Davis A.

It’s 2025. Do you know how secure your newsroom is? "It was a lot easier, in some ways, for journalists back in the 80s and 90s, before all of these cloud platforms existed."

Newsroom security is paramount as the federal government cracks down on journalism.

“What’s really important is that sources know where to reach you in a way that helps them stay secure,” FPF's @davisa.bsky.social told @niemanlab.org.

Job Description Defending press freedom for the next generation

If you're a student or recent grad looking to DO SOMETHING about all the other content in your feeds lately, here's something to consider:

freedom.press/careers/job/...

Attorney General Bonta Urgently Issues Consumer Alert for 23andMe Customers Californians have the right to direct the company to delete their genetic data OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a consumer alert to customers of 23andMe, a genetic testing ...

Genetics data held by 23andme becomes an asset once the company gets sold.

If you're a 23andme customer, here are some steps for removing your unique & sensitive genetic information before it's too late. By law, the company has to permanently delete it.

oag.ca.gov/news/press-r...

Love to see it

Library Freedom Institute is a unique privacy and intellectual freedom intensive training for library workers. Our training covers a wide range of highly relevant and engaging subjects in the privacy, intellectual freedom, and critical technology realm. The 2025 Institute will take place over almost four months (starting in late April), consisting of a two-hour virtual meeting every week, and an in-person weekend component. Cost is on a sliding scale down to $0. Some topics will feature expert guest speakers. Participants will also spend some time each week working on readings, group discussion, and final projects. The curriculum is a work in progress, but expect subjects like: * Talking points for fighting censorship * Resisting new data-driven business models * Building coalitions to defend library values * Technology for liberation, or at least better passwords After LFI has completed, participants are invited to join the LFP community of practice, a one-of-a-kind space for library workers to continue collaborating in a supportive environment. Applications are now open until March 15th. The 2025 cohort will begin sometime in mid to late April."

Tell your librarian friends (or just the librarian you see all the time, book nerd) to apply for the Library Freedom Institute! #InfoDemocracy #privacy

Guide: What to expect when asked for an interview A comprehensive guide on what to expect when a reporter asks for an interview, and what you should know about talking to a journalist.

Ever wonder what to expect when talking to a journalist? Our new guide breaks it down:

🤔 Why reporters might want to interview you
❌ What “off the record” means
😯 Requesting changes to a story

Got other questions about talking to reporters? Ask below ⤵️

outliermedia.org/guide-what-t...

Playbook PM: Vance delivers a gut punch to Europe And NYC Mayor Eric Adams denies any quid pro quo allegations.

JD Vance: “We may disagree with your views but we will fight to defend your right to offer it in the public square.”

Trump administration: Bans AP for using words he doesn’t like.

The hypocrisy indeed runs deeper than the Gulf of Mexico.

💌 If you're on Signal, you can also install the sticker pack at signal.art/addstickers/...

Happy Valentine's Day! 💝 I'm a sucker for a hallmark holiday because it means I can exercise my love of a good pun.

You can share these valentines I dreamed up with the help of my colleagues @freedom.press and Calyx Institute. They are licensed under CC BY 4.0 💖

💘 Psst ... We have something super cute for #ValentinesDay: A @signal.org sticker pack, created by @freedom.press and our friends at Calyx Institute

🔗 Download it and send it to your loved ones to signal your love (pun intended): signal.art/addstickers/...

🖨️ version: freedom.press/valentinesday

We hope that news outlets Trump punishes by restricting their access to briefings, signings and the like will take the opportunity to double down on hard-hitting investigations that don’t require access to ceremonies and spin sessions.
www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/...

The Associated Press says reporter was barred from White House event The wire service said the decision stemmed from a style guidance to continue using the name Gulf of Mexico instead of Gulf of America.

"It’s ironic that the same president who just weeks ago touted his executive order purporting to restore freedom of speech now wants to bar news outlets from executive order signings if they don’t use his preferred language," @seth-stern.bsky.social told the @washingtonpost.com.

And where is the money going? A private presidential foundation (don’t call it a library). Why? Because there’s no limit to the amount of anonymous donations these foundations, which have been accused of skirting campaign finance laws, can receive.

The media funding this is insult to injury.

💌 Spread the love by sharing our digital security stickers with your loved ones via Signal.

⬇️ Download our Valentine’s Day @signal.org sticker pack: signal.art/addstickers/...

🖨️ Print-friendly version: freedom.press/valentinesday

Trump’s Declaration Allows Musk’s Efficiency Team to Skirt Open Records Laws (Gift Article) Government watchdog groups say they will challenge the Trump administration’s decision to put the initiative under the Presidential Records Act, which shields its work from public disclosure.

