Michael A. Specter 👻
@mikespecter.com
| Assistant Professor, CS @ Georgia Tech |
| Research Scientist @ Google |
| Prev: PhD in EECS from MIT |
| mikespecter.com |
| Research Scientist @ Google |
| Prev: PhD in EECS from MIT |
| mikespecter.com |
The NYT just published an article largely hyping internet voting in Alaska.
I do not agree, and argue that the article has significant problems. Let’s look at a few of them 🧵
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
I do not agree, and argue that the article has significant problems. Let’s look at a few of them 🧵
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Will People Trust Voting by Phone? Alaska Is Going to Find Out.
www.nytimes.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:55 PM
The NYT just published an article largely hyping internet voting in Alaska.
I do not agree, and argue that the article has significant problems. Let’s look at a few of them 🧵
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
I do not agree, and argue that the article has significant problems. Let’s look at a few of them 🧵
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
Reposted by Michael A. Specter 👻
We are alarmed by reports that Germany is on the verge of a catastrophic about-face, reversing its longstanding and principled opposition to the EU’s Chat Control proposal which, if passed, could spell the end of the right to privacy in Europe. signal.org/blog/pdfs/ge...
signal.org
October 3, 2025 at 4:14 PM
We are alarmed by reports that Germany is on the verge of a catastrophic about-face, reversing its longstanding and principled opposition to the EU’s Chat Control proposal which, if passed, could spell the end of the right to privacy in Europe. signal.org/blog/pdfs/ge...
Probably the best troll paper of the year:
“Replication of Quantum Factorisation Records with an 8-bit Home Computer, an Abacus, and a Dog”
eprint.iacr.org/2025/1237.pdf
“Replication of Quantum Factorisation Records with an 8-bit Home Computer, an Abacus, and a Dog”
eprint.iacr.org/2025/1237.pdf
eprint.iacr.org
October 2, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Probably the best troll paper of the year:
“Replication of Quantum Factorisation Records with an 8-bit Home Computer, an Abacus, and a Dog”
eprint.iacr.org/2025/1237.pdf
“Replication of Quantum Factorisation Records with an 8-bit Home Computer, an Abacus, and a Dog”
eprint.iacr.org/2025/1237.pdf
I will never forgive these AI companies for making em-dashes impossible to use without being accused of using AI.
I miss the em-dash.
I miss the em-dash.
October 1, 2025 at 7:15 PM
I will never forgive these AI companies for making em-dashes impossible to use without being accused of using AI.
I miss the em-dash.
I miss the em-dash.
Reposted by Michael A. Specter 👻
A team of researchers found that, by not encrypting the data broadcast by Tile tags, users could be vulnerable to having their location information exposed to malicious actors. www.wired.com/story/tile-t...
Tile Tracking Tags Can Be Exploited by Tech-Savvy Stalkers, Researchers Say
A team of researchers found that, by not encrypting the data broadcast by Tile tags, users could be vulnerable to having their location information exposed to malicious actors.
www.wired.com
September 29, 2025 at 9:35 AM
A team of researchers found that, by not encrypting the data broadcast by Tile tags, users could be vulnerable to having their location information exposed to malicious actors. www.wired.com/story/tile-t...
Today, my research group @ Georgia Tech released a paper on vulnerabilities in Tile --- the second largest device finding network after Apple's AirTags.
You can read about it in Wired, reporting by @kimzetter.bsky.social!
www.wired.com/story/tile-t...
You can read about it in Wired, reporting by @kimzetter.bsky.social!
www.wired.com/story/tile-t...
September 29, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Today, my research group @ Georgia Tech released a paper on vulnerabilities in Tile --- the second largest device finding network after Apple's AirTags.
You can read about it in Wired, reporting by @kimzetter.bsky.social!
www.wired.com/story/tile-t...
You can read about it in Wired, reporting by @kimzetter.bsky.social!
www.wired.com/story/tile-t...
“Sorry, we temporarily lost part of the constitution via an erroneous merge conflict. Habeas Corpus will be restored shortly”
The official version of the constitution on Congress.gov has removed Article I, Section 9 and 10 from the website which includes the writ of habeus corpus.
web.archive.org/web/diff/202...
web.archive.org/web/diff/202...
