Voices
Fear Is the Democracy Killer, Not Hackers
An app caused problems counting votes in Iowa. But our attitude of assuming the cyber-worst at every cyber-turn will lead to a cynical electorate.
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:
Ring Ukraine News Suppressed at Amazon's Request, Journalists Say
Amazon told a business publication that it was expanding the scope of its work in Ukraine — then asked for that information to be removed from the article.
Amazon’s Ring Planned Neighborhood “Watch Lists” Built on Facial Recognition
Documents hint the data could be shared with police, but Ring denies the features are in use or development.
Senators Press Amazon for Answers on Ring's Sloppy Security Practices
Five Democrats demand answers on private footage accessed in Ukraine.
Shutterstock Employees Fight Company’s New Chinese Search Blacklist
More than 180 employees signed a petition opposing the censorship, which blocked searches for “Taiwan flag,” “dictator,” “yellow umbrella,” and more.
For Some Reason, We Can’t Find a Single Leftist Mark Zuckerberg Invited to His Dinners With Pundits From “Across the Spectrum”
We asked The Nation, Mother Jones, Jacobin, Black Agenda Report, Chapo Trap House, and more: They all said their invitation from the Facebook CEO never arrived.
An American Citizen Was Detained While Trying to Pay a Customs Fee on a Gift for His Daughter
The incident, involving a Muslim man and two family members, saw CBP stretch the law “beyond recognition,” said a civil liberties attorney.
NRA Ramped Up Facebook Advertising Immediately After Mass Shootings in El Paso and Dayton
After massacres at El Paso and Dayton, NRA urged gun owners to “show that you won’t be intimidated” by calls for reform.
Trauma Counselors Were Pressured to Divulge Confidential Information About Facebook Moderators, Internal Letter Claims
Thousands of Facebook workers have viewed the letter on an internal message board.
Voices
Why an "AI Race" Between the U.S. and China Is a Terrible, Terrible Idea
We don’t need to win this nationalistic race — especially when we don’t even know what’s at the finish line.