Indeed. One thing I would really like to see and frankly, it is needed with urgency is a Twitter clone strictly for Gov use. Hosted, maintained and managed by US Gov. It can be used by local fire departments to federally appointed officials and politicians alike.
The idea that Twitter, a private company, requires me to provide them personal information (phone number and OTP verification), to sell ads and to access, sometimes exclusively hosted Gov content needs to end. Politicians won’t use it, for that a new law is required. I really don’t want Elon vs Elizabeth Warren bullshit. Politicians need to be shamed into submission.
It’s really interesting to hear this - because I spend a lot of time in rooms with emergency managers who ask “how can we meet people where they are to get the message out?”
What you are describing sounds a lot like an emergency weather radio - if you live in the US and don’t have one, please get one. It is reliable, fast, fault tolerant and easy to “tune” for the alerts that are relevant for you. Also - they carry non-weather alerts for terror attacks or other events.
Something similar for the digital space would be amazing . It’s an idea that was knocked around when FirstNet was created in the 700mhz space, but never really had legs.
It would be great, but will never happen because of the nature of modern reporting and PR.
Generally speaking, any communication coming out of a Federal agency has been run through exec, counsel, public information office, and security at a minimum. At the state and local level, that includes plastering the executive’s name in anything good. (ie “Governor Dingleberry announced today that the sun will rise in the east tommorrow.”)
Additionally, civil servants can only be punished for doing their jobs. There is literally no upside for the people who know what they are talking about to speak.
Honestly, Twitter in some ways has been a benefit. In the 90s, you had to take a leap of fate that a rando congressman was a lunatic, fascist, moron, etc. (ie. The guy is a dentist, how dumb could he be?) Now, like the proverbial vegans, they tell you.
You have to open everything in new tabs. Most navigation that would happen inside of their SPA gets cancelled when you close the login box that it prompts.
> sometimes exclusively hosted Gov content needs to end.
but then do you somehow draw a line somewhere arbitrarily on internet access as the requirement that the citizens have to privately provide for themselves? You currently have to pay for it, and if you don't, you also don't get access to the exclusively hosted gov content on the net.
Of course, i'm exaggerating, since the ISP "should" not have the ability to censor this content.
I think for important announcements, channels such as radio or emergency broadcasts is the way to go. For discussions and other political content, the gov should not mandate a specific place for it - and leave it up to the people's choices.
The idea that Twitter, a private company, requires me to provide them personal information (phone number and OTP verification), to sell ads and to access, sometimes exclusively hosted Gov content needs to end. Politicians won’t use it, for that a new law is required. I really don’t want Elon vs Elizabeth Warren bullshit. Politicians need to be shamed into submission.