Destroying Autocracy – August 15, 2025
Welcome to this week’s “Destroying Autocracy”.
It’s your source for curated news affecting democracy in the cyber arena with a focus on protecting it. That necessitates an opinionated Butlerian jihad against big tech as well as evangelizing for open-source and the Fediverse. Since big media’s journalism wing is flailing and failing in its core duty to democracy, this is also a collection of alternative reporting on the eternal battle between autocracy and democracy. We also cover the cybersecurity world. You can’t be free without safety and privacy.
DA comes out on Thursday and is updated through the end of day on Friday. Then we start over. So take your time in perusing it and check back in over the weekend.
FYI, my opinions will be in bold. And will often involve cursing. Because humans. Especially tech bros. And fascists. Fuck ’em.
There is some news about us this week. We are definitely retiring next year and sooner than expected. Once we move to Europe, I don’t want to spend 30 hours a week working on Symfony Station and Battalion. Producing short documentaries will be my main hobby.
But, I am willing to spend 10 hours weekly on The Programmer’s Fulcrum. It’s the future (and smaller) home for a fusion of Symfony Station and Battalion. Its tagline is Devs Defending Democracy.
For now its built with Ghost though WordPress is still in the running as a long-term site/newsletter/fediverse account solution. Sorry Drupal CMS you are dead in the water.
In any event, you can sign up now and for 2025 get an email with links and featured articles for each week’s Symfony Station Communiqué and Battalion “Destroying Autocracy” post. And you’ll be set with TPF after the fusing. I appreciate all of you.
Featured Item
The Sunday Times has an interview with my hero:
Meredith Whittaker, boss of WhatsApp rival Signal, says the UK’s Investigatory Powers Act could create a weakness that threatens users’ private data.
Signal boss: ‘disturbing’ laws show the UK doesn’t understand tech
Fuck Meta, and fuck What’s App.
We start and end with good news to make the middle bearable.
The response to Russia’s War Crimes, Techno Feudalism, and other douchebaggery
TechCrunch reports:
US government seized $1M from Russian ransomware gang
BleepingComputer reports:
North Korean Kimsuky hackers exposed in alleged data breach
TechCrunch reports:
Australian court finds Apple, Google abused app store market power
The Association for Progressive Communications reports:
Every Door on going from a map user to an open source map creator
Grenoble, France announces:
Access kit Open source software
Commons DB has:
Connecting the Commons: Shared Benefits for Wikimedia Commons and CommonsDB
The Center for Democracy and Technology shares:
Neutral
The Next Web reports:
Opinion: Europe can regulate its way to a better fintech future
Infrequently reports:
How Do Committees Fail To Invent?
Renée DiResta reports:
No Clapping Allowed: A Social Media Free Speech Debate Without the Usual Theater
Stateline reports:
More than half the states have issued AI guidance for schools
Dries Buytaert has:
Funding Open Source like public infrastructure
I disagree with 88.2% of Dries’ AI stance, but he’s 100% correct about this. 
The Evil Empire (AKA Autocracy) Strikes Back
The Electronic Frontier Foundation reports:
Americans, Be Warned: Lessons From Reddit’s Chaotic UK Age Verification Rollout
Unfortunately, our fools will follow in their fools’ footsteps. And btw fuck Reddit.
The Register reports:
Wikimedia Foundation loses first court battle to swerve Online Safety Act regulation
404 Media reports:
Trump Is Launching an AI Search Engine Powered by Perplexity
If there was any doubt that c^nts attract c^nts, now you know. Especially Clownish ones who want to buy Chrome.
Feds Used Local Cop’s Password to Do Immigration Surveillance With Flock Cameras
LAPD Eyes ‘GeoSpy’, an AI Tool That Can Geolocate Photos in Seconds
Euractiv has:
Palantir is well on its way to conquering Europe
Pariah States
The Register reports:
Russia’s RomCom among those exploiting a WinRAR 0-day in highly-targeted attacks
TechCrunch reports:
Russian government hackers said to be behind US federal court filing system hack: Report
BleepingComputer reports:
Pro-Russian hackers blamed for water dam sabotage in Norway
Curly COMrades cyberspies hit govt orgs with custom malware
Dark Reading reports:
REvil Actor Accuses Russia of Planning 2021 Kaseya Attack
EuroNews reports:
Russia blocks calls via WhatsApp and Telegram as it tightens control over the internet
Signals, peeps.
