The biggest opportunity for Truth Social - Trump's new platform - is one least well understood: authentication and reputation. It can sweep the table of bots and PSYOP warriors from social media
This is an excellent article. It outlines the potential for the TS to embrace the technology (already in place) to remedy the pervasiveness of fake news & social manipulation through disinformation - GREAT JOB, CC! On paper, the undertaking - through the established repository - appears trivial. The problem is: will the TS take on it? If so, where on the roadmap would it be?
Also, I wonder how related to that, if at all, is Elon Musk's tweet about creating a site where the public would "rate the core truth of any article & track the credibility score over time of each journalist, editor & publication", tweeted on 5/23/18…
Wow. Just wow. I learned so much here. Thank you CC. But what if the warehouse of keys that you propose Truth Social keep gets hacked or stolen or blown up or whatever? Wouldn't it be too vulnerable? Maybe I don't understand the tech enough, but if it is bulletproof (as much as anything can be) then I look forward to this new platform of free speech. We so need it.
The public keys are by definition, public. There's nothing to hack; they're already out in the open. All that is needed is a "library" to go find the public key needed to validate some particular person's content. This technology (public key crypto) has been around for decades; the problem is there's never been a big enough "central repository" that everyone knows about and can use easily to make all of this gain critical mass. And there also hasn't been a "killer app" reason to use it more widely. Perhaps now, there is.
Very interesting, thx, I learned some things. But I'm still confused how this solves the troll problem. Trolls can sign their content, correct? So how does a filter which requires signatures keep out the trolls?
I can see how the reputation system reduces trolling, but it sounds like you're saying the signature requirement by itself eliminates trolls. I think I missed something somewhere.
If self-generated keys are all that is necessary, yes: trolls can do that. You're right that the 'reputation' system is a key component. Having your key signed by reputable others can (mostly) solve that. So the filter might be "don't show me any unsigned content, or any signed content that is only signed by a self-generated key".
I plugged this complicated, complex piece into the hemingway editor at hemingwayapp.com and it is written at the 14th grade level, that is much too high. Over half the sentences are scored hard or very hard to read. The app doesn't cost anything if used online, but it'll be a challenge to write clearly and concisely at a 7 to 8 grade level. But doing so reaches a much larger audience who'll stay with you page by page. The really big writers/audiences usually clock in at the 5-6 grade level. tnx.
Your article is about an internet user being able to authenticate the writer of an article and you want Truth Social to implement such a process. That's good. To my inquiry above about the complexity of the reading level of the article, you send me a link that goes to "The Ethical Skeptic" website. Well, there are lots of articles BUT NO identity of who runs it is given. I can't authenticate. THE END. (But what I read was mindless bloviation at the post graduate reading level. Boring as hell).
Your comment is about *identification*, not *authentication*. The implication is that your opinion about his writing and claims would change (somehow) if you knew his name, rather than accepting him continuing to write under a pseudonym.
Instead, judge his articles and claims by their merits alone.
You're right. (Actually it is you I can't identify, IncognitiveCarbon seems apt). In his articles, speeches, debates, etc., he claims to have been a born again evangelical Christian, who then became an atheist who now writes under a pseudonym. Scriptures judgement is clear on this: google: I John 2:19 (amplified version)... a real Christian is one to the end. His claim he was once a Christian is false, he has been an atheist the whole time. Next on the readability point that initiated this, he is friendly and speaks in a non-complex fashion (not post-graduate level) during debates. Thus his premise of not being able to write at a more palatable level (per his readers requests) is false per the article you referenced. His readers would be thrilled to see him write in a non-complex fashion like he speaks. Instead he dissed them and that is disrespectful and non-congruent. Best.
This sounds like an awesome system. I wonder if Truth Social has even given any thought to all this. I've pretty much left FB & Twitter and the others behind, in favor of Substack, because I am so sick and tired of reading obvious troll/bot comments.
I would assume so.. Devin Nunes, the former Chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, is CEO of TMTG!! He probably knows how to implement a lot more than this, plus has an excellent idea on what needs to be done to clean up the mess!!
Yes, I'm pleased (and also not so pleased) to see Devin do that. I live in his district and given all that he has done to fight against the corruption in DC, he's got boots a mile high that someone else will have to try to fill.
I hope he's got people at TMTG who have advanced some of these ideas. I would love to be able to work with them, if somehow I get connected and have the opportunity.
As I was reading your article, I was thinking that same thing--wishing you were connected with them. They need your kind of thinking, and I hope they've got it.
When I heard Devin left Congress to go there, though, I also thought, "Oh no, those poor folks in CA, where will they find another who will fight like Mr. Nunes?"
I have a few people who had some connection to Devin Nunes, and I asked them to reach out to him on my behalf, but nothing came of it. We'll see what happens...
This is an excellent article. It outlines the potential for the TS to embrace the technology (already in place) to remedy the pervasiveness of fake news & social manipulation through disinformation - GREAT JOB, CC! On paper, the undertaking - through the established repository - appears trivial. The problem is: will the TS take on it? If so, where on the roadmap would it be?
