Hello, this is Eric with a few thoughts for our housekeeping section this week.

As this is our second episode to be released during a bizarre and near global patchwork

of local quarantines, I wanted to update you on my evolving thinking and understanding

surrounding our shared pandemic.

But perhaps more importantly, I want to begin putting this response to the virus in the

context of what we've already talked about in the portal.

In particular, the disk or distributed idea suppression complex introduced in episode

18 appears to be in full swing.

So how do we know that this is happening?

Well, Twitter, and this is just as an example, has now refined their terms of service to

broaden their definition of harm itself to address in their words.

And I quote, content that goes directly against guidance from authoritative sources of

global and local public health information.

Rather than reports, we will enforce this in close coordination with trusted partners,

including public health authorities and governments, and continue to use and consult

with information from those sources when reviewing content.

Under this new guidance, we will require people to remove tweets.

Now, of course, in the pandemic, that sounds sensible, at least in my ears.

In such a situation, who wants marginal catflies like Mike Cernovich or the infamous Menches

Mulbug, aka Curtis Yarvan, contradicting the mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio

or the Washington Post in a time crying out for coordinated and authoritative response.

Well, here's the awkward part.

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