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South Dakota Lawmakers Latest Asshats Seeking To Force Schools To Post The Ten Commandments

1 week 4 days ago
It’s 2025 and we’re still stuck with legislators who wish it was still 1725. Or possibly any year with B.C appended. Clearly unconstitutional laws are being crafted with alarming frequency these days. Those that aren’t trying to legislate morality or criminalize sexual preferences are trying to infuse government entities with state-approved religion. A lot of […]
Tim Cushing

Semafor Keeps Hosting “Restoring Trust In News” Events Stocked With Known Right Wing Bullshitters

1 week 4 days ago
Back in 2022, former New York Times reporter Ben Smith and friends launched a new media company named Semafor on the back of $25 million in donations. You might recall that one of the organization’s launch events didn’t go particularly well: a “trust in news” event that somehow didn’t see the problem with platforming and amplifying millionaire propagandist Tucker […]
Karl Bode

A 25-Year-Old Is Writing Backdoors Into The Treasury’s $6 Trillion Payment System. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

1 week 4 days ago
Just months after we learned Chinese hackers had compromised US telecom systems through government-mandated backdoors, an inexperienced developer from Musk’s DOGE unit is pushing untested code directly into the Treasury’s payment infrastructure — a system that handles over $6 trillion in federal payments annually. It seems reasonable to call it one of the most dangerous […]
Mike Masnick

Daily Deal: The Complete Microsoft Windows, 365, and Teams Training Bundle

1 week 4 days ago
The Complete Microsoft Windows, 365, and Teams Training Bundle has 7 courses to help you become more adept at using various Microsoft applications. Courses cover implementing Teams, utilizing Microsoft Azure, learning about security in Microsoft 365, and more. It’s on sale for $60. Note: The Techdirt Deals Store is powered and curated by StackCommerce. A […]
Daily Deal

The 24-Hour Reality Check: Musk’s Impossible Power Grab And America’s Crisis

1 week 4 days ago
There are twenty-four hours in a day. This isn’t a matter of political opinion or technological disruption—it’s as immutable as the fact that two plus two equals four. No amount of genius, innovation, or reality distortion can create a twenty-fifth hour. This basic truth, so obvious it seems almost foolish to state, exposes something profound […]
Mike Masnick

Ontario Cancels, Then Restores $100 Million Starlink Contract Over Trump’s Ignorant Tariff Threats

1 week 4 days ago
SpaceX’s Starlink service can be a big improvement for those completely out of range of broadband access. But contrary to what many Republicans and c-tier comedians turned conspiracy podcasters imply, Starlink is not magic. And it comes with a growing list of caveats. Including the increasingly unhinged behavior and far right political alliances of its conspiratorial CEO. […]
Karl Bode

YouTube Bad Takedowns Continue, Details Behind The Silicon Curtain As Always

1 week 5 days ago
At this point, we have built up enough stories on bad YouTube takedowns to fill up a small library. Because of a combination of automated systems that are spectacularly imperfect, the desire by some bad actors to abuse and commit fraud using the notice and takedown system, and a general deference towards the alleged copyright […]
Dark Helmet

‘Moral Sanity:’ Dipshit Lawmaker Issues Slew Of Bills To Ban Everything From Porn Possession To No-Fault Divorces

1 week 5 days ago
There’s a coup underway in the federal government. Across the rest of the nation, people seeking to endear themselves with President Trump or his supporters are doing the same sort of thing at the state level. Refusing to even acknowledge long-standing rights or court precedent, legislators are becoming the Project 2025 they want to see […]
Tim Cushing

When It’s Not Just A Coup But A CFAA Violation Too

1 week 5 days ago
The hazard with landing upon a legal solution that seems too good to be true is that it often is. So as you read this post it is important to keep in mind that I may have overlooked something, and there can always be defenses. Few things are guaranteed in law, and even in the […]
Cathy Gellis

To Stop The Coup, We Must Be Clear About The Truth: Two Plus Two Equals Four

1 week 5 days ago
In George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, the ultimate act of rebellion comes when Winston Smith insists that two plus two equals four, defying a system that demands he accept whatever reality the Party declares. The Party doesn’t just want him to say two plus two equals five—they want him to believe it. This demand that citizens deny […]
Mike Masnick

Daily Deal: Costco 1-Year Gold Star Membership + $20 Digital Costco Shop Card

1 week 5 days ago
Costco is your one-stop shop for everything you want and offers a wide range of merchandise that will likely cover all of your shopping needs! With hundreds of locations across the country, Costco is the ideal place to shop without the hassle of having to run numerous errands around town. A Gold Star Membership includes a FREE […]
Daily Deal

First Cracks Appear: Some Conservatives Admit We’re In A Constitutional Crisis

1 week 5 days ago
When even the Wall Street Journal’s reliably pro-Trump opinion page starts sounding alarm bells about the administration’s policies, something significant has shifted. When even the “thinkers” at the most MAGA of think tanks are calling what Elon is doing in the government a true “constitutional crisis,” we’re beginning to see cracks in the snow globe […]
Mike Masnick

Poland’s Justice Minister Arrested For Illegal Use Of NSO Group Malware

1 week 6 days ago
After several months of pretending this sort of thing just didn’t happen there, the Polish government finally admitted some of its members had abused powerful smartphone malware it had purchased from Israeli spyware firm, NSO Group. This came to light following an investigation that found someone in the government had illegally targeted a Polish government […]
Tim Cushing

Musk Shows Us What Actual Government Censorship On Social Media Looks Like

1 week 6 days ago
For years, we’ve watched self-proclaimed “free speech warriors” hyperventilate about imaginary government control of social media content moderation. Mysteriously, as I pointed out last fall, these warriors developed sudden laryngitis when social media platform owners Elon Musk and Donald Trump actually took over the US government. Anyone with a functioning brain knew this would eventually […]
Mike Masnick

A Coup Is In Progress In America

1 week 6 days ago
A coup is underway in the United States, and we must stop pretending otherwise. The signs are unmistakable and accelerating: in just the past 48 hours, Elon Musk’s DOGE commission has seized control of Treasury payment systems and gained unauthorized access to classified USAID materials, while security officials who followed protocols were removed. Career civil servants […]
Mike Masnick