DistrictofAlex
@districtofalex.bsky.social
Previously: Bot hunting and platform integrity. Currently: Infosec, GRC. Reading past the headline. Unwisely sarcastic. Go Orioles!
Reposted by DistrictofAlex
The tightening of border controls and freedom of movement is truly a global phenomenon. Kyrgyzstan has tightening rules for Kazakh citizens with hundreds of Kazakhstanis, including students, now stranded at the border.
kaktus.media/doc/537255_v...
kaktus.media/doc/537255_v...
В КР ежедневно не пропускают порядка 450 граждан Казахстана. Студенты опасаются отчисления
Граждане Казахстана, обучающиеся в Кыргызстане, опасаются отчисления из вузов из-за прогулов ввиду того, что они не могут пересечь границу. На КПП ежедневно увеличивается количество непропущенных каза...
kaktus.media
December 18, 2025 at 2:03 PM
The tightening of border controls and freedom of movement is truly a global phenomenon. Kyrgyzstan has tightening rules for Kazakh citizens with hundreds of Kazakhstanis, including students, now stranded at the border.
kaktus.media/doc/537255_v...
kaktus.media/doc/537255_v...
Reposted by DistrictofAlex
It is amazing that the ruling administration has managed to set up not one but multiple opaque schemes that essentially allow for mass money laundering/payouts/corruption, some of which have already resulted in favors such as pardons, and the rest of the government isn't even trying to stop them.
trumpcard.gov is live and the million dollar fees are all referred to as “gifts” or “contributions” to an undisclosed party lol
December 14, 2025 at 4:53 PM
It is amazing that the ruling administration has managed to set up not one but multiple opaque schemes that essentially allow for mass money laundering/payouts/corruption, some of which have already resulted in favors such as pardons, and the rest of the government isn't even trying to stop them.
Reposted by DistrictofAlex
In late 2020 a Chinese man called Guan Heng travelled to Xinjiang with our BuzzFeed map of detention facilities to provide ground truth for our work - he provided the first corroborating evidence for many sites.
He escaped to the US - then ICE detained him.
www.wsj.com/world/china/...
He escaped to the US - then ICE detained him.
www.wsj.com/world/china/...
ICE Holding Chinese Man Who Documented Uyghur Camps
Heng Guan is awaiting an immigration hearing on Monday that could lead to his removal from the U.S. and ultimately land him back in China, according to his lawyer and a New York-based activist group.
www.wsj.com
December 13, 2025 at 3:17 PM
In late 2020 a Chinese man called Guan Heng travelled to Xinjiang with our BuzzFeed map of detention facilities to provide ground truth for our work - he provided the first corroborating evidence for many sites.
He escaped to the US - then ICE detained him.
www.wsj.com/world/china/...
He escaped to the US - then ICE detained him.
www.wsj.com/world/china/...
Reposted by DistrictofAlex
Drunk raccoon found in liquor store suspected in karate studio break-in
Drunk raccoon found in liquor store suspected in karate studio break-in
The "trashed panda" is also suspected of burglarising snacks from the Department of Motor Vehicles.
www.bbc.com
December 13, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Drunk raccoon found in liquor store suspected in karate studio break-in
Reposted by DistrictofAlex
Call it the Huawei Effect: As American tech-industrial-surveillance giants are increasingly perceived as arms of the state, other countries will…increasingly perceive them as arms of the state. American global tech supremacy depended on the perception of this public-private sector boundary.
Super interesting reporting on Palantir‘s efforts to be used in Swiss governmental services and the military. They decided against it, because they worried Palantir was giving information to CIA and NSA and feared a loss of national sovereignty.
www.republik.ch/2025/12/08/w...
www.republik.ch/2025/12/08/w...
December 11, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Call it the Huawei Effect: As American tech-industrial-surveillance giants are increasingly perceived as arms of the state, other countries will…increasingly perceive them as arms of the state. American global tech supremacy depended on the perception of this public-private sector boundary.
Reposted by DistrictofAlex
As Trump and Infantino work the red carpet, bragging about setting records for ticket prices.
