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WIRED reposted

Angela Watercutter

@waterslicer.bsky.social

Today’s Ghost Week installment is one of my faves: @milesklee.bsky.social on why it might be time to put the internet out of its misery. www.wired.com/story/let-th...

wired.comPlease Let the Internet DieOnline spaces are captured by oligarchs and saturated with slop—and they’re exacerbating humanity’s worst impulses. It’s time to start over.

Angela Watercutter@waterslicer.bsky.social

Just in time for Halloween, it’s Ghost Stories Week at @wired.com! Follow along as we roll out haunting stories from now until Friday. (Also, check out the cool 👻 cursor. We’re calling him Douglas.) www.wired.com/ghost-stories/

wired.comWIRED Ghost StoriesFive hauntings from the other side of technology.

WIRED reposted

Manisha Krishnan

@manishakrishnan.bsky.social

NEW: Macmillan staff tell @adamm0rgan.bsky.social the publisher threw a party for AI tool NOA ("No Ordinary Assistant"), complete with a light-up display and donuts spelling "NOA IS HERE." They say it was "terrible" and useless—NOA was killed about two years later: www.wired.com/story/macmil...

wired.comMacmillan Staff Say the Publisher Threw a Party for a Workplace AI Assistant That Was Later KilledWorkers tell WIRED that NOA—or “No Ordinary Assistant”—was unhelpful. Bestselling authors also say AI is ruining their relationships with Big Five publishers.

Attorneys for 15 Minnesota residents facing federal conspiracy charges have obtained evidence of a sweeping, possibly unconstitutional spying operation carried out by ICE against left-wing social movements in Minnesota and beyond.

wired.comICE Is Running One of the Largest Anti-Left Surveillance Operations in US HistoryICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is engaged in far-reaching spying against left-wing activists that rivals the FBI and CIA crackdowns on the Civil Rights and anti-war movements.

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Dueling motions in the case over discovery of DHS’s surveillance program reveal that personnel with Homeland Security Investigations—one of ICE’s two components—repurposed funding mechanisms and investigative tools for serious criminal probes and turned them on domestic dissenters.

Read the full story: www.wired.com/story/ice-is...

wired.comICE Is Running One of the Largest Anti-Left Surveillance Operations in US HistoryICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is engaged in far-reaching spying against left-wing activists that rivals the FBI and CIA crackdowns on the Civil Rights and anti-war movements.

Attorneys for 15 Minnesota residents facing federal conspiracy charges have obtained evidence of a sweeping, possibly unconstitutional spying operation carried out by ICE against left-wing social movements in Minnesota and beyond.

wired.comICE Is Running One of the Largest Anti-Left Surveillance Operations in US HistoryICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is engaged in far-reaching spying against left-wing activists that rivals the FBI and CIA crackdowns on the Civil Rights and anti-war movements.

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NSPM 7 instructs federal law enforcement to use every tool available against organizations and people who criticize the administration's policies and espouse "anti-Christian" ideas. The full scope and extent of the investigations it authorizes remains unknown.

wired.comICE Is Running One of the Largest Anti-Left Surveillance Operations in US HistoryICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is engaged in far-reaching spying against left-wing activists that rivals the FBI and CIA crackdowns on the Civil Rights and anti-war movements.

One attorney in the Minnesota case directly compares the DHS-run campaign to the FBI’s infamous Counterintelligence Program, or COINTELPRO, which unconstitutionally surveilled, infiltrated, and blackmailed racial justice, civil rights, and anti-war movements between the 1950s and the 1970s.

wired.comICE Is Running One of the Largest Anti-Left Surveillance Operations in US HistoryICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is engaged in far-reaching spying against left-wing activists that rivals the FBI and CIA crackdowns on the Civil Rights and anti-war movements.

Attorneys for 15 Minnesota residents facing federal conspiracy charges have obtained evidence of a sweeping, possibly unconstitutional spying operation carried out by ICE against left-wing social movements in Minnesota and beyond.

wired.comICE Is Running One of the Largest Anti-Left Surveillance Operations in US HistoryICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is engaged in far-reaching spying against left-wing activists that rivals the FBI and CIA crackdowns on the Civil Rights and anti-war movements.

Records revealed during discovery uncover the inner workings of the domestic terrorism investigations, running under the names Project Whipple Shield and Operation Puppet Master, authorized by the controversial National Security Presidential Memorandum 7.

wired.comICE Is Running One of the Largest Anti-Left Surveillance Operations in US HistoryICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is engaged in far-reaching spying against left-wing activists that rivals the FBI and CIA crackdowns on the Civil Rights and anti-war movements.

