My case that we deserve representation and authority over our online lives.
Mar 27, 2026
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8 min read
Data in our online accounts should be protected from unreasonable search and seizure just like luggage in a hotel room, according to a new US Supreme Court amicus brief from Harvard’s Cyberlaw Clinic and an old Google colleague. This could be extended to expand ownership and data portability rights.
Mar 20, 2026
My rants about online due process are not purely theoretical. Data from the ASML Transparency Hub, compiled by students at Boston University, show that platforms are quietly cutting you off from your country’s justice system and forcing you to accept theirs.
Mar 13, 2026
Seventeen years ago, billionaire Peter Thiel declared that freedom and democracy are incompatible. That’s the kind of defeatism that gets me riled up. Democracy needs innovation, not despair.
Mar 6, 2026
9 min read
Democracies worldwide are struggling with the scale and velocity of the modern world, and online platforms are bigger than most countries. Looking at history shows that the size of a community changes democracy, but doesn't mean we need to abandon it.
Feb 27, 2026
Rabble’s Social Media Bill of Rights sent me down a rabbit hole to the grand-daddy of declarations – Magna Carta, issued in England by King John in 1215. Its most radical turn of phrase points the way to online democracy today.
Feb 20, 2026
Last week, I dodged the difficult question of whether transparency would help bad actors more than the rest of us. Secrecy is necessary today, but only as a band-aid on an enormous self-inflicted wound: easy, open account sign-ups.
Feb 6, 2026
11 min read
This is the big one - my proposal to restore user trust in the account termination process without breaking the bank. Ask your favorite platform for this. Or if you work at a platform, maybe even give it a try.
Jan 26, 2026
6 min read
It’s hard to write about online due process when ICE is killing people in Minnesota. Losing your account is not the same as being kidnapped or deported. But the callous way we enforce online rules sets an uncomfortable precedent. We can do better.
Jan 16, 2026
10 min read
Twitter’s first employee has written an inspiring manifesto for the social media we deserve. I run you through the basics: who Rabble is, what he’s up to, and what the Nostr social media protocol has to do with it.
Dec 19, 2025
We can’t trust big tech platforms to make the right safety decisions of their own accord. Back in June, I called on Bluesky to spin off its safety team. To end the year, I generalize the argument. Let’s carve some roast platform beast together, shall we?
Nov 21, 2025
Outside the big walled gardens, the open social web is making Exit and interoperability a reality. I review a few projects that I’m excited about, and where I think they could take us next.
Oct 31, 2025
The EU has regulated data portability, but the US is dragging its heels. A deep-pocketed benefactor has put $500 million into the fight, but is even a large fortune enough to make a difference?
Oct 17, 2025
A legendary economist and World War 2 badass tells us why heading to Bluesky or the Fediverse makes big platforms’ lives easier, and what it would take to convince you to stay and fight.
Sep 26, 2025
Last week, I said we need real-world identity online. This week, I rebut myself. Nobody said this Internet thing was going to be easy.
Sep 19, 2025
Free, anonymous online accounts let bad guys proliferate and platforms pretend we are disposable. Real-world identity requirements could help us reclaim our digital selves.
Sep 12, 2025
Free, anonymous online accounts are a cornerstone of the Internet. Fraud and child safety fears are putting that principle to the test.
Jul 18, 2025
Two millennia ago, Plato called them “philosopher-kings.” Today, we call them “global heads of platform safety.” They are still not a good idea.
Jun 20, 2025
Ideas from the dial-up era are holding us back today. We can do better.
Jun 6, 2025
Bluesky is open about almost everything, except setting and enforcing their community guidelines. They have an opportunity to lead the Internet forward with a democratic alternative.
Jun 3, 2025
5 min read
Tech companies just wanted to keep people safe. Now they are unelected governments. What went wrong, and what's next?
Jun 2, 2025
In September 2024, I gave a talk at Harvard that foreshadowed this newsletter. Here's a key excerpt.
