State and non-state actors are amassing data and power via big platforms
and Twitter's Indian rival lets ChatGPT help users write their posts
Hey Checklisters!
We hope you’re staying safe and healthy.
Two weeks ago, we launched a survey aimed at improving our newsletter and delivering important stories to your inbox. Can you spare a few minutes to respond to this survey? - Checklist Subscriber Survey
In this edition of the Checklist we highlight how state and non-state actors are using platforms to collect personal data, and influence communities.
A tool reviewed by Forbes showed that ByteDance, the Chinese company behind TikTok, can still mine some of the most sensitive data from Indian citizens, even after India’s 150 million users were forced to stop using the Chinese-owned app in 2020. The revelation comes as President Joe Biden’s administration threatens to ban the platform used by more than 100 million Americans.
In the U.S., two Supreme Court court cases are raising questions about a law that protects social media companies from being liable for content on their platforms.
In Turkey, a recent report highlighted the Turkish government’s response to criticism in the earthquake’s aftermath as journalists and independent media agencies were battling for truth.
In Mexico, drug cartels are using Twitter to recruit new members, send warnings to rival gangs, post gory images and videos, and glorify the narco lifestyle.
Finally, Twitter’s Indian rival is using ChatGPT to help its users write posts. Koo’s verified users can now type in or record prompts for what they want to post about, and ChatGPT does the rest.
Also, take a look at the Townsquare section where we share opportunities and events.
If there are updates you would like us to share from your country or region, please reach out to us at checklist@meedan.com.
The Check Global Report
By Meedan’s Check Global team in Beirut, Kochi, Bhimtal, and Nairobi
India Banned TikTok In 2020. TikTok Still Has Access To Years Of Indians’ Data (Forbes)
India’s 150 million users were forced to stop using the Chinese-owned app in 2020. But an internal tool reviewed by Forbes showed that ByteDance and TikTok employees can still mine some of their most sensitive data.
"When an authoritarian country like China is able to amass a lot of information about citizens in another country, that's going to raise all sorts of red flags.” It “absolutely raises concerns, heightens tensions [and] puts them in a position potentially to do mischief with the data. And that's obviously a threat.” — Former National Security Agency general counsel Glenn Gerstell
Journalists battle for truth after Turkish earthquakes (Index of Censorship)
When Turkey’s Kahramanmaraş province was hit by two powerful earthquakes on 6 February 2023, the government responded by attacking the country’s already beleaguered press and journalists.
"10 journalists were taken into custody, with two of them arrested for their reports from the disaster ground. In addition to that, 26 journalists were targets of physical attacks or attempted attacks in the earthquake region, initiated by security forces and unidentified groups. A state agency gave three independent news stations astronomical fines, and journalists working in pro-government media have targeted at least three journalists for their work in the disaster region.”
Murderous Mexican Drug Cartels Are Thriving On Elon Musk’s Twitter (BuzzFeed)
Prominent members of Mexican drug cartels are using Twitter to recruit new members, send warnings to rival gangs, post gory images and videos, and glorify the narco lifestyle. Some of these accounts were banned by Twitter’s safety team between 2012 and 2015, but they have been reinstated since Elon Musk bought the company last year.
“Social media is a tool that provides benefits to and strengthens drug cartels by enhancing organizational and operational capabilities.” …. “These communication outlets provide major opportunities for drug cartels not only to engage in public relations strategies, gain legitimacy, incite fear, and recruit, but also facilitate the diversification of criminal activities that involve extortion, drug sales, and human smuggling online.” — Dr. Nilda Garcia, assistant professor in the political science department at Texas A&M International University
Twitter’s Indian rival Koo is letting users rely on AI for creating posts (Rest of World)
Koo, Twitter’s Indian rival, is using ChatGPT to help its users overcome this problem. Koo’s verified users can now type in or record prompts for what they want to post about, and ChatGPT does the rest. The company is confident that ChatGPT could become an added advantage for it against Twitter. Koo is yet to add labels that clearly indicate if a post has been created via ChatGPT, but this feature is reportedly in the pipeline.
“They would’ve anyway gone to ChatGPT on their computer and used [a prompt] like this, so why not just make it available inside the app itself?.. [ChatGPT’s language] accuracy will depend on the depth of information, databases that are available in those languages. [Koo] can become a strong source of information [for] this model... We have a lot of local language content being created every day. So, in the long run, ChatGPT could be reading from Koo and throwing out intelligent stuff.” — Mayank Bidawatka, co-founder of Koo
Here’s what we’re considering in the lead up to the Supreme Court’s decisions on the future of the internet
Two U.S. Supreme Court court cases this year are raising questions about a law that protects social media companies from being liable for content on their platforms.
The law, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, protects platforms from legal responsibility for posts that contain hate speech, misinformation and other harmful content, as well as the moderation decisions they make about that content. Now that legal protection is in jeopardy. The two court cases challenge whether targeted ads or algorithmically presented content deserve to be shielded.
The decisions in June could change the face of the internet. Meedan's content moderation experts reflected on the law’s impact and things to consider as the court reviews the cases.
Townsquare
March 31, 2023
RightsCon early bird tickets: The 12th edition of the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age is held in Costa Rica between June 5-8. Early bird tickets are available until March 31.
April 6, 2023
Media workshop on Nairobi's air pollution: Earth Journalism Network (EJN) is hosting a media workshop on air pollution in Nairobi. The three-day workshop will be held in Nairobi between May 8-10. The deadline to apply is April 6.
April 27, 2023
Investigation grants available for environmental journalism: The Fund for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) announced its latest fund to support investigative projects in the US.
What else we’re reading
Google Releases Bard, Its Competitor in the Race to Create A.I. Chatbots.
Texas is trying out new tactics to restrict access to abortion pills online, including punishing ISPs, online publishers, and credit card companies for providing information.
How credible are responses by ChatGPT? Will AI amplify misinformation? And could generative AI aid fact-checking? The Quint's team looks for answers in this multimedia immersive presentation.
A false claim was attributed to the Nigerian Fact-Checkers Coalition to gain legitimacy using a bogus fact-checking piece.