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re:publica 26: Dagegenhalten für ein besseres Morgen
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"Es ist meine Überzeugung": Von der Leyen kommt eigenen Fachleuten zuvor und will Social-Media-Verbot
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Petition gegen Digitalzwang: 64.000 Menschen wollen das Grundgesetz ändern
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Statt Datenstrategie: Digitalministerium will KI-Agenten für die Verwaltung
ICYMI: Updates from the 5/10 Meeting
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ICYMI
Arizona – The Arizona Pirate Party are currently holding a t-shirt design contest. All are welcome to submit designs, and submissions will be accepted until 11:59pm on Saturday May 16th. You can find the link to submit designs here.
Bylaws – An update to the bylaws will be voted on during the 5/17 meeting, with a vote to table the amendment until this particular meeting passing 3-2-1, with the one “No” vote coming from Florida, who wished to have the amendment passed ASAP versus next week.
The amendment, pertaining to quorum and updated to reflect the true workings of our meetings, will be the first piece of business voted on during the 5/17 meeting, following IDs and reports.
Committees – A request has been made for platform during last week’s meeting has been reiterated. Platform committee has been asked to articulate our position more accurately and explicitly to voice our concerns over Citizens United and getting money out of politics.
Current debate involves whether this is an extension of “Opening up the Government” or shall be under a new plank, tentatively entitled “Restoring Democratic Integrity.”
Drew Bingaman – Drew appeared on the United States Transhumanist Party’s Virtual Enlightenment Salon yesterday to discuss various topics and promote his campaign. Drew follows Blase Henry who also recently joined to promote his campaign. Of note is that this is not the first time Drew has been a guest on a Virtual Enlightenment Salon.
You can check out the most recent episode with Drew here, and don’t forget to check out Drew’s first appearance as well.
National Bull Moose Party – Members of the National Bull Moose Party joined our meeting last night to observe and ask questions. We want to thank everyone who joined us, including their party’s Chair and Secretary, for what ended up being a bit of a long one (I am undercutting this). If you’re interested in learning more about their party, you can visit their website here.
Pirate National Conference – On June 6th-7th, the United States Pirate Party will be holding our 2026 Pirate National Conference. PNC 2026: […] Hoist the Colours and Spill the Tea (20 Years a Pirate!) will be a hybrid conference, allowing folks to attend in-person in Boston or online via Jitsi. You can sign up for the conference by clicking the link below
SIGN UP FOR THE 2026 CONFERENCE
Vermont – An invitation has been extended to Cris Ericson of Vermont to see if she would like to receive our endorsement. Cris, a longtime activist for marijuana legalization and tax reform, was pointed in our direction by our friends in the Legal Marijuana Now Party and is largely one of the reasons for “Signing Day,” which shall be discussed in greater detail later this week.
As this was an open meeting, there is no YouTube livestream recording. The meeting, in turn, shall have it’s meeting minutes recorded on the Pirate Wiki.
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Iran dominiert im Slopaganda-Krieg: Mit Legosteinen gegen das Weiße Haus
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Gemeinsames Europäisches Asylsystem: IT-Anpassungen in Deutschland kosten mindestens 150 Millionen Euro
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Wissenschaftlicher Dienst des EP: Wer Kinder ausschließen will, muss Anonymität verbieten
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"Gemeinsam kämpfen": Das sagen Pornodarsteller*innen zur Deepfake-Flut
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Degitalisierung: Fremde Autos
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#307 Off The Record: Im frischen Gewand
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KW 19: Die Woche der Bilanz nach einem Jahr Schwarz-Rot
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KW 18: Die Woche der Bilanz nach einem Jahr Schwarz-Rot
Exposing Paramount’s press freedom sellout
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Dear Friend of Press Freedom:
Billionaires have been hard at work trading away your right to get the news without government interference, but we’re working just as hard to fight back. Read on for the latest press freedom news and how you can join us in standing up for press freedom.