August 6, 2025 at 5:58 PM
“Sorry, we temporarily lost part of the constitution via an erroneous merge conflict. Habeas Corpus will be restored shortly”
Reposted by Michael A. Specter 👻
On Saturday, the United States Senate Parliamentarian determined that the proposed 10-year federal moratorium on enforcing state AI legislation contained in the budget bill has survived procedural scrutiny — known as the Byrd Rule — and will remain in the bill.
Proposed Federal Moratorium on State AI Laws Clears Hurdle in US Senate | TechPolicy.Press
The path forward for the moratorium is now procedurally clear, pending broader negotiations over the budget bill’s contents.
www.techpolicy.press
June 22, 2025 at 4:00 PM
On Saturday, the United States Senate Parliamentarian determined that the proposed 10-year federal moratorium on enforcing state AI legislation contained in the budget bill has survived procedural scrutiny — known as the Byrd Rule — and will remain in the bill.
Reposted by Michael A. Specter 👻
BREAKING: Judge denies NSF's 15% indirect rate plan. Like the DOE and NIH attempts, it too has now been rejected by courts. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
June 20, 2025 at 10:30 PM
BREAKING: Judge denies NSF's 15% indirect rate plan. Like the DOE and NIH attempts, it too has now been rejected by courts. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Michael A. Specter 👻
Reposted by Michael A. Specter 👻
Congratulations @lambda.bsky.social! Today @theguardian.com is launching a new way for whistleblowers to anonymously contact journalists, based on years-long research by Daniel and other colleagues. www.theguardian.com/gnm-press-of...
The Guardian launches Secure Messaging, a world-first from a media organisation, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge
Secure Messaging is a new innovation for confidential story-sharing and source protection, underpinning the Guardian’s commitment to investigative journalism. The Guardian has published the open sourc...
www.theguardian.com
June 9, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Congratulations @lambda.bsky.social! Today @theguardian.com is launching a new way for whistleblowers to anonymously contact journalists, based on years-long research by Daniel and other colleagues. www.theguardian.com/gnm-press-of...
Harvard President's commencement welcome speech:
"Welcome members of the class of 2025 -- members from down the street across the country and around the world. Around the world _just as it should be._"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiT0...
"Welcome members of the class of 2025 -- members from down the street across the country and around the world. Around the world _just as it should be._"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiT0...
President Alan Garber's Welcome | Harvard Commencement 2025
YouTube video by Harvard University
www.youtube.com
May 30, 2025 at 12:47 AM
Harvard President's commencement welcome speech:
"Welcome members of the class of 2025 -- members from down the street across the country and around the world. Around the world _just as it should be._"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiT0...
"Welcome members of the class of 2025 -- members from down the street across the country and around the world. Around the world _just as it should be._"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiT0...
Reposted by Michael A. Specter 👻
"What anonymous source is going to go anywhere near me now? If you were some high-up whistleblower, the last thing you’d do is message a journalist on an app strongly associated with JD Vance."
I’m the Private Messaging App Signal, and the Trump Administration Is Ruining My Brand
“The unofficial version of Signal used by Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has been hacked.” — Reuters - - -Want to hear ...
buff.ly
May 7, 2025 at 2:21 AM
"What anonymous source is going to go anywhere near me now? If you were some high-up whistleblower, the last thing you’d do is message a journalist on an app strongly associated with JD Vance."
This paper confirms all of my biases: Apparently the effort required for one top-tier paper in security and privacy == three ML papers.
arxiv.org/pdf/2503.16623
arxiv.org/pdf/2503.16623
May 2, 2025 at 2:35 AM
This paper confirms all of my biases: Apparently the effort required for one top-tier paper in security and privacy == three ML papers.
arxiv.org/pdf/2503.16623
arxiv.org/pdf/2503.16623
Interesting chart.
President Trump's push to freeze federal funding to universities has targeted elite institutions, like Harvard and Columbia. But many other schools are concerned that it threatens the future of research and development programs. nyti.ms/42N36hH
April 30, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Interesting chart.
