Via Matthew Haughey – AWLN – “A friend of mine works in the federal government and wrote a guide for their fellow federal workers on how to use Signal. There are lots of good reasons for switching to Signal for messaging, and this does a great job of laying it all out. This friend doesn’t… Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
Heads Up for Government Employees – How Elon Musk Says He Catches Leakers at His Companies
This Intercept article is from December 2022 but has all the hallmarks of what Musk and DOGE are now perpetrating within our federal government agencies, using OPM, GSA and Treasury’s massive databases of fiscal, financial data and PII, on all Americans. …To begin with, a wide array of document watermarking measures can identify the source… Continue Reading
Archive of deleted CDC datasets
Internet Archive: A complete archive of all CDC datasets uploaded before January 28th, 2025. Under the direction of Trump, the CDC has been removing data related to gender, vaccines, and climate change. Continue Reading
OpenAI’s ‘Deep Research’ Gives Students a Whole New Way to Cheat on Papers
Gizmodo: “Very few former students can claim they never wrote a last-minute research paper the night before it was due. AI tools are already giving students all new ways to fake their papers. Now, OpenAI’s new “Deep Research” tool seems perfectly designed to help students fake their way through a term paper unless asked to cite… Continue Reading
Deferred Resignation Email to Federal Employees, January 28, 2025 – updated Feb 4, 2025
Via LLRX – Deferred Resignation Email to Federal Employees, January 28, 2025 – updated Feb 4, 2025 – I have updated this article with links to new documents pertaining to directives made by non government civilians to federal government employees to resign their jobs using a purported buyout offer. The emails and “offers” were not… Continue Reading
Data brokers can keep selling your social security number, says new CFPB chief
The Verge: “Treasure Secretary Scott Bessent has been named the Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the bureau announced today. Bessent quickly instructed the agency to “to stop all rulemaking, communications, litigation, and other activities,” reports Bloomberg Law. A source inside the CFPB told Bloomberg Law that his order “appeared to shut… Continue Reading
Fast fires
Reuters Graphics: “Fires are growing faster in the western United States. The fastest of them – termed “fast fires” – often erupt near towns and account for most structural wildfire damage according to researchers who analyzed over 60,000 fires from 2001 to 2020. Fast fires grow about 4,000 acres or more on their fastest day,… Continue Reading
Mapped: The Top Import Partner of Every U.S. State
Visual Capitalist: “The Trump administration is imposing a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico [this is on hold for one month – maybe] and Canada, along with a 10% tariff on imports from China. The U.S. President says he wants strong action to halt the flow of the opioid fentanyl and its precursor chemicals into… Continue Reading
Musk vows to cancel grants after gaining access to US Treasury payment system
FT.com: “Musk appeared to confirm on Saturday that DOGE had access to the Treasury system, which disperses trillions of dollars each year Elon Musk has vowed to unilaterally cancel hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of government grants after apparently gaining access to review the US Treasury’s vast payments system, a move that prompted the… Continue Reading
Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions
Just Security: “This public resource tracks legal challenges to Trump administration actions. If you think we are missing anything, you can email us at [email protected]. Special thanks to Just Security Student Staff Editors, Rick Da and Jeremy Venook, and to Matthew Fouracre. The Tracker is part of the Collection: Just Security’s Coverage of the Trump… Continue Reading
Time to Delete? The Most Invasive Apps List Includes Some of Your Favorites
PC Mag: “The apps on your phone know way too much about you. I’ll tell you which apps collect the most data and offer suggestions for locking down your private information. Everyone wants your data. And why not? There’s a lot of money in selling or sharing the information apps collect about you. App companies… Continue Reading
Surveillance Self-Defense Tips, Tools and How-tos for Safer Online Communications
Surveillance Self-Defense Tips, Tools and How-tos for Safer Online Communication A Project of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. We’re the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an independent non-profit working to protect online privacy for over thirty years. This is Surveillance Self-Defense: our expert guide to protecting you and your friends from online spying. Read the BASICS to find… Continue Reading
