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Category Archives: Internet

DOGE Deletes Agency Behind Login.gov, IRS Direct File, Other Tech Projects

PC Mag: “The General Services Administration (GSA) has axed a technology unit that developed key public-facing IT services like Login.gov, the central login system for key government services like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. The decision, unearthed in an internal memo seen by Politico, was ordered by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as… Continue Reading

The Nicest Swamp on the Internet

The Atlantic [no paywall] “…The joy of Reddit comes from it being simultaneously niche and expansive—like an infinite world’s fair of subcultures, fandoms, support groups, and curiosities. There seems to be a subreddit for everyone and everything. There are mainstream subreddits with popular appeal, such as r/askscience (26 million users) and r/technology (18 million users).… Continue Reading

No, AI can’t decide whom to fire or many other DOGE goals

Washington Post – no paywall – Identify “mission-critical” jobs? Spot dead people on Social Security rolls? Government needs AI -— but what DOGE appears to be doing doesn’t add up. The U.S. DOGE Service is pursuing an “AI-first” strategy to remake the government. I understand why it’s an alluring idea: Bring a noted technologist like… Continue Reading

Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, March 1, 2025

Via LLRX – Pete Recommends – Weekly highlights on cyber security issues, March 1, 2025 – Privacy and cybersecurity issues impact every aspect of our lives – home, work, travel, education, finance, health and medical records – to name but a few. On a weekly basis Pete Weiss, highlights articles and information that focus on the… Continue Reading

EFF Transition Memo to Trump Administration 2025

Contents  1. Introduction 2. Surveillance Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Section 702 Facial Recognition Technology Border Search and Immigration Surveillance Surveillance Tech at the Border and the Virtual Wall Reproductive Justice and Digital Surveillance 2. Encryption and Cybersecurity End-to-End Encryption Client-Side Scanning and Other Recent U.S. Attempts At Encryption Backdoors Government Cybersecurity 4. Consumer Privacy Consumer… Continue Reading

Army, Navy remove web pages highlighting women’s military service

Military Times: “A page devoted to women’s service in the U.S. Navy was removed in February by the Navy History and Heritage Command and replaced by a “page not found” message. (Screenshot/NHHC) In an effort to align with President Donald Trump’s recent executive order that terminated diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives across the… Continue Reading

FCC’s Knives Are Out for First Amendment

Fairness & Accurately in Reporting (FAIR): Brendan Carr, newly appointed chair of the Federal Communications Commission, is waging a war on the news media, perhaps the most dangerous front in de jure President Donald Trump and de facto President Elon Musk’s quest to destroy freedom of the press and the First Amendment. Trump’s FCC has… Continue Reading

Building a Trump-Proof Tech Stack Without Big Tech

Joan Westenberg – Here’s What I’m Using [this is a long comprehensive read, and very useful especially for researchers, librarians, government, academics, journalists]: “…Apple, Microsoft, Google, Meta, and other tech companies operating on American soil can talk a big game about their sovereignty, independence, and encryption. But talk may be all it is; there can… Continue Reading

Your face could be in this database. How will it be used?

Thaddeus Johnson, a former police officer, is a senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice and teaches criminology at Georgia State University. Natasha Johnson is a faculty member at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State. No Paywall: “Imagine strolling down a crowded sidewalk when police officers stop a man. In… Continue Reading