Protests for Black Lives
Twitter Surveillance Startup Targets Communities of Color for Police
Insiders say Dataminr’s “algorithmic” Twitter search involves human staffers perpetuating confirmation biases.
Sam Biddle
Sam Biddle is a technology reporter focusing on issues of surveillance, privacy, and corporate power. He was previously a senior writer at Gawker, and his work has also appeared in GQ, Vice, and the New York Times magazine, among other outlets.
Contacts:
- sam.biddle@theintercept.com
- @sambiddle.99 on Signal
- @sambiddle.com on Bluesky
- @samfbiddle on X
Posts:
The Coronavirus Crisis
Days After Returning to Office, Facebook Content Moderator Contracts Coronavirus
Even as Facebook staff work from home, the content moderators were forced to return to the office amid pandemic fears.
Facebook Contractor Downplays Coronavirus Risk for Content Moderators
Facebook content moderators must return to the office, and a call with their managers at Accenture did little to calm their fears.
BlueLeaks
Doorbell Cameras Like Ring Give Early Warning of Police Searches, FBI Warned
Two leaked documents show how a monitoring tool used by police has been turned against them.
Voices
The Filthy Hypocrisy of America’s “Clean” China-Free Internet
The Trump administration wants to keep other countries from weaponizing technology the way the U.S. and its allies already have.
An Air Force Special Operations Surveillance Plane Is Lurking Near Portland During Federal Crackdown
An Air Force surveillance plane designed to carry state-of-the-art sensors typically reserved for war zones has been circling above Portland.
BlueLeaks
Homeland Security Worries Covid-19 Masks Are Breaking Facial Recognition, Leaked Document Shows
The rapid global spread and persistent threat of the coronavirus has presented an obvious roadblock to facial recognition’s similar global expansion.
Protests for Black Lives
Police Surveilled George Floyd Protests With Help From Twitter-Affiliated Startup Dataminr
Artificial intelligence firm Dataminr is making questionable use of its Twitter firehose privileges — and not for the first time.
Weeks After PTSD Settlement, Facebook Moderators Ordered to Spend More Time Viewing Online Child Abuse
Contractor Accenture has added 48 minutes to the shifts of many moderators in North America.
Voices
Amazon "Stands in Solidarity" Against Police Racism While Selling Racist Tech to Police
The company’s vocal support for protests is contradicted by its surveillance products like Ring and Rekognition.