Jack Nicholson's thunderous line "you can't handle the truth" delivered in the film "A Few Good Men" may be more famous, but his defensive claim "I have always told you some version of the truth" in "Something's Gotta Give" seems more relevant for today's Internet. We are rapidly closing in on the day when dominant search engine Google simply refuses to deliver the true answer to your online questions, preferring to serve up "some version of your answer", more specifically the most addictive paying alternative its AI engines have been programmed to find for you and everyone else on the planet.

The vast information resources on the Internet are useless if you can't find them, and (anti)social media continues to strip down journalism by taking our advertising revenue offshore. So, how can we find the information we need to understand our changing world? One part of the answer is in front of you in Watchdog - find resources you trust, and pay for them so you receive them regularly. If you want reliable journalism and political commentary, make a list and decide your annual contributions.

Take back control of your life by planning when and where you will stay informed. Most ethical Websites allow you the option of paying what you can afford. The Internet is vast and costs are low, so you don't need to pay much. For example, I use Stuff very occasionally so donate just $20 a year because I want to see local journalism continue.

But you probably find, like me, that no single blog or Website takes you very far. Each is a specialist and their coverage will have its quirks. Modern life is complex and we are all different, with diverse information needs. Aha, I thought, I'll send out a survey to our talented Watchdog writers and pool together their various approaches to offer readers a grab-bag of options to choose from. The survey had nine questions, as below.

1. Ways To Keep Up With The News

Radio New Zealand (RNZ) is our top choice, especially news and Saturday Morning, and also including the RNZ Website's summary of news because this allows you to dig into just those stories you're interested in. And readers living in Australia have the ABC, supported by deeper programmes like Four Corners, Insiders, Mediawatch and the 7:30 Report which we're told we can no longer afford here in NZ.

Six of our ten Watchdog contributors follow TV news, including Māori TV, TV1, MSNBC and Al Jazeera - and one has two news shows set up to record automatically every night so they can skip old or obvious stories. Half of our contributors still receive a daily newspaper (one gets three!) and other hard-copy publications include the Listener, E-Tangata, Guardian, New Scientist, New Internationalist and Time.

Online sources include Te Ao M&amacrori News, Stuff, Scoop and Spinoff. Less well-known sources include the Intercept, which provides in-depth cover on issues ignored by mainstream media but is US-centric, as well as Politico, NY Times and MSNBC. These sites generally allow you to sign up and receive a daily or weekly email highlighting new content.

2. For Deeper Analysis

Everyone goes their own way here, so it is up to you to experiment and decide which suits your needs. New Zealand sites include The Conversation, Policy Quarterly, Watchdog of course, Bernard Hickey/Bryce Edwards/Max Rashbrooke's IDEAs blogs hosted on substack, Craig Renney on the Council of Trade Unions (CTU) site, and the Fabians' live speakers and online videos.

In-depth NZ investigations are available through Parliamentary inquiries, various Commissioners and good journalism. You can search corporate annual reports and Government Websites, and there are specialist community organisations which produce research like Child Poverty Action Group and ActionStation. Overseas sources range from Social Europe, Australia's InsideStory, Jacobin magazine, Progressive International, Al Jazeera, Private Eye, Covert Action, The Atlantic to the Brookings Institute. And don't forget your local library!

Wikipedia is always a reliable place to go for the basic facts, and often gives a surprising amount of expert detail. Research and statistical Websites include Researchgate, Google Scholar and Our World In Data. Other specialised sources including economics journals like the Quarterly Journal of Economics, activist-published and faith-based emails and newsletters, and of course good books, see below.

3. Finding A Good Book

To start with, a shout out to the traditional way to find good books - the library, friends, community groups and networks e.g. Te Tiriti - and when you find something good, pass it along. Bookshops, of course, with Christchurch's Scorpio Books and Unity Books in Wellington and Auckland always worth a visit.

