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.
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:
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.
Protests for Black Lives
New York Police Are Attacking Protesters — They Know They Won’t Face Consequences
The NYPD has long been shielded from accountability. This week’s violent response to protesters exposed the extent of the department’s culture of impunity.
The Coronavirus Crisis
Coronavirus Monitoring Bracelets Flood the Market, Ready to Snitch on People Who Don’t Distance
A crop of “new” body-worn devices issue alerts about hospital patients, the quarantined, people under house arrest, and workers who fail to social distance.
The Coronavirus Crisis
There's No Telling What Data Facebook Will Collect If You Use Its Zoom Clone
Messenger Rooms won’t “watch or listen” to your calls. But Facebook won't say how it will handle metadata like who you chat with and when.
The Coronavirus Crisis
The Inventors of Bluetooth Say There Could Be Problems Using Their Tech for Coronavirus Contact Tracing
Judging distance based on the strength of a radio signal is a fraught process that can be stymied by physical obstructions.
The Coronavirus Crisis
Prisons Launch "Absurd" Attempt to Detect Coronavirus in Inmate Phone Calls
Jails and prisons in at least three states are using software called Verus, financed by Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy, to scan calls for Covid-19 keywords.
The Coronavirus Crisis
Location-Tracking Firm Helping Trump Get Reelected Now Wants to Cash In on Coronavirus
Phunware wants to sell social-distancing enforcement while serving the president who bungled the response to Covid-19.
The Coronavirus Crisis
Facebook Tech Support Contractors Sent Into Work Question “Essential” Designation
The contractors were given letters classifying them as providing “essential services” — setting up laptops for new hires and employees working from home.