David Gilbert
@davidgilbert.bsky.social
Reporter @WIRED covering disinformation, online extremism, and election hucksters. https://www.wired.com/author/david-gilbert/
Got a tip? Get in touch
• Email: david.gilbert@wired.com
• Signal: @DavidGilbert.01
Got a tip? Get in touch
• Email: david.gilbert@wired.com
• Signal: @DavidGilbert.01
Pinned
"The government of Israel has engaged in systematic and widespread crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, including indiscriminate and deliberate attacks against the civilians of Gaza which killed more than 59,000 adults & children" — @genocidescholars.bsky.social
It's that simple...
It's that simple...
Reposted by David Gilbert
FYI subscribe as @wired.com under @katie-drummond.bsky.social is killing it
NEW: ICE is leasing offices throughout the US as part of a secret, months-long expansion campaign. WIRED is publishing dozens of these locations.
ICE Is Expanding Across the US at Breakneck Speed. Here’s Where It’s Going Next
ICE plans to lease offices throughout the US as part of a secret, months-long expansion campaign. WIRED is publishing dozens of these locations.
www.wired.com
February 10, 2026 at 4:33 PM
FYI subscribe as @wired.com under @katie-drummond.bsky.social is killing it
ICE has secretly secured leases at over 150 locations in nearly ever state in the US as it races to expand its footprint.
Read @leahfeiger.bsky.social's incredible scoop about how the campaign came about, efforts to keep it a secret and where ICE is going next
www.wired.com/story/ice-ex...
Read @leahfeiger.bsky.social's incredible scoop about how the campaign came about, efforts to keep it a secret and where ICE is going next
www.wired.com/story/ice-ex...
ICE Is Expanding Across the US at Breakneck Speed. Here’s Where It’s Going Next
ICE plans to lease offices throughout the US as part of a secret, months-long expansion campaign. WIRED is publishing dozens of these locations.
www.wired.com
February 10, 2026 at 4:42 PM
ICE has secretly secured leases at over 150 locations in nearly ever state in the US as it races to expand its footprint.
Read @leahfeiger.bsky.social's incredible scoop about how the campaign came about, efforts to keep it a secret and where ICE is going next
www.wired.com/story/ice-ex...
Read @leahfeiger.bsky.social's incredible scoop about how the campaign came about, efforts to keep it a secret and where ICE is going next
www.wired.com/story/ice-ex...
Reposted by David Gilbert
“How a prominent white supremacist leader came to work for a federal security contractor is unclear.”
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
US federal contractor hired white supremacist leader for wildfire relief
Ian Michael Elliott of neofascist Patriot Front worked ‘crisis relief missions’ funded by Department of Agriculture
www.theguardian.com
February 9, 2026 at 3:30 PM
“How a prominent white supremacist leader came to work for a federal security contractor is unclear.”
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
• A doc sued for prescribing a debunked autism therapy
• A man who says vaccines are “poisoning children”
• A woman boosting autism "treatments" using stem cells from rabbits
This is not a QAnon conference line-up, it is the people now guiding US autism research
www.wired.com/story/rfk-jr...
• A man who says vaccines are “poisoning children”
• A woman boosting autism "treatments" using stem cells from rabbits
This is not a QAnon conference line-up, it is the people now guiding US autism research
www.wired.com/story/rfk-jr...
RFK Jr.’s Picks for a Key Autism Panel Include Advocates for Bizarre Theories
Among those Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently named to a federal autism committee are people who tout dangerous treatments and say vaccine manufacturers are “poisoning children.”
www.wired.com
February 9, 2026 at 1:26 PM
• A doc sued for prescribing a debunked autism therapy
• A man who says vaccines are “poisoning children”
• A woman boosting autism "treatments" using stem cells from rabbits
This is not a QAnon conference line-up, it is the people now guiding US autism research
www.wired.com/story/rfk-jr...
• A man who says vaccines are “poisoning children”
• A woman boosting autism "treatments" using stem cells from rabbits
This is not a QAnon conference line-up, it is the people now guiding US autism research
www.wired.com/story/rfk-jr...
“We’ve fought so hard to protect our community, but they want to experiment on us. We are guinea pigs. When you are autistic, like me, and a mother to autistic children, I see this as a way to end us. That's what it is.” autism activist Fiona O'Leary
www.wired.com/story/rfk-jr...
www.wired.com/story/rfk-jr...
