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As we continue our mini-series on our recently released volume The Digital Public Square with B&H Academic, I am joined by Nathan Leamer to talk about his contribution entitled, "The Wild West of Technology: A Convergence of Optimism and Pessimism in the United States". Today, we talk about how Christians can think wisely about the role of government and industry in the technology policy debate in the United States.

Meet Nathan: 

Nathan serves as the Executive Director of the Digital First Project and Vice President of public affairs at Targeted Victory. He previously served as Policy Advisor to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. Before working at the FCC, he was a Senior Fellow at the R Street Institute where he managed the institute’s government relations and wrote extensively on issues of emerging technology, intellectual property, and privacy.

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The Digital Public Square is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker. 

Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

As we continue our mini-series on our recently released volume The Digital Public Square with B&H Academic, I am joined by Dr. Bryan Baise to talk about his contribution entitled, Once More, with Tweeting?: Bracketing a Public Square from the Perils of Notoriety. Today, Bryan and I talk about how technology has altered our understanding of a public square and teaching the next generation about social ethics.

Meet Bryan: 

Bryan serves as associate professor of philosophy and apologetics at Boyce College, where he also directs the Augustine Honors Collegium and the Philosophy, Politics, and Economics degree program. He has contributed to edited academic volumes and writes popular-level essays for several Christian outlets. He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He resides in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife and three children.

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The Digital Public Square is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker. 

Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. David Mathis to talk about his book Workers for Your Joy: The Call of Christ on Christian Leaders from Crossway. Today we talk about Christian leadership and the proper role of authority in the Church.

Meet David Mathis:

David serves as senior teacher and executive editor at DesiringGod.org, a pastor at Cities Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and an adjunct professor at Bethlehem College & Seminary in Minneapolis. He is the author of several books, including Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus through the Spiritual Disciplines.

Resources:

• Workers for Your Joy: The Call of Christ on Christian Leaders by David Mathis
• Habits of Grace: Enjoying Jesus through the Spiritual Disciplines by David Mathis
• The Cross and Christian Ministry by D.A. Carson
• Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor by D.A. Carson
• Sticky Teams by Larry Osborne
• Biblical Eldership seminar with John Piper

The Digital Public Square is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker. 

Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Russ Shafer-Landau to talk about on moral philosophy and questions of metaethics. Today, we talk about his books Moral Realism: A Defence and The Fundamentals of Ethics.

Meet Dr. Shafer-Landau

Russ Shafer-Landau serves as a professor of philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the author of Moral Realism: A Defence, Whatever Happened to Good and Evil?, The Fundamentals of Ethics, and Living Ethics. He also is the editor of Oxford Studies in Metaethics. Shafer-Landau served as President of the American Philosophical Association (Central Division) in 2021. He is currently working on a large collaborative project with John Bengson and Terence Cuneo that seeks to offer a new vindication of non-naturalist moral realism, entitled The Moral Universe (Oxford 2023) focusing on the metaphysical and normative dimensions of morality.

Resources:

• Whatever Happened to Good and Evil? by Russ Shafer-Landau
• Foundations of Ethics: An Anthology by Russ Shafer-Landau and Terence Cuneo
• Metaethics: A Contemporary Introduction by Mark van Roojen
• Moral Discourse and Practice: Some Philosophical Approaches by Stephen Darwall, Allan Gibbard, and Peter Railton

The Digital Public Square is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker.

Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Jessica Joustra to talk about Herman Bavinck and the centrality of ethics in the Chrisitan life.

Meet Dr. Joustra:

Dr. Joustra is an Assistant Professor of Religion and Theology at Redeemer and an Associate Researcher at the Neo-Calvinist Research Institute of the Theologische Universiteit Kampen. She is also the Director of Redeemer’s Albert M. Wolters Centre for Christian Scholarship. She earned a Ph.D. in Christian Ethics from Fuller Theological Seminary and the Free University and an M.Div from Calvin Theological Seminary. 

