Sarah Powazek

Breaking: The White House has released President Trump's long-awaited national cyber strategy: www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...

Rarely has there been a clearer example that random data from apps and phones causes people real, physical harm.

It is worth noting often there is no real opting-out of data collection - you have to simply not use the app or service at all, which cannot work at scale.

CBP Tapped Into the Online Advertising Ecosystem To Track Peoples’ Movements An internal DHS document obtained by 404 Media shows for the first time CBP used location data sourced from the online advertising industry to track phone locations. ICE has bought access to similar t...

New from 404 Media: CBP tapped into the online advertising ecosystem to track peoples' movements, according to an internal DHS document. Shows for the first time DHS tracked phones via process for putting ads in ordinary apps—video games, fitness apps, many more www.404media.co/cbp-tapped-i...

What’s the Point of School When AI Can Do Your Homework? The creator of the AI agent “Einstein” wants to free humans from the burden of academic labor. Critics say that misses the point of education entirely.

sometimes the founder of a company says something that simply stops you in your tracks and haunts you. There's one those in here from the creator of Einstein, an edtech AI that will go to school for you

Across party lines and industry, the verdict is the same: CISA is in trouble One year into the second Trump administration, CISA faces a 33% loss in personnel and shuttered divisions. Experts warn of "decimated" capabilities and a leadership vacuum as the agency struggles to m...

I spoke to a ton of people for this comprehensive story about CISA one year into the Trump administration, and all sorts were VERY unsparing in their criticism. cyberscoop.com/cisa-personn...

Sign up to get notified when registration opens: mailchi.mp/0ef42c9fe206...

And thank you to Craig Newmark Philanthropies for making this critical community-building possible at a time when state leadership in #CyberCivilDefense couldn't be more important.

Thank you to our amazing regional Co-Hosts, the Arizona Department of Homeland Security, Louisiana State University, Louisiana State Guard Cyber Reserve Team, and the NJCCIC.

Don't meet us in DC - this year, the #CyberCivilDefense Summits will come to you.

We're co-hosting 3 regional summits in 2026 with amazing state and local partners. See which Summit is nearest you, and get notified when registration opens!

Read the announcement: cltc.berkeley.edu/2026/02/17/t...

💵 Save money, 🛡 defend communities: I testified last week on SB183 for a Maryland Cyber Reserve Team, in an informational capacity to the Maryland Committee on Education, Energy, & the Environment.

Read my written testimony here: cltc.berkeley.edu/wp-content/u... #CyberCivilDefense #Take9

Seven Billion Reasons for Facebook to Abandon its Face Recognition Plans Meta’s analysis that it can avoid scrutiny by releasing a privacy invasive product during a time of political crisis is craven and morally bankrupt. It is also dead wrong.

Now more than ever, people have seen the real-world risk of invasive face recognition technology. We won’t lose focus.

With the awful WaPo layoffs and the state of journalism more broadly, if it's useful for any writers and reporters considering going indy, @molly.wiki, @xoxogossipgita.bsky.social of Aftermath, @jasonkoebler.bsky.social of 404 Media, @edzitron.com and me will do a little workshop next week.

When even the WeRateDogs guy is compelled to speak out about your product’s dangerous normalization of surveillance that may be subverted by the state, you’ve clearly crossed the line.

I expected the cuts would be bad but I'm honestly stunned and sickened seeing how many great journalists the Washington Post just lost. People who nailed huge investigations, documented war zones, exposed horrific crimes, dropped all at once for failures they did not cause.

This is very cool to see more tech and media companies going nonprofit to focus content on the public good

State civilian cyber corps volunteers in Wisconsin are saving states money AND providing free incident response to cities and towns in need.

It is no wonder these programs exist in 8+ states, with more considering creating authorities for them this year. #CyberCivilDefense #Take9

Check out this great coverage of a @districtcon.bsky.social roundtable on the Pall Mall Process by @timstarks.bsky.social

Craigslist Founder Signs Giving Pledge and Narrows Focus Craig Newmark's philanthropic strategy is shaped as much by what didn’t work as by what did — leading to an approach that favors scale, networks, and trusted intermediaries over scattershot giving.

