New laws. More hacks. Rising global tension.
Open source is under pressure — from regulators, enterprises, and geopolitics.
How do we protect trust in open source and AI?
New laws. More hacks. Rising global tension.
Open source is under pressure — from regulators, enterprises, and geopolitics.
How do we protect trust in open source and AI?
so I've been reading Labour Together's think tank paper on BritCard proposal https://www.labourtogether.uk/all-reports/britcard - which according to Sunday Times already got the support from ministers. and considering LT is the closest think tank to gov't, I think it's fair to assume at least some of its proposals, if not all, will be pushed through
buckle up, a incoming!
Washington State has officially passed a strong right-to-repair law, ensuring access to tools, parts, and info to fix electronics, appliances, and wheelchairs. Advocates and tech companies alike supported the move.
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/06/right-repair-law-washington-state
A bipartisan group of 260+ US state legislators sign a letter opposing a federal budget bill that blocks states from enforcing AI laws for 10 years. States demand the right to regulate #AI. #ArtificialIntelligence #LawTech #Budget #TechPolicy #StateRights #LegalTech
https://www.europesays.com/2066958/ Are the U.S. and Europe Digital Allies or Adversaries? #DonaldTrump #Economy #EconomyOfEU #EconomyOfEuropeanUnion #EconomyOfTheEU #EconomyOfTheEuropeanUnion #EUEconomy #Europe #EuropeanUnion #GreatPowerCompetition #regulations #TechCompanies #TechPolicy #trade #UnitedKingdom
"Civil society is deeply concerned over the crony capitalist, tributary-focused nature of this administration, especially as it relates to companies that control our access to the free flow of information. We have documented clear private sector winners, like Elon Musk’s Starlink and SpaceX, and how X and Musk amplify the administration’s messages. For instance, amid Trump’s attempt to negotiate a cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia—where Ukraine has been vilified—Musk amplified false claims that widespread outages at X were the result of Ukrainian attacks. Soon thereafter, President Trump returned the favor, claiming that consumer boycotts of Tesla are “illegal” and encouraged Americans to support the company.
The quid-pro-quo dynamic is not unique to Musk. During the previous Trump administration, Amazon lost high-profile contracts, for which it directly blamed the president. This time around, the company has reportedly made a series of overtures, including signing a $40 million deal to support a documentary from the first lady. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ decision to intervene in the Washington Post’s endorsement of Kamala Harris was also widely scrutinized, as it came on the heels of visits with then-candidate Trump. Most recently, President Trump reportedly pushed Bezos away from a stance that would display the extent to which tariffs changed the price of products on Amazon. As companies ingratiate themselves with this administration, we fear that policy stances are shifting to the detriment of privacy, security, and political freedom."
The Tech Wave section of the Surf Shop features the best technology-related custom feeds made by our beta testers.
Cruise down to the bottom of your Home screen and tap into the Surf Shop. Scroll down a bit to find the following feeds (also linked here):
@Sarahp's "Tech News"
https://surf.social/feed/surf%2Fcustom%2F01jrz4vgrn624tmk0f2t2qt0fw @seantilley's "Linux Evolution"
https://surf.social/feed/surf%2Fcustom%2F01jfnfkb6bpw2j6dqym8rrfmc9 @mmasnick's "Tech Policy"
https://surf.social/feed/surf%2Fcustom%2F01jpk2b2xmmbf1qdwbrnssnkcj @tchambers's "Guardians of the Fediverse"
https://surf.social/feed/surf%2Fcustom%2F01j837ez9hfg5pk7aaejw3t8ck
"I went and talked to a bunch of experts and some former USDS/ GSA government people, who could explain the importance of why US Digital Service, now the US DOGE service, was such a legally ingenious way for them to establish DOGE. Because before then everyone had thought it would be a Federal Advisory Committee, of which there thousands, and they're important, but they're not particularly powerful."
#VittoriaElliot, Wired, 2025
(1/2)
Florida’s new “Social Media Use by Minors” bill (SB 868/HB 743) has a chilling twist: it demands platforms create backdoors to decrypt private messages.
That means: End-to-end encryption may be turned off
Disappearing messages could be banned
Minors lose digital privacy
All users may face weaker security
EFF warns this is a dangerous precedent that risks everyone’s online safety. Legislating away encryption doesn’t protect kids — it jeopardizes all of us.
#Cybersecurity #Privacy #Encryption #TechPolicy
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/04/floridas-new-social-media-bill-says-quiet-part-out-loud-and-demands-encryption
A month ago I did a thought experiment about @letsencrypt:
https://mastodon.social/@BjornW/114064065891034415
Now I read this by @aral:
https://mastodon.ar.al/@aral/114224434946164202
Apparently Let's Encrypt is/was at risk of losing a substantial amount of funding from opentech.fund (OTF). Other projects like Tor are/were also hit by these policy changes from the Trump administration. BUT, OTF fought back and seems to be OK:
https://www.theregister.com/2025/03/25/otf_tor_lets_encrypt_funding_lawsuit/
For now. Interesting times.