Resources:

• Reformed Ethics: Created, Fallen, and Converted Humanity by Herman Bavinck and John Bolton
• Reformed Ethics: The Duties of the Christian Life (Volume 2) by Herman Bavinck and John Bolton
• Essays on Religion, Science, and Society Herman Bavinck and John Bolton
• Responsible Conduct: Principles of Christian Ethics by Jochem Douma
• John Bolt’s Dissertation on Bavinck’s Two Essays on the Imitatio Christi

The Digital Public Square is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker.

Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Harry Lee Poe to talk about the life and faith of C.S. Lewis in light of the final volume, The Completion of C.S. Lewis, in his three part biography published by Crossway.

Meet Dr. Poe

Dr. Poe serves as the Charles Colson Professor of Faith and Culture at Union University, where he has taught a course on C. S. Lewis for over twenty years. He is the author of twenty books, including Becoming C. S. Lewis and The Making of C. S. Lewis, as well as numerous articles on Lewis and the Inklings. Poe hosts the annual Inklings Weekend in Montreat, North Carolina, and is a regular speaker on Lewis at universities and other venues around the world.

Resources:

• The Completion of C. S. Lewis: From War to Joy by Harry Lee Poe
• The Making of C. S. Lewis (1918–1945): From Atheist to Apologist by Harry Lee Poe
• Becoming C. S. Lewis (1898–1918): A Biography of Young Jack Lewis by Harry Lee Poe
• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
• The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis

The Digital Public Square is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker.

Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Ronni Kurtz to talk about his new book Fruitful Theology: How the Life of the Mind Leads to the Life of the Soul from B&H Publishing. Today, we talk about how theology can help reorient our entire life toward the fruit of the Spirit which leads to right living before God.

Meet Dr. Kurtz:

Dr. Kurtz earned his PhD from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and currently serves as an assistant professor of theology at Cedarville University. Before moving to Ohio, Ronni was a pastor in Kansas City, Missouri for seven years where he also taught theology at Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College. He is also the author of No Shadow of Turning: Divine Immutability and the Economy of Redemption.

Resources:

• Fruitful Theology by Ronni Kurtz
• No Shadow of Turning by Ronni Kurtz
• God Without Measure by John Webster
• The Culture of Theology by John Webster
• On the Unity of Christ by Saint Cyril of Alexandria
• On the Trinity by Saint Augustine of Hippo
• On the Incarnation by Athanasius of Alexandria
• On God and Christ by Saint Gregory of Nazianzus
• Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin

The Digital Public Square is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker.

Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Travis Dickinson to talk about his new book Logic and the Way of Jesus from B&H Academic. Today, we talk about embracing the life of the mind and role of logic in the Christian life.

Meet Dr. Dickinson

Dr. Dickinson is a professor of philosophy at Dallas Baptist University. He is the author of three books: Wandering Toward God, Logic and the Way of Jesus and Everyday Apologetics, and the coauthor of Stand Firm: Apologetics and the Brilliance of the Gospel. He holds an MA and PhD in Philosophy from the University of Iowa, an MA in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics from Talbot School of Theology, and an MA in Christian Apologetics from Biola University.

Resources:

• Logic and the Way of Jesus by Travis Dickinson
• Wandering Toward God: Finding Faith amid Doubts and Big Questions by Travis Dickinson
• Love Your God with All Your Mind by J.P. Moreland
• Simply Trinity by Matthew Barret and Scott Swain
• The Same God Who Works All Things by Adonis Vidu

As a gift to Digital Public Square listeners, use discount code: wander22 for 30% Wandering Toward God at IVPpress.com.

The Digital Public Square is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker.

Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. W. Ross Hastings, an ethicist and theologian who is the recent author of a new book titled Pastoral Ethics: Moral Formation as Life in the Trinity. Today, we talk about pastoral ethics and moral formation.

Meet Dr. Hastings: 

Dr. Hastings received his first PhD in Chemistry from Queen's University in Kingston and his second PdD in Theology from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is the Sangwoo Youtong Chee Professor of Theology and Pastoral Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, B.C. and is author of several books including Missional Church and Theological Ethics. 

Resources:

• Pastoral Ethics: Moral Formation as Life in the Trinity by Dr. Ross Hastings
• Betrayal of Trust by Stanley Grenz and Roy Bell
• Choosing the God by Dennis Hollinger
• Pure Desire by Gary Inrig

The Digital Public Square is a production of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and is produced and hosted by Jason Thacker.

