Theodore Stone

MA Philosophy student at the University of Amsterdam and Freelance Writer. Primarily interested in technology, digital culture, human rights and devolution. Will regulate Facebook for food and play bass for rail tickets.

RightsInfo •

Do We Have a Right to Be Forgotten Online?

Last week the European Court of Justice considered a potential landmark case to determine people’s “right to be forgotten” online. The case is seen as central to the ongoing debate over whether personal privacy should be considered more important than the public interest. Judges heard from several stakeholders, including lawyers representing the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CINL – France’s data protection agency), Google, and human rights groups.
RightsInfo •

It Turns Out People Might Be Able To Inherit Your Facebook Messages When You Die

In a landmark ruling, Germany’s highest court has allowed two parents to inherit their deceased daughter’s Facebook account and messages. So, what does this mean for our right to privacy? The court ruled in favour of the parents, who wanted to determine whether their 15-year-old daughter’s death was a suicide or accidental (she was killed by an underground train in 2012). Previously, privacy concerns meant that social media accounts remained locked – even after someone’s death.
Left Foot Forward •

Why it’s time to regulate the ‘big data’ giants

Mark Zuckerberg's EU hearing was little more than window-dressing. It's time for governments to look at breaking up the online monopolies. This week advocates of reforming ‘big data’ suffered a loss at the European Parliament – with Mark Zuckerberg’s appearance before MEPs described by the New Statesman’s Nicky Wolf as “half an apology, half a victory lap.” Between a vague set of answers, incoherent questioning and an assured brand of listening, Zuckerberg emerged unharmed from what many previ
CityMetric •

Airbnb is getting blamed for Amsterdam’s housing crisis. So the city council is going to war against Airbnb | CityMetric

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: a major European City in the midst of a housing crisis has started to crack down on one of the quintessential brands in the ‘gig economy’. We heard this story back in September, when London stripped Uber of their operating license. This time, however, it’s Amsterdam and Airbnb’s turn to pass the buck. Like London, Amsterdam is struggling with housing. A study published by the University of Amsterdam in 2016 found that, over a 12 month period, house prices in
CityMetric •

The government of Jersey once tried to build its own bridge to France | CityMetric

If you’ve been keeping up with the latest shenanigans from what we must currently call the British government, you might have heard that Boris Johnson would like a bridge to France. Ignoring his desire to pull the country as far away from the European continent as he can in every sense except geography (at least, for now), this isn’t the first time somebody has proposed that the Isles be linked to France by sea. About a decade ago, the Channel Island of Jersey (New Jersey’s estranged parent) sa
RightsInfo •

Did The State Violate The Windrush Generation's Rights?

Thousands of people in the UK who arrived as children in the first wave of Commonwealth immigration were threatened with deportation, in a scandal that has forced apologies from multiple branches of the government. The people in question arrived in the UK through the Immigration Act (1971), which allowed Commonwealth citizens already living in the UK to remain indefinitely. There are estimated to be around 50,000 long-term UK residents affected by this issue. Members of the ‘Windrush Generatio
Progress •

Why universal basic income could do more harm than good – Progress | Centre-left Labour politics

Universal basic income is not a silver bullet for inequality, writes Theo Stone The idea of a universal basic income has become a mainstay hypothetical for the political left. The Green party has been running with the concept for several years now, giving it a prime position in their 2017 manifesto. Meanwhile, shadow chancellor John McDonnell has repeatedly expressed interest in the idea, going so far as to call it ‘an idea whose time may well have come.’ The historical roots of UBI run deep,
RightsInfo •

Grindr Under Fire for Sharing Users' HIV Status With Other Companies

The LGBT+ dating app Grindr has been forced to defend itself, after it was revealed the company had been providing users’ data, including their HIV statuses, to other companies. Buzzfeed reported that two companies – Appitimize and Localytics – received a variety of information that the apps’ users choose to include in their profiles, which includes their HIV status and their “last tested date.” They were also given access to their GPS location, gender, age, phone IDs, relationship status, and
RightsInfo •

Apple Announces Accessibility Emojis And We, For One, Are Delighted

Apple has created 13 new emojis to better represent people with disabilities, after an online search analysis revealed a high demand for diversity emojis. Last week Apple submitted a proposal to the emoji reference website Emojipedia (which if you haven’t visited already, is an emoji-lover’s dream) for a new range of accessibility emojis. Thirteen new emojis were submitted (43 after taking into account skin tone options), including a guide and service dog, people using both mechanical and manua
RightsInfo •

Turns Out Spies Are Above the Law

If there’s one thing we know about human rights and the law, it’s that no one is above it, right? Turns out, that’s not quite true. The government has recently revealed that agents of The Security Service, more famously known as MI5, are allowed to carry out criminal activity within the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister, Theresa May, has published a previously secret order on the governance of crimes committed by the Service. The order, known as the ‘Third Direction’, which dates back to 2014
RightsInfo •

There are Just 10 Stages to a Genocide. We Need to Start Paying Attention.

During the 20th Century alone, we have witnessed the death of millions of people as a result of genocide and systematic mass murder. This includes some 1.5 million Armenians, 3 million Ukrainians, 6 million Jews, 250,000 Gypsies, 6 million Slavs, 25 million Russians, and 25 million Chinese. Then are are 1 million Ibos, 1.5 million Bengalis, 200,000 Guatemalans, and 1.7 million Cambodians. 500,000 Indonesians have died, along with 200,000 East Timorese, 250,000 Burundians, 800,000 Rwandans, and
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