If you're not in those three cities, Parnell's Lamplight Books has the most user-friendly Website to scan through their newest arrivals sorted by release date, while Scorpio's categories like Politics and Social Science are also useful. The Listener, Guardian, RNZ podcasts and Websites provide regular book reviews, while specialist publishers like NZ's Bridget Williams Books, Zed, Verso and AKPress may suit your tastes.

4. Joining An Activist Community

Joining a group or campaign and sharing knowledge with new people can't be beaten. Some we're involved with include Palestine and West Papua support groups, ActionStation, Tapatahi, Forest and Bird and Greenpeace, Child Poverty Action Group, CAFCA and the Anti-Bases Campaign. Networks include the Canterbury Progressive Network, Common Good, Tamaki Makaurau Anarchists and Tax Justice Network. And of course we have political parties, misguided though they are.

5. "Following" A Person Or Website

Seven out of ten of us don't "follow" anyone online, but we all know people we respect in our areas of interest. Trusted voices include Murray Horton (Watchdog), John Minto (on The Daily Blog), Tina Ngata (on Patreon), Jane Kelsey, Max Harris, Annette Sykes, Susan St John and other activist contacts via social media.

Only one writer mentioned used social media "shares" for recommended reading; we are probably showing our age here as young people do this much more. And there are always a range of irreverent but thought-provoking blogs which come and go. You may like to try NZ's The Daily Blog, or the overseas PoliticsJOE, Owen Jones, Pod Save America, Pod Save The UK, Gary's Economics, Scotonomics, Byline Times, PushBack Talks or the Arise Festival.

One of the issues though with these online sources is your inbox gets overloaded; they make sure it's easier to join than to unsubscribe. If you're serious about keeping informed, it's worth making the effort to unsubscribe unwanted arrivals. I manage several mailing lists and it's clear that a majority of people today have given up and skim rather than clear their inbox - the downside is you are reliant on your phone, where it's harder to both find good content. The other obvious downside is blogs are time-consuming. Not many of us have time to spare. Blogs may be best saved for when they come up in a search because they are directly linked to your topic of interest. Which brings us to the next section...

6. Web-Search Preferences And Alternatives

We're all noticing the declining accuracy of Google so I asked if anyone knew alternatives. Half of us were frustrated with Google but only one of us regularly used an alternative - DuckDuckGo, because it has no tracking or advertisements. But my primary reason for this survey was to find alternatives to Google, because its results are getting so biased; the Simple Analytics Website summed Googles problems up nicely as "Pay-to-win", i.e. you see whoever pays the most.

So, I did a bit more research and comparative testing to find these reasonable alternatives: Brave Search, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, Ecosia, Swisscows, Qwant and Mojeek. The main reasons to change are that by shifting to a search engine which respects your privacy, you are a) not contributing to the decline of journalism by diverting advertising revenue to Google; b) you don't clutter your screen with advertisements c) your search results won't be optimised to increase your online purchases and addiction.

A user on tech site Reddit clarifies that most of these alternative search engines still get their search results from Google, so their quality will decline as Google declines. And another Reddit geek explains that you need to take time to get used to the prompts which work best in each system, so if you do decide to try something new, stick with it for a while.

Overall, I thought BraveSearch with Brave Browser was perhaps the best full-featured alternative; using the Brave browser on my old computer doesn't seem to overload it by doing whatever Google does in the background to steal your data, and also keeps any open tabs for next time when you shut down. DuckDuckGo will protect your privacy, while combining results from Bing and Google's searches; and Mojeek is the best stripped-back and truly independent searcher.

Mojeek only uses its own Webcrawling and content indexing, not Google's, and won't change your results based on user tracking. And WayBack looks at preserved versions of the older Web, if you can't find something historical via regular searches. Also, one of our writers used AdBlock with Google to remove advertisements, so that's another option. It's free for now, though down the track you'll likely need to pay. This is where it gets tricky. Google for example had an ad-free option I looked at a while back - but because they are stealing so much advertising revenue their charges for ad-free were too expensive for me.