Reposted by Michael A. Specter 👻
Law professor here: Things are F-U-C-K-E-D up.
April 14, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Law professor here: Things are F-U-C-K-E-D up.
Key lesson: No amount of encryption can save you from clown-level opsec.
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans
U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling.
www.theatlantic.com
March 24, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Key lesson: No amount of encryption can save you from clown-level opsec.
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Reposted by Michael A. Specter 👻
I am a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission. Earlier today, the president attempted to illegally fire me. This is corruption, plain and simple. I will see the president in court. My full statement:
March 19, 2025 at 1:40 AM
I am a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission. Earlier today, the president attempted to illegally fire me. This is corruption, plain and simple. I will see the president in court. My full statement:
Reposted by Michael A. Specter 👻
We are thrilled to welcome Mary Ellen Callahan, former assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD) to SCP as a professor of the practice! www.cc.gatech.edu/news/former-...
Former Homeland Security Official Joins SCP as Professor of Practice | College of Computing
www.cc.gatech.edu
March 6, 2025 at 8:46 PM
We are thrilled to welcome Mary Ellen Callahan, former assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD) to SCP as a professor of the practice! www.cc.gatech.edu/news/former-...
Tech has _always_ been intrinsically connected to questions about democracy, freedom, and the rule of law.
@mmasnick.bsky.social (and TechDirt) is awesome for explicitly acknowledging that fact.
@mmasnick.bsky.social (and TechDirt) is awesome for explicitly acknowledging that fact.
Wrote up something about Techdirt's recent coverage, and why (whether we like it or not) we need to be a "democracy blog" now, rather than just a "tech" blog (not that we've ever been just a tech blog).
This story is *the* story and it impacts everything else.
www.techdirt.com/2025/03/04/w...
This story is *the* story and it impacts everything else.
www.techdirt.com/2025/03/04/w...
Why Techdirt Is Now A Democracy Blog (Whether We Like It Or Not)
While political reporters are still doing their view-from-nowhere “Democrats say this, Republicans say that” dance, tech and legal journalists have been watching an unfortunately recogn…
www.techdirt.com
March 5, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Tech has _always_ been intrinsically connected to questions about democracy, freedom, and the rule of law.
@mmasnick.bsky.social (and TechDirt) is awesome for explicitly acknowledging that fact.
@mmasnick.bsky.social (and TechDirt) is awesome for explicitly acknowledging that fact.
Reposted by Michael A. Specter 👻
Once again, the quiet/lawsuits/don't rock the boat publicly strategy is a category mistake in this moment & R1 university presidents need to be out in front of microphones, now, in DC, collectively & loudly speaking out against the existential threat to 🇺🇸 higher education:
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
February 27, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Once again, the quiet/lawsuits/don't rock the boat publicly strategy is a category mistake in this moment & R1 university presidents need to be out in front of microphones, now, in DC, collectively & loudly speaking out against the existential threat to 🇺🇸 higher education:
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
Apple has officially pulled E2EE backup in the UK in response to a secret (leaked) order.
This will make users less secure, chill business adoption of E2EE, and embolden other governments that do not respect the rule of law to do the same.
Awful news.
www.macrumors.com/2025/02/21/a...
This will make users less secure, chill business adoption of E2EE, and embolden other governments that do not respect the rule of law to do the same.
Awful news.
www.macrumors.com/2025/02/21/a...
Apple Pulls Encrypted iCloud Security Feature in UK Amid Government Backdoor Demands
Apple has withdrawn its Advanced Data Protection iCloud feature from the United Kingdom following government demands for backdoor access to encrypted...
www.macrumors.com
February 21, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Apple has officially pulled E2EE backup in the UK in response to a secret (leaked) order.
This will make users less secure, chill business adoption of E2EE, and embolden other governments that do not respect the rule of law to do the same.
Awful news.
www.macrumors.com/2025/02/21/a...
This will make users less secure, chill business adoption of E2EE, and embolden other governments that do not respect the rule of law to do the same.
Awful news.
www.macrumors.com/2025/02/21/a...