#enshittification

See tagged statuses in the local bookrastinating.com community

Announcing ORG's new patron, Cory Doctorow 🎉

Author, activist, journalist and co-founder of Open Rights Group, @pluralistic is joining us to fight for digital rights.

To celebrate, we're giving away a signed copy of Enshittification!

Enter by 31 May to be in with your chance to win ⬇️

https://action.openrightsgroup.org/win-copy-enshittification-signed-cory-doctorow-0

The latest victim of is

Backed two of their kickstarters - the original feeder, and the bird bath. Good products.

Today, they took away the species recognition and put it into the premium subscription (unless you tap to identify, and then get an ad for premium in the app, and tap again).

Note that their “advanced AI” pre-dated today’s LLMs and was traditional machine vision / learning, with human training (ie we helped them, now they rent back to us)

Angry. 😡

Screenshot of the Bird Buddy app with the text Advanced Al recognition, one tap away You're in control of when Al steps in. Tap "Identify this visitor" whenever curiosity calls, and our advanced Al will identify the species.

The case FOR government regulations, beautifully laid out by Cory Doctorow @pluralistic

“While not all regulation is wise or helpful, a world without regulation is a catastrophe. That’s because, in a highly technological world, your ability to do well (or even to live out the day) requires that you correctly navigate innumerable highly technical questions that you can’t possibly answer. You need to know whether you can trust the software in your car’s antilock braking system, whether you should heed your doctor’s advice to get vaccinated, whether the joists over your head at home are sufficient to keep the ceiling from falling in and killing you, and whether your kids’ schooling is adequate or likely to turn them into ignoramuses. It’s not that you lack the intellect and discernment to answer each of these questions. You’re a smart cookie. Given enough time, you could get a PhD’s worth …

🗞️ Hoy en @ctxt, reseña de Simona Levi del nuevo libro de @pluralistic ed. @capitanswing.

1/ Cómo parar las políticas que mierdifican nuestra vida digital 🧵👇

📸 Presentación del libro en Llibreria Finestres

https://ctxt.es/es/20260401/Firmas/52964/Simona-Levi-mierdificacion-Cory-Doctorow-libro-internet-big-tech-monopolios-interoperabilidad.htm

@pluralistic PSA: has started indexing and presenting results from , a known source which uses unethically. I am very disappointed by this development; pollutes public discourse in a very way, similar to 's use of LLMs, for example. There is a way to filter these out: use the extension. https://github.com/403-html/NoGrok

Our democracies are under attack by authoritarian tech, tech monopolies, Big Tech corporations that extract enormous amounts of value from the users, manipulate them and is "enshittified" as @pluralistic reminds us.

Our answer is: Democratic Tech -but hey, you ask what's that exactly?

Here's a long article tracking the origins of the term, https://freeknowledge.eu/democratic-technology-building-alternatives-to-techno-auhtoritarianism

TLDR:
Of the different connotations of "democratic tech" we understand it as commons, where a community takes care for the tech they use; it is tech that is under their ownership or control, instead of the tech (and its distant owners) taking control over the community. So we go beyond mere "civic tech" or "democratising access to tech".

I think this is pertinent in this time when our democracies are under attack by so called "authoritarian tech".

It has been a busy winter so far for me, which is why I haven't been posting a lot here. But today I'm proud to share with you the fruits of some of that labor: The Colorado Democratic Party's platform for 2026. For those unfamiliar, a platform (in the US) is a statement of values that a political party stands for, generally agreed upon by people who stand for election as representatives of the party.

I was elected during last year's party re-org to the Platform Committee. The chair of the committee asked if I would run the subcommittees for two of the "planks" (sections) of the platform: the Democracy section, and the New Tech & AI section. It was an honor to work on both.

I'm going to share screenshots from the New Tech & AI plank because it's relevant to the work I do here, and …

Technology Equity and Accessibility for all Coloradans Colorado Democrats recognize that all Coloradans must have equal access to new technologies to thrive and succeed. Therefore, we will work to: Require impact assessments before deploying new technologies that may affect jobs, communities, or public services, and provide transition support for affected workers and residents. Continue the strong defense of election systems Ensure new technology is available to all Coloradans. Prioritize open platforms and help avoid any one technology or platform gaining a monopoly in its area of service. Roll out high-speed broadband service to every corner of the state and ensure no new monopolies are created. Make every effort to push back on “enshittification” – the gradual worsening of online services and technology products we rely on, purely in pursuit of profit.
Limit Abusive or Harmful Practices by AI Companies Generative AI has the potential to cause societal harm to both Colorado residents and good government practices. As such, the Colorado Democratic Party will work to: Protect Colorado jobs: AI should support, not replace, skilled professionals; employers should not devalue human workers. Keep humans in charge: People, not algorithms, must be the final deciders when life-safety, health, or labor and wage decisions must be made. Respect creators: Companies must get permission before using someone’s work to train AI systems, and they must fairly compensate people for their contributions. Defend scarce resources: Technology companies should invest in renewable resources and water conservation practices. Data center demands for clean water, power, and space must be secondary to the need for Colorado residents to access those scarce resources. Protect personal identity and privacy: Coloradans have the ultimate right to control information or imagery portraying them; the AI industry must respond to reports of harm in a timely and effective manner. Require transparency and human oversight when state and local government agencies use AI or automated systems in decisions affecting Coloradans' benefits, services, rights, or freedom
New and emerging technologies, medicine, engineering, and science hold the promise of economic growth and improved quality of life, but they also pose the risk of real harm. Colorado Democrats propose a coordinated effort to efficiently and responsibly grow and regulate new technologies, ensuring the pros outweigh the cons. Emerging Science, Technology, and Engineering Colorado Democrats support the responsible growth and development of emerging science, technology, and engineering in Colorado and we will work to: Support STEM fields in K-12 and higher education. Encourage partnerships between education and industry. Ensure that tech and media ethics, literacy, safety, and privacy are taught at all levels of education. Form an independent Colorado Technology Assessment Office to evaluate emerging technologies for risks to residents, workers, and communities, and to recommend regulation to minimize harm.
Protect Human and Civil Rights in Emerging Technologies Emerging and existing technologies, science, medicine, and engineering must be safe, fair, and protect both human and civil rights. Because a technology system can never be held accountable for its actions, technology alone should never have the final say on life-or-death decisions. We will work to: Ensure each Coloradan owns the data about them on any platform or technology. Strictly limit the use of digital surveillance. Require any technology provider to fully and simply explain their product’s capabilities Enable users to opt in, instead of opt out, of data collection or data sharing with third parties. Adopt a state and federal constitutional amendment protecting the right to data privacy. Ensuring government searches, surveillance, or collection of personal information occur only with due process, a lawful warrant, or in narrowly defined national security matters. Strengthen Colorado's cybersecurity posture by requiring state agencies and critical infrastructure operators to adopt modern security standards, promptly notify residents of data breaches, and invest in cybersecurity workforce development.