Content Aware media news: February 23, 2023

Google blocking news for Canadians
Canadian Google search results are being experimented with by the firm, who is blocking news for some users in response to the recent Canadian law which obliges tech firms to share revenues derived from content with publishers.
https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2023/02/22/google-blocks-news-content-for-some-canadians-in-response-to-online-news-bill.html

Corbidge comments on... Google's Canadian petulance
Google says the altered search results in Canada is just a test, but does anyone really believe that? Our man Corbidge is sceptical.
https://www.gpp.io/news/petulance-unbecoming-of-a-tech-behemoth-az1wt0x8VPzq

"Publishing is a perpetual hackathon"
The never-ending battle fought by publishers against the ever-moving march of technology comes under the microscope in the People vs Algorithm podcast. Sounds familiar, and not just if you use old CMS. Contains swearing and fruity words (and we don't mean 'Apple').
https://pod.link/pva/episode/9e625ee95215660202a5fb6240f44cad

“We really don’t know about these things,” said Justice Elena Kagan. “You know, these are not, like, the nine greatest experts on the internet."
Maybe not a comforting quote to read this week but expertise or not, two important cases are under consideration by the US Supreme Court which could impact 'Section 230' - the US law described as the one which protects free speech online. In both cases, the liability of platforms for content distributed upon them is under consideration. No decisions expected until late summer.
https://www.scotusblog.com/2023/02/not-like-the-nine-greatest-experts-on-the-internet-justices-seem-leery-of-broad-ruling-on-section-230/

The 26 words that govern the internet
"No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider." Insight into Section 230 here.
https://gizmodo.com/section-230-explained-supreme-court-guide-kosseff-1850125489

A.I. frenzy sees Nvidia move into direct selling
Generative A.I. requires massive computing horsepower. Chipmaker Nvidia is the biggest chipmaker for the sector - and now says it is going full speed into offering A.I. services directly to companies who want to sidestep Google and Microsoft. Could they leverage it into a position to rival existing giants?
https://www.ft.com/content/e0ed74c3-c156-4b8c-b904-242298edb3a6

Ying and yang. Covid and thang.
Finding some silver linings after the two year cloud of Covid, Peter Houston retains his optimism, mostly.
https://internationalmagazinecentre.com/housty-has-covid-19-changed-publishing-for-better-or-worse/

Open source sauce?
Senior audience engagement manager Elon Musk has indicated that Twitter might open up its algorithm to public contribution in the near future. Is it a reaction to news that former Twitter-owned Bluesky intends to launch an app soon to demonstrate its own technology?
https://techcrunch.com/2023/02/21/elon-musk-suggests-twitter-could-open-source-its-algorithm-next-week/

Monkeys, typewriters, books. It's the future
Books written using ChatGPT are now on sale. That's not the mark of literary excellence it might seem. We, like you, don't know where this is going. How does it do a book tour, for one?
https://www.reuters.com/technology/chatgpt-launches-boom-ai-written-e-books-amazon-2023-02-21/

The train to silliness is now leaving platform Meta
Platforms are nothing without the users who contribute to them. So, Facebook thinks it's a good idea to charge for special contribution rights.
https://www.vox.com/recode/2023/2/21/23609375/meta-verified-twitter-blue-checkmark-badge-instagram-facebook

TikTok tactics talk
A crash course from the co-founder of Spain's Ac2ality, in how it became the 2nd most popular news publisher in Europe on TikTok.
https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/news/how-spanish-startup-became-second-biggest-european-news-publisher-tiktok