The Seybold Report

The Newsletter Read by Graphic Arts Professionals Worldwide

Category: Publishing

Authors Guild Condemns Utah’s Alarming Statewide Book Ban

August 21, 2024 /

On August 20, 2024 the Authors Guild published a press release concerning the state’s book ban and the Guild’s reaction. Here we present portions of the press release; please click on the link to read the full text.

In an alarming escalation of an ongoing trend toward censorship, Utah has become the first state to implement a sweeping, statewide ban on specific book titles in public schools. The law, which took effect on July 1, 2024, is part of a disturbing nationwide trend that has drawn fierce criticism from free speech advocates, including the Authors Guild and the American Library Association (ALA).

Also concerning are the implementation guidelines, which require that banned materials be “legally disposed of” (unlike laws in other states which require that materials be moved to where minors cannot access them) and prohibit their sale or distribution. This language eerily echoes historical instances of book burning and suppression of ideas.

The Utah State Board of Education’s newly released “No-Read List” spans an astonishing range of literature. Works by beloved children’s author Judy Blume, acclaimed poet Rupi Kaur, and the widely celebrated Margaret Atwood are among 13 titles now prohibited in all public school classrooms and libraries across the state.

The ALA’s latest report reveals an unprecedented surge in book bans, with the number of titles targeted for censorship increasing by 65% in 2023 compared to the previous year. This escalation has reached the highest levels ever documented by the ALA, with efforts made to censor 4,240 unique book titles in schools and libraries.

Let Utah Read, a coalition of organizations, librarians, teachers, and parents, has launched a petition to “fix the ‘sensitive materials’ law.” Their goal is to amend HB 29 and stop the banning of books across the state.

Sign the Petition

In addition to legal action, the Authors Guild has engaged in educational efforts, hosting webinars on book banning and censorship featuring authors whose works have faced challenges, particularly those from LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities. As part of the National Coalition Against Censorship, the Guild has signed numerous letters urging school boards to reconsider removing books from library shelves without due process.

Editor’s Note: these are the books Utah has banned in this latest censorship insanity (we do not think it is any coincidence, by the way, most of these books were written by women #rampantmisogeny).

  • A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
  • A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas
  • A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
  • “A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
  • What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold
  • A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
  • Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur
  • Forever by Judy Blume
  • Tilt by Ellen Hopkins
  • Fallout (Crank, Book 3) by Ellen Hopkins
  • Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
  • Blankets by Craig Thompson
  • Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

How the Graphic Arts Industry Should React to QR Code Mis-use

January 4, 2024 /

In early December 2023 the United States Federal Trade Commission issued a statement (see below for the full text) regarding the use and mis-use of QR codes. The Seybold Report first started writing about the incorporation of QR codes in print and digital projects nearly 20 years ago, and today the graphic arts industry routinely uses them and advises customers to use them. We have some suggestions for how the industry (including printers, publishers, and graphic artists) should react to the growing use of QR codes for illegal and nefarious purposes.

  • We would like to see the industry become proactive in this issue, rather than reacting to whatever is happening. In other words, get out in front and do something to help rather than following behind muttering and sputtering about it. Technology can be used to help make QR code user safer. Let’s do that.
  • We would also like to see the industry be open about the possibilities for mis-use, which opens up the door to then talking about what the industry is doing to prevent or mitigate the potential for mis-use. For example, something as simple as making sure customers who use QR codes get a copy of the statement below along with a letter reassuring them how they can prevent such issues.

For example, underneath the QR code on a printed document there could be an image of the website which should appear when the document is scanned and the correct URL. Or, the document could say, “We will never send you an email containing a QR code. If you get such an email, do not click on the code or any links in the email and contact us immediately.”

In other words:

  • acknowledge the threats,
  • educate customers,
  • work with others in your industry and the technology industry to combat QR code mis-use, and
  • develop and employ effective counter-measures.

If your company is involved in any of these activities including educating customers and employing counter-measures, we would like to hear about what you are doing and how you are doing it. We would very much like to write about these efforts in the Seybold Report.

