articles
table of contents
note: mirrors of the original article, if available, are linked below it.
the internet
“The Internet is Made of Demons”
According to one theory, the internet is made of demons. Like most theories about the internet, this one is mostly circulated online.
imgur - archive.org - archive.today
I first got online in 1993, back when the Web had a capital letter — three, in fact — and long before irony stretched its legs and unbuttoned its flannel shirt. Back when you could really say you were surfing the net.
imgur - archive.org - archive.today
“What Google Search Isn’t Showing You”
The search engine has made up so much of our online experience for so long that it can be hard to imagine something better.
privacy
“Big Data May Not Know Your Name. But It Knows Everything Else”
Data brokers claim that deidentified data on millions of Americans is risk-free. Lawmakers need to know that “anonymity” is an abstraction.
“Your Digital Footprint: It’s Bigger Than You Realize”
Just about everything about you is online, whether you put it there or not.
imgur - archive.org - archive.today
“Researchers find way to spy on remote screens—through the webcam mic”
Remote audio plus machine learning equals rudimentary remote screen viewing.
“Ransomware-as-a-service: Understanding the cybercrime gig economy and how to protect yourself”
Microsoft processes 24 trillion signals every 24 hours, and we have blocked billions of attacks in the last year alone. Microsoft Security tracks more than 35 unique ransomware families and 250 unique threat actors across observed nation-state, ransomware, and criminal activities.
“Mental Health Apps Aren’t All As Private As You May Think”
Type “mental health” or a condition such as anxiety or depression into an app store search bar, and you can end up scrolling through endless screens of options. As a recent Consumer Reports investigation has found, these apps take widely varied approaches to helping people handle psychological challenges—and they are just as varied in how they handle the privacy of their users.
“Pegasus Spyware and Citizen Surveillance: What You Need to Know”
NSO Group’s software targeted activists, journalists, politicians and executives. The US government, WhatsApp and Apple have taken action against it.
security
“Alarming Cyber Statistics For Mid-Year 2022 That You Need To Know”
A couple of times per year, I take a deep dive on writing about the newly reported cybersecurity statistics and trends that are impacting the digital landscape. Unfortunately, despite global efforts, every subsequent year the numbers get worse and show that we are far from being able to mitigate and contain the numerous cyber-threats targeting both industry and government.
health and mind
“There Is No Such Thing as Conscious Thought”
Philosopher Peter Carruthers insists that conscious thought, judgment and volition are illusions. They arise from processes of which we are forever unaware
big media / big reality
“The Monopoly On Your Mind, Part 1: Consolidation Craze & Illusion of Choice”
Six companies control 90% of what you read, watch, and hear. Here’s why that’s dangerous.
When the U.S. security state announces that Big Tech’s centralized censorship power must be preserved, we should ask what this reveals about whom this regime serves.
imgur - archive.org - archive.today
“These were CNN’s top 100 digital stories of 2021”
A big joke!
“How Corporate Media Threatens Our Democracy”
This is a crisis we can no longer afford to ignore.
World could undo social and economic advances and face 1.5 disasters a day by 2030, according to UN’s flagship Global Assessment Report.
general
“You’ll Worry Less About What People Think of You When You Realize How Seldom They Do”
David Foster Wallace? Olin Miller? Lee Traveler? Ethel Barrett? Mark Twain? Anonymous?
