Welcome back to TracingVRL, formerly TracingCOVID. The COVID project tracing the information going viral. It’s been four weeks since the last newsletter. I’m back after coding one more tool to keep this project running.
We’re living through an exciting segment of the information age, are we not?
I’m learning that anyone who keeps a publishing business going, who produces quality content, has pulled off, and continues to pull off, a twisted miracle. Publishing quality news, especially on a daily basis, is weird, and difficult, and immensely beneficial to people like me.
I say that after knowing of tales from a different industry, the software industry.
I had an interesting conversation with someone recently who ran two software companies, and saw widely different outcomes. This ex-CEO’s first company, call it company #1, sold software that cost tens of thousands of dollars per license. For the first two years, the ex-CEO and his business/marketing partner didn’t close a single sale. But they saw at trade shows and in pitch meetings they were generating interest in their product. Then something broke through. One government institution bought 11 licenses in one transaction. The institution quickly bought something like 69 more licenses. The leaders of company #1 had to course-correct their way toward quality customer service, add a user interface, and hire later engineers who adapted their software to different platforms, but they grew the company for years before selling it to an acquiring corporation.
This ex-CEO’s second company, call it company #2, sold an app for the iPhone. The ex-CEO designed the app himself, just as he did for the first version of the software for company #1. Through the online app store, this ex-CEO was able to reach hundreds of thousands of users of company #2’s app. Those who downloaded the app and used the app had the option to pay for the app, though it was cloudy whether he could require them to pay or not. The app store controlled by Apple corporation constrained the way he could market and price it. But that app store also provided crucial distribution. For the sake of this anecdote, let’s say the app was for skiers, to understand the terrain of the slope they were skiing, so the app users could improve their performance. The ex-CEO made less than a thousand dollars on the app over the course of five years. And what’s more interesting, is instead of people paying for the license to use the app, occasionally people wrote in to complain the app didn’t provide more features. One user emailed the ex-CEO once and said (and this is heavy paraphrasing) “you don’t have the ski resort near my family’s cabin, and it’s my mother’s birthday this weekend.” Was that user one of the few paying customers? No, that user was one of the free users. The ex-CEO knew better than to succumb the natural urge to tell that free user to get lost.
I’d like to think this is rare, but I’ve been that complaining user at least once. When something makes life easier, it’s irritating when that gliding pathway jams up on you.
Contents:
‘Not Hot Dog’
News From Outside the Platforms
When to Unmask and Remask
New Variants
Senate GOP Halts Pandemic Preventation Plan
COVID Aid Fraud
Vaccine Injury Perceptions Skew with Political Leanings
Classifier Demo
‘Not Hot Dog’
Classifier AI is different than generative AI. Classifier AI reads a lot of data as input and produces a small output. Generative AI takes in a small input to produce a larger output. On average, and with exceptions, those are the two types of AI talked about in the news right now.
Both forms of AI are “trained” beforehand with lots of data and accompanying metadata. The metadata is produced by human workers or unknowing volunteers. Rating how well someone’s iPhone transcribed a voicemail a friend or enemy left for you — a voice message that’s supposed to be protected by privacy law — would be an example of unknowingly adding metadata to classifier AI’s training data.
Generative AI, if produced lawfully, typically serves some underwhelming outputs. When produced unlawfully, and designed within a business plan premised on the dismantling of copyright law, as well as the dismantling of impersonation law, and the dismantling of many sections of first amendment law, generative AI could produce an expanded variety of outputs. When trained on data gleaned by violating privacy laws in place since the Magna Carta, generative AI can produce some more outputs that impress a few more people. That’s generative AI, not classifier AI.
Facial recognition technology could be categorized as classifier AI. Through sensor and camera hardware and accompanying firmware and software, the technology scans a face for input, deducts which coordinates on that face are significant, then looks up in its data store who that face belongs to, and serves the name of an identifiable human as output. The technology can make mistakes, but that’s classifier AI. Breast-cancer image scanners would be examples of classifier AI. Radiologists who rate how well an AI system detected various tumors are training those AI systems by rating them. The ratings serve as tuning metadata. The human-rater works as an AI-tuning worker.
Credit card companies reportedly use classifier AI to find fraud. Though they probably use plain algorithms most of the time. For various reasons, people don’t often call it classifier AI. That vagueness – referring to classifier AI and generative AI and legal AI and illegal AI as mythical Oz-like systems just called “AI” – benefits purveyors of AI myths to some degree. At least in the short term.
