Byron Tau

US government allowed and even helped US firms sell tech used for surveillance in China, AP finds Even while warning about national security and human rights abuse, the U.S. government across five Republican and Democratic administrations has repeatedly allowed and even actively helped American fi...

AP INVESTIGATION: For decades, the US government allowed and even helped US firms sell tech used for surveillance in China — enacting a loophole-ridden export control regime that failed to accomplish its big goals. By @garanceburke.bsky.social, @dakekang.bsky.social & me.
apnews.com/article/chin...

YouTube video by Patrick Smith Means of Control, Byron Tau book talk and discussion

Recording of recent talk with @byrontau.bsky.social on "Means of Control: How the Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government is Creating a New American Surveillance State" (2024). Discussion bridges investigative journalism, critical media studies, + surveillance studies! www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT3s...

Just a reminder that this event with @byrontau.bsky.social is coming up soon: Wednesday, October 15 at 3pm GMT

Means of Control, book talk and discussion with Byron Tau Byron Tau on his recent book Means of Control: How the Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government is Creating a New American Surveillance State

Pleased to announce this talk with @byrontau.bsky.social on his recent book "Means of Control: How the Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government is Creating a New American Surveillance State." You can register here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/means-of-c...

US tech companies enabled the surveillance and detention of hundreds of thousands in China U.S. technology firms such as IBM, Dell and Cisco largely designed and built China’s surveillance state, an AP investigation finds. The tech companies deny wrongdoing.

A blockbuster AP investigation from @dakekang.bsky.social and @yaelwrites.com finds that US tech companies designed and built China’s repressive surveillance state trapping tens of thousands of ordinary Chinese citizens in a digital cage. apnews.com/article/chin...

The Pentagon Disinformation That Fueled America’s UFO Mythology U.S. military fabricated evidence of alien technology and allowed rumors to fester to cover up real secret-weapons programs.

Tremendous reporting from Joel Schectman and Aruna Viswanatha in the @wsj.com on how Pentagon pranks, coverups and in some cases deliberate disinformation fed to American citizens fueled interest in UFOs.
www.wsj.com/politics/nat...

Also if you're interested, I wrote a book about this:
www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/706321...

Means of Control by Byron Tau: 9780593443224 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books You are being surveilled right now. This “startling exposé” (The Economist) reveals how the U.S. government allied with data brokers, tech companies, and advertisers to monitor us through...

Hm, sounds uncomfortably familiar. Makes me think of @byrontau.bsky.social's Means of Control.

U.S. Spy Agencies Are Getting a One-Stop Shop to Buy Your Most Sensitive Personal Data The government wants to build a centralized platform where spy agencies can more easily buy private info about millions of people.

New intelligence community-run portal will be a "one stop shop" for commercially available information. This includes information on your car, your phone, your Bluetooth headphones, your purchases -- sold by corporations and bought by governments.
theintercept.com/2025/05/22/i...

Trump targeted Democrats over questionable online fundraising. His campaign has similar issues When President Donald Trump directed his attorney general last month to investigate campaign fundraising, he cited concerns that foreigners and “malign actors” were laundering illegal contributions to...

Trump ordered an investigation into the Democrat's online fundraising machine ActBlue, yet his own campaign finance records show similar issues with unverified donors and possible illegal foreign money. apnews.com/article/trum...

I very much recommend Means of Control by @byrontau.bsky.social.

Well researched and eye opening. Renewed a sense of urgency in me regarding #privacy matters.

www.byrontau.com/means-of-con...

Elon Musk installed his top lieutenants at a federal agency you probably haven't heard of The General Services Administration has a key role in the Trump administration’s quest to slash costs and bring the federal government to heel.

For the past few weeks, a wire has snaked out of the open window of the GSA administrator's office and onto the roof, where it connects to a Starlink terminal

A look at the very Muskian takeover of the chokepoint of federal tech, real estate and contracts. apnews.com/article/doge...

AP’s exclusion from the White House over its refusal to use the term Gulf of America "has been contrary to the First Amendment" and U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden (Trump appointee) "enjoins the Government from continuing down that unlawful path" storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

21 federal technology staffers resign rather than help Musk and DOGE slash size of government Twenty-one civil service employees have resigned from billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, saying they're refusing to use their technical expertise to “dismantle ...