RFK Jr.’s Picks for a Key Autism Panel Include Advocates for Bizarre Theories
Among those Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently named to a federal autism committee are people who tout dangerous treatments and say vaccine manufacturers are “poisoning children.”
www.wired.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:39 PM
“We’ve fought so hard to protect our community, but they want to experiment on us. We are guinea pigs. When you are autistic, like me, and a mother to autistic children, I see this as a way to end us. That's what it is.” autism activist Fiona O'Leary
www.wired.com/story/rfk-jr...
www.wired.com/story/rfk-jr...
Reposted by David Gilbert
NEW: Records reviewed by WIRED show DHS’s facial recognition app (Mobile Fortify) isn’t designed to actually "verify" identity—despite DHS claims and its agents relying on its matches to support probable cause in the field.
ICE and CBP’s Face-Recognition App Can’t Actually Verify Who People Are
ICE has used Mobile Fortify to identify immigrants and citizens alike over 100,000 times, by one estimate. It wasn't built to work like that—and only got approved after DHS abandoned its own privacy r...
www.wired.com
February 5, 2026 at 8:29 PM
NEW: Records reviewed by WIRED show DHS’s facial recognition app (Mobile Fortify) isn’t designed to actually "verify" identity—despite DHS claims and its agents relying on its matches to support probable cause in the field.
Reposted by David Gilbert
Journalism is a great industry to go into if you want to become speedrun becoming a Marxist.
The big tech founder whose 417-foot, $500 million superyacht needs a 256-foot, $75 million superyacht to "shadow" it -- because the bigger yacht lacks a helipad -- had to cut his paper's newsroom almost in half, for reasons
NEWS: The cuts were so severe that at least one department head asked to leave The Post rather than be included in the planning.
Peter Finn, The Post's international editor, requested that he be laid off once he learned about the scope of the cuts to his section.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/b...
Peter Finn, The Post's international editor, requested that he be laid off once he learned about the scope of the cuts to his section.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/04/b...
February 4, 2026 at 6:37 PM
Journalism is a great industry to go into if you want to become speedrun becoming a Marxist.
Reposted by David Gilbert
NEW: NEW: HHS is working on an AI tool to analyze VAERS—a database of vaccine injury claims to which anyone can make submissions—and "generate hypotheses." This is from @emilymullin.bsky.social:
HHS Is Making an AI Tool to Create Hypotheses About Vaccine Injury Claims
Experts worry Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Health Department will use an internal AI tool to analyze vaccine injury claims in a way that furthers his anti-vaccine agenda.
www.wired.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:49 PM
NEW: NEW: HHS is working on an AI tool to analyze VAERS—a database of vaccine injury claims to which anyone can make submissions—and "generate hypotheses." This is from @emilymullin.bsky.social:
Inside the ICE Forum Where Agents Complain About Their Jobs
Another excellent scoop from my @wired.com colleague @telliotter.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/inside...
Another excellent scoop from my @wired.com colleague @telliotter.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/inside...
Inside the ICE Forum Where Agents Complain About Their Jobs
“I'm all for removing illegals, but snatching dudes off lawn mowers in Cali and leaving the truck and equipment just sitting there? Definitely not working smarter,” writes one forum user.
www.wired.com
February 4, 2026 at 4:17 PM
Inside the ICE Forum Where Agents Complain About Their Jobs
Another excellent scoop from my @wired.com colleague @telliotter.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/inside...
Another excellent scoop from my @wired.com colleague @telliotter.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/inside...
Reposted by David Gilbert
The Oireachtas Media Committee 🔔
Alan Kelly notes the “disrespect” shown by X in refusing to attend but also takes aim at the “bizarre” and “worrying” conditions requested by other social platforms - he says at least one company said “if three of the four platforms attend, we’ll be there”.
Alan Kelly notes the “disrespect” shown by X in refusing to attend but also takes aim at the “bizarre” and “worrying” conditions requested by other social platforms - he says at least one company said “if three of the four platforms attend, we’ll be there”.
February 4, 2026 at 12:56 PM
The Oireachtas Media Committee 🔔
Alan Kelly notes the “disrespect” shown by X in refusing to attend but also takes aim at the “bizarre” and “worrying” conditions requested by other social platforms - he says at least one company said “if three of the four platforms attend, we’ll be there”.
Alan Kelly notes the “disrespect” shown by X in refusing to attend but also takes aim at the “bizarre” and “worrying” conditions requested by other social platforms - he says at least one company said “if three of the four platforms attend, we’ll be there”.
It can be hard to keep up with EVERYTHING that the Trump admins is doing—and planning to do—right now with ICE and Border Patrol around the US
So @wired.com created the ICE Tracker newsletter to ensure you know exactly what's happening....and it's FREE
Sign up here: www.wired.com/newsletter/I...
