Don't they use https://g.co now? Or are there still new internal goo.gl links created?
Edit: Google is using a g.co link on the "Your device is booting another OS" screen that appears when booting up my Pixel running GrapheneOS. Will be awkward when they kill that service and the hard coded link in the phones bios is just dead
Tell me more. I live here and have never encountered a situation where I was not allowed to express my opinions in a systematic way. So I don't know but would be delighted to
Are we counting the UK? Because that one's really easy to find examples of - just google "UK arresting protestors", maybe throw in "Queen" or "Royal". They really, really don't like the anti-monarchists.
You might also look into things like the French ban on hijab in sporting events, and how that played out at the 2024 Olympics.
There's a lot of results concerned with religion - Germany has been using it's anti-semitism laws to crack down on anyone that's pro-Palestine, the French hijab thing I just mentioned, etc..
The UK also has some remarkable issues with libel laws.
This is just off the top of my mind - I'm not trying to say any particular issue is super important, just threads you can investigate. But I think even a few examples like that should make it clear that there's something systemic going on.
It might simply mean your opinions fall in the narrow band of views that are permitted to be expressed. It proves nothing about freedom of speech in general.
Even in North Korea, people are allowed to freely express their love for their Dear Leader. Those who express a different view are swiftly disposed of. If you love Dear Leader you could live your entire life believing that you and everyone else has free speech, simply because you have never encountered evidence to the contrary.
AfD is a Nazi party, and nobody's silencing them, despite overwhelming opposition in all EU countries. If you listen to EU parliament speeches, there's all kinds of radical political views being shared during debates. Vance came to Europe to peddle US culture wars and got laughed out.
Alice Weidel is in almost every talk show I watch, was invited to almost every major debate and everyone is doing a great job of normalizing the AfD. Every time someone from there complains about not being allowed to say what they want it's on a stage with a mic in hand and them being allowed to say whatever they want. So while I don't really agree on the "Nazi" part they're definitely not silenced. And apparently no one in this thread can tell me what freedom I'm missing despite claiming I do. Just give me some statistic or some example of systematic suppression of speech if it's that obvious to anyone but me
The established political parties in Germany are in fact trying to silence the AfD - precisely because they are gaining support amongs the population that is no longer represented by the established parties.
A disillusioned and unrepresentated population being mopped up by a right-wing populist political party in Germany. This is exactly how the Nazi party took power. It's what just happened in America. It pays to know your history.
It feels inappropriate that progressives have decided that it's okay to use Nazi as a generic insult for mainstream right wing parties. It waters down the true horrors of the Nazi party.
Anyway, as to censorship coming from Germany:
"Germany submits the highest number of legal demands for user data to X within the European Union, with ~87% of these requests targeting speech-related offenses. "
It's more complicated than that, in this case. They aren't simply insulting AfD by calling it a Nazi party. There is some truth to it, in that AfD almost certainly has Nazis in it. A prominent AfD member has used the phrase "all for Germany" that was also used by the Nazis. They also openly say that they want to take down holocaust memorials and stop talking about it.
Personally, I think that the full accusation of Nazism should be reserved for when it's really needed. But I assume that Germans know better than I do how to go about keeping Nazis out of their country.
Germany is also the biggest market in the EU. Without actual numbers this proves nothing. And with a platform that primarily relies on speech I struggle to come up with a huge list of non-speech-related offenses that could come up. Also, we're taking about a platform owned by an heavily opinionated US gov official here, come on...
Sure, and Elon Musk couldn't have done a Nazi salute twice, because he photographed himself looking bummed out at Auschwitz. What does it take for you to call spade a spade?
AFAIK they don't terribly mind what Israel is doing in Gaza, and even the ADL has that page about them.
There is a lot more if you are not convinced. At any rate Alice Weidel being lesbian means as much as some of the original Nazi leadership being homosexual, nothing. Homosexuality isn't a taboo anymore, holocaust revisionism is. Those to whom it isn't are anathema to those to whom it is.
