Save Democracy! With conference calls?

The conditions that led to Charlottesville put in sharp relief how the dark corners of the Internet have enabled dangerous fringe elements thrive. Yes, many tech firms took action (finally) this week, divorcing themselves from the faux-purity of free-speech arguments and taking a stand against extremist racism that led to a woman’s murder in Charlottesville. But there are darker spaces that are more difficult patrol. I don’t spend time on 4chan or even reddit for that matter, so I don’t really understand the culture there. I’d like to learn more.

Today, I supported a Kickstarter project, from the creator of the Ctrl Alt Right Delete newsletter. (Get it?) Melissa Ryan intends to hold a series of conference calls during which she’ll facilitate conversations with experts on the “alt-right.” Here’s what’s planned:

  • Wednesday, September 12, 1 PM EDT Bots & Computational Propaganda 
  • Wednesday, September 26, 1 PM EDT Conspiracy Theories & Right Wing Media 
  • Wednesday, October 10, 1 PM EST European Elections Debrief
  • Wednesday, October 24, 1 PM EST Connecting the dots: Russia and the Alt Right 
  • Wednesday, November 7, 1 PM EST Combating Hate Online & Off 
  • Wednesday, November 21, 1 PM EST What we know about Disinformation & Persuasion 

Those are pretty much all topics I’d like to learn more about.

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