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Jonathan Bellack
@bellack.com

Google introduces creator profiles that will show up in Search & Discover. A micro-step toward verified identity and exit by supporting authenticated links to other social media. Also, a sign of blurry “social media” is as a term. The announcement post sounds a lot like YouTube comms to me.

blog.googleGoogle for Creators: Helping creators learn and growIntroducing Google for Creators, a new home for creators on the web with personalized guidance, product recommendations and inspiration.

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Jonathan Bellack
@bellack.com

Whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams sues Meta over attempts to ‘silence’ her. Author of the excellent tell-all Careless People shows how big platforms weaponize arbitration clauses. More evidence of why legal departments are not a good home for trust and safety teams.

theguardian.comWhistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams sues Meta over attempts to ‘silence’ herFormer employee files complaint accusing company of ‘coercive surveillance’ and first amendment violation
Jonathan Bellack
@bellack.com

Another important piece from @masnick.com, whose paper "Platforms not Protocols" inspired @bsky.app. "Despotification" is Masnick’s new term for platforms leveraging market concentration, lack of credible exit, and algorithmic recommendations to seize political power.

liberalism.orgEnshittification, Despotification, and the Open InternetIt’s not about whether technology is inherently good or bad, liberating or oppressive. Architecture shapes incentives; incentives shape outcomes.
Jonathan Bellack
@bellack.com

Plus, if there’s one cause that unites politicians of all stripes in this fractured age, it’s taking the Internet away from teenagers. The @eff.org weighs in, YouTube settles a case, the White House cuts deals, and the Australian ban continues to not work. Details in this week's free newsletter.

platformocracy.comNews round-up: lawsuits, social media bans, and a curious launch from GoogleSarah Wynn-Williams strikes back at Meta, Google blurs the line between Search and YouTube, and the child safety wars continue to rage across the globe.