Pay-for-service search sites are also emerging like Kagi (US$10/month) and this may be the way we have to go in the future because you are making a small payment to get the answer you want. Google was never free - the costs were society-wide, not personal - but those social costs are now becoming personal through online addiction and time-wasting. Think about moving on from Facebook, X, Google etc.

7. Stuff Worth Paying For

Nine out of ten of us pay for one or more information sources which we value. That's pretty important, because if we don't pay for worthwhile sources, soon the only sources left standing will be those which steal our data, speech, communications images, patterns of behaviour and expenditure to lift their advertising revenue.

Of all the options mentioned above, Wikipedia stands out as one site which definitely merits our financial support. It is ad-free, unbiased, and behind the Website lies an enormous network of subject-experts who keep that vast repository of global information up to date. All their work is done for free because they understand the importance of freely available information. To use Wikipedia in your search engine of choice, just enter wiki plus whatever terms you are searching for.

8. Time Online?

How long do Watchdog writers average online each day? 3.8 hours. And the average American teen spends nine hours a day. Scary, isn't it. Some days I love it because I find something new and useful, other times I wonder where the time went. We're all learning as we go how best to manage our lives in this online world. One writer had this to say: "I read poetry and novels to stay sane, and I trust my friends for information and suggestions more than anything else". Another said: "I don't think I find enough good info and analysis, and yet it's all too much!!"

9. Data Security

Four of Watchdog's writers haven't changed their computer use to protect their privacy, while six of us had adapted as best we could without being terribly clear about the problems or the solutions. Like you, we're busy people. Our responses ranged across security software, using content and ad blockers, giving out phone numbers and accepting online "friends" with caution, changing search engine, avoiding cloud storage of passwords, not using Facebook or Google for sign-ins, storing files locally rather than in the "cloud" and maintaining backups.

New Developments In Search Engines & Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI and search engines are closely linked, with AI used in several ways. We mostly see it in tools like ChatGPT, which understand questions and deliver answers in everyday language. Earlier search engines searched for your terms in a database created by automated crawling over the entire Internet, then applied their hidden algorithm to give you links to Web pages which best matched your terms. Today's search engines modify searches using a complex profile derived from data collected from your computer and stored in the cloud, delivering results biased towards increasing your time online (level of addiction) and their advertising revenue (view whatever pays the most).

Today's better sites give you a choice of AI or text search; Google's default includes it in the hidden algorithm. And some new sites like Perplexity.ai only construct an answer to your question with AI, no longer giving you a range of links to relevant Websites so you have an informed choice. If you plan to trust your life to tech billionaires this option is for you, otherwise best avoided.

Next, here's my little online experiment to try to answer the very obvious question: "Is my computer spying on me?": Me: "What percent of Windows computers digitise their user's voice to customise search engine responses. Include the information source which informed your answer". ChatGPT: "As of my last update in January 2022, Windows computers do not automatically digitise users' voices to customise search engine responses by default".

"Microsoft's Cortana voice assistant, when enabled, can use voice input to provide personalised responses, but this feature requires explicit user consent and participation. The percentage of Windows computers utilising this feature would depend on the adoption of Cortana and user settings. For the most current and specific information, it's best to refer to Microsoft's official documentation or recent news updates regarding Cortana and Windows features".

Me: "What percentage of Windows users enable Cortana? Include the information source for your answer". ChatGPT: "As of my last update, specific percentages of Windows users enabling Cortana were not readily available. Microsoft periodically releases usage statistics and adoption rates for its features, but these figures can vary over time and are often subject to changes in software updates and user preferences. For the most accurate and up-to-date information on the percentage of Windows users who enable Cortana, you would typically find such data in Microsoft's official reports, press releases, or tech industry analysis reports that track Windows feature adoption rates".