Israel faces widespread condemnation after Al Jazeera correspondent killed in Gaza
TechPolicy reports:
Artificial Intelligence and the Orchestration of Palestinian Life and Death
Big Media
Poynter says:
And have.
The Racket reports:
Substack’s extremist ecosystem is flourishing
They are on Beehiiv, which like Ghost is a moral alternative to SubStack.
NiemanLab reports:
Can nonprofit news mix with local TV? A Pennsylvania partnership aims to find out
Local TV news is shit. But, this is interesting.
Seeking Alpha reports:
Companies find new avenues to drive up sessions as Google’s AI Search tools reduce web traffic
404 Media reports:
Trump Administration Outlines Plan to Throw Out an Agency’s FOIA Requests En Masse
Big Tech
The Electronic Frontier Foundation reports:
Data Brokers Are Ignoring Privacy Law. We Deserve Better.
Ben Werdmuller reports on:
TechPolicy reports:
In an Age of Information Gatekeeping, Don’t Just Google It
Fuck Google.
TechPolicy reports:
‘Big Cloud’ is Building Power via Pervasive Investments
TechCrunch reports:
Leaked Meta AI rules show chatbots were allowed to have romantic chats with kids
How to Save the World asks:
Has the Internet Succumbed to the Tragedy of the Commons?
Platformer has:
Three big lessons from the GPT-5 backlash
Ars Technica reports:
LLMs’ “simulated reasoning” abilities are a “brittle mirage,” researchers find
AP reports:
Students have been called to the office — and even arrested — for AI surveillance false alarms
Cybersecurity/Privacy
The Register reports:
The inside story of the Telemessage saga, and how you can view the data
DEF CON hackers plug security holes in US water systems amid tsunami of threats
Deepfake detectors are slowly coming of age, at a time of dire need
Fediverse
Connected Places has:
Hopefully the link is fixed now.
IFTAS says:
The 2025 Fediverse Needs Assessment is Open: Have Your Say
Salvatore Noschese shares:
We Distribute reports:
Big Updates Are Coming to Loops
tchncs has:
We Distribute asks?
Is Meta Scraping the Fediverse for AI?
Did I say fuck Meta?
TechCrunch reports:
Threads now has more than 400 million monthly active users
Fuck Threads too.
Arxiv is:
Exploring Left-Wing Extremism on the Decentralized Web: An Analysis of Lemmygrad.ml
The proper term is Tankies not left-wing. And it’s why you should use Mbin or Piefed.
Paths & Patches has:
Third Spaces in the Fediverse: FediCon thoughts Part II
Newsmast unplugged: FediCon Part III
The Register reports:
Secure chat darling Matrix admits pair of ‘high severity’ protocol flaws need painful fixes
Slightly Federated Social Media
TBD
CTAs (aka show us some free love)
- That’s it for this week. Please share this edition of Destroying Autocracy.
- Follow me on the Fediverse. Or this site via the button in the footer. Or via RSS. Or even our future home in 2026, if you want a headstart.
Keep fighting!
Ringleader, Battalion
Reuben Walker
Follow me on the Fediverse
#ActivityPub #AI #ATProto #Autocracy #BigJournalism #BigTech #Bluesky #Bonfire #Democracy #Fascism #Fediverse #Lemmy #Loops #Mastodon #Reddit #Signal #StopChina #StopIsrael #StopRedAmerica #StopRussia #SubStack #SupportUkraine #TechnoAnarchism #TechnoFeudalism #Telemessage #WhatsApp #Wikimedia
Hackers are actively exploiting a new flaw in 
Congrats, your secrets are now open source 
that is yet another insecure messaging app? 
Just don't forget to bring your own data—after all, that's half the fun! 