Also, I wonder how related to that, if at all, is Elon Musk's tweet about creating a site where the public would "rate the core truth of any article & track the credibility score over time of each journalist, editor & publication", tweeted on 5/23/18…
I love this hope I can get in and save money from gov. Hands
so is Truth Social going to use SubStack? Do you know or are you involved with them?
I don't know, but I see something really interesting and positive happening to the quality of discourse with substack. and I may write about it soon.
Wow. Just wow. I learned so much here. Thank you CC. But what if the warehouse of keys that you propose Truth Social keep gets hacked or stolen or blown up or whatever? Wouldn't it be too vulnerable? Maybe I don't understand the tech enough, but if it is bulletproof (as much as anything can be) then I look forward to this new platform of free speech. We so need it.
The public keys are by definition, public. There's nothing to hack; they're already out in the open. All that is needed is a "library" to go find the public key needed to validate some particular person's content. This technology (public key crypto) has been around for decades; the problem is there's never been a big enough "central repository" that everyone knows about and can use easily to make all of this gain critical mass. And there also hasn't been a "killer app" reason to use it more widely. Perhaps now, there is.
Thanks for explaining.
Very interesting, thx, I learned some things. But I'm still confused how this solves the troll problem. Trolls can sign their content, correct? So how does a filter which requires signatures keep out the trolls?
I can see how the reputation system reduces trolling, but it sounds like you're saying the signature requirement by itself eliminates trolls. I think I missed something somewhere.
If self-generated keys are all that is necessary, yes: trolls can do that. You're right that the 'reputation' system is a key component. Having your key signed by reputable others can (mostly) solve that. So the filter might be "don't show me any unsigned content, or any signed content that is only signed by a self-generated key".
I plugged this complicated, complex piece into the hemingway editor at hemingwayapp.com and it is written at the 14th grade level, that is much too high. Over half the sentences are scored hard or very hard to read. The app doesn't cost anything if used online, but it'll be a challenge to write clearly and concisely at a 7 to 8 grade level. But doing so reaches a much larger audience who'll stay with you page by page. The really big writers/audiences usually clock in at the 5-6 grade level. tnx.
May I introduce you to the Bridgman Point, as described by a hero of mine.
https://theethicalskeptic.com/2022/01/06/the-distinction-between-comprehension-and-understanding/
Your article is about an internet user being able to authenticate the writer of an article and you want Truth Social to implement such a process. That's good. To my inquiry above about the complexity of the reading level of the article, you send me a link that goes to "The Ethical Skeptic" website. Well, there are lots of articles BUT NO identity of who runs it is given. I can't authenticate. THE END. (But what I read was mindless bloviation at the post graduate reading level. Boring as hell).
Your comment is about *identification*, not *authentication*. The implication is that your opinion about his writing and claims would change (somehow) if you knew his name, rather than accepting him continuing to write under a pseudonym.
Instead, judge his articles and claims by their merits alone.
https://theethicalskeptic.com/the-tree-of-knowledge-obfuscation/
You're right. (Actually it is you I can't identify, IncognitiveCarbon seems apt). In his articles, speeches, debates, etc., he claims to have been a born again evangelical Christian, who then became an atheist who now writes under a pseudonym. Scriptures judgement is clear on this: google: I John 2:19 (amplified version)... a real Christian is one to the end. His claim he was once a Christian is false, he has been an atheist the whole time. Next on the readability point that initiated this, he is friendly and speaks in a non-complex fashion (not post-graduate level) during debates. Thus his premise of not being able to write at a more palatable level (per his readers requests) is false per the article you referenced. His readers would be thrilled to see him write in a non-complex fashion like he speaks. Instead he dissed them and that is disrespectful and non-congruent. Best.
This sounds like an awesome system. I wonder if Truth Social has even given any thought to all this. I've pretty much left FB & Twitter and the others behind, in favor of Substack, because I am so sick and tired of reading obvious troll/bot comments.
I would assume so.. Devin Nunes, the former Chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, is CEO of TMTG!! He probably knows how to implement a lot more than this, plus has an excellent idea on what needs to be done to clean up the mess!!
Yes, I'm pleased (and also not so pleased) to see Devin do that. I live in his district and given all that he has done to fight against the corruption in DC, he's got boots a mile high that someone else will have to try to fill.
I hope he's got people at TMTG who have advanced some of these ideas. I would love to be able to work with them, if somehow I get connected and have the opportunity.
As I was reading your article, I was thinking that same thing--wishing you were connected with them. They need your kind of thinking, and I hope they've got it.
When I heard Devin left Congress to go there, though, I also thought, "Oh no, those poor folks in CA, where will they find another who will fight like Mr. Nunes?"
I have a few people who had some connection to Devin Nunes, and I asked them to reach out to him on my behalf, but nothing came of it. We'll see what happens...
Let's get this truth social party started!!! When is it going to start 45?