Issue #13

state intervention & AI for campaigning

Author

Daniel Krueger
April 28, 2023

Welcome back to TheBetterWeb newsletter!

This is the round-up of my Better Web week. Five links show you what, in my opinion, has been important for a better web and a better world during the last few days.

I write about tech, tools and politics for a progressive world. If you are an activist and change maker, I provide you with information and references for your daily business.

Feel free to forward the newsletter, share it or recommend it to friends and collaborators.

I'm also grateful for any feedback. To do so, just hit reply in the email program, or text me via Linkedin or Twitter.

And here we go.

1. What happened this week?

War in Sudan

A new war has broken out. This time in Sudan, a country on the Red Sea. Again, people suffer from politicians and generals who only care about two things: their power and their money.

Access Now shows once again that it's not just guns that cause terrible things. Internet shutdowns are cutting off people engaged in house-to-house fighting from vital information.

Sudan: millions surviving armed conflict need internet, access to information - Access Now

As the armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces in Sudan escalates, we call on authorities to #KeepItOn.

www.accessnow.org/press-release/keepiton-armed-conflict-sudan/?utm_content=bufferf1f78&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

2. Pro tip for activists

The Community Toolbox

If you want to start a community or improve your organizing, you'll find all the tools you can think of here. From the action plan to applying for grants.

Toolkits | Community Tool Box

Toolkits help you get a quick start on key activities in community work. Select the work closest to what you are doing to see an outline of key tasks, examples, and links to more detailed instructional sections.

ctb.ku.edu/en/toolkits

3. WTF!

An Australian activist was arrested at 78

Bob Brown, the founder of the Australian Greens, had planned to retire from campaigning but was prompted to return to the activist frontline due to anti-protest legislation targeting his foundation. Brown sees the legislation as part of a wider push by governments acting on behalf of extractive industries.

How Tasmania’s anti-protest laws drove Bob Brown back to frontline activism

After decades of environmental campaigning, the former Greens leader says optimism and looking after each other are critical to climate fight

www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/apr/25/how-tasmanias-anti-protest-laws-drove-bob-brown-back-to-frontline-activism

4. Really?

Are you a DEA informant?

The Cooper Davis Act, a new US Senate bill, would require private messaging services, social media companies, and cloud providers to report their users to the DEA if they gain knowledge of certain illegal drug sales. The bill could lead to inaccurate reporting and turn messaging services into government informants. Holy moly!

Your Messaging Service Should Not Be a DEA Informant

A new U.S. Senate bill would require private messaging services, social media companies, and even cloud providers to report their users to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) if they find out about certain illegal drug sales. This would lead to inaccurate reports and turn messaging services into government informants.

www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/04/your-messaging-service-should-not-be-dea-informant

5. Campaigning

AI in politics and campaigning

The rapid development of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has created many opportunities for its use in politics and campaigning, including automating time-intensive activities and freeing up staff and volunteer time. ChatGPT and The Rundown's AI Supertools directory are recommended as starting points for those new to AI.

Early use cases for AI in politics & campaigns - Higher Ground Labs

Early uses cases for artificial intelligence in politics and campaigns.

highergroundlabs.com/early-use-cases-ai-politics-campaigns/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Just nice!

Great thread about architecture

What the architecture around us means and what it says about our ancestors and us is all here.

Thanks for reading this.

Please give me feedback on Twitter or LinkedIn.

See you next week!

Daniel