A UK government watchdog is considering an investigation into the Home Office’s use of generative AI tools to process asylum applications, WIRED has learned. www.wired.com/story/uk-hom...

wired.comUK Home Office May Face Investigation Over Use of OpenAI ToolsA government watchdog is considering a probe into the Home Office’s use of ChatGPT technology to process asylum claims amid concerns over the tools’ accuracy and secrecy surrounding their use.

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The tools were introduced in late 2024 as the Labour government tried to clear a backlog of around 100,000 asylum cases, while staying on top of tens of thousands of new yearly applications. www.wired.com/story/uk-hom...

wired.comUK Home Office May Face Investigation Over Use of OpenAI TechA government watchdog is considering a probe into the Home Office’s use of ChatGPT technology to process asylum claims amid concerns over the tools’ accuracy and secrecy surrounding their use.

Read the full story: www.wired.com/story/uk-hom...

wired.comUK Home Office May Face Investigation Over Use of OpenAI TechA government watchdog is considering a probe into the Home Office’s use of ChatGPT technology to process asylum claims amid concerns over the tools’ accuracy and secrecy surrounding their use.

A UK government watchdog is considering an investigation into the Home Office’s use of generative AI tools to process asylum applications, WIRED has learned. www.wired.com/story/uk-hom...

wired.comUK Home Office May Face Investigation Over Use of OpenAI ToolsA government watchdog is considering a probe into the Home Office’s use of ChatGPT technology to process asylum claims amid concerns over the tools’ accuracy and secrecy surrounding their use.

View full thread

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI), which monitors the Home Office’s management of borders, immigration and customs, says it is aware of concerns about AI tools and pointed to last year’s findings that one tool’s “effectiveness and reliability were varied.”

The Home Office uses two tools, built on OpenAI’s 2023 GPT-4 large language model and Microsoft Foundry, to summarize transcripts of interviews with asylum applicants and information about their countries of origin. www.wired.com/story/uk-hom...

wired.comUK Home Office May Face Investigation Over Use of OpenAI TechA government watchdog is considering a probe into the Home Office’s use of ChatGPT technology to process asylum claims amid concerns over the tools’ accuracy and secrecy surrounding their use.

A UK government watchdog is considering an investigation into the Home Office’s use of generative AI tools to process asylum applications, WIRED has learned. www.wired.com/story/uk-hom...

wired.comUK Home Office May Face Investigation Over Use of OpenAI ToolsA government watchdog is considering a probe into the Home Office’s use of ChatGPT technology to process asylum claims amid concerns over the tools’ accuracy and secrecy surrounding their use.

The potential probe follows lawmakers and researchers publicly questioning the tools’ accuracy and the government’s secrecy around their use. www.wired.com/story/uk-hom...

wired.comUK Home Office May Face Investigation Over Use of OpenAI TechA government watchdog is considering a probe into the Home Office’s use of ChatGPT technology to process asylum claims amid concerns over the tools’ accuracy and secrecy surrounding their use.

WIRED reposted

@davidgilbert.bsky.social

"Nothing of this scale has been seen in the United States, experts say, since the federal government’s counterinsurgency against the New Left and the anti-war movement in the 1960s and 1970s." Incredible reporting here from @awinston.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/ice-is...

wired.comICE Is Running One of the Largest Anti-Left Surveillance Operations in US HistoryICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is engaged in far-reaching spying against left-wing activists that rivals the FBI and CIA crackdowns on the Civil Rights and anti-war movements.

WIRED reposted

@couts.bsky.social

NEW: Court records in the prosecution of 15 Minnesota residents reveal a sweeping spying operation against left-wing activists that involves ~120 HSI agents, putting it in the realm of notorious anti-left campaigns like COINTELPRO of the Cold War era. @awinston.bsky.social reports:

wired.comICE Is Running One of the Largest Anti-Left Surveillance Operations in US HistoryICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is engaged in far-reaching spying against left-wing activists that rivals the FBI and CIA crackdowns on the Civil Rights and anti-war movements.

The annual Portland Fermentation Festival took place last week in Oregon, at a time when sauerkraut, kimchi, and other funky foods are in the social and political spotlight.

buff.lySauerkraut at Every Meal? These Fermentation Fanatics Tried That Long Before MAHAThe annual Portland Fermentation Festival took place last week in Oregon, at a time when sauerkraut, kimchi, and other funky foods are in the social and political spotlight.

