"What they do is very rigorous statistical extrapolations of information that’s not in the record, about wars, civil wars, coups, oppressive states, and they’re used for truth and reconciliation, human rights tribunals, war crimes trials."

"I have a friend, Patrick Ball, who is the best programmer I know, and he founded and works at an NGO called the Human Rights Data Analysis Group (HRDAG). They’re one of the most important NGOs that no one’s ever heard of...

Author Cory Doctorow raves about HRDAG in his most recent book, a Reverse Centaur's Guide to Life After AI.

I finished 'Yesteryear," after multiple friends raved about it. So now I can be the friend telling you: yes, you should read this weird and addictive book. www.amazon.com/dp/059380421X

Debanking — when financial institutions close the accounts of those flagged as problematic, including at the behest of the government – appears to be growing. @reitman.bsky.social reflects on the use of debanking, from Wikileaks to the Southern Poverty Law Center to the NRA. kpfa.org/episode/agai...

Financial Censorship | KPFA

Imagine, as a journalist or activist, trying to access your bank accounts and mysteriously finding them frozen. Debanking — when financial institutions close the accounts of those flagged as problemat...

kpfa.org

EFF Executive Director @nicoleozer.bsky.social just published her first blog post on Deeplinks - always such a milestone after joining @eff.org. Check it out.

Electronic Frontier Foundation@eff.org · 4w ago

New EFF Executive Director @nicoleozer.bsky.social discusses working to ensure a future of openness, security, and fundamental rights, not fear, surveillance, and centralized power. "I am proud to take the torch and help lead our EFF community forward at this pivotal time in history." 🧵 (1/5)

The Consumer Product Safety Commission getting inundated with drawings of horses on Bluesky is really improving my week.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission@cpsc.gov · 4w ago

It would be the most beautiful front-facing horse you've ever seen. Thank you, Amanda!

So much truth in this — open.substack.com/pub/gregluki...

‘Pick Your Ten’: The best advice I ever got in my life

I used to think FIRE co-founder Harvey Silverglate’s wise words were only useful for people trapped in the middle of the culture war. But now we all are, so it’s useful for everyone.

open.substack.com

Want a compelling summer read that also supports press freedom? Our board member @reitman.bsky.social's new book, “Transaction Denied,” explores how financial companies can become censors — and why that should concern anyone who values free expression. @trevortimm.bsky.social explains.

Sunday Long Read: How @hrdag.org and our coalition partners are lifting up the names of police officers who kill through an ambitious data and public records project. hrdag.substack.com/p/naming-pol...

Naming Police Officers Who Kill in California

Structural Zero 12: New Functionality in the Police Records Access Project Highlights the Names of Individual Police Officers

hrdag.substack.com

I'll be speaking with author and owner of indie bookstore Obodo Serendipity Books on July 9. Registration info here.

Author @doctorow.pluralistic.net describes why he loves HRDAG and our work using AI to analyze and find hidden patterns in records of state violence.

I'll be speaking with author and owner of indie bookstore Obodo Serendipity Books on July 9. Registration info here.

MEET Tarak Shah! 🥰 youtu.be/Xe0hnleGGdU Alt text: this is an image of Tarak Shah holding the Meet a Mathematician sign

MEET a Mathematician! - Tarak Shah

YouTube video by Meet a Mathematician

youtu.be

"The disclosures that Edward Snowden reveals don't only expose a threat to our privacy but to our democracy itself. When the most important decisions being made affecting all of us are made in secret, we lose our ability to check the powers that control." - Laura Poitras, 2015

Government agencies muzzle their employees by routing press questions to public information officers, or PIOs. It's a clear First Amendment violation — that's why courts strike them down virtually every time. Watch @trevortimm.bsky.social explain.

Yes, financial institutions can and do censor free expression. I had a crucial discussion with journalist @reitman.bsky.social about what happens when a credit card company can decide what you're permitted to say online, fighting financial censorship, and more!

Internet Archive@archive.org · 2mo ago

🧵1️⃣/2️⃣ Who should decide what content is acceptable online? Banks? 💳 In TRANSACTION DENIED, Rainey Reitman & Annalee Newitz discuss why content moderation decisions shouldn't be made by financial institutions. 🎧 Listen on the Future Knowledge #podcast: futureknowledge.transistor.fm/episodes/tra...

