Good morning! Today: a plan to democratize the internet, and why California's covid-19 cases are soaring. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day.
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A plan to redesign the internet could make apps that no one controls
A utopian vision: In 1996, John Perry Barlow, co-founder of internet rights group the Electronic Frontier Foundation, wrote “A declaration of the independence of cyberspace”, a broad vision of a free and open internet controlled by its users. That vision now feels naïve, with today’s internet rules by the likes of Google, Facebook, Amazon, Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu. But a not-for-profit in Switzerland called Dfinity wants to revive it.
Its plan: Dfinity is building what it calls the internet computer, a decentralized technology spread across a network of independent data centers that allows software to run anywhere on the internet, rather than in server farms that are increasingly controlled by large firms. It’s planning a public release later this year. There are good reasons for it: the dominance of a few companies has distorted public discourse and threatens out privacy. It also snuffs out innovation and competition.
Risks loom: However, a free-for-all internet could make it difficult to hold app makers accountable. It could also require a decentralized form of governance which could lead to infighting. It is not clear that mob rule would be better than recalcitrant CEOs. And it’s not the first to try to remake the internet. Can it succeed where others have failed? Read the full story.
—Will Douglas Heaven
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There’s not one reason California’s covid-19 cases are soaring—there are many
What’s the matter with California? The US’s most populous state was the first to enact statewide shelter-in-place rules, took decisive steps to build up the recommended testing and case tracing capacity, and has hammered the public health message on social distancing and masks. Yet new cases are rising sharply in pockets throughout the sprawling state. Positive tests over the last week have risen 45%, regularly topping 5,000 a day, while hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions are both up around 40% over the past few weeks as well.
What’s driving the outbreaks? It’s not one thing, it’s four or five. Ethnic disparities are at work, as infections appear to be concentrated within low-income communities, where people are often essential workers who can’t do their jobs from home, can’t afford to call in sick and may live in crowded housing conditions. Another major factor is that people are ignoring safety practices, increasingly gathering in homes, bars, restaurants, and other venues. There’s also been an explosion in prison cases, and an influx of cases from elsewhere.
What Californians need to do: Recognize that the dangers haven’t passed, even as regions relax certain rules. Everyone still has to maintain their distance from others, vigorously wash their hands, and abide by the one public health decree that may help the most: wear masks. Read the full story.
—James Temple
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We can still have nice things
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The top ten must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 How coronavirus spreads
We need to know: who are the superspreaders? When does superspreading take place? And where? ( NYT $)
+ How the US’s response to the pandemic might be investigated if it was a plane crash. ( The Atlantic)
+ Fauci has warned the US could soon start reporting 100,000 new cases a day. ( Axios)
+ A national mask mandate could save 5% of GDP, economists say. ( WP $)
2 The complex math of covid-19 herd immunity
Is it 40% of the population? 60%? Who do we vaccinate first? ( Quanta)
3 The US has bought up almost all the world’s supply of remdesivir 💊
It’s one of only two drugs proven to work against covid-19. ( The Guardian)
4 Facebook has banned extremist “Boogaloo” groups
Officials say they used the platform to plan the murder of a federal agent. ( NBC)
+ Facebook is tweaking its algorithm to boost original reporting (and push down stories without a byline.) ( Axios)
5 A lack of data is hampering the UK’s coronavirus outbreak response
As many as 90% of infections are missing from the daily new cases total. ( FT)
+ The US has no idea how to manage all the testing data it’s collecting. ( TR)
6 A gene-editing treatment could help protect against heart disease
It successfully lowered cholesterol in monkeys. ( OneZero)
7 Detroit police admitted facial recognition tech gets it wrong 96% of the time
That’s, uh, a lot. ( Ars Technica)
+ The two-year fight to stop Amazon from selling facial recognition to the police. ( TR)
+ The world’s biggest group of computing professionals supports a ban. ( NBC)
8 Russia’s internet stars are distancing themselves from Putin
His approval ratings have dropped, especially among young people. ( NYT $)
9 People are being more mean to their voice assistants
I urge you, please find healthy ways to deal with your anger issues. ( WP $)
10 3D printed plant steaks could be on the menu next year 🥩
If anyone will be able to afford them by then. ( Reuters)
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“For younger people who think they don’t need to worry and who haven’t followed guidelines, think again.”
—Jade Townsend, 22, tells Yahoo News about her experience of being hospitalized twice with coronavirus.
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