Ben Werdmuller (Page 2)

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Growing the open social web

A position statement for FediForum's unworkshop

Palantir vs. the "Republik": US analytics firm takes magazine to court

Switzerland rejected Palantir on security grounds after independent journalism shed light on fundamental issues. Now the company is suing to tell its side of the story.

Most Americans don’t pay for news and don’t think they need to

Only 8% of respondents believe individual Americans have a responsibility to pay for news. "I don't think that information should be a privilege," one respondent said.

Everyone is stealing TV

"Fed up with increasing subscription prices, viewers embrace rogue streaming boxes." The question is: what's on them?

A note about personal security

I made a mistake last month that hopefully others can learn from. There are rumors that ICE is turning its attention to the Philadelphia area, where I live. I’m a natural-born American citizen, but based on accounts from Minneapolis, I’m not excited to run into them, and I’

Journalism lost its culture of sharing

"The data are clear: The open-source culture that defined an earlier era of online journalism has collapsed."

Hiring in an era of fake candidates, real scams and AI slop

"Red flags that both job seekers and employers should watch for, in an era of AI slop and application scams."

Notable links: Jan 24, 2026

What does the future of engineering look like? And more.

On ICE, Verification, and Presence As Harm

"Bluesky built a verification system designed to distribute trust, and then didn't use it when it mattered."

The Five Levels: from Spicy Autocomplete to the Software Factory

"I’ve now seen dozens of companies struggling to put AI to work writing code, and each one has moved through five clear tiers of automation. That felt familiar."

The Forwardable Email

"A way to help others actually make that connection they said they would." I've used this for a decade, and it's probably useful for you, too.

Funding Open Source for Digital Sovereignty

"Open Source alone won't deliver digital sovereignty. Europe must fix procurement and fund those who actually build it."

Technology

Who owns your data?

A Supreme Court case about a bank robbery could redefine your digital rights.

Democracy

Remembering Beyond Vietnam on MLK Day

A good friend introduced me to Martin Luther King Jr's Beyond Vietnam speech some time ago. It was not well-received by the mainstream press at the time (more about that in a moment) but I think it's prescient and, unfortunately, timely. At the Riverside Church in

Federal agents ram a man's vehicle and demand identification at Park Avenue and 35th Street in Minneapolis

Notable links

Notable links: January 16, 2026

An occupation in Minnesota and finding your way to work that doesn't harm

Democracy

Remarks on the Federal Government’s Ongoing Presence in Minnesota

“It is a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government." So record it.

Business

The Curiosity Tour

"A way to approach a job hunt that uncovers extraordinary, unlisted opportunities" - using a distilled framework that makes something that might look daunting feel easy.

Democracy

‘ELITE’: The Palantir App ICE Uses to Find Neighborhoods to Raid

"Internal ICE material and testimony from an official obtained by 404 Media provides the clearest link yet between the technological infrastructure Palantir is building for ICE and the agency’s activities on the ground."

Future of News

The Zurich protocol

They came for the newsroom. It was ready.

Media

Bari Weiss Is The Symptom

"The truth is that prestige journalism is lousy with Bari Weisses, up and down the line. Ask any journalist trying to cover the genocide in Gaza or the social death of gender nonconformists."

Technology

How to know if that job will crush your soul

"But these questions are framed in this way to encourage us all to aspire towards roles that enable us to do our best work, to have the biggest impact, and to live according to our values."