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Ben Werdmuller
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Ben Werdmuller

@werd.io
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Incoming @jskstanford.bsky.social fellow. Ex: @propublica.org, @19thnews.org, @medium.com, Matter, Elgg. I write about tech / media / society at https://werd.io.

Ben Werdmuller
Ben WerdmullerAug 14, 2026
Notable links: August 14, 2026
Chicago Public Media is building a social network for America's third largest city. Forget AI - this is the thing I'm most excited about in news technology.
Link roundups
Ben Werdmuller
Ben WerdmullerAug 14, 2026
Chicago's social network is a huge bet for news. I think it's the future.
Chicago Public Media is building a social network for America's third largest city. Forget AI - this is the thing I'm most excited about in news technology.
MediaNotable links
Ben Werdmuller
Ben WerdmullerAug 1, 2026
My next experiment
I'm spending a year at Stanford to explore community platforms in news.
MediaFuture of News
Ben Werdmuller
Ben WerdmullerJul 31, 2026
Notable links: July 31, 2026
Change is fractal; data ownership can be collective.
Link roundups
Ben Werdmuller
Ben WerdmullerJul 30, 2026
Change is fractal. It starts with leaders
"Leaders are leverage. Every leader is a multiplier, if they choose to be."
MediaNotable links
Ben Werdmuller
Ben WerdmullerJul 27, 2026
Don't bring sensitive data to a border crossing
The DOJ is trying to prosecute Sam Tunick for allegedly using a duress passcode. It's a lesson in why your best protection is having nothing to protect.
DemocracyNotable links
Ben Werdmuller
Ben WerdmullerJul 25, 2026
Can data collectives help strengthen vulnerable cultures in the face of AI?
"Data collectives and cooperatives, which let creators control the collection and distribution of their data, are emerging as preferred alternatives to big tech companies."
AINotable links
Ben Werdmuller
Ben WerdmullerJul 24, 2026
Notable links: July 24, 2026
America's AI dominance is under threat; AI vendors put us at risk; meanwhile, everyone's staying in their jobs for the health insurance.
Link roundupsAI
Ben Werdmuller
Ben WerdmullerJul 23, 2026
AI vendors can't be trusted to secure their systems. Newsrooms need to act accordingly
There were two big lapses in the Hugging Face / OpenAI hacking story: the lack of security protections on OpenAI's end, and Hugging Face's vulnerable production database. That should worry anyone who uses AI with sensitive data.
AINotable links
Ben Werdmuller
Ben WerdmullerJul 23, 2026
Private healthcare makes industries less innovative. It's time for change.
1 in 4 American workers stay in their jobs because of the healthcare. It suppresses wages and working conditions - and prevents innovators from heading out on their own.
DemocracyNotable links
Ben Werdmuller
Ben WerdmullerJul 21, 2026
People are transcribing your conversations without asking. That puts you at risk.
Apps like Granola make it easy to transcribe conversations without asking for consent. Those transcripts are a subpoena honeypot.
TechnologyNotable links
Ben Werdmuller
Ben WerdmullerJul 20, 2026
American AI is locked down and proprietary. It's losing.
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