Pluralistic: Spying on kids to save kids from spying is very, very stupid (23 Jun 2026)

Today's links

Spying on kids to save kids from spying is very, very stupid: First they came for the VPNs.
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Object permanence: RIP Darwin's tortoise; ISPs conspire to create copyright jail; Waxy v fair use; Broken Windows is BS; Google is a machine-learning company; "Writing the Other"; Canadian wealth-tax.
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Good politics: Just make people's lives better.
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Object permanence: WWII online; Xbox security blunders; Homeless bloggers; Thermal printer racing game; Robbing a bank to get healthcare in jail; Crumb v Trump; "The Blues Brothers"; Bagelheads; Pickpocket training mannequin; Windmill joke; Singularity skepticism; GPU Dieselgate; Peleton bricks treadmills; Juul's junk science.
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Upcoming books: Like I said, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Colophon: All the rest.

How the Epstein Class recruits: Oh wait, THAT'S what this was?!
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: MPAA blasted in WSJ; RFID skimmers; Post-Soviet inventions; "Farthing"; "Dirty, Drunk and Punk"; Dweb v founders' frailty; Tax cheating made simple; Oregon v corporate medicine.
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Upcoming books: Like I said, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Colophon: All the rest.

The Big Con: Making the pile of shit bigger won't increase the number of ponies underneath it.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: TVA v SETI@Home; Telemarketers v DHS batphones; Matt Stone's MPAA censorship memo; Stonehenge pocket watch; W3C v security research; Congressional mass-shooting response simulator; Dynastic wealth; Gig economy astroturf; Meta publishes your AI prompts.
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Recent appearances: Where I've been.
Latest books: You keep readin' em, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Upcoming books: Like I said, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Colophon: All the rest.

AI digital sovereignty risk doesn't exist: If 'risk + AI = risk – AI', then 'AI = 0'.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Napster x librarians; Flickr API reciprocity; KFC's Mega Jug v diabetes research; Hambone virtuoso; Google fiber x binding arbitration; "The Immortal Choir Holds Every Voice."
Upcoming appearances: LA, Menlo Park, Toronto, NYC, Philadelphia, Chicago, London, Edinburgh, Sydney, Melbourne, Brighton, London, South Bend.
Recent appearances: Where I've been.
Latest books: You keep readin' em, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Upcoming books: Like I said, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Colophon: All the rest.

The (real) dead economy theory: Vibes and memestocks, all the way down.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Jim Baen has had a stroke; Blame Apple for iTunes DRM; France v the internet; "Rotters"; 1901 undersea cables; Washington Post wants Trump coverage blackout; Taxes are for the little people; Gamer lifecycle; Ghanian postal song; "What Lies Beneath the Clock Tower": Murder of Jo Cox; 12 year old doxed by anti-vaxers; Hong Kong bookseller recants forced confession.
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Upcoming books: Like I said, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Colophon: All the rest.

AI and amateurism: When is generative content vernacular?
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Object permanence: Disney characters x clean underwear; Transparent Pontiac; Makers v dog with LED collar; Microsoft buys Linkedin; Legitimate greatness.
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Colophon: All the rest.

Shareholder supremacy and the precog CEO: A bright line test that's totally unfalsifiable.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Msft v Linux geeks; James Joyce scholars v Joyce estate; iPod sweatshops; Pratchett initiates assisted suicide; Lego-making machine made of Lego; Laid off workers v gag clauses; The ACCESS Act.
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Colophon: All the rest.

Google's new remote attestation scheme is every bit as terrible as its old remote attestation scheme: Not even a QR code can produce a kissable pig.
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Object permanence: Arrested at Toronto G20; Rule by rentiers; Wrong about the First Amendment; Mounties x Stingrays; (EU) Privacy without monopoly.
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Colophon: All the rest.

The world has moved on: Notes from the enshittocene.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: "Jpod"; Barlow v Glickman; Cyclist v bike lanes; Judge v copyright trolls; "The Uncertain Places"; Thatcher v Palin; NY v Time Warner; Banks v negative interest rates; Keeping the new web decentralized; "Prisoners' Inventions."
Upcoming appearances: LA, Menlo Park, Toronto, NYC, Philadelphia, Chicago, Edinburgh, South Bend.
Recent appearances: Where I've been.
Latest books: You keep readin' em, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Upcoming books: Like I said, I'll keep writin' 'em.
Colophon: All the rest.