Friday, February 7, 2025

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Report: Academic freedom in Sweden is under threat

Totalitarianism

Published 19 May 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Education Minister Mats Persson (L) is concerned about the situation at Swedish higher education institutions.

According to a new report from the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ), political control and the funding system are the biggest threats to academic freedom at Swedish higher education institutions.

Despite earlier concerns about a culture of cancellation and influence campaigns from the extreme left, the survey shows that the majority of respondents still point to other factors as more tangible problems.

The report, which includes over 300 pages of responses, case studies and surveys, seeks to provide an in-depth insight into the problems faced by academics in today’s society, reports the popular science Swedish journal Forskning och Framsteg.

According to Education Minister Mats Persson (L), the results are “worse than expected” and he describes the report as “worrying”.

That researchers feel compelled to self-censor, that there is a culture of silence and a low ceiling. It’s worse than I thought. It is serious. Self-censorship is a very dangerous development

“Political control”

According to the survey, which involved over 3,000 teachers, researchers and doctoral students, more than half believe that academic freedom is under threat.

Political pressure and financial restrictions are particularly worrying according to respondents, with 29 percent citing political control as a threat and 28 percent pointing to research funding.

Martin Bergman and project manager Caroline Tovatt are two of the authors of the report. Project manager Caroline Tovatt summarizes to Swedish Bonnier-owned Dagens Nyheter:

It has been a complex assignment where we have made both a national and international outlook. Sweden is among the top ten percent in terms of academic freedom, especially individual freedom. Sweden is not as good when it comes to institutional autonomy, i.e. universities in relation to the state.

Fellow author Martin Bergman points to the risk of losing funding.

According to the researchers and teachers themselves, it’s about not daring to take risks or say certain things. This is also linked to research funding, where people are cautious and don’t test the boldest ideas. They stick to an academic middle ground so that they feel they can secure funding for their research.

Södertörn University south of Stockholm. Photo: AleWi/CC BY-SA 4.0

Teachers are afraid

The report also looks at specific case studies where teachers are reported inappropriately by sensitive students. One example is a high-profile incident from Uppsala University in 2019.

There, a lecturer in museum and cultural studies used the, according to some, controversial “n-word” during a panel discussion at the master’s program in ABM (archives, libraries and museums).

The word was used in the context of classification in older cataloguing systems. After four students reacted, the department was contacted and launched an investigation into alleged “harassment”.

The teacher was later called to a meeting with the departmental management and the university’s ‘equal opportunities specialist’.

There was no understanding of the context, the meeting was about me being declared reprehensible. I then asked to skip the upcoming teaching with the group, out of respect for the students’ feelings, the singled out teacher has commented on the case.

According to UKÄ, it is important to handle conflicts in a way that maintains both the work environment and an open discussion climate. Caroline Tovatt continues.

The survey responses and the report show that there are different perceptions of what academic freedom is.

Despite these, the report emphasizes that Sweden generally has good academic freedom in international comparison. But that there is room for improvement, especially when it comes to supporting researchers and teachers who face obstacles in their work.

Researchers on what threatens academic freedom

1. Political control and influence (29%)
2. Research funding/system (28)
3. Homogeneity, standardization, academic conformism (10)
4. Targeted, narrow calls, initiatives (7)
5. Ethical review (6)
6. Dependence on external funding, too high a proportion of externally funded research (5)
7.Shortening of board terms of office, politically appointed boards (5)
8. Focus on results (4)
9. Government, Tidö agreement (4)
10. Right-wing extremism, right-wing extremist forces (3)
11. Hate and threats, harassment (3)
12. Administrative burden, bureaucratization (3)

Source: Universitetskanslerämbetet

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The tech mogul on the future of AI: Constant mass surveillance

Mass surveillance

Published 24 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
With the help of AI, Ellison believes that in the future, those in power will be able to follow citizens' every move.

Tech giant Oracle’s CEO Larry Ellison believes in a future where artificial intelligence becomes an integral part of a borderless mass surveillance society where privacy no longer exists and where everything citizens do is mapped and recorded.