Exposing Paramount’s press freedom sellout
Between the gutting of CBS News and reports of promises to remake CNN to appease the president, it’s clear that Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison and his father and financial backer, Larry Ellison, see press freedom as just another bargaining chip.
The public deserves to know if the Ellisons are trading editorial independence for regulatory favors. That’s why Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) and Reporters Without Borders filed a demand for records from Paramount Skydance, seeking to uncover the details of its dealings with the Trump administration as it tries to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, and in its past acquisition of Paramount.
And as Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at FPF, explains, “If the Ellisons can’t stand up to their friends in the administration and defend the First Amendment, they should stay away from the news business.”
Investigating leaks, Kash Patel demands higher proof
FBI Director Kash Patel denies he’s been drunk on the job, but he’s certainly drunk on power.
The FBI has reportedly opened an investigation into Atlantic magazine journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick’s reporting on Patel’s alleged unexplained absences and drinking habits at the bureau. Patel is also reported to have ordered scores of staffers to be polygraphed as part of a panic-fueled leak hunt.
This is the second time in recent weeks we’ve learned that the FBI has baselessly investigated constitutionally protected, highly newsworthy reporting that was unfavorable to its director. The bureau’s actions “show complete disregard for the First Amendment and for the FBI’s supposed mission of stopping crime, not serving as PIs for its leadership on the taxpayer dime,” said FPF’s Stern.
Financial censorship of SPLC could impact the press next
Rainey Reitman, the president of FPF’s board, wrote for The Intercept about how financial institutions’ decision to cut off funds to the Southern Poverty Law Center after its widely criticized indictment could foreshadow attacks on others the administration dislikes, including the press.
“Given the Trump administration’s open hostility to journalism and its novel legal tactics to attack the press, it’s entirely possible that the next target of financial censorship could be a news outlet,” wrote Reitman, who recently released a book on financial censorship,“Transaction Denied: Big Finance’s Power to Punish Speech.”
Take action to modernize U.S. Virgin Islands public records laws
The U.S. Virgin Islands is the site of news of both local and national importance, from military facilities to “Epstein Island.” But the U.S. territory’s public records and open meetings laws are badly outdated.
Thankfully, investigative journalist and U.S. Virgin Islands native Shirley L. Smith is helping to spearhead a campaign to modernize the transparency laws. Use our action center to tell local lawmakers to move quickly to improve transparency and accountability in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Join us to hear tips from former FOIA officials on how to still get public records
Former federal Freedom of Information Act officials will join FPF Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy Lauren Harper for a live webinar on Friday, May 15, at 2 p.m. ET to give practical advice for journalists on how to win documents from agencies and explain what to do when an agency prioritizes political interests over transparency.
Submit your questions ahead of time by emailing membership@freedom.press, and don’t forget to register to watch the webinar on May 15.
Silenced by the SEC
This week, legendary First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams and other experts joined FPF to talk about the dangers of Securities and Exchange Commission’s “gag rule,” which prohibits individuals who settle with the agency from disputing its allegations publicly. We discussed how the rule threatens First Amendment interests far beyond the financial sector, how such an unconstitutional prior restraint can persist for decades, and ongoing litigation seeking to strike down the rule.
What we're reading
Donald Trump is trying to change the rules about keeping records
National Public Radio
We need a court to affirm that presidential records are public property and categorically reject the radical idea that they’re personal property, FPF’s Harper explained on “1A.”
U.S. revokes visas of board members at Costa Rica’s top watchdog newspaper
The New York Times
The Trump administration is taking its weaponization of immigration laws against journalists worldwide, but it won’t stop there. If it could, it would exile any reporter who dares to investigate the president and his allies, no matter where they’re from.
Exclusive: Inmates describe being punished for speaking out about Ghislaine Maxwell
CNN
It’s great to see reporting on retaliation against incarcerated whistleblowers and news sources. But this kind of retaliation is certainly not limited to those who participate in reporting about Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplices — it should be covered regularly.
