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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.<\/p>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
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FYI, my opinions will be in bold. And will often involve cursing. Because humans. Especially tech bros. And fascists. Fuck ’em.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hamish Campbell writes:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n We need to build a grassroots counterforce, grounded in the principles of the 4 opens, to cultivate digital and physical spaces of resistance. The openweb offers us a framework for doing this, a messy, imperfect garden where we plant alternatives and nurture them with care. But it only grows if people use it. We need joined-up thinking, not the fractured, piecemeal approach of the fashernista crowd. We need people to commit to using and building tools outside the corporate silos, even when it\u2019s inconvenient. Because in the end our communities are all that matters, in the end every click, every post, every conversation shapes the landscape we inhabit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The rise of fascism and the openweb response<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This approach is a very large part of techno-anarchism.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n We start and end with good news to make the middle bearable.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n DevLink Tips shares:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Top 10 European Open-Source Projects to Watch in 2025<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tech Policy reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Understanding the EU’s Digital Services Act Enforcement Against X<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Leveraging International Standards to Protect US Consumers Online, No Congress Required<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n EuroNews reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n TikTok made changes ahead of re-run of Romanian election, says EU tech chief <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Register reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n EU may target US tech giants in tariff response<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Guardian reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n US authors\u2019 copyright lawsuits against OpenAI and Microsoft combined in New York with newspaper actions<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The BBC reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Apple’s encryption row with UK should not be secret, court rules<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n CTV News reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Halifax to phase out use of X as official social media platform<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Great news from one of my favorite cities.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Rest of the World reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n What we learned from tracking AI use in global elections<\/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 So-called newspaper, The New York Times reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Trump Weakens U.S. Cyberdefenses at a Moment of Rising Danger<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mother Jones reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Shocking Far-Right Agenda Behind the Facial Recognition Tech Used by ICE and the FBI<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reuters reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Exclusive: Musk’s DOGE using AI to snoop on U.S. federal workers, sources say<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Guardian reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Under Trump and Musk, billionaires wield unprecedented influence over US national security<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n UK creating \u2018murder prediction\u2019 tool to identify people most likely to kill<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Citation Needed reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Issue 81 \u2013 Crypto crime is legal<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bit Defender reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Russian bots hard at work spreading political unrest on Romania’s internet<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ars Technica reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe girl should be calling men.\u201d Leak exposes Black Basta\u2019s influence tactics.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n DarkReading reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n China-Linked Hackers Continue Harassing Ethnic Groups With Spyware<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n TechCrunch reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Governments identify dozens of Android apps bundled with spyware<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Court document reveals locations of WhatsApp victims targeted by NSO spyware<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tech Policy reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Independent Media Has an Infrastructural Problem<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n DigiDay reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Former Substack creators say they\u2019re earning more on new platforms that offer larger shares of subscription revenue<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Speaking of, Snopes reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Historian Heather Cox Richardson said Facebook removed her posts. Here’s what we know<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n My advice to her is to get the fuck off Facebook and get the fuck off Substack.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Register reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Apple settles unfair labor charges brought by fired engineering manager<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ars Technica reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Meta secretly helped China advance AI, ex-Facebooker will tell Congress<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 404 Media has:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n ‘Careless People’ Is the Book About Facebook I’ve Wanted for a Decade<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Guardian reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Meta faces \u00a31.8bn lawsuit over claims it inflamed violence in Ethiopia<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Dair Institute reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Social Media Platforms Are Spreading Violent Warmongering Content Encouraging All-Out War Between Ethiopia and Eritrea, Again<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jeremy Keith has:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Denial<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nothing personal, but it you use LLMs, you are contributing to this c^ntitry.<\/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 The Kyiv Independent reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n US neo-Nazi terrorist group pays recruits to carry out attacks in Ukraine, Guardian reports<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mother Jones reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Gabbard\u2019s Pick to Run Counterterrorism Center Aided Start of a Right-Wing Paramilitary Group<\/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 Bleeping Computer reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Malicious VSCode extensions infect Windows with cryptominers<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Register reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n That massive GitHub supply chain attack? It all started with a stolen SpotBugs token<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you are using Microsoft software, you almost deserve this.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Clubic reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Surveillance, fin du chiffrement : Proton pourrait quitter la Suisse<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announces:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n OCC Notifies Congress of Incident Involving Email System<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Consumer Reports has:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mixed Signals: Many Companies May Be Ignoring Opt-Out Requests Under State Privacy Laws<\/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 Fediverse Report \u2013 #111<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n IFTAS is:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n [Staying the Course: Our Continuing Mission] <\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you care about the Fediverse, please join me and make a financial contribution to IFTAS.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mastodon shares:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Trunk & Tidbits, March 2025<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n CogDogBlog has:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n WordPress Serving Posts at the Activity Pub<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tim Bray looks at:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The CoSocialist Future<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ghost has:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n You think you’re following us, but you might not be<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n TechCrunch reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Tapestry\u2019s app can now de-dupe your social feeds<\/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 ATmosphere Report \u2013 #111<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n TechCrunch reports:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bluesky\u2019s latest update adds chat reactions and an Explore page, similar to X<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n ATProto shares its:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Atproto Ethos<\/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 Keep fighting!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Welcome to this week’s \u201cDestroying Autocracy\u201d. 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":688,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[69],"tags":[200,57,66,156,67,92,74,65,75,58,77,59,153,86,143,63,61,201],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/battalion.mobileatom.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1716"}],"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=1716"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/battalion.mobileatom.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1716\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1720,"href":"https:\/\/battalion.mobileatom.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1716\/revisions\/1720"}],"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=1716"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/battalion.mobileatom.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1716"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/battalion.mobileatom.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1716"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\nFeatured Item<\/h2>\n
\n\nThe response to Russia\u2019s War Crimes and other douchebaggery<\/h2>\n
EU Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen speaking at a European Parliament plenary session.<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\nNeutral<\/h2>\n
\n\nThe Evil Empire Strikes Back<\/h2>\n
Pariah States<\/h3>\n
Big Media<\/h3>\n
Big Tech<\/h3>\n
\n\nTerror<\/h2>\n
\n\nCybersecurity\/Privacy<\/h2>\n
\n\nFediverse<\/h2>\n
(https:\/\/about.iftas.org\/2025\/04\/08\/staying-the-course-our-continuing-mission\/<\/a>)<\/p>\nOther Slightly Federated Social Media<\/h3>\n
\n\nCTAs (aka show us some free love)<\/h2>\n
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