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Ben Werdmuller

Ben Werdmuller

Media

Wired is dropping paywalls for FOIA-based reporting. Others should follow

[Freedom of the Press Foundation] Wired is going to stop paywalling articles that are primarily based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. This approach makes a ton of sense: "They’re called public records for a reason, after all. And access to public documents is

18 Mar 2025

Technology

Everything you say to your Echo will be sent to Amazon starting on March 28

[Scharon Harding at Ars Technica] Don't keep an Amazon Echo (or any smart speaker) in a room where you'll be having sensitive conversations, either with your family or on a work call. Particularly if you're a journalist or activist - but privacy is something

18 Mar 2025

Fediverse

The social web beta is here

[Ghost] Ghost has released its ActivityPub social web integration in beta: "Today we're opening a public beta for our social web integration in Ghost. For the first time, any site on Ghost Pro can now try out ActivityPub." Those of you who are, should. And everyone

17 Mar 2025

Technology

EU tech companies push for digital sovereignty, reducing reliance on US and others

[Benedict Collins at TechRadar] This was always inevitable, but in the current environment it makes sense that it's accelerating: "Several major European tech companies are pushing for greater action from the European Union to reduce the bloc’s reliance on foreign-owned infrastructure by buying and building locally.

17 Mar 2025

Indieweb

My (New) Daily Blog

[Om Malik] This is an ongoing trend. Om Malik has now moved to sharing on his blog first rather than posting directly to social media: "The inspiration for the newly rebooted “daily blog” comes from Dave Winer, who maintains a “Links” blog. I’ve been using his new project,

16 Mar 2025

Notable Links

How to hide a painting

[Mike Monteiro] On whether it's always been this bad in America: "America was born in blood, genocide, kidnapping, and death. Behind every story we were told about America’s greatness, there is a secret second painting. A thing America doesn’t want you to see. Behind every

16 Mar 2025

Notable Links

New German, Swiss, And Austrian Guidelines Recommend Trans Youth Care, Slam Cass Review

[Erin In The Morning] While America is destroying the ability for trans people to participate in public life, over in Europe they're (rightly) improving care for trans people. "In recent years, U.S. politicians have selectively framed European healthcare policies to justify restrictions on transgender care, seizing

11 Mar 2025

Notable Links

Leader of student protests at Columbia facing deportation

[Jake Offenhartz, Cedar Attanasio and Philip Marcelo at The Associated Press] This seems completely in line with the First Amendment's protections against restrictions on speech and assembly by the US government: "President Donald Trump warned Monday that the arrest and possible deportation of a Palestinian activist who

10 Mar 2025

Technology

How Terrorgram Collective Influencers Groomed a Killer

[A.C. Thompson, ProPublica and FRONTLINE, James Bandler, ProPublica, and Lukáš Diko, Investigative Center of Jan Kuciak] A tragic story of a teenager recruited by a network of extremists, who ultimately murdered multiple people before taking his own life. It's also an example of why moderation and safety

10 Mar 2025

Technology

The 2025 journalist’s digital security checklist

[Davis Erin Anderson and Dr. Martin Shelton at the Freedom of the Press Foundation] These security tips are designed for journalists but are good ideas for everyone (and particularly activists or anyone working in a sensitive field): "In tumultuous times, we believe in being prepared, not scared. Sound digital

09 Mar 2025

Technology

Feedback loops

[Joe Woods] This is good, actionable advice: "As an engineering leader, you should be constantly working to reduce the amount of time it takes to complete one cycle of a feedback loop. What do I mean by feedback loop? This is anything where you do work, and then you

09 Mar 2025

Fediverse

Fediverse House

If you're in Austin, visiting Fediverse House at 412 Congress Ave today and tomorrow is what you need to be doing. You don’t need a SXSW ticket - just show up and meet some of the key people building and thinking about the most important thing happening

09 Mar 2025
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Werd I/O explores the intersection of technology, democracy, and society. It's independently published by Ben Werdmuller, reader-supported, and always free to read.