Faced with censorship and anti-porn laws, the adult site is encouraging creators to embrace cooking, gaming, podcasting, and other safe-for-work content.

buff.lyPornhub Stars Want to Teach You How to Make DinnerFaced with censorship and anti-porn laws, the adult site is encouraging creators to embrace cooking, gaming, podcasting, and other safe-for-work content.

Workers tell WIRED that NOA—or “No Ordinary Assistant”—was unhelpful. Bestselling authors also say AI is ruining their relationships with Big Five publishers.

buff.lyMacmillan Staff Say the Publisher Threw a Party for a Workplace AI Assistant That Was Later KilledWorkers tell WIRED that NOA—or “No Ordinary Assistant”—was unhelpful. Bestselling authors also say AI is ruining their relationships with Big Five publishers.

Online spaces are captured by oligarchs and saturated with slop—and they’re exacerbating humanity’s worst impulses. It’s time to start over.

buff.lyPlease Let the Internet DieOnline spaces are captured by oligarchs and saturated with slop—and they’re exacerbating humanity’s worst impulses. It’s time to start over.

The base model—without thrusters or the flight system—will likely cost several times that amount to buy. “I’m going to do everything in my power to get the flying one,” says one customer.

buff.lyThe Men Spending $50,000 Just to Reserve a Tesla RoadsterThe base model—without thrusters or the flight system—will likely cost several times that amount to buy. “I’m going to do everything in my power to get the flying one,” says one customer.

ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is engaged in far-reaching spying against left-wing activists that rivals the FBI and CIA crackdowns on the Civil Rights and anti-war movements.

buff.lyICE Is Running One of the Largest Anti-Left Surveillance Operations in US HistoryICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is engaged in far-reaching spying against left-wing activists that rivals the FBI and CIA crackdowns on the Civil Rights and anti-war movements.

Human beings struggle with emergency communication. Chatbots can help—if people take them seriously.

buff.lyAI Emergency Alerts Are Coming. Humans Might Not Be ReadyHuman beings struggle with emergency communication. Chatbots can help—if people take them seriously.

One of England’s top judges, Geoffrey Vos, believes that AI could adjudicate plenty of civil cases. The question, he says, is where the line should be drawn.

buff.lyShould AI Decide Your Court Case? This Judge Says YesOne of England’s top judges, Geoffrey Vos, believes that AI could adjudicate plenty of civil cases. The question, he says, is where the line should be drawn.

In breathless press releases and posts, the company has touted its models’ ability to deliver scientific breakthroughs. But its IPO filing taps the brakes on just how fast its AI will lead to big discoveries.

buff.lyAnthropic Says It Will Revolutionize Biology—Some DayIn breathless press releases and posts, the company has touted its models’ ability to deliver scientific breakthroughs. But its IPO filing taps the brakes on just how fast its AI will lead to big discoveries.

The data center buildout could cause a massive increase in gas prices as companies scramble for limited supplies and infrastructure fails to meet demand.

buff.lyAnthropic Flags Gas Supply as One of Its Biggest Near-Term RisksThe data center buildout could cause a massive increase in gas prices as companies scramble for limited supplies and infrastructure fails to meet demand.

WIRED reposted

@davidgilbert.bsky.social

• Encrypted messaging groups • Online trainings • Election day war rooms • ICE heat maps Just some of the ways a network of hundreds of thousands of volunteers are preparing to face down the possibility of ICE at the polls next week www.wired.com/story/massiv...

WIRED reposted

@leahfeiger.bsky.social

This is pretty massive...there are tons of legal cases challenging the firings of USAID/government employees in 2025, as DOGE ran amok, and the revelations here could be really impactful:

This post is unavailable.

WIRED reposted

@katie-drummond.bsky.social

NEW: The DOGE operative who gutted USAID -- firing thousands of employees and canceling lifesaving programs -- never actually signed the paperwork that's legally required for him to be employed by the agency.

wired.comA 28-Year-Old DOGE Operative Gutted USAID. HR Had No Record of Him Working ThereDespite the agency's human resources department saying he hadn’t even been onboarded, Jeremy Lewin oversaw the destruction of USAID. It’s not clear he had the legal authority to do so.

On March 18, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio handed the reins of the US Agency for International Development to Jeremy Lewin, a 28-year-old graduate of Harvard Law School and DOGE affiliate. But USAID HR said he was not onboarded.

wired.comA 28-Year-Old DOGE Operative Gutted USAID. HR Had No Record of Him Working ThereDespite the agency's human resources department saying he hadn’t even been onboarded, Jeremy Lewin oversaw the destruction of USAID. It’s not clear he had the legal authority to do so.

