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
The EFF reports:
In the 1990s, the tobacco industry attempted to use federal law to override a broad swath of existing state laws and prevent states from future action on those areas. For Big Tobacco, it was the “Accommodation Program,” a national campaign ultimately aimed to override state indoor smoking laws with weaker federal law. Big Tech is now attempting this with federal privacy bills, like the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA), that would preempt many state privacy laws.
Preemption Playbook: Big Tech’s Blueprint Comes Straight from Big Tobacco
The response to Russia’s War Crimes and other douchebaggery
Radio Free Europe reports:
U.S. To Announce New Sanctions To Curb Russia’s War Machine
Chinese Drone Companies Targeted By Latest U.S. Sanctions
The Register has:
Uncle Sam puts $10M bounty on Russian troll farm Rybar
Linus Torvalds affirms expulsion of Russian maintainers
You gotta love his quote.
Ukraine cyber cops collar man who allegedly hooked citizens up to Russian internet
Gary Marcus proposes generative AI boycott to push for regulation, tame Silicon Valley
NPR reports:
The DOJ charged a former Indian intelligence official in a foiled assassination plot
Tech Policy reports:
US Commerce Department Steps Up To Protect Human Rights, But More Can Be Done
Google Search Antitrust Ruling is a Triumph for Behavioral Economics
White House AI Memo Promises to Balance National Security Interests with Privacy and Human Rights
Vivaldi is:
You should use it or Librewolf.
TechDirt reports:
TechCrunch reports:
SEC fines four companies $7M for ‘misleading cyber disclosures’ regarding SolarWinds hack
UK competition regulator to investigate Alphabet’s investment in Anthropic
All mobile phones must be hearing aid compatible under new FCC rules
As an old fuck I endorse this move.
Ars Technica reports:
EU considers calculating X fines by including revenue from Musk’s other firms
The Center for Democracy and Technology reports:
CDT Europe Leads Coalition to Combat Spyware Abuse Across the EU
Aim your eyes at Israel first.
The AI-Generated Product Reviews Choking the Internet Are Now Illegal
CNN reports:
The Irish Times reports:
Microsoft-owned LinkedIn fined €310m by Irish Data Protection Commission
The Evil Empire Strikes Back
Ars Technica reports:
Judge slams Florida for censoring political ad: “It’s the First Amendment, stupid”
As a resident I can tell you the whole state’s apparatus is nothing but stupid.
Freedom House reports:
Freedom on the Net 2024: The Struggle for Trust Online
The Washington Post reports:
American creating deepfakes targeting Harris works with Russian intel, documents show
The Texas Observer reports:
Border 911: The Misinformation Network Profiting Off the ‘Invasion’ Narrative
404 Media reports:
Inside the U.S. Government-Bought Tool That Can Track Phones at Abortion Clinics
These c^nts are giving the Israelis a run for their money.
Pariah States
NPR reports:
U.S. intel officials say Russia is behind attempts to smear Tim Walz
The Kyiv Independent reports:
How Russia attempted to steal Moldovan election, referendum, and what comes next
BleepingComputer reports:
Amazon seizes domains used in rogue Remote Desktop campaign to steal data
DarkReading reports:
Russia-Linked Hackers Attack Japan’s Govt, Ports
Russian Trolls Pose as Reputable Media to Sow US Election Chaos
Russia’s APT29 Mimics AWS to Steal Windows Credentials
Lazarus Group Exploits Chrome Zero-Day in Latest Campaign
On a similar note, BleepingComputer reports:
Undercover North Korean IT workers now steal data, extort employers
Hackers exploit Roundcube webmail flaw to steal email, credentials
404 Media reports:
Hackers Advertise Stolen Verizon Push-to-Talk ‘Call Logs’
The Intercept reports:
Meta’s Israel Policy Chief Tried to Suppress Pro-Palestinian Instagram Posts
Big Media
Tech Policy reports:
Independent Researchers and Journalists Mourn the Loss of CrowdTangle
Fuck Zuck.
