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
Ploum writes:
As we don’t have the time to think anymore, we masquerade our lack of ideas with behavioural tricks. We replaced documents with PowerPoints because it allowed lack of structure and emptiness to look professional (just copy paste the data of the last PowerPoint you received in a text file and see by yourself how pitiful it is.
The root problem is that, for the first time in human history, our brain is the bottleneck. For all history, transmitting information was slow. Brains were fast. After sending a letter, we had days or months to think before receiving an answer. Erasmus wrote his famous “Éloge de la folie” in several days while travelling in Europe. He would never have done it in a couple of hours in a plane while the small screen in the backseat would show him advertisements.
We start and end with good news to make the middle bearable.
The response to Russia’s War Crimes, Techno Feudalism, and other douchebaggery
404 Media reports:
The IRS Tax Filing Software TurboTax Is Trying to Kill Just Got Open Sourced
Fanfuckingtastic! C^nts may be able to kill some things. But you can’t kill ideas.
Ukraine’s Massive Drone Attack Was Powered by Open Source Software
The IEEE reports:
How Ukraine’s Killer Drones Are Beating Russian Jamming
The Kyiv Independent reports:
‘Nothing secret left’ — Ukraine hacks Russia’s Tupolev bomber producer, source claims
EuroNews reports:
Belgian watchdog checking Telegram for EU anti-terror compliance
Android Police reports:
EU’s new rules will shake up Android update policies
Fairphone and e/OS is the way to go.
It’s Foss News reports:
/e/OS 3.0 Debuts with Refined Parental Controls, New Privacy Tools and Murena Vault
Next adds:
Murena lance son système mobile open source et dégooglisé /e/OS 3.0
Open_Future shares:
Leveraging Public Spending for Digital Sovereignty
The Register reports:
As Europe eyes move from US hyperscalers, IONOS dismisses scaleability worries
Reuters reports:
Apple loses bid to pause app store reform order in Epic Games case
Ars Technica reports:
Florida ban on kids using social media likely unconstitutional, judge rules
America’s stubbiest fascist, Gov. Stuntcunt DeSantis knew this when he pushed it through our lickspittle legislature.
Nextcloud shares:
Nextcloud Awards 2025: Celebrating those building a sovereign digital future
Neutral
Ben Werdmuller shares:
Building a newsroom technology culture
Tech Policy says:
With Congress Silent, the FTC Must Protect Kids from Big Tech
The Evil Empire Strikes Back
The Telegraph reports:
Trump official who shut down counter-Russia agency has links to Kremlin
You couldn’t make this shit up.
Ars Technica reports:
Lawsuit: DOGE, HHS used “hopelessly error-ridden” data to fire 10,000 workers
ProPublica reports:
DOGE Developed Error-Prone AI Tool to “Munch” Veterans Affairs Contracts
Desmog reports:
A Weaponized AI Chatbot Is Flooding Canadian City Councils with Climate Misinformation
The Intercept reports:
How the FBI Sought a Warrant to Search Instagram of Columbia Student Protesters
404 Media reports:
TSA Working on Haptic Tech To ‘Feel’ Your Body in Virtual Reality
Why is our world a combination of stupidity and technology?
Pariah States
Bleeping Computer reports:
‘Russian Market’ emerges as a go-to shop for stolen credentials
New PathWiper data wiper malware hits critical infrastructure in Ukraine
NPR reports:
OpenAI takes down covert operations tied to China and other countries
The Hacker News reports:
Chinese APT41 Exploits Google Calendar for Malware Command-and-Control Operations
The Register reports:
Uncle Sam moves to seize $7.7M laundered by North Korean IT worker ring
Big Media
Isabelle Roughol says:
We’ve been thinking about Substack all wrong
I say if you’ve been thinking about Suckstack period, you’re wrong. Including reading anything on it. Once again, Ghost people!
Big Tech
Tech Policy asks:
Why are Tech Oligarchs So Obsessed with Energy and What Does That Mean for Democracy?
Sigh.
The Guardian reports:
Facebook and Instagram owner Meta to enable AI ad creation by end of next year
The next stage in enshitification.
Ars Technica reports:
Meta and Yandex are de-anonymizing Android users’ web browsing identifiers
The Register reports:
Meta pauses mobile port tracking tech on Android after researchers cry foul
Endgadget reports:
The Oversight Board says Meta isn’t doing enough to fight celeb deepfake scams
404 Media reports:
Apple Gave Governments Data on Thousands of Push Notifications
Polygon reports:
Duolingo users are in turmoil over the app’s AI lessons
Unfortunately, my subscription renewed in March. But, I won’t be renewing it.
Matthew Garret reports:
Twitter’s new encrypted DMs aren’t better than the old ones
Terror
Pro Publication reports:
“The Intern in Charge”: Meet the 22-Year-Old Trump’s Team Picked to Lead Terrorism Prevention
I guess we are better off with incompetent fascists than competent ones???
Cybersecurity/Privacy
DarkReading has:
EMR-ISAC Shuts Down: What Happens Now?
Beware of Device Code Phishing
BleepingComputer reports:
BidenCash carding market domains seized in international operation
Global Encryption shares:
Joint Letter on the European Internal Security Strategy (ProtectEU)
Fediverse
The Fediverse report has:
PeerTube announces:
App crowdfunding campaign — First goal reached!
Splinter, a web app that splits long posts into Mastodon threads , was introduced.
Useful!
The Indie Beat Radio announces:
Audio Interface Channel Launches on The Indie Beat Radio
Bonfire is:
Announcing the Bonfire Social 1.0 Release Candidate
TechCrunch has:
Introducing Bounce, a tool to move your following between Bluesky and Mastodon
Luis Quintanilla shares:
Ghost is:
Other Slightly Federated Social Media
The Fediverse Report has:
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.
Keep fighting!
Ringleader, Battalion
Reuben Walker
Follow me on the Fediverse
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.