I’ve got a writeup at Ars Technica of an important ruling in yesterday in a suit against the government stemming from extralegal NSA wiretapping. Short version: Yes, FISA really is the “exclusive means” by which the government can do foreign intelligence wiretaps in the U.S., assertions of magical “inherent authority” notwithstanding. And no, you can’t […]

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If you had told me five years ago I’d be writing pieces attacking Democratic leadership forThe American Prospect, I would have been… skeptical.  Welcome to our brave new world.

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Some ruminations on status and income inequalities here.

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My first contribution to the Clay Shirky book club over at TPM Cafe is now up. Update: Aaand a follow-up.

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I’ll be participating in this week’s TPM Book Club discussion of Clay Shirky’s excellent new book Here Comes Everybody. Check it out; there should be an intro essay from Shirky sometime today, and I’ll post links periodically as I chime in.

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Social psychologist Phil Zimbardo—the guy behind the (in)famous Stanford prison experiment—spoke at the Cato Institute yesterday, and Will Wilkinson and I offered up some brief commentary after his presentation. It’s a great short summary of the ideas in his book The Lucifer Effect, so if you’re interested in how social situations and roles can induce […]

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Philip Zimbardo, best known for staging the famous Stanford Prison Experiment, is coming to Cato on Thursday, June 12. And, if that weren’t enough reason to show up, I’ll be offering comments.

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Apologies for the long lacuna faithful readers.  I wish I could say posting will pick up now, but no guarantees: I’m at the Computers, Freedom, & Privacy conference in New Haven, which means I’ll mostly be blogging at Ars Technica and Democracy in America this week. But I do have a few stored up thoughts […]

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Some libertarians out there think Larry Lessig, whatever his faults, might have a few ideas deserving of serious consideration. And that seems to have sent at least one supporter of strong IP hurtling over the edge. Over at Ars Technica, I take up the question: Is the creative commons really a Soviet gulag? Addendum: I […]

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At Ars, I’ve got a report on an odd misuse of of National Security Letters recently uncovered by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

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