World’s most powerful are suing media outlets before stories are even published, says editor
The Guardian
Strong anti-SLAPP legislation in every state and at the federal level would go a long way in assuring news outlets that they can publish the truth without being bankrupted by frivolous lawsuits.
NYS agencies failing to make FOIL easier for public
Reinvent Albany
It’s absurd that in 2026, New York state agencies may still require public records appeals to be done via snail mail. FPF and other groups are urging state lawmakers to pass a new bill that would require agencies to accept electronic appeals.
A secret ICE directive is testing one of Florida’s strongest traditions: Open government
Florida Trib
“The fact the [ICE partnership] program is inherently tied to local communities and local policing, and ICE is giving local law enforcement a gag order, is a slap in the face of taxpayers and the public at large,” explained FPF’s Harper.
Media Matters secures complete and total victory against Federal Trade Commission
Media Matters for America
Further proof that going on offense against the Trump administration’s censorial bullying works. Take these clowns to court — they lose regularly!
Correction: An earlier version of the newsletter item discussing financial censorship referred incorrectly to the name of the Southern Poverty Law Center. The error has been corrected.
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Attacke auf Messenger: Signal will in Zukunft stärker vor Phishing warnen
Should Digital Safety Be A Matter of Design Or Left to Settings?
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A client tries to take a screenshot of a banking app but gets stopped by a security warning. This feature is meant to keep sensitive financial information safe.
On the other hand, social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook are built for sharing and connecting. Unless users set up privacy filters themselves, these platforms often allow wide access to user data. This makes users more vulnerable to cyber threats.
What do these two situations have in common? Both are using more artificial intelligence, but they still work very differently. The main difference might be about intent, responsibility, or control.
If technology can strongly protect users in one area, why does it seem so open in another?
A key question is whether artificial intelligence can be built with strong ethical limits that protect user data from the start, rather than adding them later.
Is security truly built into systems, or quietly shifted onto users?
Today, the gap between technology and users has narrowed significantly. Thanks to artificial intelligence, digital tools are easier to use, and convenience is now expected.
But as things get more convenient, systems also become more complicated. This added complexity brings more security concerns. Security is often promoted as a feature, set up, and managed, but it is not always guaranteed. Tools like privacy settings, consent forms, and reporting options help protect users, but only if people know how to use them.
This leads to another question: are users truly protected by design, or are they just expected to protect themselves?
Can AI be trained at the design level itself?
As security worries grow, artificial intelligence is playing a bigger role in defending against cyber threats. Verification and compliance processes are changing quickly. Many modern systems now use AI to spot unusual activity, find suspicious behavior, and automate protection.
Research on Ethics-by-Design shows that values such as privacy, accountability, and fairness can be built into AI systems during development rather than added later.
Similarly, the field of AI alignment focuses on training systems to adhere to standards. In the same way, AI alignment is about training systems to follow human values and avoid causing harm. But research shows that these systems still struggle to fully understand complex human intentions. It continues to rest primarily with users. Systems may verify user identity, but they do not consistently account for user or third-party intent. While it may be argued that exploration entails consequences, it is necessary to consider whether such consequences should be severe enough to cause lasting harm to the user experience.
This raises a deeper question: can artificial intelligence be designed from the start to detect and address harmful or illegal intent or predict possible misuse? Can the focus of security measures be shifted towards the perpetrators’ perspective to prevent mishaps, rather than just protecting victims after the act?
This is not just a theoretical issue. Studies on AI misuse show that people can get around safeguards by using carefully worded prompts that hide harmful intentions. Large studies of real-world prompts show how easily these protections can be bypassed.
This highlights a big problem: while today’s AI systems are good at spotting patterns, they are much less reliable at understanding intent, especially when it is hidden or subtle.
Work has already been initiated to tackle these challenges. One growing area in AI safety is ‘red teaming,’ where systems are tested against simulated attackers before release to identify weaknesses.