So @wired.com created the ICE Tracker newsletter to ensure you know exactly what's happening....and it's FREE
Sign up here: www.wired.com/newsletter/I...
Tracker Newsletter: ICE in Focus
As federal agents carry out Trump’s program of mass deportation, this limited-series newsletter will track what’s happening and what’s coming next.
www.wired.com
February 3, 2026 at 11:51 AM
It can be hard to keep up with EVERYTHING that the Trump admins is doing—and planning to do—right now with ICE and Border Patrol around the US
So @wired.com created the ICE Tracker newsletter to ensure you know exactly what's happening....and it's FREE
Sign up here: www.wired.com/newsletter/I...
So @wired.com created the ICE Tracker newsletter to ensure you know exactly what's happening....and it's FREE
Sign up here: www.wired.com/newsletter/I...
"Pretti did this to himself.”
Right-wing gun nuts are doing some impressive mental gymnastics to blame Alex Pretti for his own death.
They are also excusing Trump's gun comments that appear to undermine their own gun rights....
www.wired.com/story/right-...
Right-wing gun nuts are doing some impressive mental gymnastics to blame Alex Pretti for his own death.
They are also excusing Trump's gun comments that appear to undermine their own gun rights....
www.wired.com/story/right-...
Right-Wing Gun Enthusiasts and Extremists Are Working Overtime to Justify Alex Pretti’s Killing
Donald Trump has appeared to undermine Second Amendment rights in statements about Alex Pretti’s killing. Many in the firearms community are going along with it.
www.wired.com
January 31, 2026 at 1:38 PM
"Pretti did this to himself.”
Right-wing gun nuts are doing some impressive mental gymnastics to blame Alex Pretti for his own death.
They are also excusing Trump's gun comments that appear to undermine their own gun rights....
www.wired.com/story/right-...
Right-wing gun nuts are doing some impressive mental gymnastics to blame Alex Pretti for his own death.
They are also excusing Trump's gun comments that appear to undermine their own gun rights....
www.wired.com/story/right-...
"Minnesotans have found and loved one another in a world atomized by social media, where empty men have tried to fill their lonely soul with lies about their own inherent superiority."
Superb reporting from @adamserwer.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Superb reporting from @adamserwer.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong
The pushback against ICE exposed a series of mistaken assumptions.
www.theatlantic.com
January 30, 2026 at 12:53 PM
"Minnesotans have found and loved one another in a world atomized by social media, where empty men have tried to fill their lonely soul with lies about their own inherent superiority."
Superb reporting from @adamserwer.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Superb reporting from @adamserwer.bsky.social
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
And remember, Amazon paid $40M to acquire the doc, and spent a further $35M to market it.....
Brett Ratner's Melania documentary is opening in cinemas today.
@regret.bsky.social scraped the data from over 1,400 locations showing the movie today, and found a total of two that were sold out.
Both showings are before 3pm
www.wired.com/story/we-fou...
@regret.bsky.social scraped the data from over 1,400 locations showing the movie today, and found a total of two that were sold out.
Both showings are before 3pm
www.wired.com/story/we-fou...
We Found Two Theaters With Sold-Out ‘Melania’ Opening Day Screenings
A WIRED analysis of nearly 1,400 Friday showtimes of Melania found only two with no tickets available. Both are before 3 pm.
www.wired.com
January 30, 2026 at 9:29 AM
And remember, Amazon paid $40M to acquire the doc, and spent a further $35M to market it.....
Brett Ratner's Melania documentary is opening in cinemas today.
@regret.bsky.social scraped the data from over 1,400 locations showing the movie today, and found a total of two that were sold out.
Both showings are before 3pm
www.wired.com/story/we-fou...
@regret.bsky.social scraped the data from over 1,400 locations showing the movie today, and found a total of two that were sold out.
Both showings are before 3pm
www.wired.com/story/we-fou...
We Found Two Theaters With Sold-Out ‘Melania’ Opening Day Screenings
A WIRED analysis of nearly 1,400 Friday showtimes of Melania found only two with no tickets available. Both are before 3 pm.
www.wired.com
January 30, 2026 at 9:24 AM
Brett Ratner's Melania documentary is opening in cinemas today.
@regret.bsky.social scraped the data from over 1,400 locations showing the movie today, and found a total of two that were sold out.
Both showings are before 3pm
www.wired.com/story/we-fou...
@regret.bsky.social scraped the data from over 1,400 locations showing the movie today, and found a total of two that were sold out.
Both showings are before 3pm
www.wired.com/story/we-fou...