21 DOGE staffers resign rather than help use their technical expertise to “dismantle critical public services," according to a resignation letter obtained by the AP.

Musk has largely tried to keep technical talent at DOGE, mostly laying off designers & product managers.
apnews.com/article/doge...

I am currently writing about DOGE and what it is doing with its vast access to federal computer systems and databases. If you are a current or former federal employee or contractor with insight, I am best reached on Signal at byrontau.01.

Researchers say China's DeepSeek chatbot is linked to state telecom, raising data privacy concerns Security researchers say the website of the Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek has computer code that could send some user login information to a Chinese state-owned telecommunications c...

New from me: DeepSeek has code in its user login system that could send user data to a sanctioned Chinese state-owned telecom that in 2019 was barred from operating in the United States, according to Feroot Security. apnews.com/article/deep...

Fleet of abandoned ships is growing, leaving more sailors stuck at sea More ships than ever are being abandoned around the world by their owners, according to the United Nations’ labor and maritime organizations, leaving thousands of workers stuck on board without pay or...

The number of crews abandoned at sea by ship owners is growing, leaving more sailors stuck at sea or abandoned in port. By @helenwieffering.bsky.social apnews.com/article/inte...

Do you work at Meta? How is it going? Would love to hear from you -- Signal (646)378-8843 or bortutay@ap.org if you have anything to share, anonymity protected as always.

A mysterious meeting with Syrian president is at the center of spy chief's nomination fight Questions continue to dog Tulsi Gabbard about a mysterious 2017 trip to Syria. The trip has gained new salience since President Donald Trump nominated the former Democratic lawmaker to be the nation's...

A mysterious meeting with Syrian president is at the center of spy chief’s nomination fight by @byrontau.bsky.social.

apnews.com/article/tuls...

For federal employees (or anyone) who wants to speak to a reporter about what's unfolding about their agencies, the Associated Press investigative team can be reached here: Investigative@ap.org or www.ap.org/tips/

I am byrontau.01 on Signal.

A reminder: Contact AP’s global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org or www.ap.org/tips/

Things appear to be going well inside federal agencies.

You can still see most contract awards on USASpending.gov without logging in but FPDS.gov was the only place to see special non-competitive contract awards called Other Transaction Authority awards.

The U.S. Government silently sabotaged anonymous public access to billions of dollars of military AI contracts The entire category of 'Other Transaction' contracts heavily used for Pentagon AI now silently requires a Login.gov account and an agreement to be surveilled.

Browsing the definitive U.S. contracting database now requires logging in, providing your address and subjecting your searches of said database to potential U.S. government review per a new software change confirmed today by journalist Jack Poulson. jackpoulson.substack.com/p/the-us-gov...

Live now with @timkmak.bsky.social and @byrontau.bsky.social: twitch.tv/brainfungi

I’ve focused on security for at-risk civil society groups for over a decade now (🙀), including human rights defenders, lawyers, and journalists. I’m available for collaboration, consulting, and presenting, so please get in touch if you’d like to work together!

The Supreme Court has even protected the right of journalists to disseminate illegally obtained information so long as they played no part in illegally obtaining it en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartnic...

Journalists publish sealed, confidential or classified information all the time, it's part of the job and the law generally protects us as long as we are nonparties to the proceedings and did not commit a crime ourselves to obtain the information.
www.rcfp.org/journals/the...

A picture, taken in 2014, of the four Asian American journalists in DC most likely to be confused for each other (left to right): Byron Tau, Tim Mak, Asawin Suebsaeng and Brian Fung.

Need something to do this weekend while drinking your coffee?

Join me, @timkmak.bsky.social and @byrontau.bsky.social for a chat about Ukraine, tech and media as we face off in Civ 6 multiplayer!

9 am ET Sunday: twitch.tv/BrainFungi

Bonus: Here's a pic of us and @swin24.bsky.social from *2014*

A former tech CEO is on a crusade to get the record of his arrest removed from the internet — suing a journalist for $25 million for truthfully reporting that the domestic violence arrest had occurred. sf.gazetteer.co/a-former-tec...