Jeff Jarvis looks at:
The Columbia Journalism Review has:
Los Angeles Times editorials editor resigns after owner blocks presidential endorsement
The Wrap has more:
What can you expect with a South African, Chinese, billionaire owner.
The Verge reports:
Jeff Bezos reportedly killed the Washington Post’s Kamala Harris endorsement
Jeff Bozzos gets in on the cowardice action.
Big Tech
Unfortunately, there is a lot of douchebaggery in the Tech section this week.
The Atlantic reports:
Big Tech Has Given Itself an AI Deadline
Why are AI execs suddenly saying that superintelligence is just around the corner? Because people are realizing generative AI is horseshit.
The Register reports:
Gary Marcus proposes generative AI boycott to push for regulation, tame Silicon Valley
Yes.
Tech Policy reports:
Unmasking Big Tech’s AI Policy Playbook: A Warning to Global South Policymakers
404 Media reports:
Employees Describe an Environment of Paranoia and Fear Inside Automattic Over WordPress Chaos
MotherfuckerMatt has really gone off the deep end. Like another C^nt we all know.
Speaking of, here’s This Week in Musk C^ntitry.
404 Media Reports:
TechCrunch reports:
Elon Musk’s X is changing its privacy policy to allow third parties to train AI on your posts
The Inquirer opines:
Agreed.
NBC reports:
Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro: Law enforcement should ‘take a look at’ Elon Musk voter payments
The Atlantic reports:
Trump Is Elon Musk’s Trojan Horse
Talking Points Memo reports:
Elon Musk’s Fake Sites and Fake Texts Impersonating the Harris Campaign
The Guardian reports:
As Silicon Valley eyes US election, Elon Musk is not the only tech bro to worry about
Blood in the Machine reports:
Elon Musk’s tech projects are inseparable from his authoritarian one
The Kyiv Independent reports:
Musk has been in contact with Putin, Russian officials since 2022, WSJ reports
TechDirt reports:
Lies, Damned Lies, And Elon Musk
On a similar note, James Fallow reports:
Election Countdown, 17 Days to Go: Ground Truths That Matter.
The New York Times reports:
How Tech Billionaires Became the G.O.P.’s New Donor Class
Bad News: We’ve Lost Control of Our Social Media Feeds. Good News: Courts Are Noticing.
Ars Technica reports:
Google, Microsoft, and Perplexity promote scientific racism in AI search results
Terrorists
Arizona’s Family reports:
Man behind Phoenix-area political threats had huge stash of guns, ammo, police say
Cybersecurity/Privacy
TechCrunch reports:
Feds arrest man who allegedly participated in hack of the SEC’s X account, boosting Bitcoin’s price
Bleeping Computer reports:
Microsoft creates fake Azure tenants to pull phishers into honeypots
DarkReading reports:
Anti-Bot Services Help Cybercrooks Bypass Google ‘Red Page’
Bitdefender reports:
AI chatbots can be tricked by hackers into stealing your data
GEANT has:
Fediverse
The Fediverse Report has:
Last Week in Fediverse – ep 89
IFTAS shares:
Fediverse Moderators 2024 Survey – Early Highlights
The Privacy Nexus lists:
9 things the Social Web Foundation could do to prioritize safety (if they decide they want to)
Which at this point they don’t.
Tech Policy has:
Governing the Fediverse: A Field Study
Wreckage/Salvage is:
Revealing the Fediverse’s Gifts
Ben Werdmuller is:
Helping to build the open social web
Bengo explores:
The Challenge of ActivityPub Data Portability
For Better examines:
Building a platform that sticks
Mobilizon has an update:
Tech Crunch reports:
The Fediverse is getting its own TikTok competitor called Loops
The EFF asks:
What’s the Difference Between Mastodon, Bluesky, and Threads?
Paths and Patches looks at:
Addition, magic, community: Bluesky & the Fediverse.
Other Federated Social Media
Mashable reports:
Bluesky gains half a million new users in one day after X changes how blocking works
White Wind explains:
Bluesky, and what Bluesky is not.
TechCrunch reports:
Bluesky raises $15M Series A, plans to launch subscriptions
Enshittification coming soon.
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
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