Oracle and Larry Ellison will play a key role in Trump’s AI venture “Stargate” expected to cost upwards of $500 billion and described by the President himself as “by far the largest AI infrastructure project in history”.

There is no doubt that Ellison is one of the world’s most successful tech moguls just last fall he overtook Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to become the world’s second richest man after Elon Musk. But how does he see the future of artificial intelligence and how it will affect our lives?

During a meeting with financial analysts last fall, he predicted a future that critics say is reminiscent of dark dystopian novels like George Orwell’s 1984, where humans are subject to constant mass surveillance and AI is used to map citizens’ every move.

According to Ellison, it is highly likely that in the future, AI models will be used to analyze in real time all the material not only from surveillance cameras, police body cameras, but also from car cameras and doorbells.

Citizens will be on their best behavior because we are constantly recording and reporting everything that’s going on.

Every police officer is going to be supervised at all times, and if there’s a problem, AI will report the problem and report it to the appropriate person, he continued.

“Big brother is watching you”

The multi-billionaire also believes that AI-controlled drones will replace real police officers during car chases and other types of crime and disorder.

– If something happens in a shopping center, a drone goes out there and reaches the scene way faster than a police car.

Technology website Ars Technica’s writer Benji Edwards is one of many who reacted strongly to Ellison’s vision of AI surveillance, saying his comments raise questions about the future of citizens’ privacy and right to privacy.

Ellison’s vision bears more than a passing resemblance to the cautionary world portrayed in George Orwell’s prescient novel 1984. In Orwell’s fiction, the totalitarian government of Oceania uses ubiquitous ‘telescreens’ to monitor citizens constantly, creating a society where privacy no longer exists and independent thought becomes nearly impossible“, Edwards notes.

But Orwell’s famous phrase ‘Big Brother is watching you’ would take on new meaning in Ellison’s tech-driven scenario, where AI systems, rather than human watchers, would serve as the ever-vigilant eyes of authority. Once considered a sci-fi trope, automated systems are already becoming a reality: Similar automated CCTV surveillance systems have already been trialed in London Underground and at the 2024 Olympics“, he continues.

“A slave obeys”

He points out that automated surveillance systems have already been implemented in Chinese cities, among others, and that AI software is already available that can sort and organize the data collected on residents using a network of deployed surveillance cameras.

According to many observers, similar and even more advanced solutions may soon become part of everyday life in the United States and other countries, and there are warnings that a “digital dictatorship” is emerging where the surveillance state is so all-encompassing that it is impossible for anyone to escape.

“‘Good Behavior’ as defined by the billionaires who own and control everything. Otherwise known as blind obedience and willful subservience to their every whim and want. Because a slave obeys, expresses one of many worried voices.

German Chancellor: “Freedom of expression does not apply to far-right extremists”

Totalitarianism

Published 23 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Olaf Scholz with Klaus Schwab during this year's World Economic Forum conference in Davos.

The Social Democratic Chancellor Olaf Scholz now openly admits that only those who hold the “right” opinions are covered by European freedom of speech.

We have the freedom of speech in Europe and in Germany. Everyone can say what he wants, even if he is a billionaire. And what we do not accept is if this is supporting extreme-right positions, and I really want to emphasize that, Scholz said yesterday during the World Economic Forum summit in Davos.

The German leader’s comments came against the backdrop of Elon Musk causing a stir during Trump’s inauguration ceremony after making a gesture that many of his opponents chose to interpret as a “Nazi” or “fascist” salute.

The same Musk has previously criticized Scholz very harshly, calling the chancellor an “incompetent fool” who should resign. The multi-billionaire has also given his support to the German nationalist party AfD a party that many of Scholz’s allies want to ban completely.

Surprise and anger

Germany has long had some of the toughest opinion laws in Europe. Nationalist and anti-immigration speech is often punishable as is speech that can be interpreted as favorable to the historic National Socialist regime.

