Democracy
America is a myth
We have to decide which story we believe in.
Ben Werdmuller
Ben Werdmuller helps leaders at newsrooms, non-profits, and mission-driven organizations to navigate their biggest technology challenges.
Democracy
What are we actually for? The Mamdani case for positive resistance
Why effective opposition requires more than just saying no
Notable links
Republican Budget Bill Signals New Era in Federal Surveillance
"The looming rapid expansion of federal surveillance may signal a step change on a trajectory set in motion after September 11, 2001, with broad implications for the rights and privacy of all Americans."
Technology
Grammarly to acquire email startup Superhuman in AI platform push
"Grammarly has signed a deal to acquire email efficiency tool Superhuman as part of the company's push to build an artificial intelligence-powered productivity suite." I did not see this coming.
Democracy
Schools serving undocumented kids go underground
"Some schools have asked staff to use secure messaging systems like Signal instead of text and email to keep sensitive conversations from public reach." They, like many others, need more private, self-hosted software.
Democracy
Self-censorship and the ‘spiral of silence’: Why Americans are less likely to publicly voice their opinions on political issues
"I’m a political scientist, and I found that Americans were far less likely to publicly voice their opinions than even during the height of the McCarthy-era Red Scare."
AI
AI won't live on publisher sites
The case for moving AI down the stack
Democracy
Stephen Miller’s Financial Stake in ICE Contractor Palantir
Stephen Miller and at least a dozen other Trump appointees own stock in Palantir, the company that provides "mission critical" services to ICE.
AI
Anthropic wins key US ruling on AI training in authors' copyright lawsuit
A federal court agreed that using copyrighted works to train AI is fair use - but that pirating them to do so infringes creator rights.
Media
Substack's Secret
"Substack's One Weird Marketing Trick was leveraging the economic interests of traditional media employees against their publishers to get positive "earned media"."
Democracy
The High Stakes of Biometric Surveillance
"There are clear indications from oppressive governments around the world that biometrics will be used to harm human rights, regardless of their accuracy or fairness."
Democracy
The New Surveillance State: Why Data Privacy Is Now Essential to Democracy
"When the government can track where you go, whom you associate with, and what you spend your money on, it [...] chills freedom of expression, undermines your freedom to travel, and destroys the fundamental privacy right that underlies American liberty."