"As we watch the least effective and most morally objectionable of our tactics come home and be used amongst and against us, we are left with a profound feeling of betrayal."
www.wired.com/story/ice-pr...
www.wired.com/story/ice-pr...
ICE Pretends It’s a Military Force. Its Tactics Would Get Real Soldiers Killed
WIRED asked an active military officer to break down immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis and elsewhere.
www.wired.com
January 30, 2026 at 9:18 AM
"As we watch the least effective and most morally objectionable of our tactics come home and be used amongst and against us, we are left with a profound feeling of betrayal."
www.wired.com/story/ice-pr...
www.wired.com/story/ice-pr...
"If an agency wants to cosplay as a military force, it deserves to be evaluated as one,"
WIRED asked an active military officer to evaluate ICE's actions. Their analysis is not good...
www.wired.com/story/ice-pr...
WIRED asked an active military officer to evaluate ICE's actions. Their analysis is not good...
www.wired.com/story/ice-pr...
ICE Pretends It’s a Military Force. Its Tactics Would Get Real Soldiers Killed
WIRED asked an active military officer to break down immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis and elsewhere.
www.wired.com
January 29, 2026 at 10:04 PM
"If an agency wants to cosplay as a military force, it deserves to be evaluated as one,"
WIRED asked an active military officer to evaluate ICE's actions. Their analysis is not good...
www.wired.com/story/ice-pr...
WIRED asked an active military officer to evaluate ICE's actions. Their analysis is not good...
www.wired.com/story/ice-pr...
Worth noting that all four of the people named in this FBI affidavit and linked to the Tennessee Active Club named in this are aged between 19 and 23.
It highlights how more attention needs to be paid to how Active Clubs are radicalizing young men across America
www.rawstory.com/raw-investig...
It highlights how more attention needs to be paid to how Active Clubs are radicalizing young men across America
www.rawstory.com/raw-investig...
Neo-Nazis arrested on weapons charges planned to strike 'high value targets,' feds say
Two neo-Nazis arrested last week are accused of buying machine guns as part of an alleged scheme to launch a paramilitary death squad.Aiden Cuevas, 20, and Andrew Nary, 23, each face a federal charge ...
www.rawstory.com
January 29, 2026 at 9:34 AM
Worth noting that all four of the people named in this FBI affidavit and linked to the Tennessee Active Club named in this are aged between 19 and 23.
It highlights how more attention needs to be paid to how Active Clubs are radicalizing young men across America
www.rawstory.com/raw-investig...
It highlights how more attention needs to be paid to how Active Clubs are radicalizing young men across America
www.rawstory.com/raw-investig...
Reposted by David Gilbert
Big news that I'm delighted to no longer be keeping a secret: Next week I join @wired.com as a senior writer!
As everyone knows, this is a top-tier publication and indispensable record of digital life today. I'll be covering internet culture in all forms, as I have for almost 15 years now.
As everyone knows, this is a top-tier publication and indispensable record of digital life today. I'll be covering internet culture in all forms, as I have for almost 15 years now.
January 28, 2026 at 8:22 PM
Big news that I'm delighted to no longer be keeping a secret: Next week I join @wired.com as a senior writer!
As everyone knows, this is a top-tier publication and indispensable record of digital life today. I'll be covering internet culture in all forms, as I have for almost 15 years now.
As everyone knows, this is a top-tier publication and indispensable record of digital life today. I'll be covering internet culture in all forms, as I have for almost 15 years now.
“Trump is a lawless president. He disregards the law, he disregards the Constitution, and when people do not cave, he then starts retribution. I believe giving in leads to more illegal actions and outrageous actions from the president.” — @jenagriswold.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/donald...
www.wired.com/story/donald...
Donald Trump Wants to Force Colorado to Free an Imprisoned Election Denier. It’s Not Working
Former election clerk Tina Peters is a hero to conspiracy theorists, and even received an empty “pardon” from the president. Colorado's governor has held firm against commuting her sentence—so far.
www.wired.com
January 28, 2026 at 5:16 PM
“Trump is a lawless president. He disregards the law, he disregards the Constitution, and when people do not cave, he then starts retribution. I believe giving in leads to more illegal actions and outrageous actions from the president.” — @jenagriswold.bsky.social
www.wired.com/story/donald...
www.wired.com/story/donald...
In recent weeks, Trump has:
• Kidnapped the leader of a sovereign country
• Threatened to invade Greenland
• Emboldened ICE to kill US citizens in Minneapolis
But the Tina Peters case is, for now, one of the few examples of the limits of Trump's power
www.wired.com/story/donald...
