Olives @olives@qoto.org

https://reason.com/2024/06/03/colorado-hasnt-even-approved-ranked-choice-voting-yet-and-already-lawmakers-are-trying-to-delay-it/ What do you think?

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/child-sex-abusers-could-face-surgical-castration-under-louisiana-bill-2024-06-04/
This is a very evil idea and very Nazi, and you have to look at it in the context of them also pushing a law to torture people to death with nitrogen. Also, is someone going to be willing to report one of their relatives, if someone is going to torture or kill them? You don't have to like these people, I certainly don't, but there are some things which are just plain dark and evil.

For recidivism, something which doesn't violate human rights or the Eighth Amendment might involve making sure that the prisons don't have decaying archaic infrastructure leading to things like lead entering the water. As we know, lead can lead to neurological damage (and it is said even crime).

Also, this is no substitute for access to abortion. And I'd be wary of justifying the "lesser evil". #HumanRights

https://reason.com/2024/06/04/federal-supervised-release-is-a-wasteful-mess-a-bipartisan-bill-in-congress-is-trying-to-fix-that/
"When it was created in 1984, federal supervised release was supposed to be used sparingly to keep tabs on offenders who were public safety concerns or needed extra support to transition back into society. However, it's become used by default, and both criminal justice advocates and federal probation officers say it's clogging the system with thousands of people, like Brown, who have demonstrated that they probably don't need to be in it anymore. And it's sending many others back to prison for minor rule violations that might not warrant such a harsh response.

This growing consensus has led to the Safer Supervision Act, a bipartisan bill introduced by Sens. Chris Coons (D–Del.) and John Cornyn (T–Texas). Reps. Wesley Hunt (R–Texas) and Sheila Jackson Lee (D–Texas) have introduced a companion bill in the House. The legislation would streamline the federal supervised release system to give people like Brown a clear off-ramp to earn their way out."
#HumanRights

Also, while crime is mentioned, the cruel and unusual punishments suggest that vengeance and making people suffer is a more likely motivation.

https://nichegamer.com/photoshop-terms-of-service-grants-adobe-access-to-user-projects-for-content-moderation/
"Photoshop’s newest terms of service has users agree to allow Adobe access to their active projects for the purposes of “content moderation” and other various reasons.

This has caused concern among professionals, as it means Adobe would have access to projects under NDA such as logos for unannounced games or other media projects."
From a privacy perspective, it is very concerning. There are also potential implications for freedom of expression in there.

https://reason.com/2024/06/06/states-turn-their-backs-on-criminal-justice-reform/ It is concerning.

https://reason.com/2024/06/03/new-york-and-new-jersey-want-to-let-felons-serve-on-juries-heres-why/ Interesting article. #HumanRights

"ODS" A new process for privileged rich people while everyone else's free expression gets trampled on. It's what you get when conversations of free expression are dominated by "celebrity x's account / post was unfairly taken down". #DSA

https://www.wired.com/story/respec-harassment-gaming/ It's been quite a while since I've seen an article like this. What do you think?

He has an interesting theory that being more open about porn would make it easier for people to talk about sexual matters which might help to address the spycam problem.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/jun/04/internet-addiction-alters-brain-chemistry-in-young-people-study-finds I'm sceptical of this. Whenever someone makes a claim like this, it is usually debunked by someone else or another study.

It wouldn't be the first time that "the kids these days" is accompanied by someone trying to pathologize their behaviors.

"As Castleman (2016) points out, there are a number of studies covering a number of countries which even show lower rates of crime (for instance, rape and child sexual abuse) with higher levels of porn use, such as one covering Japan (Diamond & Uchiyama, 1999). Another one is the Czech Republic (and apparently Finland) (Diamond et al., 2010). This even includes forms of porn involving taboos. Castleman (2016) also points to Denmark, China, and the United States. This contradicts the idea that porn use drives such crimes."

"Castleman, M. (2016). Evidence Mounts: More Porn, Less Sexual Assault. All About Sex. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/all-about-sex/201601/evidence-mounts-more-porn-less-sexual-assault

Diamond, M., & Uchiyama, A. (1999). Pornography, rape, and sex crimes in Japan. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 22(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0160-2527(98)00035-1

Diamond, M., Jozifkova, E., & Weiss, P. (2010). Pornography and sex crimes in the Czech Republic. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40(5), 1037–1043. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-010-9696-y"

A popular one, studies showing porn use being associated with lower levels of crime. From the draft post.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/06/05/asia-pacific/thailand-bill-legalize-casinos/
"#Thailand will press ahead with plans to legalize casinos as part of large entertainment zones to be set up to generate more state revenue and burnish its image as a major tourism hub, according to government spokesman Chai Wacharonke."

"In 2022, Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalize cannabis though it’s now moving to ban its recreational use, and is set to become the first in Southeast Asia to legalize same-sex marriages."

I think it's fair to allow people to do what they want (although, with the cannabis / gambling, someone should do so responsibly).
#HumanRights

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/06/car-makers-shouldnt-be-selling-our-driving-history-data-brokers-and-insurance The whole idea of your car of all things being able to do this is pretty creepy to me.

Of course, a big issue here is that people decide to use a Google service, to start with, even when what they want to do doesn't really need it. It's not just data collection though, it's also the algorithm which seems to think that your private matters is it's business.

To be fair, there is quite a bit of data which Google could avoid collecting, and they do prod people down pathways which result in them receiving more data.

There are even a few companies which compete with Google on a few things and their whole marketing pitch is that they don't invade your privacy.

So, if there's a security / privacy incident, it kind of is on their heads. I think the question though is how much data are you really comfortable with Google having a hold of.