Two weeks ago, it looked like both article 11 and article 13 of the EU’s copyright initiative were dead in the water, because no agreement between member states could be reached. But now article 13 is back with a vengeance, as Germany and France have reached a new compromise, somehow making the article even worse. Now only companies younger than 3 years, with less than €10 million annual turnover, and fewer than 5 million unique visitors¹ are exempt. [This means that even platforms like Patreon, whose sole purpose is to help creators get paid by their fans², has to install an upload filter to make sure no copyrighted works are uploaded without rightholders’ permission](https://juliareda.eu/2019/02/article-13-worse/). The more likely scenario is that Patreon will just no longer allow any uploads from users located inside the EU.

Even if a company would be exempt from running such filters, it would still have to demonstrate that it made a “best effort” to get any licenses. In the end, regardless of exemption status, companies would need to accept any licensing terms they are offered. The alternative is to not allow any uploads at all³. The new article (along with everything else in the initiative) still has to pass through the European parliament. Considering that most MEPs are up for re-election this September, telling them you won’t vote for them if they approve this initiative might sway the vote. If they do approve, we can look forward to a bleak internet for us Europeans.

It’s Not Free If You Have to Give Them All Your Data

I somehow missed this great rebuttal to Mark Zuckerberg’s “Facebook needs your data to keep you safe” column:

In a recent Wall Street Journal commentary, Mark Zuckerberg claimed that Facebook users want to see ads tailored to their interests. But the data show the opposite is true. With the help of major polling firms, we conducted two large national telephone surveys of Americans in 2012 and 2009. When we asked people whether they wanted websites they visit to show them commercial ads, news or political ads “tailored to your interests,” a substantial majority said no. Around half did say they wanted discounts tailored to their interests. But that too changed after we told them how companies gathered the information that enables tailoring, such as following you on a website. Bottom line: If Facebook’s users in the United States are similar to most Americans (and studies suggest they are), large majorities don’t want personalized ads — and when they learn how companies find out information about them, even greater percentages don’t want them.

In other words, once people know how much they’re really being tracked online, they don’t like it. Shocker.

Boarding Savagery

If you’ve ever flown before, you know that among the many annoying or downright infuriating parts is the boarding process. Once it’s boarding time, everyone forgets that they are a civilized human being, and it’s a free-for-all to get on board the plane (which, contrary to what people are apparently thinking, won’t leave without them as long as long as they show up on time). There has to be a better way, right? And yes there are actually a few better boarding method (YouTube) — but airlines won’t use them, because of human nature.

Bad Influence

Many internet celebrities and “influencers” live off of their perceived “realness” — you’re not watching a scripted reality soap, but actually getting a look into their real lives. So what’s it like for their families? ‘The Other Two’ and the Reality of Internet-Famous Relatives

Does Charon accept Bitcoin?

I’ve written about the dangers of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies before, but here’s a new one: what happens if the only guy with the passwords to access all those coins dies, and no one can figure out how to access it? Spoiler: It’s a problem: Digital exchange loses $137 million as founder takes passwords to the grave.

📖 Weekly Longreads 📚

Impeach Trump Now: “Starting the process will rein in a president who is undermining American ideals— and bring the debate about his fitness for office into Congress, where it belongs”

🦄 Unicorn Chaser 🦄

The Winners of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year for 2018