(video below)
Lets break down what “record prices" really mean for football fans and host countries.
An important thread.
1/10
(video below)
Lets break down what “record prices" really mean for football fans and host countries.
An important thread.
1/10
December 7, 2025 at 2:09 AM
As Trump and Infantino work the red carpet, bragging about setting records for ticket prices.
(video below)
Lets break down what “record prices" really mean for football fans and host countries.
An important thread.
1/10
(video below)
Lets break down what “record prices" really mean for football fans and host countries.
An important thread.
1/10
This deserves every bit of the scorn and ratio it receives. It is fundamentally inaccurate and deeply irresponsible framing. Stuff like this is simply announcing to the world that the Economist does not understand what is happening let alone how to cover it.
Donald Trump had reasonable concerns about how Joe Biden’s relatives enriched themselves through his service. Yet his own family is making the “Biden crime family” look small-time
How Donald Trump is turning into Joe Biden
It’s about more than denying inflation
econ.st
December 2, 2025 at 12:43 PM
This deserves every bit of the scorn and ratio it receives. It is fundamentally inaccurate and deeply irresponsible framing. Stuff like this is simply announcing to the world that the Economist does not understand what is happening let alone how to cover it.
"The sites are all over the country, including California, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia."
NEW: A trivial-to-exploit bug in jury systems used across the United States exposed jurors' sensitive personal data, such as full names, date of birth, emails, cell phone numbers, and home addresses — and potentially health data.
The bug allowed anyone to brute-force and access jurors' accounts.
The bug allowed anyone to brute-force and access jurors' accounts.
Bug in jury systems used by several US states exposed sensitive personal data | TechCrunch
An easy-to-exploit vulnerability in a jury system made by Tyler Technologies exposed the personally identifiable data of jurors, including names, home addresses, emails, and phone numbers.
techcrunch.com
November 26, 2025 at 4:21 PM
"The sites are all over the country, including California, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia."
Reposted by DistrictofAlex
The Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff, Dallas. Today they’re showing the same double bill they showed on 22-11-63, when Oswald was arrested here
November 22, 2025 at 8:55 PM
The Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff, Dallas. Today they’re showing the same double bill they showed on 22-11-63, when Oswald was arrested here
The senate protection racket
Other senators want to *expand* the provision so that anyone investigated by Jack Smith can sue and get compensation.
Reminder Trump has active suit seeking nearly a quarter billion tax dollars his administration could theoretically pay himself.
Reminder Trump has active suit seeking nearly a quarter billion tax dollars his administration could theoretically pay himself.
November 19, 2025 at 4:03 AM
The senate protection racket
Reposted by DistrictofAlex
5/Its easy (or difficult to swallow) this as corruption/crony capitalism. But in a new paper w/ @segoddard.bsky.social in IO, we argue these interactions suggest something much more fundamental -- a shift in the international order which we call neo-royalism.
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mxthh...
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mxthh...
www.dropbox.com
November 18, 2025 at 2:05 PM
5/Its easy (or difficult to swallow) this as corruption/crony capitalism. But in a new paper w/ @segoddard.bsky.social in IO, we argue these interactions suggest something much more fundamental -- a shift in the international order which we call neo-royalism.
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mxthh...
www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/mxthh...
Reposted by DistrictofAlex
Prohibited activities include advising Chinese graduate students. For reference, a recent Georgetown report estimated 16% of STEM graduate students in the US are Chinese nationals.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations
Researchers speak out against proposal that would bar funding for U.S. scientists working with Chinese partners or training Chinese students
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Prohibited activities include advising Chinese graduate students. For reference, a recent Georgetown report estimated 16% of STEM graduate students in the US are Chinese nationals.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
This would take out entire fields at the knees, which is perhaps the point.
