Welcome to this week’s “Destroying Autocracy”.
It’s your source for curated news affecting democracy in the cyber arena with a focus on protecting it. 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.
DA 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. Fuck ’em.
Featured Item
Hans-Peter Schulenberg shares:
The DEEPSEEK Effect: How a Chinese AI Startup Is Reshaping the Global Tech Landscape
Let’s hope that things like Open-R1 will become ethical alternatives.
We start and end with good news to make the middle bearable.
The response to Russia’s War Crimes and other douchebaggery
The Register reports:
Euro techies call for sovereign fund to escape Uncle Sam’s digital death grip
Vivaldi 7.2 browser wants to topple tech’s feudal lords
Reuters reports:
Dutch parliament calls for end to dependence on US software companies
Freedom of the Press Foundation reports:
Wired is dropping paywalls for FOIA-based reporting. Others should follow
I know 404 Media does the same.
DarkReading reports:
Duke University & GCF Partner to Identify Pathways for Advancing Women’s Careers in Cybersecurity
TechCrunch reports:
Apple loses appeal against Germany’s special abuse control for Big Tech
ArsTechnica reports:
UK online safety law Musk hates kicks in today, and so far, Trump can’t stop it
Apple and Google in the hot seat as European regulators ignore Trump warnings
The Guardian reports:
Meta confirms it is considering charging UK users for ad-free version
Because they were about to lose a privacy lawsuit.
The European Digital Rights Institute reports:
EDRi files DSA legal complaint against X
The Atlantic reports:
Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI
Cool tool.
The USAGM asks for:
Support for US International Media Workers
The Electronic Frontier Foundation reports:
A Win for Encryption: France Rejects Backdoor Mandate
The World reports on the:
Impact of Voice of America in Central Asia
Sad.
ArsTechnica reports:
Cloudflare turns AI against itself with endless maze of irrelevant facts
Neutral
Tech Policy reports on:
Middle Powers Digital Antitrust Efforts in the Age of Trump
404 Media reports:
Public Records Reveal How Agencies Complied With Trump’s Anti-Trans Order
The Evil Empire Strikes Back
404 Media reports:
TSA Says Its Credit Cards for Bomb-Sniffing Dogs Are Cut Off
The Guardian reports:
How an obscure US government office has become a target of Elon Musk
Radio Free Europe reports:
Trump Signs Executive Order For Major Cuts To 7 Agencies, Including RFE/RL Overseer USAGM
TechCrunch reports:
CISA scrambles to contact fired employees after court rules layoffs ‘unlawful’
BleepingComputer reports:
US removes sanctions against Tornado Cash crypto mixer
Pariah States
DarkReading reports:
Denmark Warns of Increased Cyber Espionage Against Telecom Sector
Black Basta Leader in League With Russian Officials, Chat Logs Show
BleepingComputer reports:
Ukrainian military targeted in new Signal spear-phishing attacks
Big Media
NPR reports:
‘Bloody Saturday’ at Voice of America and other U.S.-funded networks
NBC News reports:
The Trump administration axed Voice of America, and China’s state media are delighted
Radio World reports:
RFE/RL Sues the USAGM to Get Its Grant Back
The Kyiv Independent reports:
RFE/RL sues Trump administration over funding cuts
Big Tech
Cory Doctorow writes:
Amazon annihilates Alexa privacy settings, turns on continuous, nonconsensual audio uploading
The Guardian reports:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation reports on:
California’s A.B. 412: A Bill That Could Crush Startups and Cement A Big Tech AI Monopoly
The Register reports:
Amazon accused of using algorithms to push warehouse workers to breaking point
404 Media reports:
The Cradle reports:
Google to acquire Israeli firm staffed by former Unit 8200 officers
Two sets of c^nts who deserve each other.
Cybersecurity/Privacy
The Register reports:
UK wants dirt on data brokers before criminals get there first
Cloudflare reports:
Password reuse is rampant: nearly half of observed user logins are compromised
404 Media reports:
Fediverse
The Fediverse Report has:
The Conversation has:
The Fediverse promises social media without Big Tech – if it can avoid familiar pitfalls
The Social Web Foundation reports:
IFTAS announces:
IFTAS 2.0 – Rescoping and Refocusing
Do the world a solid and make a donation to IFTAS, preferably a monthly one.
Fred Rocha explains:
Ghost announces:
I’m looking forward to this being perfected and being available on regular Ghost.
We Distribute reports:
Hands on with Ghost’s New ActivityPub Beta
Website League and the Rise of Island Networks
Dead Superhero says:
You Know What, Meet Your Heroes
Peertube announces:
Design, mobile development, documentation: let’s share resources!
A New Social is:
Forgejo has its:
Forgejo monthly update – February 2025
Other Slightly Federated Social Media
The Fediverse report has:
ATmosphere Report – 2025march.b
TechCrunch reports:
Bluesky users debate plans around user data and AI training
The Libre has:
Why I recommend against Bluesky
CTAs (aka show us some free love)
- That’s it for this week. Please share this edition of Destroying Autocracy.
- Follow me on the Fediverse. Or this site via the button in the footer. Or via RSS.
- Or follow Battalion on Bluesky.
Keep fighting!
Ringleader, Battalion
Reuben Walker
Follow me on the Fediverse
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