View full thread

Questions about how DOGE affiliates like Lewin stepped into top roles at many federal agencies remain key to dozens of active lawsuits targeting DOGE and the Trump administration over federal workforce reductions, firings, and agency dismantlings.

wired.comA 28-Year-Old DOGE Operative Gutted USAID. HR Had No Record of Him Working ThereDespite the agency's human resources department saying he hadn’t even been onboarded, Jeremy Lewin oversaw the destruction of USAID. It’s not clear he had the legal authority to do so.

Read the full story: www.wired.com/story/a-28-y...

wired.comA 28-Year-Old DOGE Operative Gutted USAID. HR Had No Record of Him Working ThereDespite the agency's human resources department saying he hadn’t even been onboarded, Jeremy Lewin oversaw the destruction of USAID. It’s not clear he had the legal authority to do so.

On March 18, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio handed the reins of the US Agency for International Development to Jeremy Lewin, a 28-year-old graduate of Harvard Law School and DOGE affiliate. But USAID HR said he was not onboarded.

wired.comA 28-Year-Old DOGE Operative Gutted USAID. HR Had No Record of Him Working ThereDespite the agency's human resources department saying he hadn’t even been onboarded, Jeremy Lewin oversaw the destruction of USAID. It’s not clear he had the legal authority to do so.

View full thread

Lewin, currently director of policy planning at the State Department, tells WIRED that he was “both detailed and dual appointed to work at USAID by Secretary Rubio according to well-established authorities and with the advice of State Department and White House counsel.”

wired.comA 28-Year-Old DOGE Operative Gutted USAID. HR Had No Record of Him Working ThereDespite the agency's human resources department saying he hadn’t even been onboarded, Jeremy Lewin oversaw the destruction of USAID. It’s not clear he had the legal authority to do so.

Experts, though, say that while Lewin performed the duties of a top USAID leader under the title Rubio handed to him, it isn’t clear that he had the legal authority to do so. In fact, USAID security was unable to issue him an ID card because they had no records of his employment.

wired.comA 28-Year-Old DOGE Operative Gutted USAID. HR Had No Record of Him Working ThereDespite the agency's human resources department saying he hadn’t even been onboarded, Jeremy Lewin oversaw the destruction of USAID. It’s not clear he had the legal authority to do so.

On March 18, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio handed the reins of the US Agency for International Development to Jeremy Lewin, a 28-year-old graduate of Harvard Law School and DOGE affiliate. But USAID HR said he was not onboarded.

wired.comA 28-Year-Old DOGE Operative Gutted USAID. HR Had No Record of Him Working ThereDespite the agency's human resources department saying he hadn’t even been onboarded, Jeremy Lewin oversaw the destruction of USAID. It’s not clear he had the legal authority to do so.

Internal USAID emails reviewed by WIRED reveal that while Lewin was canceling lifesaving aid programs and terminating thousands of federal employees, he had not signed the paperwork typically required by law to begin work at the agency, despite repeated requests.

wired.comA 28-Year-Old DOGE Operative Gutted USAID. HR Had No Record of Him Working ThereDespite the agency's human resources department saying he hadn’t even been onboarded, Jeremy Lewin oversaw the destruction of USAID. It’s not clear he had the legal authority to do so.

Despite the agency's human resources department saying he hadn’t even been onboarded, Jeremy Lewin oversaw the destruction of USAID. It’s not clear he had the legal authority to do so.

buff.lyA 28-Year-Old DOGE Operative Gutted USAID. HR Had No Record of Him Working ThereDespite the agency's human resources department saying he hadn’t even been onboarded, Jeremy Lewin oversaw the destruction of USAID. It’s not clear he had the legal authority to do so.

A government watchdog is considering a probe into the Home Office’s use of ChatGPT technology to process asylum claims amid concerns over the tools’ accuracy and secrecy surrounding their use.

buff.lyUK Home Office May Face Investigation Over Use of OpenAI ToolsA government watchdog is considering a probe into the Home Office’s use of ChatGPT technology to process asylum claims amid concerns over the tools’ accuracy and secrecy surrounding their use.

Volunteers in towns and cities across the country are getting ready to act if federal immigration agents show up at the polls on Election Day—which they see an existential threat to American democracy.

wired.comMassive Groups of Volunteers Are Ready to Face Down ICE at the PollsFrom heat maps to Signal chats to war rooms, volunteers across the US are ready to act if federal immigration agents show up on Election Day.

