This book is freaking great. Send a copy to your immigration skeptic friends as well as to the people in your life who already understand that migration is a source of hope. A pleaure to read. https://bookshop.org/a/7949/9781635577860
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
Trump seems suddenly excited to use 1950s rhetoric about communists. Mate, there aren't any significant communists in the United States. There are some people who want healthcare, equitable justice, and for poverty not to be a death sentence. Social democracy is not communism. You moron.
All snark aside, I do love America. The Declaration of Independence - 250 years ago! - was genuinely important. Most places you go, the people are kind, community-minded, and optimistic. One day, eventually, they will have an equitable government that redresses wrongs and provides real support.
Every week I gather notable links and articles that I think are worth discussing. In today's roundup: why OpenAI's offer of 5% is a bad deal, how news needs to get real about its business value, and the effect of surveillance on human rights organizations. 
Ben Werdmuller
Notable links: July 3, 2026
AI, surveillance, open tech, and news as a business.
My entire information diet relies on your site having a functional RSS feed, so it would be awesome if it did.
"U.S. officials are demanding access to the health data of millions of Africans as a condition of giving billions of dollars in lifesaving aid to African countries." 
ProPublica
“Digital Colonialism”: U.S. Demands to Access Africans’ Data Raise Privacy, Sovereignty Concerns
The United States is requiring access to health data as part of lifesaving aid deals with African countries. The U.S. says the data will be aggrega...
My new least favorite thing is AI sales enablement tools that read my blog to create a tailored opening. "I loved your piece about [whatever]! We sell [something tangentially related to whatever]." It makes me want to shift to blogging about penguins or something.
"We’re publishing this blog post to explain our decision to refer to Delaney Hall as a “concentration camp” and clarify the term’s meaning." This is incredibly important. 
The Jersey Bee
Why we’re calling Delaney Hall a “concentration camp” – The Jersey Bee
The term describes facilities where targeted groups are held without due process under inhumane conditions.
"But the “fear of being left behind” argument is particularly dangerous: it suggests that you should pick a technology first and then find problems for it to solve. That’s always backwards." In case you missed it, how I think about AI - in terms of vendors, tech, and power: 
Ben Werdmuller
Evaluating AI technology: a CTO's framework
How to think about vendors, technology, and power
Still baffling to me how people asking for basic human rights and civil liberties are painted as far left. They’re normal asks and enjoyed in many other countries. The rhetoric is just designed to stop the conversation; it’s not a serious discussion.
Meanwhile if the Overton Window slid any more to the right it would fall off the edge of the world.
Bluesky Is Plotting a Total Takeover of the Social Internet 
Ben Werdmuller
Bluesky Is Plotting a Total Takeover of the Social Internet
[Kate Knibbs at WIRED]
This is an insightful interview with Bluesky CEO Jay Graber. The headline here overreaches quite a bit, and needlessly desc...
Ev Williams, Twitter and Medium Founder, Unveils New Social App
Ben Werdmuller
Ev Williams, Twitter and Medium Founder, Unveils New Social App
[Erin Griffith at the New York Times]
I've been using Mozi for a little while and like it quite a bit:
"Mr. Williams views Mozi as an attempt to ...
I’m not a resolutions guy, but this year it’s not even Thanksgiving yet and I’ve got a list. Determined to get through 2025 with intention.
Google must sell Chrome to end search monopoly, says US justice department
Ben Werdmuller
Google must sell Chrome to end search monopoly, says US justice department
[Dan Milmo at The Guardian]
The Department of Justice has filed its proposed remedies to Google's illegal monopoly over search services:
"The pro...
Bluesky, the Fediverse, and the future of social media
Ben Werdmuller
Bluesky, the Fediverse, and the future of social media
Today's open social networks have a lot to learn from each other.