On this day in 1918, Eugene Debs delivered an anti-war speech for which he was convicted under the Espionage Act and sentenced to a decade in prison. It's long past time to reform this law and end its abuse against dissent, against whistleblowers, & against the press, for good.

On This Day in Espionage Act History On June 17, 2022, British Home Sec. Priti Patel signs an extradition order to send WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange to the U.S to face charges under the Espionage Act for publishing -- the first such charges for a journalist. Learn more: rightsanddissent.org

We’re a proud signatory to this letter. Make PACER free and secure.

Fix the Court@fixthecourt.com · 2mo ago

NEW: Two dozen good-government groups urge Senate Judiciary Chairman Grassley & Ranking Member @durbin.senate.gov to mark up the Kennedy / @wyden.senate.gov "free PACER" bill before August recess, as they did 2 Congresses ago fixthecourt.com/wp-content/u....

Had a wonderful time talking to @annaleen.bsky.social on the Internet Archive's Future Knowledge podcast.

Tao Neuendorffer@taonf.bsky.social · 2mo ago

2️⃣/2️⃣ As banks, payment processors, and credit card networks gain influence over who can participate online, questions of speech become questions of financial power ⚖️ 💵💷💴 @reitman.bsky.social @annaleen.bsky.social #DigitalRights #FreeExpression #InternetGovernance

After 26 years at EFF, today is outgoing Executive Director Cindy Cohn’s last day here. Read her final message to all of us.

Onward, Friends

After 26 years, today is my last day at EFF. It's been a terrific and wild ride — the organization has grown from a tiny band of fighty people trying to plant a flag for freedom and justice in the com...

eff.org

The commercial was submitted by the Freedom of the Press Foundation to run during Donald Trump’s UFC event. It criticized the $111 billion merger as a threat to the First Amendment. www.wired.com/story/paramo...

Paramount Refused to Air an Ad Criticizing Its Merger With Warner Bros.

The commercial was submitted by the Freedom of the Press Foundation to run during Donald Trump’s UFC event. It criticized the $111 billion merger as a threat to the First Amendment.

wired.com

I had a blast talking to @nicoperrino.bsky.social on this podcast. We discuss: --How banks have used "reputational risk" assessments --How financial policies can undermine online speech --A lawsuit against Visa that could be disastrous for online speech sotospeakpodcast.com/p/ep-274-fin...

Ep. 274: Financial censorship: how banks silence speech w/ Rainey Reitman

Money makes the world go round. But for some speakers, banks serve as a choke point for sharing their message.

sotospeakpodcast.com

When police rely on facial recognition technology in an attempt to identify suspects, innocent people like our clients Robert Dillon and Kimberlee Williams get arrested for crimes they didn't commit. We're fighting back.

Fifty-five years ago today, @nytimes.com began publishing the Pentagon Papers, leaked by legendary whistleblower and @freedom.press co-founder Daniel Ellsberg. The Espionage Act he was charged under still threatens press freedom, especially under Trump. @laurenleharper.bsky.social explains.

The Espionage Act: What it is and what it means under Trump

YouTube video by Freedom of the Press Foundation

youtube.com

Kinda perfect that Section 702 expired today—on the 55th anniversary of the Pentagon Papers. A good day to remember: resistance works.

👇 HUGE NEWS: At 12:00 AM EST, Section 702 will expire. Here's what that means. Thread: 👇

looking forward to this book event on financial censorship with @reitman.bsky.social, @trevortimm.bsky.social and others! friday in nyc powerhousearena.com/events/panel...

This was a fun podcast because the first question was about how and why @trevortimm.bsky.social & others & I founded @freedom.press. Yes: instead of wading through multiple chapters of my book to get to this story, you can just listen to the first 5 minutes of this awesome podcast.

Firewalls Don't Stop Dragons@firewalldragons.bsky.social · 2mo ago

What rights do we have to use banks, credit cards & payment processors? Turns out... none, really. Our access can be cut off at any time for almost any reason. Today I discuss how this access can be used to stifle speech w/ @reitman.bsky.social. podcast.firewallsdontstopdragons.com/2026/06/08/t...