Production assistance is provided by Kadin Christian. Technical production provided by Owens Productions. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

In this episode, I am joined by my Drs. Jessica and Robert Joustra, co-editors of a new volume called Calvinism for a Secular Age: A Twenty-First-Century Reading of Abraham Kuyper’s Stone Lectures. Today, we talk about Kuyper’s influence and a Reformed approach to our secular age.

Meet Jessica: 

Jessica Joustra (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary and the Free University of Amsterdam) is assistant professor of religion and theology at Redeemer University and an associate researcher at the Neo-Calvinist Research Institute at the Theological University of Kampen (NL). She is an editor and translator of Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Ethics and associate editor for the Bavinck Review.

Meet Robert:

Robert J. Joustra (PhD, University of Bath) is associate professor of politics and international studies and the founding director of the Centre for Christian Scholarship at Redeemer University College. He is the author of The Religious Problem with Religious Freedom and the coauthor of The Church’s Social Responsibility, The Persecuted Church, How to Survive the Apocalypse, and God and the Global Order.

Resources:

• Calvinism for a Secular Age by Jessica and Robert Joustra
• Collected Works of Public Theology by Abraham Kuyper
• Abraham Kuyper by James Bratt
• Abraham Kuyper: An Introduction by Richard Mouw
• To Be Near unto God by Abraham Kuyper
• Honey from the Rock by Abraham Kuyper
• Christ and Culture by Klaas Schilder

As a special treat for newsletter and podcast subscribers, we have partnered with Lexham Press to offer 30% off the newly completed Collected Works of Public Theology by Abraham Kuyper in hardback or Logos editions.

Use code DPSFEB22 or visit lexhampress.com/digitalpublicsquare to learn more. This special discount expires on March 15th.

The Digital Public Square is an audio production of Owens Productions. It’s produced by Jason Thacker and production assistance is provided by Cameron Hayner. It is edited and mixed by Mark Owens.

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Evan Lenow of Mississippi College and Dr. Mark Liederbach of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. We talk about their new book Ethics as Worship: The Pursuit of Moral Discipleship.

Meet Dr. Lenow: 

Dr. Evan Lenow serves as the Director of Church and Minister Relations at Mississippi College. He also serves as the Director of the Clinton Extension of New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Prior to arriving at Mississippi College, he served as Associate Professor of Ethics and Director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Christian ethics from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC.

Meet Dr. Liederbach:
Dr. Mark Liederbach serves as Professor of Theology, Ethics and Culture, Vice President for Student Services, and Dean of Students at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He holds a PhD from the University of Virginia. He is the author of Chasing Infinity: Discipleship as the Pursuit of Infinite Treasure; Defending the Faith, Engaging the Culture and True North: Christ, The Gospel, and Creation Care.

Resources:

• Ethics as Worship by Mark Liederbach and Evan Lenow
• Introduction to Biblical Ethics by David W. Jones
• Doctrine of the Christian Life by John Frame
• Christian Ethics by Wayne Grudem
• Counter Culture by David Platt
• Basic Christian Ethics by Dan Heimbach (forthcoming)

In this episode, I am joined by Dr. David VanDrunen, Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics at Westminster Seminary California, and we talk about his latest book, “Politics After Christendom.”

Sign up to receive the WeeklyTech newsletter each Monday morning at jasonthacker.com/weeklytech.

Meet Dr. VanDrunen:

Dr. VanDrunen, a minister of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, began teaching at Westminster Seminary California in 2001. He formerly served as a pastor of Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Hanover Park, IL, and currently serves on the Orthodox Presbyterian Church’s Committee on Christian Education and Subcommittee on Ministerial Training. He does much of his current research and writing at the intersection of systematic theology, biblical studies, ethics, and legal and political theory. He was the recipient of the Acton Institute’s Novak Award for 2004, a visiting fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University in 2009, and a Henry Luce III Fellow in Theology for 2016-17.

Resources:

• Politics after Christendom by David VanDrunen
• City of God (Abridged) by Saint Augustine (Book 19)
• Political Church by Jonathan Leeman
• Politics for the Greatest Good by Clark Forsythe

In this episode, I am joined by my friend, Dr. Andrew Walker, associate professor of Christian ethics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and we talk about his new book “Liberty for All.”

