Welcome to this week’s “Defending Democracy”.
It’s your source for curated news affecting democracy in the cyber arena with a focus on protecting democracy. That necessitates an opinionated Butlerian jihad against big tech as well as evangelizing for open-source and the Fediverse. Since big media’s journalism wing is flailing and failing in its core duty to democracy, this is also a collection of alternative reporting on the eternal battle between autocracy and democracy. We also cover the cybersecurity world. You can’t be free without safety and privacy.
DD comes out on Thursday and is updated through the end of day on Friday. Then we start over. So take your time in perusing it and check back in over the weekend.
FYI, my opinions will be in bold. And will often involve cursing. Because humans. Especially tech bros. And fascists.
Featured Item
Joan Westenberg writes:
60+ nations. Half the world’s population. One game-changing technology.
From Sri Lanka to Germany to the US, this year’s global elections aren’t just about choosing leaders. They’re the start of an era where artificial intelligence could make or break democracy.
Generative AI — ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Meta’s chatbots — are more than parlor tricks. For all the hype, for all the breathless promises, these LLMs, chatbots and tools are powerful catalysts, and they’re poised to transform popular governance.
The stakes?
Nothing less than the future of free and fair voting worldwide.
The AI Election: Will Artificial Intelligence Reshape Democracy?
The response to Russia’s War Crimes and other douchebaggery
The Observer opines:
In tackling Vladimir Putin’s web of troll farms and hackers, we have one advantage: democracy
The Kyiv Independent reports:
Ukraine’s military intelligence hacks Russian finance industry, source says
TechCrunch reports:
Meta faces data retention limits on its EU ad business after top court ruling
The Register reports:
Brazilian court sprays Musk’s X with more fines for returning after ban
World Wide Web Foundation closes so Tim Berners-Lee can spend more time with his protocol, Solid
Dark Reading reports:
DoJ Charges 3 Iranian Hackers in Political ‘Hack & Leak’ Campaign
Tech Policy has:
September 2024 US Tech Policy Roundup
Nextcloud reports:
Germany recognises Microsoft as tech giant
Euro News reports:
German authorities arrest AfD-linked Chinese spy for allegedly leaking military flight details
The Evil Empire Strikes Back
Tech Policy reports:
What AfD’s Dark Campaign in Germany Tells Us About Disinformation
404 Media reports:
Paypal Opted You Into Sharing Data Without Your Knowledge
Someone Put Facial Recognition Tech onto Meta’s Smart Glasses to Instantly Dox Strangers
A Network of AI ‘Nudify’ Sites Are a Front for Notorious Russian Hackers
The Register reports:
California governor vetoes controversial AI safety law, tells everyone to start over
NPR reports:
A Cambodian reporter who exposed scams is charged over online posts
Pariah States
The Guardian reports:
Russia’s FSB protected Evil Corp gang that carried out Nato cyber-attacks
The Register reports:
Evil Corp’s deep ties with Russia and NATO member attacks exposed
If you’re holding important data, Iran is probably trying spearphish it
Bloomberg reports:
Moldova Says Russia Channeling Millions to Thwart EU Path
Dark Reading reports:
DPRK’s APT37 Targets Cambodia With Khmer, ‘VeilShell’ Backdoor
China-Backed APT Group Culling Thai Government Data
North Korea’s ‘Stonefly’ APT Swarms US Private Co’s. for Profit
Big Media
The Philadelphia Inquirer asks:
How unhinged must Trump get to even matter?
Big Tech
Joan Westenberg writes:
Reddit’s Anti-Protest Policy Exposed
TechCrunch has:
The lawmaker behind California’s vetoed AI bill, SB 1047, has harsh words for Silicon Valley
Meta won’t say whether it trains AI on smart glasses photos
The Markup reports:
How Meta Brings in Millions Off Political Violence
Ars Technica reports:
X fails to avoid Australia child safety fine by arguing Twitter doesn’t exist
Terrorists
404 Media reports:
Internal Emails From Springfield Show What Happened After Trump’s Debate
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project reports:
The Guardian reports:
Far-right extremists flee from Telegram to SimpleX over privacy features
Cybersecurity/Privacy
TechCrunch reports:
How the FBI and Mandiant caught a ‘serial hacker’ who tried to fake his own death
Dark Reading reports:
Cyberattackers Use HR Targets to Lay More_Eggs Backdoor
Near-‘perfctl’ Fileless Malware Targets Millions of Linux Servers
Ars Technica reports:
Systems used by courts and governments across the US riddled with vulnerabilities
The Register reports:
Cloud threats have execs the most freaked out because they’re not prepared
Radio Free Europe reports:
U.S. Says It Disrupted Russian Hacking Group
Fediverse
The Fediverse Report has:
Elena Rossini opines:
Beyond technical features: why we need to talk about the values of the Fediverse (part 1)
Internet Exchange reports on:
Unfortunately, they let the c^nts from Meta join.
WordPress opines:
The Future of the Social Web Is in Good Hands
We Distribute
Mastodon Announces Fediverse Discovery Providers
MacStories has:
Croissant: A Beautifully-Designed App for Cross-Posting to Multiple Social Media Accounts
Ghost has an update:
Search, profiles, and beta plans
TechCrunch reports:
Threads users can now see who follows them from other fediverse servers
Other Federated Social Media
Last Week in the ATmosphere # – Oct 24 week 1
CTAs (aka show us some free love)
- That’s it for this week. Please share this edition of Defending Democracy.
- Follow me on the Fediverse. Or this site via the button in the footer. Or RSS.
- Or follow Battalion on Bluesky
Ringleader, Battalion
Reuben Walker
Follow me on the Fediverse
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.