397
Nearly a decade after the Cambridge Analytica scandal, New Mexico alone is taking Facebook to trial
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 10 Sep 2026
397 points (99.3% liked)
Technology
87949 readers
3208 users here now
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
Our Rules
- Follow the lemmy.world rules.
- Only tech related news or articles.
- Be excellent to each other!
- Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
- Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
- Politics threads may be removed.
- No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
- Only approved bots from the list below, this includes using AI responses and summaries. To ask if your bot can be added please contact a mod.
- Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed
- Accounts 7 days and younger will have their posts automatically removed.
Approved Bots
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
I think you misunderstand the spoiler effect. It's working as designed.
The problem is how we vote, not who is on the ballot. As long as the winner is going to be the one with the most votes, then more contenders will mean the winner will have a smaller overall share.
The margin in Florida for the 2000 election was so small that if half of the Nader voters voted for Gore, Gore would've been the clear winner of the state and thus the country. Both left-leaning, environmentalist candidates.
But, like you, they let good be the enemy of perfect, and incidently got us Bush, who was (checks notes) much worse for the environment.
Third parties, in this system, only serve as tools of the opposing major political party. They are absolutely worthless for any progress at the federal level. Do you think a green president could actually get anything done without a green coalition in congress, or among Governors?
There are only three paths for third parties to ascend:
This is way. I mean if you are going to vote otherwise vote third party to help them get that 5% mark for federal funding and better ballot access.
But honestly we have to choose the most effective strats at all levels. Vote in the primaries Dems for progress or repubs for harm reduction choices. Vote for local politics where shit actually gets done. Vote state level where voting changes and law enforcement actually gets decided. Vote for the best of the two if your state is close, vote third if the worst evil is slated to land slide your state.
Get support and support mutual aid. Join resistance networks. Support your community and worker coops. Boycott everything that supports evil where you can. Etc etc.
Honestly it seems like a lot but most of the nations politics don't fucking matter. Filter for politicians that are on your ballot boxes otherwise they are just idealogues you like to listen too. AOC and John Thune are like 80% relevant for most Americans. They can't vote for or against them.
God that 5% is just such flagrant bait, too.
Yeah, that seems achievable...on the surface.
Except almost every presidential election of my lifetime was less than a 5% margin to begin with. With the exception of Reagan, every single one has been <10%.
That 5% is legit the most important part of the fucking election. And it's a carrot to draw out "enlightened centrists" who can't see past their own eyebrows.
If the greens get it, it's essentially a "thanks for the assist!" from the Republicans, no matter what...because that margin is enough to enable them to win.
And the way this government is going, do you think they'd even see the money 4 years later?
I don't have anything nice or kind to say to you in response to this screed.
So I'll just say: have a nice day.