<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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. 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.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
DD 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.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
FYI, my opinions will be in bold. And will often involve cursing. Because humans. Especially tech bros. And fascists.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here is something positive to focus on.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joan Westenberg writes:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n There\u2019s a distinguishing line between radical optimism and blind, toxic positivity. The latter denies problems exist; the former acknowledges them while refusing to see them as insurmountable. Blind positivity insists that everything will be fine no matter what. Radical optimism insists that things could<\/em> be better if we acted with courage and purpose, not apathy and unadulterated grief.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The foundation of this outlook is a Stoic principle: focus on what you can control and accept what you cannot. Radical optimism doesn\u2019t demand that we ignore climate change, systemic inequality, or rising authoritarianism. It asks us to focus on where we have leverage\u200a\u2014\u200atechnologies to reduce emissions, policies to redistribute resources, movements to resist oppression\u200a\u2014\u200aand to act decisively.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is a big part of the reason we started Battalion.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n We start and end each DD with good news to make the middle tolerable.<\/strong> \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Kyiv Independent reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n US imposes sanctions on over 50 Russian banks, including Gazprombank<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nieman Reports has:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Six Months Ago NPR Left Twitter. The Effects Have Been Negligible<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Good for them. Although I did stop following them on Mastodon for sane washing a certain orange c^nt.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Register reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Judges not impressed by Amazon, SpaceX’s attempt to have NLRB declared unconstitutional<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n European Cloud Competition Observatory created to keep an eye on software licensing<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Verge reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n US lawyers will reportedly try to force Google to sell Chrome and unbundle Android<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Brazil leads new international effort against climate lies<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n DarkReading reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n AI About-Face: ‘Mantis’ Turns LLM Attackers Into Prey<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n TechCrunch reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n US extradites Russian accused of extorting millions in Phobos ransomware payments<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another VC-backed fintech, Earnin, faces crackdown over allegedly \u2018predatory\u2019 loans<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tech Policy has this opinion piece:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Democratic AI Demands Good Policy and Ethical Development<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Guardian reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Opt out: how to stop tech companies spying on your phone as Trump promises mass deportations<\/a> <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tech Policy shares:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n An Eight-Year Struggle for Accountability in the US Ends in Defeat<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This timeline sucks.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Heise reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rights activists: EU-US data exchange undermines fundamental rights<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Kyiv Independent reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Investigation: Who helped Russians increase production of domestic attack drones despite sanctions<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Register reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n T-Mobile US ‘monitoring’ China’s ‘industry-wide attack’ amid fresh security breach fears<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Europe glances Russia’s way after Baltic Sea data cables severed<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chinese cyberspies, Musk\u2019s Beijing ties, labelled \u2018real risk\u2019 to US security by senator<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n DarkReading reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n China’s Cyber Offensives Built in Lockstep With Private Firms, Academia<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Russian Ransomware Gangs on the Hunt for Pen Testers<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n BleepingComputer reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chinese hackers target Linux with new WolfsBane malware<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hackers breach US firm over Wi-Fi from Russia in ‘Nearest Neighbor Attack’<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Gizmodo reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n China Wiretaps Americans in \u2018Worst Hack in Our Nation\u2019s History\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Qasim Rashid says:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Legacy Media is Failing \u2014 But We Have Options<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n C^nt-owned and operated The Washington Post opines:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Our democracy needs a different model for journalism<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n And it ain’t The Washington Post.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Open Web Advocacy reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n iOS age restriction blocks all browsers except Safari, breaks choice screen<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Lowy Institute reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tech and AI are changing the climate equation \u2013 for the worse<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Double sigh.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n TechCrunch reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n OpenAI “accidentally” deleted potential evidence in NY Times copyright lawsuit<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cory Doctorow opines on:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pluralistic: Forcing Google to spin off Chrome (and Android?)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Just Chrome for now.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rest of (the) World reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chinese startups supported by Microsoft and Google incubator programs worked with police<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 404 Media reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Inside the Booming ‘AI Pimping’ Industry<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first profitable use of AI?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n NBC News reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Black Twitter helped define the internet \u2014 so where will the exodus from X lead?