#OpenSource LetsEncrypt #Tech #Open #USpol #TechPolicy
Could the Netherlands become the first nation to claim digital independence from the US? The Dutch Parliament is exploring ways to limit the influence of US tech giants, reflecting Europe's growing push for digital sovereignty in a time of global instability. #DigitalSovereignty #TechPolicy
L'assemblea azionisti #Apple2025 vede tutte le proposte votate secondo le raccomandazioni del board. Le iniziative esterne su IA etica, CSAM e abolizione DEI respinte, ma Tim Cook segnala possibili adattamenti alle politiche di diversità in base all'evoluzione legale
#AppleGovernance #TechPolicy
https://www.melamorsicata.it/2025/02/28/assemblea-azionisti-apple-2025-risultati/
The EP’s ITRE Committee will release a report on technological sovereignty—coordinated by far-right MEP Sarah Knafo (Reconquête!). While echoing the EU’s industrial agenda, it also fuels a deregulation push.
Europe needs public digital infrastructures that serve citizens, not just business interests.
Read our take: https://openfuture.eu/blog/own-initiative-report-by-the-european-parliament/
#DigitalSovereignty #DigitalPublicInfrastructure #TechPolicy
Join us for the @NGICommons webinar: “Public Policies for Digital Commons” on March 5, 13:30-15:00 CET
Missed our report "Two Decades of Digital Commons Policies in the European Union"? Join us as we walk through its main takeaways.
Featuring:
- @jankrewer sharing insights from the report
- Keynote by @senficon
- Panel with Emma Ghariani and @diegonaranjo.bsky.social, moderated by @paulk.
"Enforceable Interoperability" is now a thing in Europe! CJEU ruling (C-233/23) mandates that dominant platforms like Google *must* facilitate interoperability. Read our analysis of this game-changing decision: https://euro-stack.com/blog/2025/2/cjeu-vs-google-interoperability
#EU #TechPolicy #OpenStandards #eurostack #opensource #interoperability
https://www.techpolicy.press/peter-thiel-dreams-of-empire/
#TechPolicy
#PeterThiel Dreams Of Empire
HONESTLY!!! America, get RID of these idiots!
"We’re taking a moment to reflect on the 2024 state legislative session and what it means for the future of digital rights at the state level. Informed by insights from the State of State Technology Policy 2024 report by NYU’s Center on Technology Policy and EFF’s own advocacy work in state legislatures, this blog breaks down the key issues (Privacy, Children’s Online Safety, Artificial Intelligence, Competition, Broadband and Net Neutrality, and Right to Repair), taking a look back at last year’s developments while also offering a preview of the challenges and trends we can expect in state-level tech policy in the years ahead."
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/02/key-issues-shaping-state-level-tech-policy
I am back!!!
And I brought Jacqueline Jayne with me.
Make some noise for an awesome episode
After taking a brief pause, I’m back at full speed with my shows: Redefining #Society & #Technology on ITSPmagazine Podcasts — ready to bring you bold conversations that challenge assumptions and question the role of technology in our lives.
This is the first episode published for the 2025 season, but trust me, many more are already recorded and coming your way soon.
And we’re kicking things off with a big one.
Australia recently banned social media for kids under 16.
A bold move? Sure. A solution? Well, that’s where the debate begins.
In this episode of Redefining Society & Technology, I sit down with my Australian friend Jacqueline Jayne to break it all down. JJ is a cybersecurity and human risk expert, and she’s got some strong thoughts about why prohibition never works.
Let’s face it—does banning something ever actually solve the problem?
We explore the unintended consequences: Will this really protect kids, or just push them to riskier online spaces?
What about the communities that rely on #socialmedia for connection and support?
Who’s actually responsible for educating kids (and adults) about online safety?
Technology moves fast, but knee-jerk policies don’t always keep up. Instead of banning, maybe it’s time we start educating.
Start with the teaser video https://youtu.be/6wKbgTeNux8
Then move on the full length video https://youtu.be/5ZehKjNsavc
Or listen to the audio if it is your preferred media https://redefining-society-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/the-great-australian-social-media-ban-fixing-a-broken-system-or-just-breaking-it-more-guest-jacqueline-jayne-jj-a-redefining-society-and-technology-podcast-episode-hosted-by-marco-ciappelli
The importnat thing is that you listen now and join the conversation -- comment below!
Let’s rethink, redefine, and challenge the way we approach technology in society.
Subscribe to the podcast for many more stories about our relationship with technology and what it means in our digital-analog hybrid society.
https://redefiningsocietyandtechnologypodcast.com/
Enjoy!
#Technology, #CyberSecurity, #DigitalSafety, #SocialMedia, #OnlinePrivacy, #InternetRegulation, #TechEthics, #DigitalLiteracy, #CyberAwareness, #FutureOfTech, #HumanRisk, #ParentalControls, #OnlineSafety, #HybridSociety, #TechPolicy, #BanningSocialMedia, #DigitalCitizenship, #DataProtection, #CyberEducation, #TechForGood
NEW: “Welcome to the harsh reality of money and politics!” Missed opportunities in #BigTech regulation have left crucial challenges unaddressed - from privacy to children's protection, workers' rights to local media survival.
Essential reading on tech accountability by @avilarenata and Burcu Kilic in Tech Policy Press
https://www.techpolicy.press/ready-for-the-broligarchy-the-tech-accountability-community-needs-a-reset/
Trump's return raises critical questions for open source: Can our global tech collaborations survive increasing data sovereignty pressures?
The CLOUD Act exposed vulnerabilities, making transparency more crucial than ever.