1. Airstrip 404 is here
Paris Marx explores the unsettling reality of digital sovereignty in this article, arguing that the global reliance on U.S. cloud infrastructure effectively turns every data centre into a strategic military asset. With the power to leverage the control of tech giants to enforce "kill switches" or restrict services to foreign entities, the U.S. maintains a level of global control that bypasses traditional borders, leaving countries like Canada and those in Europe vulnerable to the whims of American foreign policy. Of course, lots of people have predicted this, but it really puts the onus on all of us to wean ourselves off US-based tech.
2. How the US push to get Greenland is connected to the techbros
The push for American control over Greenland isn't just about national security; it's a resource grab fuelled by a "committee of vultures." Casey Michel details how tech and finance oligarchs—backed by figures like Zuckerberg, Bezos, and Andreessen—are eyeing the island’s mineral wealth to fuel the next generation of tech, potentially destabilising NATO in the process.
3. Muh freedum, plus snow
But wait! There’s more! Building on the geopolitical interest in the north, Silicon Valley investors are pitching a "libertarian utopia" in Greenland. This proposed "freedom city" would serve as a low-regulation laboratory for AI, autonomous vehicles, and space launches, reflecting a growing movement among tech magnates to create "network states" that operate outside traditional government oversight.
4. I feel your pain
Tech media remains a fun and interesting place to be, as Future plc announces a major restructuring of its flagship titles. With jobs at risk at Techradar and Tom's Guide, it’s a reminder of the ongoing volatility in the industry that reports on the very innovations it is struggling to survive. Part of the problem for Future’s tech brands was that they were very quick to get very good at two things which drove immense amounts of traffic and revenue: SEO and affiliate content. For a while, the combination was a license to print money – if you did it well. And Future did.
But the problem with this is that if you don’t go on to build direct relationships with your audience through email and other channels, then while you’re reliant on Google to send you traffic, you are never the master of your own destiny.
5. Oh dear how sad never mind (part 332)
A Munich court has dealt a significant blow to OpenAI, ruling that the company violated copyright by using protected song lyrics to train ChatGPT. That sounds obvious, doesn’t it? The court rejected the "learning, not storing" defence, signalling a potential shift in European law that could force AI companies to obtain licences and compensate rights holders before using their creative works.
6. Project Cybersyn
Looking back to the 1970s, Project Cybersyn remains one of the most fascinating "what ifs" in tech history. This Chilean initiative attempted to use a real-time telex network and economic simulators to manage a national economy democratically, prioritising worker autonomy over centralised control before it was cut short by the 1973 coup. It’s an example of a technological future which never happened, because (of course) capitalism.
7. Microsoft Gave FBI BitLocker Encryption Keys
A recent fraud investigation in Guam has highlighted a major privacy flaw in Windows: Microsoft’s willingness to hand over BitLocker recovery keys to law enforcement. Unlike Apple or Meta, who architect their systems so they cannot access user keys, Microsoft’s default cloud storage of these keys creates a "backdoor" that privacy advocates warn is ripe for government overreach.
8. Why I don’t use Brave
Brave is super-popular among the kind of people who can’t stand Google, but want a Chromium-based browser – and it’s open source. Sounds good, right? But Corbin Davenport makes a forceful case against Brave, arguing that its privacy-first marketing is a facade for a problematic business model. From affiliate link injection to its deep ties with controversial cryptocurrency ventures, the article suggests that users seeking true privacy should look toward more transparent alternatives like Firefox or Vivaldi. Personally, I’ve been using Vivaldi a lot lately, and even though it’s not open source, I like it. Oh, and it’s European, too.
9. Social isn’t social without connection
Cory Doctorow dissects the "enshittification" of social media, where platforms have pivoted from facilitating human connection to maximising engagement metrics for advertisers. He argues that quantifying our relationships has stripped away the qualitative value of socialising, replacing authentic affinity with AI-driven interactions designed to keep us scrolling.
10. Why are men?
The rise of smart glasses has brought a new trend of covert filming in public spaces. This BBC investigation reveals how women are being secretly recorded for "dating advice" or influencer content, leading to severe online harassment and exposing a glaring lack of legal protection against this form of digital exploitation. It’s grim, grim, grim. But hey, Meta makes a few extra million, so what’s the problem?