In season 4, episode 4 of the HBO comedy series “Silicon Valley”, characters Dinesh, Gilfoyle, and Jian Yang write and demo for their landlord Erlich Bachman the beta version of a “see-food” app for their startup company to potentially sell to refrigerator manufacturers. The app would “see” the food inside the refrigerator and display the list of the refrigerator’s contents to the owner, precluding the need for people to open the refrigerator door. They develop this app not because consumers are demanding it, not because it would save electricity, but because they thought of it. They develop the see-food app because it’s something they could develop a demo for, and Bachman demanded they think up apps their company could produce for the purpose of selling them.
The see-food app uses a “classifier” software system. It scans in a photo, and in early versions, determines whether the food is a hot dog. The characters needed much more training data for it to become a ready-for-market app that could identify *nearly* any food. But the beta version of the fictional app is illustrative that classifier AI, like generative AI, is software. It doesn’t think. It doesn’t have empathy for people. It’s classifier software. And in AI hype cycles, like the one we’re in now, people refer to classifier software as “AI” with no “classifier” prefix.
News From Outside the Platforms
Meta corporation, which runs content distribution platforms Facebook, Threads and Instagram, is blocking climate news and COVID news and political news through the end of the election cycle.
Feb 10 Meta turns its back on politics again, angering some news creators | The platform announced it won’t recommend social commentary or political news (Washington Post) - Sari Beth Rosenberg, a podcaster in New York, “said she’s used her platform to educate people about public health and the coronavirus pandemic, but given Meta’s changes, she’s now concerned that if she mentions those topics she’ll have her reach restricted.” “Many large right-wing content creators are expert at evading restrictions by not posting overtly about politics” “The right has really effectively developed content that maximizes the aesthetics of visual-based social media,” Emily Amick said.
Apr 04 Opinion: When Facebook fails, local media matters even more for our planet’s future (Kansas Reflector) - “Imagine my surprise when I attempted to boost a post on Meta’s Facebook to begin our online promotional efforts and the company summarily rejected it. Why? According to the automated response I received, the post doesn’t comply with our Ads about Social Issues, Elections or Politics policy. Apparently, Meta deems climate change too controversial for discussion on their platforms.”
May 20 A message from our publisher (West End Pheonix on Instagram) - “We want to keep holding up the side of print community journalism and for gathering people in our space but I need you to help by considering a subscription today. Head to our site—META prevents me from posting link.”
When to Unmask and Remask
May 16 NC Senate passes bill that would ban wearing masks in public (WRAL NBC 5 Raleigh NC) -
May 16 ACLU of North Carolina, DHHS concerned about mask regulation bill passed by state senate (WECT NBC 6 Wilmington NC) - “The North Carolina Senate voted 30-15 Wednesday to advance a bill titled ‘Unmasking Mobs and Criminals.’ The bill removes a pandemic-era exception that allows people to conceal their identities in public by wearing a mask for health reasons and increases the penalty for someone who commits a crime while wearing a mask.”
May 16 NC Senate votes to ban people from wearing masks in public for health reasons (WECT NBC 6 Wilmington NC) - “The North Carolina Senate voted along party lines Wednesday to ban anyone from wearing masks in public for health reasons, following an emotional debate about the wisdom of the proposal.”
May 16 North Carolina lawmakers push bill to ban most public mask wearing, citing crime (Associated Press) - “Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are pushing forward with their plan to repeal a pandemic-era law that allowed the wearing of masks in public for health reasons, a move spurred in part by demonstrations against the war in Gaza that have included masked protesters camped out on college campuses.”
May 14 NC lawmakers push for regulations around protesters wearing masks, blocking roads (WRAL NBC 5 Raleigh NC) -
May 08 Ohio attorney general warns student protesters in masks could face felony charges under anti-KKK law (WTOP Radio Maryland) - “Ohio’s top lawyer has advised the state’s public universities that a law written to deter Ku Klux Klan demonstrations could be used to impose felony charges on students who wear face coverings while protesting the war in Gaza.”
May 08 Ohio attorney general warns student protesters in masks could face felony charges under anti-KKK law (WBNS CBS 10 Columbus OH) - “Ohio State spokesperson Ben Johnson said the university had received Yost's letter and was reviewing it.”
May 07 Protesters who wear masks or block traffic should face harsher penalties: NC lawmakers (WRAL NBC 5 Raleigh NC) - “North Carolina lawmakers are proposing a new law to crack down harder on protesters who block highways or wear masks ā a measure that comes as protests over the Israel-Hamas conflict pop up on campuses across the country.”