Me: "What are Microsoft's latest usage statistics for Cortana?" ChatGPT: "Microsoft had been gradually shifting the focus of Cortana from a standalone assistant to an integrated productivity tool within Microsoft 365 applications (i.e. you won't see it or have a choice). Microsoft has not regularly published detailed usage statistics for Cortana in recent years, making it challenging to provide the latest figures".

Me: "Can you find any published research on the percent of Windows users who enable Cortana?" ChatGPT: "I don't have the capability to browse the Internet or access real-time databases for the latest research". Me: "I gave up on getting an honest answer from Cortana and Microsoft, instead searching Researchgate for 'Cortana enablement rates in Windows' and 'intelligent personal assistants'. Result: Still no answer but a 2019 paper stated 'intelligent personal assistants are now mainstream' without specific figures. Google's Assistant and Amazon's Alexa were found to be more accurate than Microsoft's Cortana and Apple's Siri".

Me: "Moving to Statista, a site with free summaries of pay-for-view research, I searched for 'digital assistant' and 'voice assistant'. Finally, I got my answer. In 2022, more than 25% of individuals from Western countries indicated using digital voice assistants several times a day. Around half the UK, US and German respondents used voice assistants, with usage highest among adults aged 25-34. The report 'Voice Technology' also included financial analysis showing very rapid growth in the industry".

So, what are the takeaways from this little experiment? Around half of all phone and computer users in richer countries actively use digital voice assistants, one form of AI. More will have the feature switched on and unused, because tech companies set up their interface to deliberately trick you into turning on features which enable them to download your data to generate revenue. All these users will have legally consented, but that consent will be uninformed because tech companies routinely concoct unreadably long and complex conditions with checkboxes you must acknowledge to get past.

Once turned on, these systems routinely digitise your voice and analyse the results. They add in your movement via apps which record your location, financial purchases and product exploration through searches, and serve up targeted advertising on your screen. Their monopoly on this information allows them to force productive companies which actually make real products to pay them for targeted advertising, increasing your living costs.

Here's another way of putting it, heard on an RNZ interview with Frank McCourt, who is funding an alternative Internet which respects privacy: "If we rolled the clock back 20 years and I said to you I'm going to deliver your mail for free, you'd think that's a pretty good deal. But if I told you I was going to put a camera and microphone in every room of your house and in your car and in your workplace, then you'd probably think 'that's crazy, I'm not gonna do that'".

"Or if I said I'll deliver your mail for free and I'm going to open it, and everything I learn about you - your thoughts, your relationships, everything about you, that's mine. You'd say 'well no, that's not fair'. And if I said to you, by the way I'm also going to read your 13-year-old daughter's diary and when I learn she's concerned about her weight I'm gonna feed her links that make her feel worse about it, and I'm gonna sell her stuff, you'd say 'Well that's plain harmful'. We sorta slid into this but we weren't told it was gonna be creepy, we weren't told it was going to be harmful".

Real News You Won't Read

The important facts aren't getting out into the mainstream today. A recent Fabians presentation by CTU economist Craig Renney is a great example. His talk is available on the Fabians Website or via this link and his 47 pages of slides are here.

Among Renney's many points, the following are so relevant to gaps in public political knowledge in this country. Luxon keeps claiming National are better economic managers but over the last 35 years:

• Economic growth averaged 3.1% under Labour governments and 2.6% under National
• Unemployment was 4.9% under Labour and 6.9% under National

One more party difference I'd also highlight. We have a huge NZ Super investment fund set up to meet the cost of future superannuation benefits as our population ages. National didn't pay in when last in office, citing the Global Financial Crisis as their reason to not contribute right up to 2017. Laughable. Labour contributed through covid.

Now the conservatives are in again, with National campaigning in 2020 on stopping contributions again, then reversing their policy to get elected in 2023. Nothing has changed in what they believe in though - cut Government to create gaps for easy private profits - and I'm betting their coalition will find an excuse to cut NZ Super contributions again. After all, quick profits to landlords and keeping house prices astronomical are more important to their rich backers than basic pensions they don't need.

