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In late 2019 I joined 50 people in a debate sponsored by Braver Angels . The mission of this organization is to bring politically diverse people together in civic dialogue in order to depolarize US politics. It is one of a growing number of "building bridges" groups.  This particular debate focused on Medicare for All . The debate followed parliamentary procedure. The rules were modified to exclude voting, or any activity that would determine winners, losers, and/or promote a specific truth. Rather, according to the organizers, the aim was to create a space for the collective search for truth, and in so doing, foster civility, communality and respect. Participants were asked to act in good faith and assume the same about others. In private pre-debate correspondence with the organizers, participants were required to identify with a political side. Half the attendees identified themselves as conservative, the other half liberal, but none of us were told who believed what. Parti...

In September of 2018, Facebook reported that the accounts of 50 million members had been hacked. Many suspected criminals or a hostile state, but it turns out that spammers committed the attack. This development suggests a new front in the battle for social network security; threats that not only come from rogue nations and criminals but, now, unscrupulous advertisers. Facebook has taken some steps to fix vulnerabilities, though historically, countermeasures on the interface side proceed more slowly than violations. Technical tips for how to change passwords, permissions, and login authentication have come online to help users protect themselves from future intrusions. There are some additional steps you can take to improve your account security. You should consider changing what you post and how you respond to individuals in your network. Advanced spamming software can interpret both the content and sentiment of comments. What you post, how you write, and what you “like” factor signif...