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.
The Programmer’s Fulcrum is the future (and smaller) home for a fusion of Symfony Station and Battalion. Its tagline is Devs Defending Democracy.
You can sign up now and for 2025 get an email with links to and featured articles for each week’s Symfony Station Communiqué and Battalion “Destroying Autocracy” post along with their featured articles. And you’ll be set with TPF after the fusing.
Featured Item
Scripting of WordLand fame writes:
I want you to see WordPress as comparable to Bluesky or Mastodon.
Internally, the software, WordPress, Mastodon, Bluesky, do a lot of the same things. But because WordPress is so long-lived relative to the other two, it’s more complete, scaled, and it federates easily. Lots of people do it.
WordPress also has excellent support for RSS, especially using a little-known feature called rssCloud. It enables real-time notification of new or changed feed items. And has a deep and powerful API. It’s well designed, documented, and they don’t break it.
BTW, Mastodon and Bluesky lack these.
Think Different about WordPress
Hamish Campbell has made a similar point.
This article is the type of coverage we will feature on The Fulcrum in 2026.
We start and end with good news to make the middle bearable.
The response to Russia’s War Crimes, Techno Feudalism, and other douchebaggery
BleepingComputer reports:
Amazon disrupts Russian APT29 hackers targeting Microsoft 365
EU fines Google $3.5 billion for anti-competitive ad practices
Platypush shares:
Create private self-hosted email aliases on the fly
Les Numeriques reports:
“Notre solution coûte trois fois moins cher qu’Office 365”: comment Lyon a tourné le dos à Microsoft
EDRi shares:
EU citizens, please give your input.
Internet Exchange opines:
True.
The Register reports:
SAP splashes €20B on Euro sovereign cloud push
France fines Google, SHEIN for undercooked cookie policies that led to crummy privacy
UK government trial of M365 Copilot finds no clear productivity boost
Reg readers have spoken: 93% back move away from Microsoft in UK public sector
Now make your politicians do something about it.
String Literal discusses:
Options for Phones at Protests
DarkReading reports:
How Gray-Zone Hosting Companies Protect Data the US Wants Erased
The Atlantic reports:
The Anti-Trump Strategy That’s Actually Working
The Electronic Frontier Foundation reports:
Victory! Ninth Circuit Limits Intrusive DMCA Subpoenas
CIO reports:
31% of employees are ‘sabotaging’ your gen AI strategy
This need to be around 81%.
Privacy Guides shares:
“We (Don’t) Care About Your Privacy”
Neutral
Micah Flee opines:
Unfortunately, the ICEBlock app is activism theater
Hopefully, the app developer will quit ignoring its users and constructive criticism and salvage this project.
TechPolicy promotes:
Advancing Democracy as a Digital Public Service
The Evil Empire (AKA Autocracy) Strikes Back
TechCrunch reports:
ICE reactivates contract with spyware maker Paragon
Arrs Technica reports:
FCC chair teams up with Ted Cruz to block Wi-Fi hotspots for schoolkids
404 Media reports:
Congress Pushes DHS for Details on ICE’s New Facial Recognition App
Pariah States
EuroNews reports:
Russian propaganda is ‘overtaking’ legitimate news in the Czech Republic
Online disinformation intensifies ahead of Moldovan parliamentary elections
DarkReading reports:
Russia’s APT28 Targets Microsoft Outlook With ‘NotDoor’ Malware
Czech Warning Highlights China Stealing User Data
The Register reports:
Internet mapping and research outfit Censys reveals state-based abuse, harassment
China-aligned crew poisons Windows servers to manipulate Google results
Big Media
EuroNews reports:
Can the EU implement its new press freedom law?
Ben Werdmuller asks:
Can newsrooms become social platforms?
Great stuff.
Poytner reports:
Inescapable technology changes and a migrating audience have local broadcast news in trouble
NiemanLab reports:
Trusted news sites may benefit in an internet full of AI-generated fakes, a new study finds
Journalism reports:
Because Suckstack is enshittified.
Big Tech
Reuters reports:
Meta to launch California super PAC backing pro-AI candidates
EuroNews reports:
Is Meta failing to protect users from the distribution of non-consensual images?
Tech Policy reports:
How AI Upended a Historic Antitrust Case Against Google
Ars Technica reports:
Judge: Google can keep Chrome, must share search data with “qualified competitors”
Sigh. More proof that surveillance tech cannot be reformed. It must be destroyed.
Once again, please explore our Techno Anarchist Manifesto for what you can do.
The Register reports:
AI web crawlers are destroying websites in their never-ending hunger for any and all content
Alan Smith reports on:
Infrequently reports on:
Cybersecurity/Privacy
The Electronic Frontier Foundation reports:
From Libraries to Schools: Why Organizations Should Install Privacy Badger
The Register reports:
In the rush to adopt hot new tech, security is often forgotten. AI is no exception
Who watches the watchmen? Surveillanceware firms make bank, avoid oversight
EU court’s dismissal of US data transfer challenge raises privacy advocates’ ire
Congressional panel throws cyber threat intel-sharing, funding a lifeline
Signal reports:
European Commission internally recommends Signal with disappearing messages
BleepingComputer reports:
Threat actors abuse X’s Grok AI to spread malicious links
Of course.
DarkReading reports:
Phishing Empire Runs Undetected on Google, Cloudflare
Fediverse
Connected Places has:
Social Media Alternative reviews:
HOPE and Alternative Social Media
WriteFreely announces:
FediHost demonstrates:
The Register reports:
Matrix.org homeserver grinds to a halt after RAID meltdown
The Nexus of Privacy shares:
Improving accessibility in the Fediverse and the ATmosphere
NodeBB shares a:
Progress update for Conversational Contexts
A New Social announces:
TechCrunch reports:
Threads challenges X by offering free support for up to 10K characters, plus prominent links
Other Slightly Federated Social Media
Connected Places has:
Substack and the risk of disruption
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 even our future home in 2026, if you want a headstart.
Keep fighting!
Ringleader, Battalion
Reuben Walker
Follow me on the Fediverse
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