BBC:
Facebook is under fire in Africa for undermining democracy, with critics saying the social media giant has allowed its platform to be weaponised for co-ordinated misinformation campaigns. The role of false news has taken centre stage in every single one of the continent's eight national polls this year - and last week Facebook said an Israel political consultancy was behind much of it.
It banned Archimedes Group, which it said was responsible for a network of those masquerading as African nationals, and removed 265 Facebook and Instagram pages and groups involved in "co-ordinated inauthentic behaviour" mainly targeting Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Angola, Niger and Tunisia.
Nanjira Sambuli, from the World Wide Web Foundation, says it has taken Facebook too long to pay attention to this problem in developing countries. "Democracies are at risk on this continent, and unfortunately, social media platforms are fast becoming the sites of aggravation," she told the BBC.
Some feel the continent's weak regulations on privacy and data protection have meant Africa has been used as a "guinea pig" for privacy violations. "We're a training ground. Once it works in Africa, they replicate that and they use it across Africa other geographies," Cameroonian tech entrepreneur Rebecca Enonchong told the BBC.
Betteridge says "No," but my heart says, "Yes!"
(Score: 3, Interesting) by takyon on Tuesday May 28 2019, @03:21AM (3 children)
Ooh, heated.
In a couple of decades, there will be complete artificial wombs. It will be considered immoral or at least passé or foolish to impregnate a live woman, since they could unilaterally make the choice to abort. You don't have to give deference to the health and well-being of a woman if there is no woman involved in the process. Couples could use these, replacing the implantation step of traditional IVF and skipping the inconveniences and dangers of pregnancy. Even single men could use them if they can create a synthetic embryo.
Today's abortion debate is a mere sideshow and all of these laws are temporary. Things will get really, really interesting in 20 years.
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(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Tuesday May 28 2019, @04:36AM (2 children)
I suppose that could happen, although I think 20 years is more than a bit optimistic.
Growing a child from gametes to newborn in an artificial womb (ala Cyteen [wikipedia.org], yes?) has incredible amounts of complexity, especially in the release and uptake of various hormones and enzymes that are necessary to grow a baby. We have some understanding of the processes, but we're a long way away (much more than 20 years, IMHO) from having the science, let alone the technology to do so.
I suspect that we'll move in the other direction (we can keep a premature fetus alive after 22+ weeks or so and will likely push that back as time goes by) first.
I agree that once we can grow babies with artificial wombs things will likely change dramatically.
Regardless, that's not really the issue, IMHO. As humans, women have agency and both the right and responsibility to decide for themselves what they will do with their own bodies. Whether that's being a surrogate, a natural parent or not to carry a pregnancy to term, that's completely up to the person whose uterus is involved and no one else.
My language may be colorful, but the idea that some random asshole on the 'net (or in a statehouse) should have any say over what may be the most important personal decisions a woman makes is beyond arrogant. Hence my previous statement.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday May 28 2019, @05:11AM (1 child)
I am much more optimistic, but I agree that the point of viability will continue to be pushed back first. Artificial womb researchers say that is what they are working on rather than a complete cycle. We could see stricter laws without Roe v. Wade being overturned, and abortion opponents ought to fund research to make extremely premature babies viable. However, it looks like they will just bet on a conservative SCOTUS to overturn. It's entirely possible for President Trump to make an additional 1 or even 2 appointments. The Notorious R.B.G. is in the Endgame now.
What is your stance on these laws [alcohol.org]?
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(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Tuesday May 28 2019, @05:51AM
I already said what I think:
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr