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Ben Werdmuller

Ben Werdmuller

@werd.io
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Writing at the intersection of technology, journalism, and community.

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People are transcribing your conversations without asking. That puts you at risk.
Jul 21, 2026
Apps like Granola make it easy to transcribe conversations without asking for consent. Those transcripts are a subpoena honeypot.
TechnologyNotable links
American AI is locked down and proprietary. It's losing.
Jul 20, 2026
China's open-weights AI strategy is winning: its companies are taking the lead. America's closed-first, locked-down strategy is doomed to failure - and it could take the US economy down with it.
AINotable links
Notable links: July 17, 2026
Jul 17, 2026
At a time when journalism is increasingly under attack, we need PIT Crews for news.
Notable links
To innovate, news needs allies
Jul 17, 2026
"Allies, archives and infrastructure in the AI age" - a list of people with the potential to push news forward.
MediaNotable links
The SFPD leaked its drone footage. It shouldn't be surveilling to begin with.
Jul 14, 2026
Surveillance doesn't improve crime or make anyone safer. It wastes civic dollars and creates new risks for vulnerable communities. The SFPD's leak demonstrates one reason why.
DemocracyNotable links
We need a PIT Crew for news
Jul 14, 2026
Zohran Mamdani has unveiled a radically collaborative, cross-disciplinary approach to building internal technology capacity. News has a lot to learn from it.
MediaNotable links
Climate.gov was destroyed. Open data saved it.
Jul 13, 2026
"After losing their jobs at NOAA, Rebecca Lindsey, her sister and another colleague teamed up to rebuild a pivotal resource the Trump administration took offline."
DemocracyNotable links
The Trump administration is subpoenaing journalists to reveal sources. Their data security is more important than ever.
Jul 12, 2026
"Historically, the Justice Department has sought to subpoena reporters only as a last resort after other reasonable options have been exhausted." Now the FBI is doing it to satisfy an angry President.
MediaNotable links
Notable links: July 10, 2026
Jul 10, 2026
In the face of declining trust in media, communities are part of the solution.
Notable links
Communities will build trust and loyalty for local public media. Chicago Public Media is taking a big leap forward.
Jul 10, 2026
Chicago Public Media is launching a region-wide social platform as a way to bolster its journalism. I believe it represents a path to the future.
MediaNotable links
As social networks fill up with AI slop, trusted relationships and communities will win.
Jul 9, 2026
Long-form LinkedIn posts are 41% slop. Other social networks are not far behind.
TechnologyNotable links
IndieWeb Fiction Carnival: May 2026 Roundup
Jul 9, 2026
Three short fiction pieces
fictionAsides