Again, the US, UK and NZ conservatives keep claiming neoliberalism works when the facts don't back them. From 1980 to 2022, big national differences in economic policy were clearly major drivers of differences in national income growth. While neoliberalism kicked in for us, China's gross domestic product (GDP) per person raced ahead (10.0, or ten times 1980 by 2022), Oman (7.4), South Korea (6.8), Taiwan (6.3), Norway (3.7) and Australia (2.3) had faster economic growth; while free-market economies in the US (2.0), UK and NZ (1.9) all stayed below the global average (2.3) (Our World In Data, Maddison Project Database).

But There'll Be More Fake NZ News

To conclude, take care on the Internet, it's a jungle out there. Test your Net-savvy with this outrageous example of fake local news: Someone spent time making this Webpage look convincing, but there are giveaways even before you start reading. Note the recycled photo from the 2022 anti-vax occupation at Parliament, the three related stories at right which all promote Sharesies, and the dodgy Web address bmaybear.info at the top. Reading further into the story was hilarious: "The (RNZ) episode featuring Hayley Holt was swiftly removed from all television channels and online platforms within half an hour of its airing. However, our editorial team managed to obtain a copy of the interview".

Deleted Recording From The AM Show

Ryan Bridge: "I've always been curious about your source of income. After all, it's impossible for TV presenters to afford the luxurious lifestyle you have on their salaries alone. So, be honest: do you have a new wealthy admirer?" Hayley Holt: "Everything I have now, I've earned myself. It's just that work isn't my only source of income" ... (the scam goes on and on - but let's cut to the punchline) ...

Ryan Bridge handed over his smartphone. Hayley Holt didn't know that all her actions were being recorded on camera. She opened this link on the host's phone, entered his details, topped up the account with $405, and answered a call. Ryan Bridge: "What did you just do?" Hayley Holt: "I registered you on the Immediate Altex platform and activated the account over the phone".

"Then, I topped up your account balance with $405 - this is the minimum amount needed for the programme to work. Let's see how much you can earn in half an hour". Ryan Bridge: "What is this platform and why didn't you tell everyone about it earlier?" Hayley Holt: "It's an artificial intelligence-based programme, like Chat GPT, but for making money. It can trade stocks, currency, and bonds, and it does so a hundred times more effectively than any trader". Ryan Bridge: "I heard about similar developments. But as far as I know, they're supposed to be confidential. Yet, you've just openly shared where our viewers can register".

Hayley Holt: "How will they register without a link to the Immediate Altex? Believe me, it's not that easy to find. I'm not about to tell just anyone, it could harm our country's economy". Ryan Bridge: "You know that when you took my phone, the camera captured the link you used to register? Everyone has already seen it, so your secret source of income is no longer secret". Hayley Holt: "You need to cut this off the air. If people start using this platform, it could cause serious issues for both of us".

Ryan Bridge: "What are you so afraid of?" Hayley Holt: "Just think about it! If everyone starts earning thousands of dollars a day on the Immediate Altex platform, people would start quitting their regular jobs. Why would they work eight hours a day when a programme can earn much more for them?" ... on it goes, finishing with "There's nothing better than Immediate Altex! If I hadn't withdrawn my profits, $405 would have turned into a million in 11 weeks".

Short instructions on how to start earning on Immediate Altex: Use this link provided by Hayley Holt. Your personal manager will contact you shortly after registration. Top up your balance. The minimum deposit to start the programme is $405. Control your profits with a personal assistant. Withdraw your income to any bank card. VISIT OFFICIAL SITE ... (relax, you're safe, there are no live links in this article!)

You may laugh, but it is rather cunning. Note the appeal to not needing your (crappy) day job, the rationale for $405 as the minimum "for the programme to work" (the maximum a poor person might risk), the warning not to withdraw your profits because "$405 would have turned into a million" (to avoid attempted withdrawals which would expose their scam of fake profit notifications). It's a dangerous online world out there, even when it's just wasting your precious time!

Watchdog - 166 August 2024