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. Unfortunately, the same applies for corporate journalism and media. We also cover the cybersecurity world. You can’t be free without safety and privacy.
It 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 Guardian writes:
Forget Hollywood depictions of gun-toting robots running wild in the streets – the reality of artificial intelligence is far more dangerous, warns the historian and author in an exclusive extract from his new book.
The division of the world into rival digital empires dovetails with the political vision of many leaders who believe that the world is a jungle, that the relative peace of recent decades has been an illusion, and that the only real choice is whether to play the part of predator or prey.
These leaders should be reminded, however, that there is a new alpha predator in the jungle. If humanity doesn’t find a way to cooperate and protect our shared interests, we will all be easy prey to AI.
The response to Russia’s War Crimes and other douchebaggery
The Next Web reports:
Independence Day: how Ukraine’s tech sector is fueling the fight for freedom
CEPA reports:
Tightening the Screw? — EU’s New Sanctions on Russia
The Kyiv Independent reports:
Gizmondo reports:
WhatsApp Shuts Down Iranian Hackers Targeting Trump and Biden Campaigns
DarkReading reports:
South Korean APT Exploits 1-Click WPS Office Bug, Nabs Chinese Intel
Reuters reports:
Telegram messaging app CEO Durov arrested in France
Here are the official charges:
NBC News reports:
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov charged by French prosecutors
Wired reports:
The Guardian opines:
SpaceKaren should take a vacation to the French Riviera. 😈
‘Being on camera is no longer sensible’: persecuted Venezuelan journalists turn to AI
Wow. A legitimate use for generative AI.
The Next Web reports:
Netherlands hits Uber with €290M fine for transfer of ‘sensitive’ driver data to US
Awesome.
Dublin rejects Google’s new data centre plans over energy concerns
Also cool.
The Register reports:
Under pressure from Europe, Apple makes iOS browser options bit more reasonable
USA Today reports:
DNC showed Harris campaign is dismissing the noise from Trump and pundits. It’s working.
The Philadelphia Enquirer reports:
In Chicago, Dems redefined what it means to be American, then claimed it
John Scalzi has:
Salon reports:
Experts: Pro-Trump officials could face “severe” punishments if they refuse to certify election
Speaking of c^nt state shenanigans, Ars Technica reports:
Missouri AG’s legal war against Media Matters shot down by federal judge
GovTech reports:
Virginia University Interns Are Helping Secure Elections
This is a fantastic idea.
Ars Technica reports:
X’s Grok will direct users to Vote.gov after bungling basic ballot question
A shit product is forced not to be as shitty.
The Silicon Republic reports:
San Francisco says ‘good riddance’ as X prepares to leave
The Verge reports:
California State Assembly passes sweeping AI safety bill
OpenAI and Anthropic will share their models with the US government
MIT Technology review reports:
Kamala Harris should stand with tech workers, not their bosses
A tool that lets users fight misinformation online
The Evil Empire Strikes Back
Lawfare Media reports:
Can We Count on the Supreme Court If Democracy Is at Stake?
Obviously not. So if you are a U.S. citizen, vote! Democracy advocates have to win big if you ever want to vote again.
Pariah States
Wired reports:
Israel Is Buying Google Ads to Discredit the UN’s Top Gaza Aid Agency
DarkReading reports:
Hackers Use Rare Stealth Techniques to Down Asian Military, Gov’t Orgs
Bleeping Computer reports:
Chinese Volt Typhoon hackers exploited Versa zero-day to breach ISPs, MSPs
New Tickler malware used to backdoor US govt, defense orgs
Russian APT29 hackers use iOS, Chrome exploits created by spyware vendors
The Register reports:
Iran’s Pioneer Kitten hits US networks via buggy Check Point, Palo Alto gear
Big Media
TPA reports:
How Did a Vocal Trump Supporter End Up in CNN’s ‘Undecided Voter’ Panel?
The Kyiv Post reports:
The Kremlin Sees Telegram as a Liability’ – Ukraine at War Update for Aug. 28
Joan Westenberg explains:
The Political Media Dumpster Fire: How We Got Here and Why It’s Worse Than You Think
Big Tech
The Kyiv Independent reports:
Is Telegram, Ukraine’s most popular messenger app, a Russian Trojan horse?
Ars Technica reports:
EU investigating if Telegram played down user numbers to avoid regulation
404 Media reports:
How Telegram’s Founder Pavel Durov Became a Culture War Martyr
CNN reports:
TechDirt reports:
Nature reports:
AI generates covertly racist decisions about people based on their dialect
Totally unsurprising.
Terrorists
The Guardian reports:
FBI informant’s book predicts far-right violence: ‘we should be afraid’
Cybersecurity/Privacy
Creative Commons explores:
Questions for Consideration on AI & the Commons
Ars Technica reports:
After cybersecurity lab wouldn’t use AV software, US accuses Georgia Tech of fraud
404 Media reports:
Here’s the Pitch Deck for ‘Active Listening’ Ad Targeting
Cracked Labs reports:
Krebs on Security reports:
When Get-Out-The-Vote Efforts Look Like Phishing
Ian Carroll has:
Bypassing airport security via SQL injection
This is batshit crazy.
Fediverse
The Fediverse Report has:
Last Week in Fediverse – ep 81
The New Stack shares:
A Developer’s Guide to ActivityPub and the Fediverse
Ghost has an update:
We do this not because it’s easy
PieFed announces:
Private voting has been added to PieFed
Dhole Moments has a:
Federated Key Transparency Project Update
Ghost has an Activity Pub update:
I like the way you like it like that
Engadget reports:
Threads is testing disappearing posts that expire after 24 hours
TechCrunch reports;
Threads deepens its ties to the open social web, aka the ‘fediverse’
Other Federated Social Media
Arxiv has a paper:
Looking AT the Blue Skies of Bluesky
Bluesky announces:
New Anti-Toxicity Features on Bluesky
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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