Anyway, I think Trump should NOT get his security deposit back in 2028.

Oh, now the "2024 election was stolen" clowns are threatening to sue me, presumably for referring to them as clowns. Really, if anyone should be offended here, it should be clowns.

First Spotify refused to cancel Joe Rogan's racist podcast. Now Spotify is running recruiting ads for ICE. No one needs Spotify. #BoycottSpotify #CancelSpotify #ice #rogan #USpol

I was kind of on the fence about Prop 50, but then I read it and wrote out my thoughts and ended up convincing myself to vote for it. See if it convinces you too: https://www.techdirt.com/2025/10/16/prop-50-the-better-of-two-bad-choices/

I was on @twit.tv This Week in Tech on Sunday, talking about many things, including those involving technology. Highlights include Cox v. Sony pending at the US Supreme Court and robots with rotating blades... https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech/episodes/1053?autostart=false

I have a new Techdirt post that went up on Friday, while the CDC was trying to illegally fire everyone... https://www.techdirt.com/2025/10/10/i-want-a-new-drug-a-vaccine-even-and-a-functioning-fda-cdc-nih-etc/

It is, of course, utterly fitting that the mascot of ABC's parent company is a mouse, the rodent that symbolizes cowardice and timidity.

I'm rather disappointed that this was only Techdirt podcast 430 and not 512, but here's me speaking with @mmasnick about the amicus brief we filed at SCOTUS in the Cox v. Sony online copyright liability case […]

Trump attending a Yankees game tonight. AF1 currently on final approach to LGA, where he will presumably get a shuttle bus to the 7 train and then change at Grand Central for an 4 express train to Yankee Stadium.

An awful thing happened to an awful person. We can grieve the awfulness in our midst without trying to rehabilitate any of it. In fact, if we'd like less awfulness going forward, it's best not to.

Apparently, it's bad luck to mention a "MacBook" in a software company. You have to call it "the Scottish laptop".

I have nothing nice to say about the Supreme Court. Or any legitimacy it might still have. But since there remained a shred as of last Friday, I filed an amicus brief about platform liability, copyright, and the 1st Amendment. It is right, even if the Court is not […]

#streissandeffect Copying an archive.is link of this OregonLive.com story because it probably deserves more attention and is behind a paywall: "A former University of Oregon undergraduate who says he discovered a significant security flaw in the college’s computer network and twice reported it […]

I wrote more about Trump's Intel "deal." I think it's a taking and here's why. https://www.techdirt.com/2025/08/26/with-intel-trump-continues-his-race-to-violate-every-clause-in-the-constitution-by-now-arriving-at-the-takings-clause/

The knowledge that the National Guard troops that I must pass on my way to my office this morning are now armed and with live ammo is *not* making me feel safer.

Non-lawyers (and lawyers who've forgotten what they learned from civil procedure): I wrote a primer about what we mean by "preliminary injunctive relief" so that everyone can be better equipped to judge whether courts are getting it right when they grant or deny it (especially re: Trump) […]

Yesterday SCOTUS let an obviously unconstitutional law go into effect, even though it was so obviously unconstitutional that even they could tell. I wrote about that, and how it ties into the now frequent display by SCOTUS of its inability to understand what preliminary injunctive relief is for […]

Yesterday there was an important decision against Musk/DOGE/others re: the unlawful shutting down of USAID. I went to OCR the decision so I could write about it and my software did not like the word "Elon." It couldn't believe it was a real word! It called it […] [Original post on mastodon.cloud]

The real divide in America is Sub vs Hero vs Hoagie vs Grinder.

I have a new post at Techdirt, about how Google, Apple, Akamai etc. are all helping TikTok provide its services, even though doing so is completely against the law […]

I was on This Week in Tech again! Tune in! You will like it in a box! You will like it with a fox! You will like it here and there! You will like it anywhere! Sure of this you know I am, that you'll like the shacks of ham! (As well as discussion about the Supreme Court, AI, and other sensible […]

Is there a good non-Outlook or Google address book software for a Windows PC? I don't think I want cloud storage, but might consider if if reputable company.

I was on This Week in Tech on Sunday. Listen in to hear me talk about Eleanor the Car! (And other stuff.) https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech/episodes/1035

For your weekend reading! I wrote about a recent Ninth Circuit decision. It involves character copyright, which is a very stupid area of copyright, but at least this decision makes it marginally less stupid […]

It still looks like Musk and DOGE have been acting unlawfully, and I wrote about a decision this past week to let the states continue to sue them for it. https://www.techdirt.com/2025/05/30/another-judicial-hit-against-musk-and-doge-and-where-things-stand-on-holding-them-accountable/

For the record, my personal policy is generally to refuse gifts of widebody jet airplanes from foreign governments.