Reposted by DistrictofAlex
1/When @himself.bsky.social and I wrote about the future of US economic coercion we hoped that the tools could be used for global collective goods like climate. Now US “evaluating sanctions on officials sponsoring activist-driven climate policies”’
on.ft.com/4qJF3Ko
on.ft.com/4qJF3Ko
US accused of ‘bully-boy’ tactics to sink climate deal
Officials say ‘threats’ used to derail net zero deal for shipping industry ripped up rules of global diplomacy
on.ft.com
November 3, 2025 at 12:07 PM
1/When @himself.bsky.social and I wrote about the future of US economic coercion we hoped that the tools could be used for global collective goods like climate. Now US “evaluating sanctions on officials sponsoring activist-driven climate policies”’
on.ft.com/4qJF3Ko
on.ft.com/4qJF3Ko
Reposted by DistrictofAlex
Same country that thinks it's going to deter China through offensive cyber operations, btw.
Maybe the plan is to bamboozle China by having so much insecure infrastructure that they can't decide what to hack.
Maybe the plan is to bamboozle China by having so much insecure infrastructure that they can't decide what to hack.
FCC will vote to scrap telecom cybersecurity requirements
The commission’s Republican chair, who voted against the rules in January, calls them ineffective and illegal.
www.cybersecuritydive.com
October 30, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Same country that thinks it's going to deter China through offensive cyber operations, btw.
Maybe the plan is to bamboozle China by having so much insecure infrastructure that they can't decide what to hack.
Maybe the plan is to bamboozle China by having so much insecure infrastructure that they can't decide what to hack.
Reposted by DistrictofAlex
The Python Software Foundation is forfeiting a $1.5 million NSF grant because it came with Trump administration anti-DEI strings that would have affected PSF's entire portfolio. The grant would have helped fix flaws in major coding languages. cyberscoop.com/python-softw...
Open-source security group pulls out of U.S. grant, citing DEI restrictions
The Python Software Foundation said the grant would have funded automation and structural improvements to a key open-source programming language.
cyberscoop.com
October 29, 2025 at 8:37 PM
The Python Software Foundation is forfeiting a $1.5 million NSF grant because it came with Trump administration anti-DEI strings that would have affected PSF's entire portfolio. The grant would have helped fix flaws in major coding languages. cyberscoop.com/python-softw...
Reposted by DistrictofAlex
It's not the sort of thing that collapses overnight, but I think that a lot of Americans do not appreciate the impartial application of the rule of law as being integral to their national prosperity.
They're going to miss it when it's gone.
They're going to miss it when it's gone.
Breaking on MSNBC:
Two federal prosecutors have been placed on leave at the direction of the White House after filing a sentencing memo seeking 27 months in prison for a pardoned Jan. 6 rioter who brought illegal guns and ammunition to President Obama's house in 2023.
Two federal prosecutors have been placed on leave at the direction of the White House after filing a sentencing memo seeking 27 months in prison for a pardoned Jan. 6 rioter who brought illegal guns and ammunition to President Obama's house in 2023.
October 29, 2025 at 3:59 PM
It's not the sort of thing that collapses overnight, but I think that a lot of Americans do not appreciate the impartial application of the rule of law as being integral to their national prosperity.
They're going to miss it when it's gone.
They're going to miss it when it's gone.
October 28, 2025 at 2:23 AM
I think the reply to this citing the 1925 Pirates v. Senators WS counts. But a Mariners vs. Brewers WS is still special. The 1969 Seattle Pilots played just one season before going bankrupt. Team was sold & moved to Milwaukee for the 1970 season and became the Milwaukee Brewers.
Has there been a Job Title v Job Title World Series before? Guessing Mariners v Brewers would be the first??
October 12, 2025 at 2:24 PM
I think the reply to this citing the 1925 Pirates v. Senators WS counts. But a Mariners vs. Brewers WS is still special. The 1969 Seattle Pilots played just one season before going bankrupt. Team was sold & moved to Milwaukee for the 1970 season and became the Milwaukee Brewers.
This article is of a lot more interest than the headline suggests. Good piece on Finland's unlikely role as a potentially major player in transatlantic relations.
Icebreakers and golf forge Trump and Finnish leader's unlikely friendship
Icebreakers and golf forge Trump and Finnish leader's unlikely friendship
Alexander Stubb has become a key voice for Europe at the White House amid the Ukraine war.
www.bbc.com
October 11, 2025 at 4:01 AM
This article is of a lot more interest than the headline suggests. Good piece on Finland's unlikely role as a potentially major player in transatlantic relations.