Apr 02 Months after Philadelphia banned ski masks in public spaces, there's still no plan to enforce the new law (NBC News) - “For Leem Washington, ski masks aren’t just a fashion accessory that protects his face from the biting cold of Philadelphia winters—they also keep him from being a victim of mistaken identity.”
Mar 28 N.H. House narrowly backs bill blocking school districts from requiring masks (New Hampshire Public Radio) - “The New Hampshire House narrowly passed a bill that would bar local school districts from requiring students or the general public to wear face masks on school property.”
Mar 16 Suspects arrested after they were spotted wearing ski masks at Adrian car lot early Thursday morning (WTOL CBS 11 Toledo OH) - “One of the suspects was found in a dumpster at Aldi Food.”
Mar 13 Police were called on Alpharetta High School students during prank wars with toy guns, masks (WSB-TV ABC 2 Atlanta) - “The Alpharetta Police Department said a high school prank could have had deadly consequences.”
Mar 04 Masked shooters kill 4, wound 7 at party in California (Honolulu Star-Advertiser) - “A group of men in masks opened fire at an outdoor party in central California, killing four people and wounding seven others, police said.”
Feb 14 Puerto Rico is entangled in a heated public health debate over vaccines and masks (WPLG ABC 10 Miami FL) - “A nurse prepares a dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at the Tomas Dones Coliseum, in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, Jan. 8, 2022. A debate over public health and personal rights intensified on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, as Puerto Rican legislators clashed with medical experts on the use of masks and vaccines.”
Feb 07 Court rules that refusing to mask during pandemic is not protected by First Amendment (Asbury Park Press) - “A federal court ruled this week that refusing to wear masks to school board meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic was not protected free speech under the First Amendment.”
Jan 26 New call to mask for medical visits amid surge in respiratory illness (WAVY-TV Portsmouth VA) - “Amid a surge in respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19 and RSV, area hospitals and health care systems are strongly recommending that people wear masks inside hospitals, medical facilities and physician practices.”
Jan 16 Idaho lawmaker wants to ban mask mandates for public employees amid COVID surge (Seattle Times) - “Idaho lawmakers will again consider banning government agencies from mandating masks this year.”
Jan 12 Philadelphia is latest city to restrict ski masks in public spaces (New Jersey Monitor) - “Amid concerns about crime and public safety, at least two major U.S. cities recently considered banning ski masks or balaclavas to prevent criminal behavior, despite a lack of academic research about the effectiveness of such bans.”
Jan 09 Spain makes face masks mandatory in hospitals and clinics after a spike in respiratory illnesses (WPLG ABC 10 Miami FL) - “People wearing face masks as a precaution wait for a doctor appointment inside a hospital in Barcelona, Spain, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. Regional and national health chiefs are meeting Monday to decide whether to extend mandatory mask wearing to all health facilities following an epidemic outbreak of flu and other respiratory viruses that are putting a strain on the system.”
Apr 20 2023 Japanese get trained in 'Hollywood' smiles as masks slowly come off (New Hampshire Union Leader) -
Apr 20 2023 Pleasanton police looking for 2 men in ski masks suspected of fatal stabbing (CBS News) -
Apr 20 2023 Masks are out at In-N-Out after burger chain bans employees from wearing them in 5 states (WDRB UNAFILLIATED Louisville KY) - “In-N-Out Burger signs fill the skyline on Tuesday, June 8, 2010, in Calif. In-N-Out is barring employees in five states from wearing masks unless they have a doctorās note, according to internal company emails leaked on social media last week.”
May 09 2023 Ski-masked ding-dong ditchers, stolen car chase wake up Trailside Loop residents (KPCW Public Radio Park City UT) -
New Variants
May 10 There’s a new highly transmissible COVID-19 variant. Could FLiRT lead to a summer uptick? (Los Angeles Times) - “The two FLiRT subvariants combined comprised an estimated 35% of coronavirus infections nationally for the two-week period that began April 28, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By contrast, JN.1 is now believed to comprise 16% of infections; in mid-winter, it was blamed for more than 80%.”
May 18 Singapore facing new Covid-19 wave; vaccination recommended especially for seniors, says health minister (The Star | Malaysia) - Malaysia Health Minister Ong Ye Kung “urged those who are at greatest risk of severe disease, including individuals aged 60 years and above, medically vulnerable individuals and residents of aged care facilities, to receive an additional dose of the Covid-19 vaccine if they have not done so in the last 12 months. MOH said the estimated number of Covid-19 cases in the week of May 5 to May 11 rose to 25,900 cases, compared with 13,700 cases in the previous week. The average daily Covid-19 hospitalisations rose to about 250 from 181 the week before.”