I think the MOVE bombing isn't as well remembered as it should be partly because it's so over-the-top crazy that people brush it off as something where "there must be more to it than that". But no. The police department literally used a helicopter to drop an incendiary bomb on a row house in […]

MOVE was, without doubt, guilty of being annoying. They had occasional confrontations with police. There were unsanitary conditions. Their neighbors complained about them. But the response was a case study in wildly disproportionate overreaction that should never be forgotten as a cautionary […]

New Techdirt post! Because I, too, am unhappy with the Copyright Office's third installment of the copyright and AI report BUT IN COMPETELY NORMAL WAYS NO ONE SHOULD BE FIRED FOR THIS WTF!!! […]

I have a new post on Techdirt about the Privacy Act litigation with respect to DOGE attacking the Social Security Administration, but in it I highlight a court's observation that there's a "probable cause" problem with what DOGE wants to do […]

I wrote about the Supreme Court's emergency order this weekend keeping the Trump Admin from sending more people to El Salvador. And I pointed out there's another issue here: if we need SCOTUS to review everything Trump does, so much for the court's summer vacation plans […]

Trump's official denouncement of former CISA director Chris Krebs (in the form of a "Presidential Memorandum") is chilling in substance and utterly Stalinesque in tone. By threatening anyone who hires him, it aims to render Krebs effectively unemployable. I said it then, and I will repeat it […]

It is my birthday month! And what I'd really like for my birthday this year is a new president. There are 3.5 weeks to get this arranged. Thank you for your attention to this matter. https://www.techdirt.com/2025/03/13/it-is-long-past-time-for-democrats-to-start-pounding-the-impeachment-drum/

Giveth and taketh... At first it looked like DOGE took a significant hit in the courts, but since then the hit has been stayed. I wrote about this frustrating development and what's wrong with it: https://www.techdirt.com/2025/03/31/an-unfortunate-update-doge-dodges-an-injunction/

To be clear, Trump does not have the authority to do this. The constitution explicitly states that "The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or […]

Voice of America’s White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara, other VOA journalists’ group & three labor unions file a federal lawsuit against Kari Lake, Victor Morales and USAGM.

First Paul Weiss, now Columbia University. Leading New York City institutions are rolling over for Donald Trump. https://archive.ph/2025.03.21-201642/https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/columbia-university-trump-demands-federal-funding-e94d41ca

While a court had previously found DOGE probably acting without constitutional authority, another court has now enjoined them from acting with it further, at least in the context of USAID. I wrote about the decision and what it means for other challenges of DOGE's actions […]

I would really rather go after Trump and Musk than tilt at Democrats, but we're going to need to make some adjustments on the Democrat side if we stand a chance against Trump and Musk. I wrote about that today at Techdirt […]

Seriously, though, I would really love it if just once I could teach my tech and surveillance course without having the syllabus overtaken by current events.

All 550 of VOA’s contract status reporters, editors, videographers, engineers and techs just notified they’re terminated effective end of this month. We don’t distinguish internally between them and regular staff — all are highly skilled and absolutely critical to the operation.

I was already frustrated with Democrats BEFORE Schumer rolled over. I have a new piece. It begs them to start taking a firm stand against Trump and start working on getting to the end game […]

CIA is firing recently hired intelligence officers, most of whom have completed their training and been read in on secret stuff. Because what could go wrong when you anger and cut off income from people who know valuable national secrets? (See the case of Edward Lee Howard for an example of […]

While Trump and Company threaten to undermine the First Amendment at just about every turn, Congressional Democrats are... joining in??? I wrote about certain Democrats' tendency to help tear down the Constitution instead of stepping up to save it […]

Trump is a cancer. Having just had cancer, I wrote about how we get through it. Tl,dr: It means taking action NOW. https://www.techdirt.com/2025/03/03/what-surviving-cancer-last-year-teaches-about-what-the-nation-is-suffering-this-year/

I have a brand new post on Techdirt about DOGE litigation that's already outdated but you might as well read it anyway... It's about a win, some musing on standing, and thoughts about the harm caused by their hacking (and why it matters) […]

I'm quoted in this article in TechCrunch about the really stupid "inquiry" by the FTC into Internet platforms' moderation practices. It's alleging that they are violating people's First Amendment rights but missing that by doing this it's really the FTC violating the platforms' […]

I don't know about you, but personally, Boeing is just about the last company to which I'd want to say "hurry up and deliver my airplane, I don't care what corners you have to cut to do it" […]