Ben Werdmuller
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ben.werd.io.ap.brid.gy
Ben Werdmuller
@ben.werd.io.ap.brid.gy
4 followers 0 following 75 posts
Writing at the intersection of technology, democracy, and society

🌉 bridged from ⁂ https://werd.io/, follow @ap.brid.gy to interact
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ben.werd.io.ap.brid.gy
My 2026 Open Social Web Predictions
Tim's 2026 predictions are worth paying attention to - and form a great map for following where the open social web is going.
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December 24, 2025 at 5:34 PM
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2025 in review: an interesting year
On fascism, technology, and finding the helpers.
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December 23, 2025 at 11:02 AM
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Airbus to migrate critical apps to a sovereign Euro cloud
"Airbus is preparing to tender a major contract to migrate mission-critical workloads to a digitally sovereign European cloud – but estimates only an 80/20 chance of finding a suitable provider."
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December 20, 2025 at 2:29 PM
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Lies we tell ourselves
We don't need to educate our audiences to fit our needs. We need to educate ourselves to fit our audiences.
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December 19, 2025 at 6:43 PM
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Friday links: December 19, 2025
Predictions for journalism; paperbacks are dead; feeling the fear.
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December 19, 2025 at 11:03 AM
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The Go/No Go Date
"Feeling fear goes hand-in-hand with being ambitious. Imposter syndrome is real and normal. In fact, if you aren't feeling fear in what you do, I'd argue that you aren't being ambitious enough." Here's a way to build in the fear and do it anyway.
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December 18, 2025 at 1:39 PM
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Nieman Lab's Predictions for Journalism 2026
"Each year, we ask some of the smartest people in digital media what they think is coming in the year ahead. Here's what they told us." Some essays from the annual collection that caught my eye.
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December 17, 2025 at 3:16 PM
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Is the article dead?
Personalization is coming to journalism. The question is: who controls it?
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December 16, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Reposted by Ben Werdmuller
ben.werd.social.ap.brid.gy
"Trump officials were told that cutting aid to South Sudan would exacerbate a deadly cholera epidemic. They did so anyway." And then they celebrated with cake. https://www.propublica.org/article/usaid-cholera-deaths-trump-humanitarian-aid-cuts-south-sudan
www.propublica.org
December 15, 2025 at 5:49 PM
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Last Call for Mass Market Paperbacks
"The format credited with making books more accessible via low prices and widespread availability will all but vanish from the publishing scene in a few weeks." With it comes a generational loss.
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December 15, 2025 at 4:48 PM
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T.S.A. Is Providing Air Passenger Data to Immigration Agents for Deportation Effort
"The Trump administration is providing the names of all air travelers to immigration officials, substantially expanding its use of data sharing to expel people under deportation orders."
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December 13, 2025 at 2:27 PM
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Friday links: December 12, 2025
In the face of government oppression, it's time to encrypt.
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December 12, 2025 at 1:09 PM
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Trump Signs Executive Order To Combat State AI Regulation
"President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday intended to limit state regulation of artificial intelligence." At the same time, states are watering theirs down.
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December 12, 2025 at 1:50 AM
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2025 on Tumblr: Trends That Defined the Year
"Wow, we made it. 2025. One of the years of all time." Tumblr didn't die - figuratively or literally - and, honestly, it's just nice to see it.
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December 12, 2025 at 1:05 AM
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US plans to start checking all tourists' social media
"All tourists will have to undergo a social media screening before being allowed entry into the US under new plans being considered by the country's border force."
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December 10, 2025 at 2:34 PM
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10 Years of Let's Encrypt Certificates
Let's Encrypt is ten years old. It's changed the web for the better.
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December 10, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Reposted by Ben Werdmuller
ben.werd.social.ap.brid.gy
“We will see a resurgence in open source software in journalism — but with new models for support and ongoing development.” I was privileged to contribute to @niemanlab's predictions for journalism this year […]
Original post on werd.social
werd.social
December 9, 2025 at 10:53 PM
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The world needs social sovereignty
"By making the news and truth contingent on advertising budgets we’ve created an environment where any narrative can win, as long as the storyteller is willing to pay. If we allow these conditions to continue, we will leave behind the voices that truly matter."
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December 9, 2025 at 2:56 PM
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Why RSS matters
The future of the web depends on simple, open standards.
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December 9, 2025 at 12:27 PM
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The Web Runs On Tolerance
"History shows us that all progress comes from the meeting of diverse people, with different ideas, and different backgrounds." The web is no different.
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December 8, 2025 at 3:39 AM
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Friday links: December 5, 2025
What comes after the AI hype cycle; new community platforms; and more.
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December 5, 2025 at 10:01 AM
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Trump administration orders enhanced vetting for applicants of H-1B visa
Under a new State Department memo, people who keep online spaces safe are now ineligible for H-1B visas.
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December 5, 2025 at 12:20 AM
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You can't legislate serendipity
Why Europe's alternative tech vision needs community, not just compliance
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December 2, 2025 at 5:42 PM
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Where Do the Children Play?
"In physical space, Western children are almost comically sheltered. But in digital space, they’re entirely beyond our command; and increasingly, that’s where children spend most of their time."
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December 2, 2025 at 4:15 PM
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Introducing Roundabout
New_ Public announced its new community platform is being co-developed with five local US communities - and there's a lot more to come.
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December 2, 2025 at 1:11 AM