Sign up to receive the WeeklyTech newsletter each Monday morning at jasonthacker.com/weeklytech.

Meet Dr. Walker: 

Andrew Walker also serves as executive director of the Carl F. H. Henry Institute for Evangelical Engagement in Louisville, Kentucky. He previously served as senior fellow in Christian ethics at the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He is the author of “God and the Transgender Debate,” named the best book in public theology in 2017 by The Gospel Coalition, coauthor of “Marriage Is: How Marriage Transforms Society and Cultivates Human Flourishing,” and coeditor of the “Gospel for Life'' series.

Resources:

• Natural Law and Religious Freedom by J. Daryl Charles
• Christianity and Freedom: Volume 1 - Historical Perspectives by Timothy Shah and Allen Hertzke
• Christianity and Freedom: Volume 2 - Contemporary Perspectives by Timothy Shah and Allen Hertzke
• Liberty for All by Andrew Walker

In this episode, I am joined by Drs. James Davison Hunter and Paul Nedelisky, both professors at the University of Virginia, and we talk about the nature of science and morality based on their book “Science and the Good: The Tragic Quest for the Foundations of Morality” from Yale University Press.

Sign up to receive the WeeklyTech newsletter each Monday morning at jasonthacker.com/weeklytech.

Meet Drs. James Davison Hunter and Paul Nedelisky:

Dr. James Davison Hunter is LaBrosse-Levinson Distinguished Professor of Religion, Culture and Social Theory at the University of Virginia and Director of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. He is the author of “Culture Wars” and “The Death of Character.”

Dr. Paul Nedelisky is an Assistant Director and a Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. His research interests center on issues in metaphysics and ethics. Nedelisky received a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Virginia in 2013.

Resources:

• Science and the Good: The Tragic Quest for the Foundations of Morality by James Davison Hunter and Paul Nedelisky
• Culture Wars: The Struggle To Control The Family, Art, Education, Law, And Politics In Americaby James Davison Hunter
• Experiments in Ethics by Kwame Anthony Appiah
• The Atheist’s Guide to Reality: Enjoying Life without Illusions by Alex Rosenberg

In this episode, I am joined by my friend David French who serves as senior editor at The Dispatch and a columnist for Time, and we talk about his new book “Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation“ and the role of social media in the divisions we face.

Sign up to receive the WeeklyTech newsletter each Monday morning at jasonthacker.com/weeklytech.

Meet David French:

A graduate of Harvard Law School and a constitutional lawyer, David most recently worked as a senior writer for National Review and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute. He is also a New York Times bestselling author. David is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and from 2007-2008, he served with the Second Squadron, Third Armored Cavalry Regiment, in Iraq, where he was awarded the Bronze Star.

Resources:

• Divided We Fall: America’s Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation by David French
• The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt
• Alienated America: Why Some Places Thrive While Others Collapse by Timothy P Carney
• Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis by Robert D. Putnam

On this special episode of WeeklyTech, all of the hosts from the ERLC podcasts are together for one big crossover episode to wrap up 2020 with highlights, favorite things, and the banter that turns co-workers into friends.

This MEGACAST joins the ERLC Podcast crew–Josh Wester, Lindsay Nicolet, and Brent Leatherwood–with the Capitol Conversations team–Jeff Pickering, Chelsea Patterson Sobolik, and Travis Wussow–and Jason Thacker of the WeeklyTech podcast. Thanks be to Gary Lancaster, our fearless producer and America’s most elite audio engineer!

This episode is sponsored by The Good Book Company, publisher of Searching for Christmas by JD Greear. Find out more about this book at thegoodbook.com.

