After spending several years telling us that AI will take our jobs & replace humans, Sam Altman blamed journalism when he was targeted by violence. The man is not fit to lead anyone into the future.
My latest, on what everyone (except him) is thinking.
weaponizedspaces.substack.com/p/sam-altman...
Wow, thank you. That’s awesome to hear. This is definitely a wild space to exist in, and it can be isolating and unrewarding at times, but I genuinely believe it’s important work, so I’m staying here!
Really great piece by @rvawonk.bsky.social on the cybersecurity notions of attack surfaces and threat vectors in the political realm. All her writing is absolutely worth reading.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate that!
If you find my work valuable, please consider subscribing to Weaponized. The Trump admin eliminated my mission area (cognitive security) & most people in the field stopped doing this work. Your support can help ensure that I can keep doing it. Thank you!
weaponizedspaces.substack.com/p/russian-pr...
As I explain in the piece, there were notable shifts in how Russian propaganda outlets approached their coverage of the protests (compared to the past). The key takeaway is that Russian propaganda is moving from telling alternative stories to shaping the meaning of real ones.
Russian propaganda outlets covered the US protests in 8 different languages, publishing different articles in each language — each with segmented, audience-specific narratives. Seems like Russia sees a strategic interest here.
Russian propaganda outlets had correspondents on the ground this weekend at the No Kings protests, once again seizing the opportunity to interfere in U.S. politics.
My latest:
weaponizedspaces.substack.com/p/russian-pr...
And of course, Russian propaganda outlets LOVED the footage from that.
Oh, and embarrassingly, Rep. Luna gave these socks to the sanctioned Russian lawmakers as a gift.
Rep. Luna and the other reps who engaged in talks w/ the sanctioned Russian lawmakers have been invited to visit Russia to “continue peace talks” in early May, which also hasn’t been reported by Luna or U.S. media.
Full article has a lot more details:
weaponizedspaces.substack.com/p/even-bette...
There is almost no coverage of the substance of the talks in U.S. media, but if Rep. Luna actually discussed removing sanctions against Russia, that would be a huge deal. They also discussed returning diplomatic property to Russia. That property was seized b/c Russia was using it to spy on the U.S.
I looked at coverage across Russian state media and propaganda outlets, as well as their associated social media accounts. Notably, U.S. lawmakers have barely spoken about the talks, which has allowed Russia to set the narrative.
Russian state media & propaganda outlets called the talks between Russian & US lawmakers this week “successful,” saying they discussed removing sanctions & returning diplomatic properties to Russia — none of which was reported by US lawmakers. My latest:
weaponizedspaces.substack.com/p/even-bette...
Thanks so much for your insights, and for taking the time to find me on Bluesky! I think you’re probably onto something, but I also think there’s some sort of influence campaign that might have instigated some of this. It’s just so bizarre.
NEW: Iranian hackers have breached FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal inbox, according to the hacking group Handala and a DOJ official. The FBI recently issued an advisory about the group deploying malware targeting dissidents and opponents of Iran.
weaponizedspaces.substack.com/p/newiranian...
Read the full article here: weaponizedspaces.substack.com/p/addiction-...
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There are thousands of similar cases lined up nationwide. After today’s ruling against Meta and YouTube, social media companies now face a new and contentious legal landscape — one in which the shield of immunity they’ve long hidden behind just got pierced for the first time.
These features are explicitly designed to keep users on the platform, which allows recommendation algos to learn more about user behaviors, which companies use to design features to keep users on the platform even more. This is intentional, and a court finally recognized that.
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My latest piece looks at what the research says about the platform features at the heart of the Meta/YouTube case, including infinite scroll & recommendation algorithms. As I argue, these features promote a feedback loop that mirrors addiction — but potentially even worse.
Today’s landmark verdict against Meta and YouTube signals that “once a system is designed to optimize engagement by selecting and promoting specific content, it may carry responsibility for the consequences of those choices.”
My latest: weaponizedspaces.substack.com/p/addiction-...
The lawmakers Luna is convening are under U.S. sanctions for backing Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine. They’ll travel freely to the nation’s capital even as Russia continues to endanger the lives of U.S. troops in the Middle East.
open.substack.com/pub/weaponiz...
Luna is a key node in Russia’s US-facing propaganda network and frequently takes pro-Kremlin positions, including opposing support for Ukraine.
She is scheduled to host 4-5 members of Russia’s Duma in DC this week, where they’ll meet w/ Trump officials.
Russia’s favorite congresswoman, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, will host a group of sanctioned Russian lawmakers in DC this week, as Russia continues sharing intel to help Iran target U.S. troops.
My latest: open.substack.com/pub/weaponiz...
Former WH Chief Strategist Steve Bannon suggested on his podcast this week that deploying ICE agents to airports is a “test case” for sending them to polling places on Election Day.
History tells us that it’d be wise to take this seriously.
If you find my work valuable, please consider subscribing to Weaponized. The Trump administration eliminated my entire mission area because my work threatens his ability to lie with impunity, and I need your help to ensure that I can continue doing it.
weaponizedspaces.substack.com/p/the-one-li...
Basically, in a few short years, the Trump administration has achieved something that Russia and other adversaries have been trying to achieve for decades: undermining the credibility of Voice of America by making it no different than any other state-controlled propaganda outlet.
VOA also alleges that Trump officials have injected White House talking points — at times, word-for-word — into news coverage. This breaches an editorial firewall that is codified into US law. It describes a newsroom strategy that resembles information laundering more than traditional journalism.
There’s one detail that hasn’t gotten a lot of attention: the Trump admin compelled VOA to publish an AI-generated image of Trump. It’s basically North Korea-style propaganda, coming from a news outlet that was founded to counter authoritarian state-run media.
