Mastodawn

Finally have time to read @pluralistic’s “Enshittification”. Really late to the party but love Cory’s work so I’m thrilled. And it’s a lovely spring evening here in Montana.
Irony of using a kindle — partly solved by it being jailbroken and buying the book from @craphound

Jacob Olness Apr 2

evacide Apr 1

Sometimes I wonder if working from home for so long has turned me into a goblin who cannot be trusted to interact with other people without making it weird. Then I remember that I have always been a goblin who cannot be trusted to interact with other people without making it weird.

Jacob Olness Apr 2

Electronic Frontier Foundation Apr 1

Consumer routers have had issues, but often because "manufacturers don’t issue patches or they don’t bother to notify people when their router is end of life and no longer receiving security updates,” EFF’s @Thorin told @newyorktimes.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/foreign-made-wi-fi-routers-ban/

The FCC Banned New Foreign-Made Wi-Fi Routers. Here’s What That Means.

Wi-Fi routers made outside the US are now banned. But you don’t need to toss yours out or buy a new one.

Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World

Jacob Olness Mar 24

Molly White Mar 24

i love combing through FEC data because how else would i have learned of Big Nut

#USpolitics #USpol

Jacob Olness Mar 9

Electronic Frontier Foundation Mar 9

Age verification risks tying users’ “most sensitive and immutable data” — names, faces, birthdays, home addresses — to their online activity, EFF’s Molly Buckley told CNBC. “Age verification strikes at the foundation of the free and open internet.” https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/08/social-media-child-safety-internet-ai-surveillance.html

Jacob Olness Mar 7

Electronic Frontier Foundation Mar 7

Women in tech and digital rights deserve more and brighter spotlights. At EFF, we’ve had the honor of celebrating some of our heroes at our annual EFF Awards.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/03/admiring-our-heroes-international-womens-day-celebrating-women-who-have-received

Admiring Our Heroes for International Women’s Day: Celebrating Women Who Have Received EFF Awards

For the last hundred years, women have had pivotal and far too often unsung roles in building and shaping the technology that we now use every day. Many have heard of Ada Lovelace’s contributions to computer programming, but far fewer know Mary Allen Wilkes, a prominent modern programmer who wrote...

Electronic Frontier Foundation

Jacob Olness Feb 28

Electronic Frontier Foundation Feb 28

“They claim they might be looking for smugglers or … cartel members, but that’s not who they’re collecting data on,” EFF’s Dave Maass told CalMatters. “(The program) is primarily collecting data on people who live in the region.” https://calmatters.org/justice/2026/02/alpr-border-patrol-caltrans/

The hidden surveillance network sending Californians' license plates to Border Patrol

California residents are noticing new license plate readers that appear to be operated by the Border Patrol. Some have had confusing encounters with agents.

CalMatters

Jacob Olness Feb 5

evacide Feb 5

Hey, remember that time I said that pointing out that AI is giving bad data to ICE is missing the point because ICE doesn't actually care if the data is good? Check out how right I am.

https://www.wired.com/story/cbp-ice-dhs-mobile-fortify-face-recognition-verify-identity/

ICE and CBP’s Face-Recognition App Can’t Actually Verify Who People Are

ICE has used Mobile Fortify to identify immigrants and citizens alike over 100,000 times, by one estimate. It wasn't built to work like that—and only got approved after DHS abandoned its own privacy rules.

WIRED

you vibecoded a startup, I vibeassembled a Kallax shelving unit

we are not the same because I'm not bragging about it on socials

Jacob Olness Jan 25

evacide Jan 24

If you are outside of Minnesota and you are looking for ways to help right now, here is a guide:

https://naomikritzer.com/2026/01/21/how-to-help-if-you-are-outside-minnesota/

How To Help if You are Outside Minnesota

Last edited January 22, 2026 I’m going to assume that if you’re reading this, you more or less understand the situation in Minnesota and I don’t have to explain it to you! That sa…

Will Tell Stories For Food