Update: This piece is getting some interesting pushback from parents who think I'm being alarmist about AI toys over on my other social platforms.

On the other side of that, I'm hearing so many people taking the usual "AI BAAAAD" stance, some of those people thinking I agree with them simply because I took a hardliner stance in this post.

For clarification: I'm not anti-AI. I use these tools daily for my research and writing as well as accessibility aids to offset some of the disadvantages I face due to my blindness. I study AI from the computer scientist perspective and am studying to be an elementary teacher precisely because I see AI's educational potential. I'm not even entirely against the idea of AI companionship, if it's framed right.

What actually bothers me is the business model. When Moxie robots suddenly "died" last year because the company went under, kids had to grieve their artificial friend. Parents got a scripted letter to explain why their $799 companion stopped talking which provided little comfort to kids who experienced digital abandonment. Trust me, the videos I've seen of kids crying because their beloved friend unexpectedly died over night is truly heartbreaking.

That's no glitch, that's what happens when you outsource childhood relationships to venture capital that only cares about investment returns.

The real question isn't whether AI toys are inherently bad. It's whether we're okay with corporations experimenting on our kids' emotional development while claiming it's "age-appropriate play."

What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments.

open.substack.com/pub/kaylielf…

#AIToys #ChildPrivacy #ChildDevelopment #DigitalRights #TechEthics #SurveillanceCapitalism #COPPA #DataPrivacy #ChildSafety #TechRegulation #DigitalLiteracy #ParentingInTheDigitalAge #EdTech #CorporateAccountability #TechCriticism #EthicalTech

AI toys promise magical childhood experiences, but they're collecting our children's deepest secrets for corporate profit. 🧸🤖

How Six Decades of Cultural Conditioning Primed Us for the AI Childhood We Didn't Know We Were Asking For

^{Kaylie L. Fox (Kaylie’s Substack)}

> Signal groups, in particular, are more powerful than you might be aware of, even if you already use them all the time. In this post I'll show you how to:

- Turn an in-person meeting into a Signal group using QR codes
- Manage large semi-public groups while still vetting new members
- Make announcement-only groups, perfect for volunteer networks rapidly responding to things like ICE raids

**Using Signal groups for activism** by @micahflee

micahflee.com/using-signal-gro…

#Signal #DataPrivacy

Using Signal groups for activism

Things are heating up. Millions of people are taking to the streets against Trump's rising authoritarianism.

^{Micah Lee (micahflee)}

Nextcloud turns 9! 🎂

Here's to many more years of being a
🔐 100% #OpenSource cloud collaboration platform
🌐 Trusted provider for governments, universities, businesses, and individuals
✨ Dedicated to #DataPrivacy & #DigitalSovereignty

More importantly, we want to thank our community for their support.

➡️ To everyone who has joined our journey, from coders and designers to testers, translators, and users:

Thanks for being part of it! 💙

Is your teenager on Instagram? 🙈 And are they using a Meta Teen's account? 🤔

If so, you should read this 👉 tuta.com/blog/instagram-teen-a…

#Meta #MetaTeens #InstagramTeens #DataPrivacy

Happy birthday to ARPANET, the forerunner of the modern internet! 53 years ago, the first message was sent over this pioneering network, paving the way for a world of interconnection and innovation.

As a tech enthusiast, I am constantly amazed by the ways the internet has transformed our lives, allowing us to communicate, learn and share ideas across boundaries and borders. From social media to e-commerce, from telemedicine to remote work, the internet has become an essential part of our daily routines, enabling us to connect with others and access a wealth of information at our fingertips.

#ARPANET #InternetAnniversary #Transhumanism #TechInnovation
#InternetHistory #Networking #DigitalRevolution #Innovation #Communication #Cyberculture #OnlineCommunity #TechHerstory #NetNeutrality #OpenSource #Decentralization #DataPrivacy #Cybersecurity #DigitalRights #Accessibility #Inclusion #SocialImpact #DigitalTransformation #FutureTech #TechOptimism #InternetOfThings #AI

🔗 ethw.org/Milestones:Birthplace…

What the actual fuck The Verge?! You have over 500 partners who need access to my "essential" cookies?

I mean, thanks for showing me the numbers on how insane data sharing is, but really? And those are the ones I can't opt out of?

Do they count like every employee as a partner, or is my data really being shared with hundreds of other businesses?

@alice

#Cookies #Data #DataPrivacy #DataBrokers #OptOut

Bewildered moment this week:

At the skin doctor, first an assistant asks some questions and fills them into the computer, then says "wait for the doctor" and leaves me alone with the unlocked system. 5min, would have been enough to lookup data of other people.

Awareness for these things is low in #japan , I touch on this in blog.fluxcoil.net/posts/2020/1…

#dataprivacy

IMPORTANT. Threads stated policy is to collect and exploit Fediverse user personal data without explicit consent.

Now is a very good time to review Threads Terms of Use (help.instagram.com/76998365785…) and Supplemental Privacy Policy (help.instagram.com/51523043730…).

Note just by following a Threads user or replying to a post, Meta claims they are entitled to your personal data.

And what do they say they will do with your data? Provide you with "business services (including ads)."

#threads #DataPrivacy

The Zuck suck is in full swing. In the few short hours since I started using #Threads, #DuckDuckGo has already blocked over 200 data tracking attempts. These include things like "headphone status" and "screen density."

#DataPrivacy #Meta #ThreadsApp

The DoJ's lawsuit against Google for illegal monopolization of digital advertising dropped last week. It's a 150-page document #digitaladvertising #dataprivacy #Google #techpolicy

🆕 Here's my first attempt to unpack what is probably one of the most complete antitrust cases in ad tech of the last decade. My focus? 👀 How three ad pricing manipulation schemes described in the suit hurt publishers: techpolicy.press/how-google-ma…

How Google Manipulated Digital Ad Prices and Hurt Publishers, Per DOJ

Karina Montoya explores DOJ's complaint that Google engaged in illegal monopolization of digital advertising technologies.

^{Karina Montoya (Tech Policy Press)}