Our Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy, @laurenleharper.bsky.social, spoke to @nytimes.com about the implications of placing DOGE under the Presidential Records Act.

Read more:

🚨 Cool job alert! 🚨

At @freedom.press, we're hiring a Senior Digital Security Trainer to help us facilitate security education for journalists.

This role is based in Brooklyn, NY. Strong US-based remote candidates will also be considered.
freedom.press/careers/job/...

Since 2004, Internet Archive has collaborated with a group of libraries and research organizations on the End of Term Web Archive. 💾 Learn more about the effort: eotarchive.org

Ai book cover with misspellings in the title.

AI book cover of Elon Musk quotes and facts

AI-Generated slop Is already In your public library:

Librarians say that taxpayers are already paying for low quality AI-generated ebooks in public libraries.

🔗 www.404media.co/ai-generated...

AI-Generated Slop Is Already In Your Public Library Librarians say that taxpayers are already paying for low quality AI-generated ebooks in public libraries.

New from 404 Media: Low quality books that appear to be AI generated are making their way into public libraries, forcing librarians to sort through a functionally infinite number of books to determine what is written by humans and what is generated by AI.

www.404media.co/ai-generated...

Elon Musk’s Bureaucratic Coup Welcome to the “rapid unscheduled disassembly” of the United States government.

I wrote about Musk and this bureaucratic coup as plainly as I could. There's reporting in here & the particulars are overwhelming but what's happening is so clear: He's not trying to run the federal govt like a software company He's trying to turn it into a political weapon. (gift link)

My Groundhog Day prediction: More secrecy Disappearing government data, transparency double-standards — another busy week tracking government secrecy

I write a weekly blog on government secrecy, called The Classifieds, for @freedom.press.

This weekend makes terribly clear the need to better understand the giant holes in our record keeping laws, when data is most at risk, and why secrecy is an existential threat.

Here is the latest installment:

VICTORY! Federal Court (Finally) Rules Backdoor Searches of 702 Data Unconstitutional In a landmark ruling, a federal district court held that backdoor searches of databases full of Americans’ private communications collected under Section 702 ordinarily require a warrant. Congress sho...

A federal court has declared that warrantless searches of US person’s communications collected for national security purposes is unconstitutional. Now it’s our job to make sure Congress knows that when they renew this law in a little over a year.

LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund The LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund was established in 1970 as a special trust in memory of Dr. LeRoy C. Merritt. It is devoted to the support, maintenance, medical care, and welfare of librarians ...

With all the ramped up fear around DEI dissolution, seems like a good time to remind #librarians & #LibraryWorkers about the @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social Merritt Fund. If you face joblessness due to discrimination, the Merritt fund is here to help financially. #library

www.ala.org/aboutala/aff...

Trump Seeks to Paralyze Independent Privacy and Civil Liberties Watchdog The Trump White House has told three Democratic-selected members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board to resign or be fired, which would stop the independent agency from functioning.

A decent rule of thumb is: if the FBI and NSA hate an oversight body, you should like and support it.

Three press freedom threats to watch during Trump 2.0 Leaks investigations, prosecutions of journalists, and government spying on the press could all be on the table in the second Trump administration.

Three press freedom threats to watch during Trump's second anti-press presidency: Increased leak investigations, criminal prosecutions of journalists, and abuse of government surveillance against the press.
freedom.press/issues/three...

Mad at Meta? Don't Let Them Collect and Monetize Your Personal Data If you’re fed up with Meta right now, you’re not alone. Meta tracks you across millions of websites and apps and its business model relies on your data. If you want to limit Meta’s ability to collect ...

Fed up with Meta? Avoiding Instagram or Facebook isn’t enough to stop Meta from harvesting and profiting from your private information. Here’s how to limit Meta’s ability to monetize your personal data.

Our New FOIA Forum! 1/23, 1PM EST

Come learn how to pry government records from the new Trump administration.

🔗 www.404media.co/our-new-foia...

Media organizations are locking down The New York Times reports media organizations are locking down their communications amid threats to the press.

📩 Media organizations are locking down their communications amid threats to the press.

Thankfully, there are ways to strengthen your digital security practices by using encrypted tools.

Read more in this week’s digital security newsletter (and subscribe):

Candy Crush, Tinder, MyFitnessPal: See the Thousands of Apps Hijacked to Spy on Your Location A hack of location data company Gravy Analytics has revealed which apps are—knowingly or not—being used to collect your information behind the scenes.

The fact that your location data is being sold not necessarily by individual apps but being obtained by companies through the bidding process to place ads is not widely understood but so important: www.404media.co/candy-crush-...