Notable links: October 30, 2026 
Ben Werdmuller
Notable links: October 30, 2026
AI is building detailed profiles about us. We're embracing it anyway.
Ben Werdmuller
benwerd@nos.social
npub183ng...4n09
I lead technology at ProPublica and write speculative fiction. This is a personal account.
Every day, I write about tech, democracy, and society at https://werd.io.
More about me: https://about.werd.io
Proton is AI-pilled and calls caution "loser thinking". 
Ben Werdmuller
Proton is AI-pilled and calls caution "loser thinking".
Proton should be a careful steward of its users' privacy. Based on this account, it isn't. Journalists should think twice before using it.
Proton is AI-pilled and calls caution "loser thinking".
Ben Werdmuller
Proton is AI-pilled and calls caution "loser thinking".
Proton should be a careful steward of its users' privacy. Based on this account, it isn't. Journalists should think twice before using it.
ChatGPT knows everything about its users. It will not be a good steward of that power. 
Ben Werdmuller
ChatGPT knows everything about its users. It will not be a good steward of that power.
"Many users may not be engaging with chatbots as if they’re tools, and might instead be treating them like a coworker or even as a friend — we ...
Solar is "offensively cheap". To live up to its promise, it also needs to be equitable. 
Ben Werdmuller
Solar is "offensively cheap". To live up to its promise, it also needs to be equitable.
This year, solar will represent 10% of power generation. Abundant, clean energy is great news - but there's more work to do to make sure every comm...
AI can weaken relationships between people - and teams suffer as a result. 
Ben Werdmuller
AI can weaken relationships between people - and teams suffer as a result.
"When people see AI as a more competent, trustworthy, and preferable source of input than a colleague, they replace human interactions that otherwi...
Foursquare died at the hands of private equity. What happens next?
Ben Werdmuller
Foursquare died at the hands of private equity. What happens next?
Foursquare has come to an end at the hands of private equity. It was a fun service that led to really great real-world experiences - but what happe...
"But the “fear of being left behind” argument is particularly dangerous: it suggests that you should pick a technology first and then find problems for it to solve. That’s always backwards." In case you missed it, how I think about AI - in terms of vendors, tech, and power: 
Ben Werdmuller
Evaluating AI technology: a CTO's framework
How to think about vendors, technology, and power
Still baffling to me how people asking for basic human rights and civil liberties are painted as far left. They’re normal asks and enjoyed in many other countries. The rhetoric is just designed to stop the conversation; it’s not a serious discussion.
Meanwhile if the Overton Window slid any more to the right it would fall off the edge of the world.
Bluesky Is Plotting a Total Takeover of the Social Internet
Ben Werdmuller
Bluesky Is Plotting a Total Takeover of the Social Internet
[Kate Knibbs at WIRED]
This is an insightful interview with Bluesky CEO Jay Graber. The headline here overreaches quite a bit, and needlessly desc...
Ev Williams, Twitter and Medium Founder, Unveils New Social App
Ben Werdmuller
Ev Williams, Twitter and Medium Founder, Unveils New Social App
[Erin Griffith at the New York Times]
I've been using Mozi for a little while and like it quite a bit:
"Mr. Williams views Mozi as an attempt to ...
I’m not a resolutions guy, but this year it’s not even Thanksgiving yet and I’ve got a list. Determined to get through 2025 with intention.
Google must sell Chrome to end search monopoly, says US justice department
Ben Werdmuller
Google must sell Chrome to end search monopoly, says US justice department
[Dan Milmo at The Guardian]
The Department of Justice has filed its proposed remedies to Google's illegal monopoly over search services:
"The pro...
Bluesky, the Fediverse, and the future of social media
Ben Werdmuller
Bluesky, the Fediverse, and the future of social media
Today's open social networks have a lot to learn from each other.