Welcome to this week’s “Defending Democracy”.
It’s your source for curated news affecting democracy in the cyber space 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. We also cover the cybersecurity world. You can’t be free without safety and privacy.
FYI, my opinions will be in bold. And will often involve cursing. Because humans. Especially tech bros. And fascists.
Featured Item
If you’ve followed my communiqués on Symfony Station, you are familiar with the weekly featured item. I am bringing it to Defending Democracy as well.
Cory Doctorow writes:
If you are even slightly plugged into the doings and goings on in this tired old world of ours, then you have heard that Google has lost its antitrust case against the DOJ Antitrust Division, and is now an official, no-foolin’, convicted monopolist.
This is huge. Epochal. The DOJ, under the leadership of the fire-breathing trustbuster Jonathan Kanter, has done something that was inconceivable four years ago when he was appointed.
The Google antitrust remedy should extinguish surveillance, not democratize it
The response to Russia’s War Crimes and other douchebaggery
Politico Magazine reports:
Moscow’s Spies Were Stealing US Tech — Until the FBI Started a Sabotage Campaign
The Kyiv Post reports:
From Paper to Pixels: How Ukraine’s ‘Armiya+’ App Is Transforming Soldier Services
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has:
EFF Tells Yet Another Court to Ensure Everyone Has Access to the Law and Reject Private Gatekeepers
Support Justice for Digital Creators and Tech Users
To Fight Surveillance Pricing, We Need Privacy First
TechCrunch has:
DSA vs. DMA: How Europe’s twin digital regulations are hitting Big Tech
UK launches formal probe into Amazon’s ties with AI startup Anthropic
The Next Web reports:
Elon Musk has a new nemesis: Ireland
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The Guardian reports:
Huge crowds return to Venezuela’s streets to protest against Maduro
Why AI’s Tom Cruise problem means it is ‘doomed to fail’
Ben Werd says:
Kamala Harris Can Be the Pro-Innovation President Silicon Valley Needs
Key word -> innovation. There is no innovation in monopolies.
Speaking of, The Verge reports:
Judge rules that Google ‘is a monopolist’ in US antitrust case
CNBC reports:
Elon Musk PAC being investigated by Michigan secretary of state for potential violations
The Register reports:
Under-fire Elon Musk urged to get a grip on X and reality – or resign
Apple tries again to make EU DMA officials happy – with new fees
US elections have never been more secure, says CISA chief
US ‘laptop farm’ man accused of outsourcing his IT jobs to North Korea to fund weapons programs
RTE reports:
DPC takes court action against Twitter over AI data concerns
The Evil Empire Strikes Back
Dark Reading reports:
Russia’s Priorities in Prisoner Swap Suggest Cyber Focus
Associated Press reports:
Russian disinformation slams Paris and amplifies Khelif debate to undermine the Olympics
The Record reports:
Exclusive: Russian spies hacked UK government systems earlier this year, stole data and emails
PC Magazine reports:
Chinese Hacking Group Compromised an ISP To Spread Malware
Bleeping Computer reports:
North Korean hackers exploit VPN update flaw to install malware
The Byline Times reports:
The Register reports:
Pro-Iran groups lay groundwork for ‘chaos and violence’ as US election meddling intensifies
The Guardian reports:
Iran hackers target US officials to influence election, Microsoft says
Online Safety Act not fit for purpose after far-right riots, says Sadiq Khan
Elon Musk shares fake news about England rioters being sent to Falklands
Revealed: US neo-Nazi terror group aims to revive activities ahead of election
Silicon Valley’s Trump supporters are dicing with the death of democracy
The Nerd Reich reports:
Kamala Harris vs. The Nerd Reich of Silicon Valley
Wired reports:
How Project 2025 Would Put US Elections at Risk
ProPublica reports:
404 Media has:
Where Facebook’s AI Slop Comes From
Leaked Documents Show Nvidia Scraping ‘A Human Lifetime’ of Videos Per Day to Train AI
TechDirt reports:
Documents Show Atlanta PD Engaged In Surveillance Of ‘Cop City’ Protesters
I would assume the video where he tells advertisers to go fuck themselves will be a key piece of evidence. But the judge is a corrupt lunatic so they may win the initial trial. The non-profits he’s attacking can start back after the first appeal.
Speaking of SpaceCunt, the flailing Washington Post reports:
Elon Musk’s X accused of bias after pro-Harris accounts labeled as ‘spam’
NBC News reports:
Elon Musk’s misleading election claims have accrued 1.2 billion views on X, new analysis says
The Prospect reports:
The Corporate Wishcasting Attack on Lina Khan
Not surprising considering she has been kicking the shit out of oligarch’s asses.
Joan Westenberg comments on:
The Bait-and-Switch Crisis: A Dangerous Disconnect Between Headlines and Content
EuroNews reports:
UN committee approves first cybercrime treaty despite widespread opposition
Hopefully no countries will ratify this garbage.
Cybersecurity/Privacy
DarkReading reports:
Protect Data Differently for a Different World
‘0.0.0.0 Day’ Flaw Puts Chrome, Firefox, Mozilla Browsers at RCE Risk
The Kyiv Post reports:
UK Submarine Manufacturer’s Intranet Coding Outsourced to Belarus and Russia
Software supply chains people.
The Register reports:
Billion-dollar bust as international op shutters Cryptonator wallet
Small CSS tweaks can help nasty emails slip through Outlook’s anti-phishing net
If you give Copilot the reins, don’t be surprised when it spills your secrets
Bleeping Computer reports:
France’s Grand Palais discloses cyberattack during Olympic games
Bit Defender reports:
Pig-butchering scammer targets BBC journalist
Fediverse
The Fediverse Report has:
Last Week in Fediverse – ep 78
Patchwork looks at:
Organisations and content creators enter the Fediverse
I think Flipboard and WordPress will both pass Mastodon in terms of numbers.
The Nexus Of Privacy has:
4 things white people can do to start making the Fediverse less toxic for Black people (DRAFT!)
The Oliphant explores:
Islands: An Opt-In Federated Network
This is a possible solution to the problem discussed directly above.
The story behind Peertube’s transcription feature
Jan Wildeboer says:
Be a Builder of Decentralisation – codeberg, forgejo, runners
ActivityPub Academy announces:
New Features for ActivityPub.Academy
Ghost says:
Ryan Barret has an:
We Distribute has:
“Mastodon for Harris” is a Success Story for Fediverse Activism
Introducing Decentralized Social Icons
This is a fantastic resource for the community. I will definitely experiment with these.
Chris Morrell makes:
For Better says:
The Fediverse just got some street cred, thanks to Threads
Exposure would be a better word. Products from oligarchic tech c^nts can’t provide street cred.
All About Community: Newsmast 3.1.0
Elena Rossini shares:
The Future of Social is Here: a Show and Tell (part 3: Friendica)
Other Federated Social Media
Joel Gascoigne examines:
The significance of Bluesky and decentralized social media
TechDirt announces:
Why I’m Joining The Bluesky Board To Support A Vision Of A More Open, Decentralized Internet
Personally, I am not a fan of Bluesky. But we will be cross-posting to it if you are and want to follow us there.
Follow Battalion on Bluesky via @battalion64@blueksy.social
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 at @battalion@battalion.mobileatom.net.
- Or follow Battalion on Bluesky
Ringleader, Battalion
Reuben Walker
Follow me on the Fediverse
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