Reposted by DistrictofAlex
I mean read this, the Trump administration in an official document is saying that Americans won't ever pick crops and America won't have enough food to eat because of ICE raids!
prospect.org/politics/tru...
prospect.org/politics/tru...
October 8, 2025 at 1:17 PM
I mean read this, the Trump administration in an official document is saying that Americans won't ever pick crops and America won't have enough food to eat because of ICE raids!
prospect.org/politics/tru...
prospect.org/politics/tru...
Reposted by DistrictofAlex
SCOOP: Apple Quietly Made ICE Agents a Protected Class
Internal emails show tech giant used anti-hate-speech rules meant for minorities to block an app documenting immigration enforcement.
migrantinsider.com/p/scoop-appl...
Internal emails show tech giant used anti-hate-speech rules meant for minorities to block an app documenting immigration enforcement.
migrantinsider.com/p/scoop-appl...
SCOOP: Apple Quietly Made ICE Agents a Protected Class
Internal emails show tech giant used anti-hate-speech rules meant for minorities to block an app documenting immigration enforcement.
migrantinsider.com
October 8, 2025 at 11:44 AM
SCOOP: Apple Quietly Made ICE Agents a Protected Class
Internal emails show tech giant used anti-hate-speech rules meant for minorities to block an app documenting immigration enforcement.
migrantinsider.com/p/scoop-appl...
Internal emails show tech giant used anti-hate-speech rules meant for minorities to block an app documenting immigration enforcement.
migrantinsider.com/p/scoop-appl...
Although it's difficult to watch this horror show unfold, one amusing thing here is the "MAHA activists" are getting exactly what they want and still complaining about it.
Some MAHA activists are extremely frustrated that Trump has blamed the existence of autism on Tylenol, and not vaccines.
Anti-vax groups struggle to explain how Tylenol fits in with their whole thing
The White House's very weird autism announcement triggers a moment of opportunity and crisis.
www.motherjones.com
September 25, 2025 at 2:35 AM
Although it's difficult to watch this horror show unfold, one amusing thing here is the "MAHA activists" are getting exactly what they want and still complaining about it.
App for outing Charlie Kirk’s critics, known ironically as "Cancel the Hate", is of course not at all secure and leaked its users’ personal data. Cancel the Hate took the app offline following reports but have not otherwise commented on the matter.
www.cyberdaily.au/security/126...
www.cyberdaily.au/security/126...
Cancel the Hate cancels itself after alleged leak of user data
The website set up to list those critical of murdered right-wing activist Charlie Kirk will change hands after user data was allegedly exposed online.
www.cyberdaily.au
September 23, 2025 at 9:49 PM
App for outing Charlie Kirk’s critics, known ironically as "Cancel the Hate", is of course not at all secure and leaked its users’ personal data. Cancel the Hate took the app offline following reports but have not otherwise commented on the matter.
www.cyberdaily.au/security/126...
www.cyberdaily.au/security/126...
Reposted by DistrictofAlex
i don’t think people on bluesky understand the severity of this situation.
i woke up to literally hundreds of texts from friends and family thinking about either moving back home to india or applying to other countries for jobs. this includes me.
i woke up to literally hundreds of texts from friends and family thinking about either moving back home to india or applying to other countries for jobs. this includes me.
Those on an H1B cannot return to the US from tomorrow (Sunday) unless paying $100K. This is an out-of-the blue presidential action. We’ll see software engineers stranded abroad.
One easy to predict outcome: those on US visas will travel less… for work, for conferences etc.
One easy to predict outcome: those on US visas will travel less… for work, for conferences etc.
September 20, 2025 at 12:20 PM
i don’t think people on bluesky understand the severity of this situation.
i woke up to literally hundreds of texts from friends and family thinking about either moving back home to india or applying to other countries for jobs. this includes me.
i woke up to literally hundreds of texts from friends and family thinking about either moving back home to india or applying to other countries for jobs. this includes me.