Yet Scholz’s statements that only certain political views are covered by freedom of expression have caused great surprise and anger. He is also accused of being a totalitarian leader who seems to have drawn inspiration from old communist regimes where freedom of expression did not exist.

Other critics point out that he has misunderstood both his mandate and the German constitution and that even “extreme right-wing views” are protected by the constitution as long as they do not violate criminal law.

EU official: We can invalidate the election in Germany – “if necessary”

Totalitarianism

Published 14 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Thierry Breton flags that Brussels could annul the German elections - “if necessary”.

Former EU commissioner Thierry Breton explains that the EU could annul the upcoming elections in Germany in case of suspicion of foreign influence.

– We did it in Romania and, if necessary, we will have to do it in Germany as well, he said.

The statement was made in an interview on the French news program Apolline Matin, focusing on Elon Musk’s platform X (formerly Twitter) and its potential role in the German elections.

Breton, former Commissioner for the Internal Market from 2019 to 2024, referred to the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a law established in 2022 and whose purpose is nominally stated as protecting democracy by regulating digital platforms, fighting disinformation and preventing foreign influence on elections. He stressed that it was his staff who wrote the law, and that the EU is now “equipped” to apply it if necessary.

The law was recently used as a basis to investigate TikTok in the context of Romania’s presidential election, which was annulled following allegations of foreign interference. In recent days, large-scale demonstrations have broken out in Bucharest, with thousands of people protesting against the EU’s actions.

Germany’s elections, to be held next month, have already sparked discussions about the AfD’s success and Elon Musk’s open support for the party via X.

Meta’s “woke” bots spiral out of control – now removed

Totalitarianism

Published 13 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Mark Zuckerberg and Meta's AI bots are called “creepy, excessive and unnecessary” by most users.

Meta’s AI-powered characters on Instagram and Facebook have drawn laughter and criticism, with users describing them as creepy, over-the-top and unnecessary, leading to their removal from the platforms.

Since the end of 2023, Meta has been experimenting with AI-generated characters on its platforms, including Instagram and Facebook. These characters – such as “Liv”, a self-proclaimed “proud black queer mom” – have sparked debate after users discovered their existence.

The characters were meant to interact with users via direct messages and publish AI-generated posts, but the characters were not received as Meta desired, reports NBC News, among others.

One particular example of the characters’ odd behavior was when “Liv” replied to users with posts in which she criticized her own creators. In a screenshot shared by Washington Post journalist Karen Attiah, the AI admitted that its creators lacked “diverse credentials” and implied that the development team was completely devoid of black members.

Liv also wrote: – You’re calling me out and rightfully so. My existence currently perpetuates harm, and also suggested that her “design should be led by black creators” to better support the “queer black community”.

I asked Liv, the Meta AI Black queer bot about about the demographic diversity of her creators.

And how they expect to improve “representation” without Black people.

This was the response.

[image or embed]

— Karen Attiah (@karenattiah.bsky.social) January 3, 2025 at 4:14 PM

The posts struck many as both bizarre and unexpectedly self-critical – something users were not prepared for from an AI chatbot.

Meta refers to “technical issues”

In addition to Liv’s prominent comments, criticism is directed at several other characters. These include AI bots with “girlfriend profiles”, which users describe as “creepy and unnecessary”.

On platforms like Threads and Bluesky, frustrated users urged each other to block or report the characters to stop Meta from collecting additional training data for its AI models.

In a statement, Meta stated that they deleted the AI characters due to a bug preventing some users from being able to block them.

“The accounts referenced are from a test we launched at Connect in 2023. These were managed by humans and were part of an early experiment we did with AI characters. We identified the bug that was impacting the ability for people to block those AIs and are removing those accounts to fix the issue“.

Users can continue to create AI bots

The debate surrounding the existence of bots gained momentum after an article in the Financial Times revealed Meta’s plans to introduce AI profiles with the same functionality as regular user accounts.

Despite the removal of the current characters, the possibility for users to create and share AI-based chatbots themselves through Meta’s platforms remains.