Sarah Powazek
@powa-sec.bsky.social
Director of Public Interest Cybersecurity @CLTCBerkeley. Views my own. Deputy Director @DistrictCon
I don't want to minimize the fact that we're living in a digital world that sets us up for failure. If you've been scammed or hacked, know that you're in the majority. There are systemic issues at play outside of our control. At best, these tips minimize risk, but can never completely prevent it.
Registration is open for Cyber Civil Defense Summit: East! Co-hosted by the UC Berkeley Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity and NJCCIC. www.eventbrite.com/e/cyber-civi... #CyberCivilDefense #Take9
Cyber Civil Defense Summit: East
Co-hosted by the New Jersey Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Cell (NJCCIC)
eventbrite.com
ArXiv is going to ban researchers for a year if they are caught submitting AI slop. ArXiv told us it's a one strike rule: do it once, you're out. www.404media.co/new-arxiv-ru...
ArXiv to Ban Researchers for a Year if They Submit AI Slop
The change comes as arXiv and others struggle to manage an influx of AI-generated materials masquerading as rigorous science.
404media.co
NEW: The Consumer Federation of America is suing Meta, alleging that the company misled consumers about its efforts to combat scam advertisements and violated Washington DC's consumer protection laws. www.wired.com/story/meta-i...
Meta Is Sued Over Scam Ads on Facebook and Instagram
A lawsuit from the Consumer Federation of America accuses Meta of misleading consumers about its efforts to combat scams advertisements on its platforms.
wired.com
The @cltcberkeley.bsky.social Berkeley Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity released their CyberCAN Washington report: cybersecurity challenges for WA nonprofits and guidance on how to address them. Read it here: cltc.berkeley.edu/publication/... #CyberCivilDefense #PublicInterestCybersecurity #Take9
CyberCAN Washington: A Regional Assessment of Nonprofit Cybersecurity and Strategic Recommendations for Washington State - CLTC
A new report from CLTC's Public Interest Cybersecurity Program examines the cyber threats facing nonprofits in Washington — and offers guidance for how the state government can support their digital d...
cltc.berkeley.edu
So we've all read about Trump's devastating FY 2027 budget cuts to CISA. But the admin is also going to cut cyber spending across the civilian side of the government by $227m , with some agencies gaining funds to spend on cyber ad some losing quite a bit. 1/3 www.csoonline.com/article/4156...
The cyber winners and losers in Trump’s 2027 budget
The administration’s 2027 civilian agencies budget trims federal cybersecurity spending despite escalating threats, with deep cuts at CISA even as other agencies see boosts.
csoonline.com
Lawfare is hiring a paid editorial intern for Summer 2026! Find more information and apply here:
Intern with Lawfare!
Lawfare is now accepting Summer 2026 internship applications.
lawfaremedia.org
Come work with The Public's Science team @ the Institute for Advanced Study. Hiring a fellow to develop digital infrastructure for public engagement, and are seeking someone committed to reimagining the social contract for American research. Please share widely. jobs.chronicle.com/job/37962820...
Civic Science Fellow - School of Social Science - 18 month appointment - Princeton, New Jersey (US) job with Institute for Advanced Study | 37962820
The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is seeking a 2026 Civic Science Fellow for The Public's Science initiative, a collaborative effort.
jobs.chronicle.com
Science & Justice@scijust.bsky.social · 12mo agoCall for Papers | Special Issue of The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. The Public's Science–A New Social Contract for American Research Policy. Submit 500-word abstracts by September 19, 2025 to info@publicscience.net. scijust.ucsc.edu/2025/08/20/c...
Meta is ending its end-to-end encryption. Many people I know still use this as their primary messaging platform, over SMS.
evacide@evacide.bsky.social · 5mo agoIn this golden age of surveillance, making E2EE chat normal and expected has been privacy's biggest win. I hate to see it getting rolled back. thehackernews.com/2026/03/meta...
Attending BSidesSF next week? Be sure to check out all of EFF's talks! We'll also have an info table where you can stop by and say hi to our team 👋 www.eff.org/event/eff-b...
EFF at BSides San Francisco
EFF is excited to be back for BSides San Francisco! We'll be in the expo area, where you can stop by the EFF booth to chat with our team and learn about the latest developments in fighting for
eff.org
Here's DHS's statement on CISA's behalf on the apparent Iran hack on medical tech company Stryker. In addition to the now normal but still weird partisan jabs in these statements, I can definitely assure you CISA does not launch investigations into all cyber incidents. They're barely staffed!
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.
404 Media@404media.co · 5mo agoSCOOP: 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. This surveillance can happen through all sorts of apps, such as video games, news apps, weather trackers, and dating apps.
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...
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...
404media.co
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
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.
404media.co
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...
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...
cyberscoop.com
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
Now more than ever, people have seen the real-world risk of invasive face recognition technology. We won’t lose focus.
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.
eff.org
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.
WeRateDogs@weratedogs.com · 6mo agowe need to talk about that Ring Super Bowl ad
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
Hank Green@hankgreen.bsky.social · 6mo agoBut now we have gone from owning 100% to owning 0% because, for the last month, Complexly has been a non-profit organization. apnews.com/article/john...
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
Craig Newmark@craignewmark.bsky.social · 6mo agoDid you know that for every $1 spent, the Wisconsin Cyber Response Team saved cities and towns $1.60? State-led civilian cyber corps are a cost-effective way to build local cyber defense at scale. Learn more at cybervolunteers.us #CyberCivilDefense #Take9
Check out this great coverage of a @districtcon.bsky.social roundtable on the Pall Mall Process by @timstarks.bsky.social
CyberScoop@cyberscoop.bsky.social · 6mo agoThe weekend discussion about the next step of the Pall Mall Process revealed some of the topics rules-writers will have to weigh. via @timstarks.bsky.social cyberscoop.com/industry-gov...
"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...
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.
philanthropy.com
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....
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…
cltc.berkeley.edu
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 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...
404media.co