View full thread

For the past six months, President Trump and his allies have declined to rule out possible deployments to voting locations during the midterms, even though they would be illegal under federal law.

wired.comMassive Groups of Volunteers Are Ready to Face Down ICE at the PollsFrom heat maps to Signal chats to war rooms, volunteers across the US are ready to act if federal immigration agents show up on Election Day.

Read the full story: www.wired.com/story/massiv...

wired.comMassive Groups of Volunteers Are Ready to Face Down ICE at the PollsFrom heat maps to Signal chats to war rooms, volunteers across the US are ready to act if federal immigration agents show up on Election Day.

Volunteers in towns and cities across the country are getting ready to act if federal immigration agents show up at the polls on Election Day—which they see an existential threat to American democracy.

wired.comMassive Groups of Volunteers Are Ready to Face Down ICE at the PollsFrom heat maps to Signal chats to war rooms, volunteers across the US are ready to act if federal immigration agents show up on Election Day.

View full thread

Officially, the Department of Homeland Security has said that it has no plans to deploy ICE agents to polling locations on Election Day. “ICE is not planning operations targeting polling locations,” a DHS spokesperson tells WIRED.

wired.comMassive Groups of Volunteers Are Ready to Face Down ICE at the PollsFrom heat maps to Signal chats to war rooms, volunteers across the US are ready to act if federal immigration agents show up on Election Day.

But, the DHS spokesperson added, “ICE conducts intelligence-driven targeted enforcement, and if an active public safety threat endangered a polling location, they may be arrested as a result of that targeted enforcement action.”

wired.comMassive Groups of Volunteers Are Ready to Face Down ICE at the PollsFrom heat maps to Signal chats to war rooms, volunteers across the US are ready to act if federal immigration agents show up on Election Day.

Volunteers in towns and cities across the country are getting ready to act if federal immigration agents show up at the polls on Election Day—which they see an existential threat to American democracy.

wired.comMassive Groups of Volunteers Are Ready to Face Down ICE at the PollsFrom heat maps to Signal chats to war rooms, volunteers across the US are ready to act if federal immigration agents show up on Election Day.

National and local groups are training people to document and record what ICE is doing, understand voters rights, and in many cases, prepare for worst-case scenarios. www.wired.com/story/massiv...

Jess Asato’s public campaigning for victims of online abuse put her in the crosshairs of Grok’s deepfake scandal. Then the UK member of parliament became a victim of the abuse herself.

buff.lyUK Politician Jess Asato Got Deepfaked. Now She’s Taking xAI to CourtJess Asato’s public campaigning for victims of online abuse put her in the crosshairs of Grok’s deepfake scandal. Then the UK member of parliament became a victim of the abuse herself.

WIRED reposted

@dell.bsky.social

ICYMI

dell cameron@dell.bsky.social

NEW: US lawmakers say the Trump administration is breaking the law by withholding a secret court opinion about the surveillance of Americans, even as it presses Congress to renew America’s most sweeping surveillance program.

wired.comThe US Government Is Hiding a Secret Court Ruling About How It Spies on AmericansTwo US senators say the Trump administration is breaking the law by withholding the FISA court decision while it presses Congress to renew America’s most sweeping surveillance program.

WIRED reposted

@davidgilbert.bsky.social

NEW: An army of volunteers and activists across the US have been training for months to face down ICE at the polls on election day. The message they have for the Trump administration? "We're ready" 1/ www.wired.com/story/massiv...

wired.comMassive Groups of Volunteers Are Ready to Face Down ICE at the PollsFrom heat maps to Signal chats to war rooms, volunteers across the US are ready to act if federal immigration agents show up on Election Day.

As agents go mainstream, some publishers are hoping that people will pay for content tailor-made for AI—not humans.

buff.lyAI Agents Are Media’s New Favorite AudienceAs agents go mainstream, some publishers are hoping that people will pay for content tailor-made for AI—not humans.

Two orbiters have long outlasted their expected lifespans and completely reshaped our understanding of the Red Planet, all while operating 140 million miles from Earth.

buff.lyNASA’s Oldest Martian Spacecraft Have Been Running for Decades. Here’s HowTwo orbiters have long outlasted their expected lifespans and completely reshaped our understanding of the Red Planet, all while operating 140 million miles from Earth.

Instagram’s long-form video update is more than a swipe at YouTube. It’s an attempt to capture the clip economy.

buff.lyInstagram Is a Streaming Service NowInstagram’s long-form video update is more than a swipe at YouTube. It’s an attempt to capture the clip economy.