Resources from the Conversation

• ERLC Podcast with Josh Wester, Lindsay Nicolet, and Brent Leatherwood
• Capitol Conversations with Jeff Pickering, Chelsea Patterson Sobolik, and Travis Wussow
• WeeklyTech with Jason Thacker
• This Week’s Promos
  • Check out The Good Book Company
  • Learn more and apply at ERLC.com/internships
  • Make an end of year donation at ERLC.com/donate
• From the Highlights Conversation
  • What Hong Kong reveals about the future of China by Travis Wussow
  • The tension of technology: Hope and fear in the digital age by Jason Thacker
  • Hidden in Plain Sight: a call to bring hope and help to victims of abuse, winter edition of LIGHT Magazine
  • Watch The Pearl Brown Documentary
  • Looking for Truth in Post-Election America by Russell Moore
• Favorite Books
  • Brent | A Time to Build by Yuval Levin
  • Chelsea | Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund + A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War by Joseph Loconte
  • Lindsay | Spy Novels by Daniel Silva
  • Travis | The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser
  • Jason | The Technological Society by Jacques Ellul
  • Josh | Politics after Christendom by David VanDrunen
• Favorite Podcasts
  • Brent | The Remnant
  • Chelsea | Office Ladies
  • Lindsay | Crime Junkie
  • Jeff | The Jamie Weinstein Show
  • Jason | In Machines We Trust
  • Josh | More Perfect
• Favorite Newsletters
  • Jeff | Axios Sports by Kendall Baker
  • Travis | Jonah Goldberg’s Friday G-File
  • Jason | The Economist Espresso

Dr. Jonathan Pennington, associate professor of New Testament Interpretation and director of research doctoral studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary joins me to talk about his latest book Jesus the Great Philosopher: Rediscovering the Wisdom Needed for the Good Life and how philosophy connects to our everyday lives.

Sign up to receive the WeeklyTech newsletter each Monday morning at jasonthacker.com/weeklytech.

Meet Dr. Pennington:

Dr. Pennington holds a Ph.D. in New Testament Studies from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is the author of numerous works including “The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing,” “Reading the Gospels Wisely,” and “Heaven and Earth In the Gospel of Matthew.” He is also on the preaching staff at Sojourn Church East in Louisville, Kentucky.

Connect with Dr. Pennington:

• Website: www.jonathanpennington.com
• Twitter: @DrJTPennington
• Facebook: @DrJonathanTPennington
• Instagram: @drjtpennington

Resources:

• “Jesus the Great Philosopher” by Jonathan Pennington
• Preaching and Teaching from Jonathan Pennington
• Scripture’s Knowing: A Companion to Biblical Epistemology by Dru Johnson
• Hermeneutic of Wisdom by J. de Waal Dryden
• What Is Ancient Philosophy? Pierre Hadot

A friend recently tweeted that she believes ethics to be an impossibility. As she unpacked what she meant, I realized this attitude toward ethics is shared by many, especially in our digital age. With the rise of sophisticated modern technologies—such as artificial intelligence (AI), facial recognition, bioengineering, and social media—our society will increasingly question what’s moral or immoral, as well as how we might pursue an ethical life. Yet these definitions are often based on what seems right in the moment, not on an ethical framework.

Between Google’s AI principles, the U.S. Department of Defense‘s recently adopted guidelines regarding military use of technology, and the European Union’s proposal for an ethical framework for technology, our world is longing for direction in addressing complicated and life-altering technologies in a way that’s good, fair, applicable, and ethical.

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The Rundown

TikTok is racing to stop the spread of a gruesome video – The Verge

Last week, TikTok issued warnings for users to be on the lookout for a disturbing video while it took extensive measures to take the video down. TikTok’s algorithms and “For You” page can make harmful content more accessible on this app than on other services, so Christians should approach this platform with heightened awareness.

Disney hit by backlash after thanking Xinjiang authorities in ‘Mulan’ credits – CNN

Disney is facing boycotts of its newly released live action remake of Mulan which is now available to stream on Disney+. The backlash is a response to the entertainment company’s relationship with Chinese authorities during the film’s production.It is important to be aware of injustices around the world, especially in the technology we use and entertainment we consume.

Samsung reportedly cutting off chip sales to Huawei – The Verge

Two South Korean companies announced they will stop selling computer chips to Huawei. Samsung and SK Hynix will cease trading with the Chinese tech giant on September 15, when new economic regulations go into effect. This situation demonstrates the interconnectedness of technology production and reminds us that there are implications of our technology usage.