"Craigslist Founder Signs Giving Pledge and Narrows Focus"

"Craig Newmark's philanthropic strategy is shaped as much by what didn’t work as by what did — leading to an approach that favors scale, networks, and trusted intermediaries over scattershot giving."

www.philanthropy.com/news/craigsl...

From Concept to Community: The First Year of the Cyber Resilience Corps - CLTC UC Berkeley Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity By Grace Menna, Senior Fellow in Public Interest Cybersecurity   As 2025 comes to a close, CTLC reflects on the first year of the Cyber Resilience Corps, including…

Cyber volunteering had a big year in 2025, marked by a surge in community-led civil defense. This highlights how the ecosystem is scaling and maturing—with thousands of volunteers now providing critical support to organizations nationwide #CyberCivilDefense #Take9 cltc.berkeley.edu/2025/12/19/f....

HAPPY FRIDAY!!! Our Agenda is now live! Check it out!
Check it out: www.districtcon.org/speakers

Inside ICE’s Tool to Monitor Phones in Entire Neighborhoods 404 Media has obtained material that explains how Tangles and Webloc, two surveillance systems ICE recently purchased, work. Webloc can track phones without a warrant and follow their owners home or to...

404 Media has obtained material that explains how Tangles and Webloc, two surveillance systems ICE recently purchased, work. Webloc can track phones without a warrant and follow their owners home or to their employer.

Inside the Telegram Channel Jailbreaking Grok Over and Over Again Putting people in bikinis is just the tip of the iceberg. On Telegram, users are finding ways to make Grok do far worse.

what people are able to do with Grok at the moment is far far far worse than putting people in bikinis www.404media.co/inside-the-t...

🚩Is that 80% discount on an iPhone 17 legit, or a major red flag?

As holiday shopping kicks off with Cyber Monday, remember to slow down before clicking! A 9-second pause can help identify fake websites, fraudulent promos, and deals that are too good to be true.

Learn more at the 🔗 in our bio.

We sold out of our GA tickets in 15 seconds 🤯

For students: Thanks to our community sponsors, our DistrictCon Scholars' Program application is open!

For anyone else passionate about DisCo: Volunteer with us!

You can also join our waitlist on Eventbrite! All info here:

www.districtcon.org/tickets

Your boy has plans, I have plans too.

Mayor-Elect Mamdani Can Build a Tech Agenda for New York and a Model for the Country | TechPolicy.Press By resisting surveillance, extraction, and exploitation, Mamdani can show how technology truly serves the people, writes Rebecca Williams.

Former FTC chair Lina Khan was just named to NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's transition team—just one sign that his new administration will take tech matters seriously, writes Rebecca Williams. She offers a tech agenda for the new mayor to advance his campaign goals:

Cybersecurity Experts Seek to Build Volunteer Defense Force As state and local agencies worry about cybersecurity budget cuts and increased attacks, public officials and researchers try to build a network to boost digital defenses. Leaders of the effort discus...

The future of cybersecurity is local. Learn more about how state-led Cyber Volunteers are stepping up to defend communities from cyber attacks, and how CLTC is growing these programs #CyberCivilDefense #Take9 www.govtech.com/security/cyb...

Careers at ACLU Join our team! We’re looking for committed, passionate people for open roles at the ACLU.

please please please send me your best undergraduate for next season's Privacy & Data Governance internship: www.aclu.org/careers/inte...

On Lawfare Daily, Justin Sherman sat down with @powa-sec.bsky.social and Michael Razeeq to discuss the cyber threats facing states, resources states have to address cybersecurity problems, and how state cyber corps and volunteer programs fits into the picture. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/lawf...

The future of cybersecurity is local!

Thanks to Justin for having me and Michael Razeeq on the @lawfaremedia.org podcast to talk about cyber volunteering and state cyber corps programs.

#CyberCivilDefense #Take9