Pluralistic: The stupidest imaginable excuses for surveillance pricing (30 Jul 2026)

Today's links

The stupidest imaginable excuses for surveillance pricing: Since 1850, San Francisco's Chamber of Commerce has been pissing in our mouths and calling it rain.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: RIP Wau Holland; Diebold voting machines suck; How to steal an RFID-locked car; Pirates are big spenders; You can't fight enshittification.
Upcoming appearances: 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.

California's privacy obstacle course: Malice or incompetence (why not both?).
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Continuous partial attention, TSA is the worst; Trump's FCC v the future.
Upcoming appearances: 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.

California can stop Larry Ellison from buying Warners: These are the right states' rights.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: RIP Octavia Butler; "Midnighters"; Freeman Dyson on "The Information"; Korean Little Brother filibuster; Privacy isn't property; With Great Power Came No Responsibility; Unsellable A-holes; Cardboard Cthulhu; Chinese map fuzzing.
Upcoming appearances: Where to find me.
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.

California bans algorithmic price-fixing: Bye-bye, Realpage.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
Object permanence: Android can't stop phoning home; FBI wants its bug back; Bikram can't copyright yoga; Prison debaters trounce Harvard.
Upcoming appearances: Where to find me.
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.

Apple fucked us on right to repair (again): "Parts-pairing" is a scam.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018, 2022
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

How unions won a 30% raise for every fast food worker in California: Hot labor summer was just for openers.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2013, 2018
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

SoCal Gas spent millions on astroturf ops to fight climate rules: And then fraudulently billed it all to their customers.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2008, 2018, 2022
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Why are so many Californians homeless?: It's not "homeless migration."
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2008, 2013
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

California to smash prison e-profiteers: The Public Utility Commission to the rescue!
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018, 2022
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading

Private equity finally delivered Sarah Palin's death panels: Hospices are unregulated, heavily subsidized charnel houses.
Hey look at this: Delights to delectate.
This day in history: 2013, 2018, 2022
Colophon: Recent publications, upcoming/recent appearances, current writing projects, current reading