America’s great virtual-learning experiment faces glitches nationwide – Axios

Many students across the country have faced technical difficulties as they have returned to school online in recent weeks. As educators and students do their best navigating these issues, churches should be aware of the difficulties families are facing and be attentive to specific ways they can love their neighbors.

On Sunday, the country of Belarus held a national election where President Alexander Lukashenko won in a landslide victory, claiming an implausible 80% of the vote. Over the last few days, the nation has experienced mass protests over the controversial election, and the opposition leader, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, has fled to neighboring Lithuania for safety. Tikhanovskaya became the opposition candidate after her husband Siarhei Tsikhanousk was jailed by the Lukashenko regime. 

Tikhanovskaya gained mass support with younger Belarusians by utilizing the power of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube to share her message and organize large rallies. In hopes of quelling protests and widespread unrest in the nation, which is especially high given the failure of the regime to slow down the spread of COVID-19, Lukashenko’s regime reportedly shut down the internet, which allows dissidents to connect with each other and the outside world.

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The Rundown

New documents show QAnon groups have millions of members on Facebook – NBC News

While Facebook has taken previous measures to regulate white nationalism, misinformation, and other extremist hallmarks of QAnon supporters, the company is expected to follow Twitter’s footsteps in taking harsher action combating the group’s harmful content.

TikTok announces first wave of creators set to receive payment for their videos – The Verge

While its standing in America is still in question, TikTok announced that initial payouts from its $200 million Creators Fund are set to be made to a select number of viral users. This is the first phase in a project that the company hopes will grow into a $1 billion fund over the next three years

Facial Recognition Start-Up Mounts a First Amendment Defense – The Verge

Clearview AI is arguing that its actions are protected under the First Amendment, claiming that free speech laws protect its right to use and distribute information that has been made publicly available on the internet. The way these cases are ruled will set a crucial precedent for how the relationship between free speech and privacy will be interpreted.

Landmark UK court ruling finds police use of facial recognition unlawful – Reuters

A lower court had initially ruled that the agency’s use of surveillance was lawful, but Tuesday’s overriding decision cited concerns that the force was given little to no limitation on how the technology could be used. 

Over the last few weeks, there has been a cultural firestorm over the viral video sharing app TikTok and a potential ban in the United States. TikTok’s usage surged during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns with millions of users finding reprieve during this difficult season of isolation and social distancing. My colleague Conrad Close and I recently wrote about this application that has taken the world by storm. It is the first major mobile application to be built specifically for the smartphone era and has been wildly successful, with rival social media companies seeking to catch up or even ride the momentum of its innovative approach to video sharing. From Instagram’s newly released Reels to the promised Youtube Shorts, major technology companies see the success of TikTok and desire to be a part of this shift in the way people connect and share information.

Alongside the enjoyable family dance videos, jokes, and even political activism on TikTok, there is a considerable threat to freedom, human rights, and personal privacy that often flies under the radar based on TikTok’s contentious relationship with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and their involvement with private companies. This is one of the main reasons that the United States government has been exploring options of banning or encouraging the sale of the U.S. TikTok operations to a non-Chinese company like Microsoft. 

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The Rundown

Instagram Launches Reels, Its Attempt to Keep You Off TikTok – The Verge

With TikTok’s future uncertain, Instagram is hoping to lure some creators away with the rollout of a direct competitor, Reels, which is launching in more than 50 countries. 

With ‘Mulan,’ Disney Tests Out Entirely New Early VOD Model – Variety

In another major blow to movie theaters, Disney announced “Mulan” will forgo its planned theatrical release. Instead, the live-action remake is premiering on Disney Plus on Sept. 4 for a premium rental price.

How new tech raises the risk of nuclear war – Axios

Nuclear war remains the single greatest present threat to humanity — and one that is poised to grow as emerging technologies, like much faster missiles, cyber warfare and artificial intelligence, upset an already precarious nuclear balance.

Will COVID-19 Kill Cash? – Project Syndicate

Reports that the coronavirus could be transmitted by handling cash has given people another reason to steer clear of banknotes. Although untrue, the damage has been done, and a recent survey found that 75% of respondents expect to use cash less in the future.