• Kidnapped the leader of a sovereign country
• Threatened to invade Greenland
• Emboldened ICE to kill US citizens in Minneapolis
But the Tina Peters case is, for now, one of the few examples of the limits of Trump's power
www.wired.com/story/donald...
Donald Trump Wants to Force Colorado to Free an Imprisoned Election Denier. It’s Not Working
Former election clerk Tina Peters is a hero to conspiracy theorists, and even received an empty “pardon” from the president. Colorado's governor has held firm against commuting her sentence—so far.
www.wired.com
January 28, 2026 at 4:21 PM
In recent weeks, Trump has:
• Kidnapped the leader of a sovereign country
• Threatened to invade Greenland
• Emboldened ICE to kill US citizens in Minneapolis
But the Tina Peters case is, for now, one of the few examples of the limits of Trump's power
www.wired.com/story/donald...
• Kidnapped the leader of a sovereign country
• Threatened to invade Greenland
• Emboldened ICE to kill US citizens in Minneapolis
But the Tina Peters case is, for now, one of the few examples of the limits of Trump's power
www.wired.com/story/donald...
NEW:
Donald Trump recently said the only limit to his power is his own morality.
But in the case of jailed election denier Tina Peters, he has encountered one situation he has been unable to bend to his will.
At least, not yet....
www.wired.com/story/donald...
Donald Trump recently said the only limit to his power is his own morality.
But in the case of jailed election denier Tina Peters, he has encountered one situation he has been unable to bend to his will.
At least, not yet....
www.wired.com/story/donald...
Donald Trump Wants to Force Colorado to Free an Imprisoned Election Denier. It’s Not Working
Former election clerk Tina Peters is a hero to conspiracy theorists, and even received an empty “pardon” from the president. Colorado's governor has held firm against commuting her sentence—so far.
www.wired.com
January 28, 2026 at 4:14 PM
NEW:
Donald Trump recently said the only limit to his power is his own morality.
But in the case of jailed election denier Tina Peters, he has encountered one situation he has been unable to bend to his will.
At least, not yet....
www.wired.com/story/donald...
Donald Trump recently said the only limit to his power is his own morality.
But in the case of jailed election denier Tina Peters, he has encountered one situation he has been unable to bend to his will.
At least, not yet....
www.wired.com/story/donald...
“It's no surprise that a company run by a man who sat behind Trump at his inauguration, and donated to the destruction of the White House, has taken a stance that helps ICE agents retain anonymity,”
— Dominick Skinner, the creator of ICE List
www.wired.com/story/meta-i...
— Dominick Skinner, the creator of ICE List
www.wired.com/story/meta-i...
Meta Is Blocking Links to ICE List on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads
Users of Meta’s social platforms can no longer share links to ICE List, a website listing what it claims are the names of thousands of DHS employees.
www.wired.com
January 28, 2026 at 1:11 PM
“It's no surprise that a company run by a man who sat behind Trump at his inauguration, and donated to the destruction of the White House, has taken a stance that helps ICE agents retain anonymity,”
— Dominick Skinner, the creator of ICE List
www.wired.com/story/meta-i...
— Dominick Skinner, the creator of ICE List
www.wired.com/story/meta-i...
SCOOP
Meta has started blocking links to ICE List on Facebook, Instagram and Threads
www.wired.com/story/meta-i...
Meta has started blocking links to ICE List on Facebook, Instagram and Threads
www.wired.com/story/meta-i...
Meta Is Blocking Users From Sharing Website Listing ICE Agents
Users of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads can no longer share links to ICE List, a website listing what it claims are the names of thousands of DHS employees.
www.wired.com
January 27, 2026 at 6:25 PM
SCOOP
Meta has started blocking links to ICE List on Facebook, Instagram and Threads
www.wired.com/story/meta-i...
Meta has started blocking links to ICE List on Facebook, Instagram and Threads
www.wired.com/story/meta-i...
An incredible story of how one man, tricked into working in a scam compound in Southeast Asia, leaked all of their secrets to @agreenberg.bsky.social before trying to escape.
www.wired.com/story/he-lea...
www.wired.com/story/he-lea...
He Leaked the Secrets of a Southeast Asian Scam Compound. Then He Had to Get Out Alive
A source trapped inside an industrial-scale scamming operation contacted me, determined to expose his captors’ crimes—and then escape. This is his story.
www.wired.com
January 27, 2026 at 1:19 PM
An incredible story of how one man, tricked into working in a scam compound in Southeast Asia, leaked all of their secrets to @agreenberg.bsky.social before trying to escape.
www.wired.com/story/he-lea...
www.wired.com/story/he-lea...