sam floreani

POV you’ve proposed a stupid tech policy idea and I’m judging you for it while also explaining why it’s a shit idea on national tv xoxo

Hello friends: I’m researching ways that digital technologies are impacting renters and housing justice in Australia.

And I’m looking for participants! If you are a renter in Australia and have experience using ‘RentTech’ or ‘Landlord Tech’ - I want to speak with you!

More info and EOI here:

https://www.samanthafloreani.com/research

When the ALP was elected, many in the tech policy and digital rights space (including myself) were hopeful it would mean a more amenable government to good, meaningful - ideally progressive - tech policy. This, in my opinion, did not happen. Here’s me attempting to summarise ~3 years of frustration-

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/17/the-tech-industry-has-never-been-more-powerful-how-does-the-governments-policies-stack-up/

Last year, the eSafety Commissioner proposed industry standards containing proactive detection requirements without protection for encryption. We fought it; @drwaus@aus.social teamed up with international orgs, we spoke to media, had countless meetings, talked with industry, politicans and policymakers, made so many submissions. I personally worked myself into the ground over it.

Today they were registered with wound back requirements and better protections for encryption. A big and rare win.

I'm in Crikey today talking about how antitrust is cool but the larger project of dismantling surveillance capitalism is cooler 💅 https://www.crikey.com.au/2024/08/08/google-monopoly-meta-digital-data-information-technology/

a new essay from me on nostalgia, retro tech aesthetics, internet privatisation, the loops that ‘AI’ traps us in and most importantly: a whole lot of reflections on You’ve Got Mail 💌 https://www.killyourdarlings.com.au/article/homesick-for-another-internet/

Last week the LNP posted an AI-generated video of the QLD premier dancing on TikTok. The premier reacted by saying it was a turning point in our democracy.

I don't know about you, but I feel like I've been reading that deepfakes would ruin democracy for 7+ years.

Anyway, I wrote about political deepfakes and how they fit within the broader degraded information ecosystem in response. But mostly, it's about how much I resent having to pay play AI detective online. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/25/ai-celebrity-deepfakes-generative-chatgpt-impact-politics-future

@jax@aus.social haha the allure is real!! TY for reading :)