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  I’ve been syndicating my blog to MSN News since forever. Yesterday I published a post to my linkblog that points out MSN Copilot cited a random site by a right-wing guy in 75% of its election-related answers. This morning I coincidentally received an email informing me I’m kicked off of MSN. Fun!

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  I’m not a fan of patriotism or nationalism, which are both on the same spectrum. Let’s care about people. Let’s be proud of communities, wherever they are. An internationalist perspective will improve life for everyone; putting borders on our compassion is counter-productive.

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  RE: https://mementomori.social/@juergen_hubert/117506218354020340 Truly. The people who want to take an "eternal September" attitude to the influx of people to the open social web are not helping the cause in any way. Don't do it.

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  Holy wow. 25% of Microsoft. https://www.theverge.com/tech/1018666/microsoft-expands-buyouts-60000-employees-eligible

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  "News will be intermediated by AI, whether we like it or not." The solution will involve common infrastructure, open technology, data portability, and fighting against lock-in at all costs. #AI https://werd.io/news-will-be-intermediated-by-ai-whats-next/

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  Current Affairs has enshrined tough restrictions on publishing using generative AI into its union contract. It's bet is that it will publish better journalism that way. #AI https://werd.io/current-affairs-says-its-banning-ai/

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  If you haven't been paying attention to this story, it's truly wild - a supposed European alternative to big tech social media that lured in politicians and made waves but is incredibly poorly thought-out and is effectively doxxing its users. @_elena@mastodon.social has been on it from the beginning. https://blog.elenarossini.com/public-by-design-how-w-social-makes-their-verified-users-personal-details-visible-on-the-open-web/

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  We rise together or we fall together. Every human. All of us.

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  The implications of this are interesting to think about. If Microsoft can't fix its bugs fast enough, how might it change the software development process so it can? And what does that imply about the future of software development (and engineers in particular)? https://www.propublica.org/article/anthropic-mythos-microsoft-software-vulnerabilities

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  You can’t convince people to move to a new network for ideological reasons. A few will; most won’t. The only driver is giving them something new that they want and can’t get anywhere else.

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  Amazon's concessions indicate that data center protests are working. But the company is offering less than pocket change. #AI https://werd.io/amazon-tries-to-placate-data-center-protesters/

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  By taking identity resolution to an independent organization, Bluesky is securing the future of its network, and of AT Protocol. #Technology https://werd.io/the-public-ledger-of-credentials-directory-is-taking-flight/

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  A little late to the party, but wowzers. Best wishes to everyone at Automattic: it's an important company filled with brilliant people, and they deserve stable leadership and an environment that supports them. https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/09/automattics-board-forces-ceo-matt-mullenweg-into-leave-of-absence/

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  In a world where predictive policing is becoming more commonplace, TVs that report on what you're watching, record you using live mics, and scan your network for connected devices are a liability. #Democracy https://werd.io/your-tv-is-spying-on-you-and-its-worse-than-you-think/

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  This one will hurt: I love 1Password as a product. But I'm the son of a concentration camp survivor. I will not give money to companies that align themselves with nationalism, and certainly not ethnic cleansing. Completely disappointing, @1password@1password.social. https://www.flyingpenguin.com/dhh-nazism-funded-by-1password-vp-who-wrote-honest-security/

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  It seems to me that if legislators are genuinely worried about social media harming children through adverse algorithms, they could require that the algorithms are transparently auditable. Otherwise one might think they’re trying to add identity surveillance through the back door.

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  This seems very good. https://bonfirenetworks.org/posts/bonfire-for-communities/

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  I'm not sure right-aligned and left-aligned fit well, but I think it's very clear that some technology founders genuinely want to empower all of humanity, and some want to empower the people who are just like them. The only tech that matters is the kind that makes *everyone's* life better.

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  "Basically, when you look at the most popular pieces of entertainment in the world, they tend to be pure wish fulfillment. And I don't think queer creators should surrender one of the most powerful tools in storytelling to be used only by those who hate us." I love this. https://buttondown.com/charliejane/archive/my-favorite-new-books-plus-a-rant-about-escapism/

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  I know it's not the biggest or most important thing about what's happening in UK politics today, but it drives me bananas that all these politicians are making statements on X. Even Instagram would be a better choice. What will it take for people to leave that hateful site?!

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  Enjoying the comments from that wacky gang on Hacker News

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  "Proposed grant recipients have included a free-speech organization that has fought against bans on “gay conversion therapy” and an Afrikaner group that promotes self-governance." Your tax dollars at work. https://www.propublica.org/article/human-rights-aid-right-wing-causes

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  China's open-weights AI strategy is winning: its companies are taking the lead. America's closed-first, locked-down strategy is doomed to failure - and it could take the US economy down with it. #AI https://werd.io/american-ai-is-locked-down-and-proprietary-its-losing/

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  If the goal isn’t an open, democratic society where everyone can be themselves without fear regardless of background, context, or orientation, every single person has the opportunity to lead a good life, and nobody can fall through the cracks into poverty or homelessness, I don’t know what we’re doing here.

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  Zohran Mamdani has unveiled a radically collaborative, cross-disciplinary approach to building internal technology capacity. News has a lot to learn from it. #Media https://werd.io/we-need-a-pit-crew-for-news/

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  "After losing their jobs at NOAA, Rebecca Lindsey, her sister and another colleague teamed up to rebuild a pivotal resource the Trump administration took offline." #Democracy https://werd.io/climate-gov-was-destroyed-open-data-saved-it/

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  An insight into the kinds of data security practices that are really important for newsrooms and journalism right now: https://werd.io/the-trump-administration-is-subpoenaing-journalists-to-reveal-sources-their-data-security-is-more-important-than-ever/

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  For a couple of years now, I've obsessively closed my Apple Fitness rings every day. It's arbitrary but enough to prompt me to do some extra exercise. For the last two nights running, I've taken a late-night walk directly after a thunderstorm, while lightning still danced across the sky. Magical.

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  Most Fridays, I share a handful of pieces that caught my eye at the intersection of technology, media, and society. This was this week's roundup, about AI, surveillance, open tech, and news as a business. https://werd.io/notable-links-july-3-2026/

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  One year I'll make it to #dwebcamp. This is not the year - I'm busily packing up my house to move out. But I hope everyone has wonderful, actionable conversations and a great time. And maybe I'll finally get there next year?