The EFF we need now
Why the next era of digital civil liberties requires a tighter mission, a bolder strategy, and a clearer view of how power works.
Latest
Of the web
"These days people use the term "web" to mean basically something you can view in a web browser. But that does not mean it is *of* the web."
The State of the Open Social Web
A comprehensive look at Mastodon, Bluesky, and the growing ecosystem of open, interoperable social networks.
Open Source Power
"In hindsight I don't think any reasonable person can say that we're collectively better off. Democracy is losing, and tech is playing an undeniably outsized part in that."
Honor The Maker's Schedule
"As an innovation leader, it is your job to ensure that your organization has explicit norms that enable your people to do deep work." Meeting culture is one place they often fall down – this is a great way to better support your teams.
Jack Dorsey funds diVine, a Vine reboot that includes Vine's video archive
"As generative AI content starts to fill our social apps, a project to bring back Vine’s six-second looping videos is launching with Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey’s backing."
I Want You to Understand Chicago
"I want you to understand what it is like to live in Chicago during this time."
Time to start de-Appling
"You have some serious thinking to do about what you intend to trust to the Apple stack altogether going forward, even things like passwords."
This Physicist Says We Don’t Take COVID Seriously Enough
The pandemic isn't over, and there's still much to fear from the COVID-19 virus.
How can I be most useful to you?
A short reader survey about the challenges you’re working through and the support you wish existed.
There's no such thing as neutral technology
Why organizations must evaluate values, not just features
Trump Administration's Arrival on Bluesky Highlights Growing Pains for Open Networks
"It’s no accident that US political operatives have been singling out Bluesky as a target for political control and retribution for months." But the result puts protocol developers and the users of their networks in opposition.
AI
This Is How Much Anthropic and Cursor Spend On Amazon Web Services
AI at scale isn't scaling.
Notable links
Russell Vought: The Shadow President
Reporter Andy Kroll explains Vought’s rise from a congressional staffer to the man piloting everything from Trump's layoffs and agency closings to his shutdown strategy, controlling the fate of trillions of dollars and millions of federal workers.
Technology
Europe Can’t Defend Democracy on US Servers
MEP Alexandra Geese argues that Europe needs its own infrastructure, social networks, and software. Rising US authoritarianism means the clock is ticking.
Technology
What Made Blogging Different?
Blogging was a different medium - and there's still a need for it more than ever.
Technology
Why the open social web matters now
The needs are real – and you have so much power.
Future of News
Build what makes you special. Buy the rest.
A framework for newsroom build vs buy decisions.
Media
What AI means for the business of: journalism
"[An] archipelago of high-trust communities [is] where journalists are uniquely capable of building thriving businesses."
Asides
Telomeres, my son, and me
I bawled my way through Nowhere Special, a 2020 movie about a terminally ill man who needs to find a new family for his four year old son. I’ll be thinking about it for years. It’s the story of a window cleaner with a terminal illness who needs
Democracy
Massive immigration raid on Chicago apartment building leaves residents reeling: 'I feel defeated'
Many of our colleagues' communities are being directly targeted by an increasingly authoritarian, anti-immigrant regime. As managers and leaders, we have a duty of care. It starts with listening.
Media
Don’t dwell on “democracy,” and other new findings about how to market local news
It turns out that "we're protecting democracy and our industry is dying, please pay us money" is not a great sales pitch.
Teams
The One-on-One Gift Exchange
This simple, repeatable framework for building a culture of open feedback has been a part of my toolkit for over a decade.
Democracy
Your private data isn't as private as you think
How law enforcement and private parties can access your information without your knowledge, and what you can do about it.