Last week, I shared the most popular links from the Learn Test Optimize newsletter, as judged by YOUR clicks. But I want to revisit the dozens of links that got less than a one percent click through rate. These were the duds.
Even though these links didn’t get any (statistically significant) love, they’re worth re-upping because they either make an important point that you should keep in mind or they highlight a key (possibly underappreciated) trend in 2018.
Beto Mania & Online Fundraising
- Beto O’Rourke has spent $5 million on Facebook ads (CNN.com)
- Beto O’Rourke raises $10.4 million in second quarter of 2018, again outpacing Ted Cruz by wide margin (TexasTribune.org)
In the next cycle, when a candidate or campaign manager asks you how to raise Beto-level money online, remind them how much he invested in list building early on.
Legislating Artificial Intelligence
- California law would make political bots illegal – unless they admit they’re bots (TheNextWeb.com)
- US lawmakers say AI deepfakes ‘have the potential to disrupt every facet of our society’ (TheVerge.com)
- The UK Parliament asking a robot to testify about AI is a dumb idea (TechnologyReview.com)
Expect more legislation and regulation targeting artificial intelligence in the coming years…from people who have no idea what they’re talking about.
Security Fears
- Feared DNC hack was actually a security test (Axios.com)
- Documents Reveal Successful Cyberattack in California Congressional Race (RollingStone.com)
Hacking, phishing attacks, and leaked emails are part of the unfortunate new reality for campaigns and committees now and they’re taking the threat seriously.
Platform Wars
- More States to Join Justice Department’s Discussion on Social Media Concerns (WSJ.com)
- Facebook’s Private Groups Offer Refuge to Fringe Figures (NYTimes.com)
- Gun control activists plan boycott against Apple, Amazon over NRA TV channel (MercuryNews.com)
- Federal Judge rules Trump can’t block people on Twitter (TheNextWeb.com)
- YouTube’s New Moderators Mistakenly Pull Right-Wing Channels (AdAge.com)
The debate over moderation, censorship, and public discourse on social media and technology platforms isn’t going anywhere. Expect “deplatforming” to become a watchword on the right.
Technology, Not Policy, Will Save Us
- SurfSafe offers a browser-based solution to fake news (TheNextWeb.com)
- Players of Samantha Bee’s mobile game have reported over 800 instances of voter suppression (TheVerge.com)
- It’s Time for Online Voting (NYTimes.com)
While the platform wars rage fruitlessly, the real fixes will come from technology.