serious songs of reputation.
When I originally found out that the song featured Brendon Urie, I was less than excited. Taylor’s songs that feature other artists generally aren’t her best, in my opinion. I was surprised to find that I ended up liking Brendon’s role in the song a lot, despite the fact that I am not a fan of Panic! At The Disco. My only real complaint is that his voice seemed to overpower Taylor’s a bit at some points, but it wasn’t a huge issue.
Overall, I like the song, and I think we’re in for a very solid seventh album from Ms. Swift.
Most people who know me have heard me complain relentlessly about Facebook at some point, and anyone who doesn’t know me will recognize quickly upon meeting me that I believe Facebook is one of the most dangerous, corrupt, malicious companies in the world. This is a personal account that will help to illustrate why.
I deleted my Facebook account in 2017 after reading a series of articles that pulled back the curtain on their dishonest, predatory practices in regards to mishandling user data and disregarding privacy, often in undeniably intentional ways. One of these many ways included the use of “shadow profiles”, which are unseen profiles with a wealth of information created internally by Facebook. They are created not only for people who use their services, but also for people who have never used Facebook before. These shadow profiles help Facebook improve their network of users to recommend more relevant friend requests, ads, timeline posts, etc. The problem with this was that nobody had any idea Facebook had made these shadow profiles, as they intentionally kept it a secret. Additionally, they provide no opt-out option or any way to truly remove your data from these shadow profiles; they are entirely beyond consumer access, and were created and maintained regardless of consumer consent.
This all sounds a bit Orwellian, but before you recommend I get fitted for a tinfoil hat, consider this very personal, very true account that proves the existence of Facebook’s shadow profiles.
After I deleted my Facebook account in 2017, they promised to delete my account and the associated data within 90 days. Seeing as I had no way to verify that this would happen, I tried to forget about it, and eventually made peace with the fact that even if they didn’t delete my information, I had done all I could do. Fast forward two years to the present, and I am only more distressed about how Facebook is operating. From the Cambridge Analytica scandal, to the multitude of uncovered lies and privacy debacles, I truly think they’re a criminal enterprise ran by a few greedy people who are so obsessed with their own corporate and personal wellbeing, that they are willing to destroy free speech and democracy in order to preserve themselves. I’ve increasingly felt like I should be doing more to start conversations about how corrupt they are, and I have tried diligently to get others to delete their accounts, too. In fact, CopyrightBro exists largely because I wanted a place to share my ideas, but couldn’t stomach the idea of contributing to the overall success of their operation by publishing (what I consider to be) meaningful ideas in a place where they would get mixed in with useless gender reveal videos and cat memes as a way to placate, entertain, and enslave the millions of ignorant people on whom Facebook relies for advertisement revenue.
Nevertheless, I decided it would be worth it to create a Facebook page for CopyrightBro so that people could see my (specifically anti-Facebook) posts, and I just wouldn’t create a page for Broc Gantt. It turns out, Facebook won’t let you make a business page without first creating a personal profile, so I begrudgingly entered my name and phone number, but refused ALL of the optional information (profile photo, email, etc). Despite this, the third screen Facebook showed me during the account creation process was a screen where they explained how to add friends, followed by a scrolling list of people I know from every area of my life. Family members, high school friends, old work friends, people from college, previous church members, and folks from the local community. They conveniently offered to fill in my high school and college information, as well as offered up my hometown as a suggested location to add to my profile. I knew almost every single person they recommended, and all of the other information about my schools and hometown was spot on. Ultimately, I have decided not to create an account for myself or CopyrightBro.
The bottom line is this: there is no way Facebook could recommend all of that information solely based on the name and phone number of a new user (remember, my account had been permanently deleted two years prior, and they promised to delete all the associated data). The evidence for their utilization of shadow profiles is incontrovertible, and it is a practice that absolutely must come to an end. It is mass-market stalking.
If you’d like to learn more about shadow profiles, I’d recommend checking out this article from The Verge. Of course, I’d also recommend deleting your Facebook profile, but if you can’t yet bring yourself to delete it, share this post, and maybe you can help someone else make the decision. If you’d like help making your decision, spend some more time on CopyrightBro, and I’ll do my best to convince you. Start with my comments on this article about all of Facebook’s lies and coverups.
I wrote this back on August 2nd, 2016, just two days after the script book was released. I remember how excited I was to read it, and I did so in the middle of the night after having picked up my copy at midnight from Barnes and Noble.
⚠️ Spoiler Warning
The first act was great. The second, third, and fourth acts were an absolute plot disaster. It ignored previously-established rules within the story (Voldemort didn't love anyone, and he certainly didn't love anyone enough to have a child with them), and I wish it had never been published. I can only hope it's better as a play. The only reason I didn't stop reading halfway through the book was because Albus and Scorpius are fantastic characters, and there was a ton(≥ 12 specific examples) of evidence to support the notion that they would eventually come out of the closet and be a couple, but alas, it didn't happen. I am by no means a fan of forcing straight characters to be gay for the sake of diversity, but I consider forcing gay characters to be straight for the sake of heteronormativity just as bad.