That's great and all, but last time I checked I didn't live in a country with a grand leader. Germany's chancellor is looking at loosing an election in less than a week. So I ask again, and I'm actually serious about this question: What opinion am I not allowed to express? (Except insults and denying the death of 6 million Jews)
It really depends on the level of cheats. Someone using wall hacks has a huge advantage, depending on the game, but it doesn't take that much more skill to outplay them. But when you get to a point where the cheats aren't just a tool anymore but do most of the work, the skills required to still win get so astronomically high that you will lose every time unless you are a top 0.1% player. Which isn't really fun anymore. And many cheats nowadays are exactly that: practically unbeatable. Not a challenge, not hard but doable with enough work, just unbeatable
Not a lawyer, I'm guessing here.
I'd assume the intention matters a lot. Scrape bots don't intend to cause trouble, they intend to get your data (for free). Same way as when some famous person tells people on Twitter to visit a website or when some poor blog gets the hug of death from HN. The intention wasn't to bring down the site.
Aside from that: is DDosing actually illegal (under US law)?
Right. Pretty sure it's illegal under EU law(s), and people were already condemned for it (but yes, in case ill intent was proven) - why wouldn't it be illegal under US law - it's basically akin to vandalism ?
(In other news, the Internet Archive got DDoSed today :(
These never made it further than "I'm buying this because I like MrBeast/Logan Paul/etc." at least as far as I can tell. These wheelchairs are supposed to become good enough that any regular disabled person that can't walk* will seriously consider them even without knowing who makes them.
*English isn't my first language, no idea what a proper inoffensive way to describe the target audience is. I mean no harm :)
I ordered a Beast Burger on Door Dash without having any clue it was a Mr Beast thing until it showed up and was heavily branded. I wanted a burger and figured I'd try something new. I had never really watched any Mr Beast videos at that point. For whatever reason, he is never recommended to me.
The seasoning was so strong it was a bit hard to eat. I assumed it was covering up for lower quality meat or something. I have no desire to order one again.
As it pertains to the original query of this comment thread, whether this is a real business model, it doesn’t really matter that it’s not “a real restaurant,” what matters is whether it’s a viable business that makes money.
Mr. Beast burgers is not really that different than McDonald’s franchising if you really think about it. Most people don’t buy a McDonald’s burger based on who the franchise owner is and how they run their restaurant, they’re buying a McDonald’s burger because of the McDonald’s brand and product.
McDonald’s captures 80% of ~~revenue~~ net income and leaves only 20% to franchisees.
Essentially, the concept is the same: the business value and profit margins are owned by the brand and the laborious act of delivering the product locally is a thin-margin interchangeable “ghost kitchen.” Not only that, the power dynamic is one where the franchise dominates the franchisee. The physical kitchen, its owner, and its employees are replaceable, the nationally recognizable brand is not.
I would argue that ghost kitchens basically take the franchise concept to the logical 21st century conclusion: essentially, why bother doing all the expensive stuff that McDonald’s does with their franchises when your storefront is digital and anyone with a flat top, fryer, and a pulse can follow the directions to produce your fast food product?
>McDonald’s captures 80% of revenue and leaves only 20% to franchisees.
Most of the revenue goes to paying employees, real estate cost (rent or depreciation), energy cost and cost of ingredients. You mean, "captures 80% of the net income". Or profit.
I’ve tried various things from ghost kitchens via Door Dash. Some are better than others.
From the little I understand, someone like Beast Burger would come up with a recipe, then provide the supplies and recipes to the ghost kitchen to make it. If the ghost kitchen is really Chili’s, it’s not the Chili’s burger showing up when a Mr Beast label, it’s Chili’s Employees in the Chili’s kitchen, making the Beast Burger recipes.
My understanding is that they had massive QC issues. I ordered one on a lark and actually liked it, ended up getting a few times. But from what I've seen online that was not a universal experience.
From what I understand these drinks are massively popular amongst children (which I guess is Logan's primary demographic). I've never seen anyone over 30 buy one.
[0] https://x.com/GladiaLab/status/1983812121713418606