<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The New Arab reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Twitch sparks calls for boycott after labelling ‘Zionist’ as racial slur<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Anil Dash says:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Don’t call it a Substack.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Just call them shitstacks.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The New Republic reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n AI Scams Are the Point<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n DarkReading reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n DHS Releases Secure AI Framework for Critical Infrastructure<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Small US Cyber Agencies Are Underfunded & That’s a Problem<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n It’s Near-Unanimous: AI, ML Make the SOC Better<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n BleepingComputer reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fake Bitwarden ads on Facebook push info-stealing Chrome extension<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 404 Media reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Leaked Documents Show What Phones Secretive Tech \u2018Graykey\u2019 Can Unlock<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I Don’t Own a Cellphone. Can This Privacy-Focused Network Change That?<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n TechCrunch reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n GitHub launches $1.25M open source fund with a focus on security<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Register reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n America’s drinking water systems have a hard-to-swallow cybersecurity problem<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Markup has:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Without a Trace: How to Take Your Phone Off the Grid<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Fediverse Report has:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Last Week in Fediverse \u2013 ep 93<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Elena Rossini shares:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A new way to describe the Fediverse and its opposition to Big Tech<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Oxford University summarizes some research:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Decentralised social media \u2018increases citizen empowerment\u2019, says Oxford study<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Letterbook reports on:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Fedi Moderation Tooling Research<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n We Distribute reviews:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n First Look: Loops, by Pixelfed<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The University of Innsbruck says:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bluesky? Univer\u00adsity of Inns\u00adbruck relies on Mastodon<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tim Bray asks:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Why Not Bluesky<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Le Conseil national du num\u00e9rique says:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Musk is not our project. Here’s another one.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n TechCrunch reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mastodon sees a boost from the \u2018X exodus,\u2019 too, founder says<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Juliano Costa looks at:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mastodon & OpenTelemetry<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Nexus of Privacy shares:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Resources for choosing the right Fediverse instance – and I’m not just talking about Mastodon<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2ality covers:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mastodon\u2019s weaknesses and how to fix them<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ghost reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Expanding the beta<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n James Rashford shares:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n My Thoughts on GoToSocial<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cycles Hyped No More asks:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Multifediverse? How\u2019s That Working Out for You Marvel<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Verge reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Threads\u2019 custom feeds are already rolling out<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Fediverse Report has:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bluesky decentralisation and the distribution of power<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Last Week in the ATmosphere \u2013 2411.c<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mike Young Academy reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bluesky is emerging as the new platform for science<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Gaven Anderegg opines:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Maybe Bluesky has “won”<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Verge reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here\u2019s some cool stuff you can do with Bluesky<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dusty Cloud explores:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n How decentralized is Bluesky really?<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n TechCrunch shows us:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n How to turn a Bluesky Starter Pack into a List<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p><\/ul>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Welcome to this week’s \u201cDefending Democracy\u201d. 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. Since big media’s journalism wing is flailing and failing in its core duty […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":688,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[69],"tags":[57,66,139,67,92,74,73,65,78,75,58,77,141,142,59,64,86,143,63,61,62],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/battalion.mobileatom.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/battalion.mobileatom.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/battalion.mobileatom.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/battalion.mobileatom.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/battalion.mobileatom.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1007"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/battalion.mobileatom.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1026,"href":"https:\/\/battalion.mobileatom.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1007\/revisions\/1026"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/battalion.mobileatom.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/battalion.mobileatom.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/battalion.mobileatom.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/battalion.mobileatom.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\nFeatured Item<\/h2>\n
Rebel Optimism: How We Thrive in a Broken World<\/a><\/h3>\n
\n\nThe response to Russia\u2019s War Crimes and other douchebaggery<\/h2>\n
ICC issues arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged Gaza war crimes<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\nThe Evil Empire Strikes Back<\/h2>\n
Pariah States<\/h3>\n
Big Media<\/h3>\n
Big Tech<\/h3>\n
\n\nCybersecurity\/Privacy<\/h2>\n
\n\nFediverse<\/h2>\n
Other Slightly Federated Social Media<\/h3>\n
\n\nCTAs (aka show us some free love)<\/h2>\n
\n