Unfortunately, my opinions are exactly the same three years later. Cursed Child is a plot nightmare, and an obvious money grab.
The notion that Voldemort had sex with anyone is absurd. He could not love as a result of his conception under the influence of a love potion. He would’ve had no need for an heir, as he had gone to great measures to ensure that he would never die in the first place. Finally, while I don’t have the details on the potion from GOF that recreated a body for Voldemort in the Little Hangleton graveyard, I highly doubt that his new body would come with a functioning penis, and even if it DID, it’s still not something anyone wanted to have to think about. But alas, I guess the Dark Lord did “rise again.”
Moving forward (or rather, backwards), the overwhelming use of time travel as a cheap plot device was horrifying. Time-Turners were destroyed by J.K. Rowling in book five for a reason. They open up way too many plot problems that JKR had the foresight to get in front of before it came back to bite her, only to later undo that decision in a shoddy turn of events that served one purpose: creating this bullshit story to milk the fans for even more money.
I could go on for a while, but I’l make this my last point. Everyone acknowledges the obvious chemistry between Albus and Scorpius, except for the writers, who apparently thought the last scene of the play was a good opportunity to unveil their supposed heterosexuality. There are SO MANY EXAMPLES of these boys literally crying over each other, hugging, and talking about how miserable they are without each other, and none of this comes across as being in any way platonic. We all know what they’re getting into in the Slytherin dormitory after the lights go out, and it ain’t Gobstones.
All in all, I wish this play did not exist. It is clear that it only serves as a way to make more money off of the Harry Potter franchise. I am immensely pleased that the Harry Potter fandom has generally decided to reject this play and consider it non-canon. It was a thinly veiled venture from the beginning, and three years later, the promise that everyone would be able to see it is not even close to having come to fruition. It would cost most fans hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to arrange for travel accommodations to one of the very few cities where this play is being shown, and then they still have to buy tickets, which cost far more than any Harry Potter book ever did (there’s still no word of it being available as a film, which is about the only way it will every be available to all the people who care about Harry Potter’s story). I really wanted to like it, but there are just too many issues I can’t ignore.
I have been asked by more people than I can count about whether or not they should install iOS updates. Because there is a lot of misinformation about the true pros and cons of keeping your devices on the latest software, I decided I would weigh in on the topic publicly.
A lot of people think that iOS updates don’t matter, so they don’t bother taking the time to install them because they think it takes too long, but this isn’t really the case anymore. The most recent update (iOS 12.3) took my iPhone XS Max only 9 minutes to download and install, from start to finish. And if you can’t find nine minutes, your phone can update itself for you while you’re sleeping.
Furthermore, the updates DO matter, and they matter a lot. A lot of bug fixes are rolled out with each update, so the reason your phone is acting up could be a direct result of the fact that it HASN’T been updated yet. Additionally, iOS updates frequently include security patches which are absolutely essential, so from a privacy and security point of view, it’s a terrible to avoid software updates. Frequent software updates are a large part of what makes the iOS platform so superior to Android when it comes to privacy and security.
Lastly, we have to address the common concern that Apple pushes out updates on a regular basis to further their own interests. I am no longer employed by Apple, so I have no reason to be dishonest when I tell you that Apple is not trying to use software updates to drive iPhone sales. They do not intentionally make your phone slower. They do not intentionally make your phone buggy. They do not intentionally try to decrease your battery life. All of these concerns are usually only reported by people using devices which are several years old, and at that point the processors are comparably inefficient and are therefore struggling to keep up with the new, more advanced software. If your iPhone is less than 4 years old, this should not be a concern for you.
The bottom line: when your iOS devices tell you that they need to be updated, it is in your best interest to update them.
An absolutely scathing but completely honest summary of Facebook’s history. If you value privacy, democracy, or freedom of the press, read this article from Wired. Then delete your Facebook account.
Still not convinced? Try this fun tip: request a copy of facebook’s data profile for your account. It includes heaps of information including all your private messages, advertising demographic data, IP addresses, your GPS coordinates from every time you’ve logged in, and more. Additionally, you’ll see a list of advertisers to whom they’ve sold all of this information without your consent. Facebook is a criminal enterprise. Delete your account.
If anyone is interested in reading my senior thesis, here it is. My research focused on the experiences of same-sex attracted men under the Nazi regime, specifically honing in on the complex dynamics between guards and prisoners in concentration camps, where sexual coercion was rampant.
Without further ado, I give you: Pink Propositions: The Experience of Gay Men in Third Reich Concentration Camps