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New York Times
Farhad Manjoo is a technology reporter for the New York Times and the author of True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-Fact Society. He is a former technology columnist Slate and the Wall Street Journal.
PROFILE
Farhad Manjoo
Guest
FROM Farhad Manjoo
To the Point
Is viral fake news really a threat to democracy? It's hard enough to figure out what's true and what's not from the mainstream news media and the declarations of politicians. Now there's an uproar about "fake news," blamed for ethnic violence in Myanmar — and which might have influenced America's presidential election. Image by C_osett During the presidential campaign millions of online users circulated the story that Pope Francis had endorsed Donald Trump. At least one member of the US Senate tweeted that protesters against Donald Trump had been paid. Neither story was true. And they're classic examples of what mainstream news people call "fake news."
To the Point
The "Everything Store" and the Changing Economy As another holiday season reaches a frenzied climax, more American shopping takes place on line than ever before. Amazon, the major force in e-commerce, is leaving Best Buy, Target and even WalMart far behind -- not just now but for the foreseeable future. Massive investment is finally paying off for consumers who want stuff now, although relentless cost cutting creates a "dark side" for many workers. But the big story may be Jeff Bezos' vision of a new economy with Amazon the dominant player.
To the Point
This Post Will Self-Destruct in 7 Seconds With every click, tap and swipe on our digital devices we're creating massive amounts of data — messages, purchases, status updates – and we're archiving everything we do for companies, security agencies and other interested parties to see, sometimes without our permission. How to deal with the burden of our data trails? Some people are turning to more fleeting forms of communication like Snapchat and Whisper , apps that erase photos and messages almost immediately after they're opened. Imagine an Internet that leaves no trace. Could these ephemeral forms of communication be a model for a new way of living our lives online, less burdened by data storage and our digital histories?
To the Point
Boston and the Modern Manhunt The toll from the Boston Marathon bombings is three dead and 48 still hospitalized with the total number of injured now 264. The surviving suspect's condition is said to be "fair." The motivation behind the atrocity may never be known but, in the meantime, there are many other unanswered questions. Cell phones, surveillance cameras and crowd sourcing all helped police to identify and locate the bombers by Thursday, but not before social media and professional news organizations had reported false information. Did shutting down all of Boston give amateur "terrorists" extra impact? Was it a preview of what's to come?
To the Point
Can Apple Survive without Steve Jobs? Steve Jobs, one of the most successful executives in the history of business has been on medical leave since January, and yesterday he resigned as CEO of a company now competing with Exxon-Mobile as the most valuable in the world. Today, stocks in Apple felt barely a ripple. Slate 's headline on the story asks, "Who Needs Him?" Farhad Manjoo has the byline on the man who's legacy is already as good as gold.
To the Point
Anonymous Transparency: The Wikileaks Paradox WikiLeaks made international news this week with 91,000 Pentagon documents, released to the Internet to implement website's founding mission, which it calls "radical transparency." But WikiLeaks claims it doesn't know the source of the leak and that nobody else can find out either. "Is radical transparency compatible with total anonymity?" That's a question raised by Farhad Manjoo at Slate.com .
To the Point
We Like Privacy, but We Love Facebook Facebook says the world wants to be "more open and connected," and 400 million people seem to agree. But complaints about privacy have led to promises about new controls, a pattern Facebook watchers have seen before. A week ago, Farhad Manjuoo of Slate.com predicted that CEO Mark Zuckerberg would respond to such concerns with a letter admitting that Facebook has "missed the right balance" between sharing information more freely and sharing too much. Today, Zuckerberg issued a letter saying, " We have heard the feedback… "
Which Way, L.A.?
Google in China and Cyber-espionage When it started business in China four years ago, Google agreed to censor Internet searches on Tiananmen Square, Tibet, and Falun Gong. Now Google says those days are over because of what it calls a "highly sophisticated" attack on its software coding and the email accounts of human rights activists.
To the Point
Google in China and Cyber-espionage When it started business in China four years ago, Google agreed to censor Internet searches on Tiananmen Square, Tibet, and Falun Gong. Now Google says those days are over -- even if it means being kicked out of that country -- because of what it calls a "highly sophisticated" attack on its software coding and the email accounts of human rights activists. Hillary Clinton said today that, "Countries or individuals that engage in cyber attacks should face consequences and international condemnation." How big is China's Internet market? Has Google's presence encouraged political activism online? Was China's government trying to steal Google's secrets? Does the US government need to strike back? We hear about human rights, intellectual property and diplomatic relations.
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To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
To the Point
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.