Aug 25 2023 Updated Covid-19 vaccines are coming mid-September, officials say (WRAL NBC 5 Raleigh NC) - “Covid-19 vaccines that have been tweaked to teach the body how to fend off the current crop of circulating variants are now expected to land in drugstores and clinics in mid-September, senior administration officials say.” “The US Food and Drug Administration is expected to give its nod to the updated vaccines in a few weeks.”
May 18 COVID WA: Aged care residents dying needlessly due to vaccine complacency, health advocates warn (The West Australian) - “Aged care residents in WA are dying needlessly from COVID because of complacency and the lowest immunisation rate in the nation, outraged health advocates complain. There were outbreaks of the disease at 35 aged care homes across WA last week.”
Senate GOP Halts Pandemic Prevention Group Funding
May 16 Covid Research Group Loses Funding, May Be Banned Over Reporting Lapses (Kaiser Health News) - “U.S. Suspends Funding For Group At Center Of Covid Origins Fight The Biden administration, under acute pressure from House lawmakers, moved on Wednesday to ban funding for a prominent virus-hunting nonprofit group whose work with Chinese scientists had put it at the heart of theories that Covid leaked from a lab.”
May 16 U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash (New Jersey Monitor) - “The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
May 17 U.S. Senate GOP tries to block states from spending some of their COVID relief cash (Ohio Capital Journal) - “The U.S. Senate on Wednesday rejected efforts to roll back guidance from the Treasury Department regarding how state and local governments can spend funding approved by Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 46-49 vote on the Congressional Review Act resolution ended an attempt by several GOP senators to block the Biden administration from changing the definition of ‘obligation’ as it relates to State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds and the timeline for spending some of that money.” “Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden spoke against the CRA resolution during floor debate, saying it could have impacted 17 projects in Georgia, 160 in Michigan, 342 in Ohio, 50 in Arizona, 404 in Montana and 73 in West Virginia.”
Mar 29 2023 Editorial: How Russia turned America’s helping hand to Ukraine into a vast lie (Washington Post) - “In another disinformation campaign, the Soviet Union pushed a false story in the 1980s that the United States had genetically engineered the virus that causes AIDS at Fort Detrick, a U.S. Army biomedical facility. Another lie was added that the virus was released in Africa to kill Africans. The KGB planted the story in news media around the globe. Polls later showed that the campaign had been successful…”
COVID Aid Fraud
May 17 COVID-19 fraud conviction rate is 100%, IRS says (WBNS CBS 10 Columbus OH) - “The IRS office out of Cincinnati says one of the most common types of fraud was fabricating businesses or employees and claiming unearned credits. Assistant Special Agent in Charge Joseph Stansfield from the IRS says this has cost the federal government millions of dollars. ‘There are plenty of taxpayers out there who are claiming this credit legitimately and we completely understand that,’ said Stansfield.” So far, 1,600 COVID fraud audits uncovered $8.9 billion in COVID aid fraud, leading to 795 indictments, with prison sentences averaging under three years each.
Vaccine Injury Perceptions Skew with Political Leanings
Apr 10 Who got the COVID-19 vaccine and did shaming shape the decision? (Deseret News Utah) - “While most people believe COVID-19 vaccines are safe and their side effects are now clear, a new HarrisX poll conducted for the Deseret News finds a big partisan difference in how people view COVID-19 vaccine safety and effectiveness.” “While overall 59% of those polled are confident the vaccines are safe and their side effects now known, only 44% of Republicans agree, compared to 78% of Democrats and 53% of independents.”
Apr 23 [Translated: ] Lower Austria approves Corona aid to the association of Corona denier Rutter (Der Standard | Austria) - [Translated: ] Among other things, an application from the association for vaccination victims led by Corona denier Martin Rutter was approved. … A total of 6,850 applications amounting to 5.2 million euros have been submitted and 3.4 million euros have been paid out. The fund is endowed with 31.3 million euros….A doctor with experience in vaccination injuries and a lawyer will act as speakers at the lecture for those affected by vaccinations and those affected by Long Covid, and support will also be offered for funding applications for the Corona Aid Fund. The chairman of the association is Martin Rutter. The Carinthian ex-politician is considered an anti-Corona activist and opponent of the measures.
Classifier Demo
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