🤔 Unexpected things that are people
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📷 Redmond, WA Disables Flock Safety Cameras After ICE Arrests
A telling example of how local governments are grappling with surveillance technology, data transparency, and public trust — issues that increasingly define the boundaries of digital policing.
The city of Redmond, Washington, has deactivated its Flock Safety license plate cameras after ICE agents made arrests near camera sites, triggering public concern over privacy and surveillance. Officials cited legal uncertainty about whether collected data might be subject to public disclosure following a court ruling in a similar case. The suspension follows a report revealing that federal agencies had accessed other cities’ Flock data without authorization. Redmond leaders plan to reevaluate the city’s use of such surveillance tools to protect both safety and civil rights.
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🍏 Time to Start De-Appling
A sharp and personal critique of state overreach into digital privacy — this essay situates Apple’s move within the larger global struggle between encryption advocates and surveillance-driven policy.
Heather Burns warns UK users to prepare for Apple’s decision to disable its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature due to new government surveillance powers. The change will end end-to-end encryption for several iCloud services, forcing users to choose between privacy and continued access. She explains how technical capability notices (TCNs) could weaken global data security and undermine trust in cloud platforms.
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💎 In Praise of DHH
An emotional and nuanced take on the human side of open source — where idealism meets identity, and where the future depends on empathy as much as code.
A deeply personal essay reflecting on Ruby on Rails’ cultural legacy and the author’s evolving relationship with its community. It recounts the excitement of Ruby’s early days, the disillusionment following controversies around DHH, and the struggle for inclusion and empathy within open-source culture. The piece ends with a call for compassion and more democratic stewardship in the Ruby ecosystem.
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🦀 Memory Safety for Skeptics
A rigorous yet accessible defense of memory-safe programming — bridging engineering pragmatism, policy insight, and the evolving security culture around Rust and beyond.
Andrew Lilley Brinker makes the case for prioritizing memory safety in modern software development. He shows how languages like Rust, Go, and Java reduce vulnerabilities compared to C and C++ and outlines practical steps to retrofit safety into legacy systems. By balancing technical rigor with economic realism, the article reframes memory safety as both a cybersecurity imperative and a cost-efficient engineering practice.
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