An increasingly dangerous world 
Ben Werdmuller
An increasingly dangerous world
My underlying model for everything that's happening
Ben Werdmuller
benwerd@nos.social
npub183ng...4n09
I lead technology at ProPublica and write speculative fiction. This is a personal account.
Every day, I write about tech, democracy, and society at https://werd.io.
More about me: https://about.werd.io
Growing the open social web 
Ben Werdmuller
Growing the open social web
A position statement for FediForum's unworkshop
Palantir vs. the "Republik": US analytics firm takes magazine to court
Ben Werdmuller
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 i...
Most Americans don’t pay for news and don’t think they need to
Ben Werdmuller
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," ...
Hiring in an era of fake candidates, real scams and AI slop
Ben Werdmuller
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 
Ben Werdmuller
Notable links: Jan 24, 2026
What does the future of engineering look like? And more.
On ICE, Verification, and Presence As Harm
Ben Werdmuller
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
Ben Werdmuller
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...
Notable links: January 16, 2026 
Ben Werdmuller
Notable links: January 16, 2026
An occupation in Minnesota and finding your way to work that doesn't harm
Remarks on the Federal Government’s Ongoing Presence in Minnesota
Ben Werdmuller
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.
‘ELITE’: The Palantir App ICE Uses to Find Neighborhoods to Raid
Ben Werdmuller
‘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...