QR codes seem to be everywhere. You may have scanned one to see the menu at a restaurant or pay for public parking. And, you may have used one on your phone to get into a concert or sporting event, or to board a flight. There are countless other ways to use them, which explains their popularity. Unfortunately, scammers hide harmful links in QR codes to steal personal information. Here’s what to know.

  • they lie and say they couldn’t deliver your package and you need to contact them to reschedule;
  • they pretend like there’s a problem with your account and you need to confirm your information; and
  • they lie, saying they noticed suspicious activity on your account, and you need to change your password.

These are all lies they tell you to create a sense of urgency. They want you to scan the QR code and open the URL without thinking about it.

A scammer’s QR code could take you to a spoofed site that looks real but isn’t. And, if you log in to the spoofed site, the scammers could steal any information you enter. Or, the QR code could install malware that steals your information before you realize it.

So how can you protect yourself?

  • If you see a QR code in an unexpected place, inspect the URL before you open it. If it looks like a URL you recognize, make sure it’s not spoofed — look for misspellings or a switched letter.
  • Don’t scan a QR code in an email or text message you weren’t expecting — especially if it urges you to act immediately. If you think the message is legitimate, use a phone number or website you know is real to contact the company.
  • Protect your phone and accounts. Update your phone’s OS to protect against hackers and protect your online accounts with strong passwords and multi-factor authentication.
United states federal trade commission statement, december 6, 2023

Google and Meta Could Owe United States Publishers Billions of Dollars

December 7, 2023 /

According to a working paper published in November by the Poynter Institute, Google and Meta could owe publishers in the United States billions of dollars. This finding would not be a surprise to any publisher who has worked in the industry since the two companies spun out their first websites. If your company does any kind of publishing on the Web, this is a must-read document.

Here is how the Executive Summary of the 46-page paper replete with footnotes, charts, and graphs get the presentation underway, “This paper estimates the payment that Facebook and Google Search platforms would owe to news publishers for the use of news content, if the Journalism Competition & Preservation Act (JCPA) comes into force. Existing deals made between these platforms and news publishers do not capture the full value generated by news content on the platforms. Using game theoretical insights into cooperative bargaining in cases where there is jointly-created value, we find a compelling case for a large payment from platforms to news publishers.”

“Our contributions are not only that we provide a dollar amount for what is owed – which we estimate at between US$11.9 billion and US$13.9 billion a year in the United States – but also that we detail our methodology to enable others to replicate our work or use our approach to calculate a ‘fair payment’ to publishers in other markets. We benchmark our estimates against recent agreements between news outlets and Google and Meta (previously known as Facebook), as well as with a database of licensing agreements made over recent decades for similar content-based products.”

Key Findings

  • Using game theoretical insights into cooperative bargaining in cases where value is jointly created, we find a compelling case for a large payment from platforms to news publishers.
  • We first estimate (using a conservative assumption), that Facebook owes US$1.9 billion to US publishers annually for use of their content on its platform.
  • We estimate that US$10–12 billion is owed by Google to US news publishers annually.
  • Using existing platform-publisher agreements around the world as a benchmark, we find that a fair revenue split would give news publishers 50% of news-related revenue earned by Google and Facebook.
  • We document that Google and Facebook are making payments to publishers around the world that are vastly below our estimates of a “fair payment”.

The Future of Online Publishing?

October 19, 2023 /

Please, please tell us this recent LinkedIn post* is not indicative of the future of online publishing, digital publishing, or (indeed) publishing in general. If it is, it is not just the “guy down the street” who is going to suffer. If it is, we are all going to be buried under a mass of auto-generated vapid content, at best, and more likely, an avalanche of useless, error-ridden poppycock.

linkedin post

*We erased the LinkedIn’s user’s profile information and also part of the URL that might have indicated something about their identity. We wish to point out a potential problem–not shame any individuals.

ISSN: 1533-9211

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