The builder.ai story is wild. Microsoft put almost half a billion dollars into them (and lost it all). Everything crumbled when the Financial Times did a tiny amount of research on them, and realised their accounts were signed off a friend of the CEO. As soon as they hired a real auditor, they collapsed.

https://sifted.eu/articles/builder-ai-auditor-founder-news

I love the graphics of the new Super Mario Bros!

@bonno Meanwhile, I sit here, persistently making the mistake of thinking about it.

Well that's not promising. They were already making thousands of warrantless Section 702 searches on Americans (e.g., surveillance of phone numbers, emails). Incredibly, they will make this process somehow even less accountable. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/20/us/politics/fbi-kash-patel-office-internal-auditing.html

Our digital security training team answers, how do you identify everyone in conversation on Signal?

https://freedom.press/digisec/blog/ask-a-security-trainer-checking-identities-in-signal/

I wouldn't lose any sleep over the rumors of the Steam breach. But all the same, good reminder to make sure you've set up Steam Guard for two-factor authentication. https://www.theverge.com/news/667426/valve-steam-leak-breach-rumor

This appears to be Google's answer to Apple's Lockdown Mode. I'm really glad to see this shipping — we need it. https://security.googleblog.com/2025/05/advanced-protection-mobile-devices.html

Wow, @josephcox at @404mediaco is quick on the draw.

Something looked off about the PIN verification screen in this Reuters photo of Mike Waltz using Signal ("Verify your TM SGNL PIN"). Turns out this is a Signal clone, used for archival purposes. https://www.404media.co/mike-waltz-accidentally-reveals-obscure-app-the-government-is-using-to-archive-signal-messages/

Cooking something at work on identifying people on Signal. As always, I like to include illustrative screenshots.

If you don't like what Google does with Chrome, just wait until Chrome Sync pipes your browsing history to OpenAI instead. https://www.theverge.com/news/653882/openai-chrome-google-us-judge

Just saying… @signalapp supports 50 people in a group call. https://www.theverge.com/news/650123/zoom-down-outage-video-calls

At @freedomofpress we are hiring a summer intern to join our digital security training team! Please check it out and share widely: https://freedom.press/careers/job/?gh_jid=4554438005

With so many devices at risk of getting more expensive due to tariffs, do you have particular devices you want to get ahold of?

*Looks directly into the camera.* https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/04/01/waltz-national-security-council-signal-gmail/

Someone recently asked me if I'm paid to endorse any of the applications I recommend. The answer is no. I just threat model shit out and work from there. BUT… Can't guarantee you anything, but if you have $1M to throw around, please send it my way.

I have made a photocopy of someone else’s art. Now it is my art.

To help confirm someone's identity, Signal offers nicknames and information about the groups you share in common with your contacts. Make sure you're inviting the right person to your group. Learn about Signal's identifiers: https://freedom.press/digisec/blog/signal-identifiers/

Isn’t it convenient that the unavoidable future is one that distinctly benefits the person spinning the narrative! See through this nonsense, think how this version of history does or does not benefit you, and any time you can, fight.

The tech world has a habit of framing narratives around progress and inevitability — that only backward-looking people get in the way. Notice where this happens with narrative-building in our politics. Don't let anyone convince you of unidirectional progress, nor inevitability. It’s another tactic.

Data brokers are telling you, very transparently, that they will collect everything they can about you for the most marginal possibility it'll get you to buy something. https://gizmodo.com/data-broker-brags-about-having-highly-detailed-personal-information-on-nearly-all-internet-users-2000575762