This shows a move toward proactive design, where risks are anticipated and planned for rather than fixed after the fact. Methods like modular oversight aim to keep AI systems ethical throughout their whole life, not just treat safety as an afterthought.
These discussions are no longer limited to research labs or cybersecurity circles. They are increasingly becoming part of broader public and policy conversations around digital freedom, governance, and accountability.
One such platform is the upcoming Think Twice Conference, which will bring together policymakers, technologists, researchers, and civil society voices to examine the relationship between artificial intelligence, governance, and digital rights. The conference itself revolves around questions that closely mirror the concerns raised here: how can AI strengthen governance while protecting digital freedom, and how can digital freedom shape the governance of AI?
In many ways, the growing relevance of such forums reflects a broader reality: the conversation around AI safety is no longer just about innovation, but about the kind of digital society we are collectively designing.
Still, most systems today operate reactively, as seen in cybersecurity. They respond to misuse or breaches rather than preventing them before they occur.
For instance, the recent debate over age-verification laws clearly reflects this tension. Governments and digital platforms are increasingly exploring AI-backed age estimation and biometric verification systems to prevent minors from accessing harmful online spaces. Supporters believe that such systems represent a proactive step toward digital safety. Critics, however, argue that these measures would normalize surveillance, expand data collection, and create new privacy risks.
This debate highlights another underlying layer of the issue: can systems designed to prevent harm do so without compromising the very freedoms and privacy they are meant to protect?
Most modern systems focus on helping victims. They protect data after it has been exposed, fix problems after misuse occurs, and add filters only after harm has occurred. Hence, the loop of damage and repair continues.
Since misuse is not just possible but often expected, we need to ask whether systems should continue to be designed this way.
Until we solve this, ethical artificial intelligence might be judged more by the threats it misses than by the ones it stops. At this point, the idea may seem hypothetical or even unreasonable. But the history of innovation has repeatedly shown that solutions often emerge from perspectives, questions, and ideas that once seemed far-fetched. After all, isn’t that how progress begins?”
********************************************************************************************
When you come to think of it…
We are perhaps at a juncture where conversations about AI ethics, transparency, fairness, governance, AI regulation, and digital freedom matter more than ever.
As mentioned before, spaces such as the upcoming Think Twice Conference seek to bring these questions into public dialogue, bringing together diverse ideas to debate how digital systems should evolve in the years ahead.
If these questions resonate with you, perhaps it is worth saving the date or even contributing your own perspective to the discussion.
More information about the conference and speaker submissions can be found here:
Think Twice Conference – Call for Speakers
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Widerstand gegen Überwachung: „Man kann Kameras auch kaputtmachen“
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Digitales Bezahlen: „Die Leute haben sehr gute Gründe, Bargeld zu nutzen“
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KI-Verordnung: EU-Parlament und Rat einigen sich auf gelockerte Pflichten für die Industrie
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Verfahren gegen Tech-Konzerne: EU-Kommission zögert, Abgeordnete verlieren Geduld
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Du siehst aber jung aus: Meta will uns bis auf die Knochen überwachen
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Koalitionsvertrag Baden-Württemberg: Kameras sollen prüfen, wer und wie brav du bist
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Correctiv-Recherche: Europol betreibt mutmaßlich illegale Datenanalyseplattformen
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Europäische Kommission: In der Alterskontroll-App schlägt ein Herz von Google
Einladung Piratenversammlung 30. Mai 2026
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Wir laden Dich herzlich zur ersten ordentlichen Piratenversammlung 2026 ein. Diese findet in Bern statt.
Ort: Käfigturm Bern (polit-forum-bern.ch/turmgeschi…)
Marktgasse 67, 3011 Bern
openstreetmap.org/way/25123620…
Anreise mit PW: Parkhaus Metro liegt am nächsten
Anreise mit ÖV: Bahnhof Bern, zu Fuss 5 Minuten entfernt.
Wann: Samstag, 30.05.2026
15:30 : Türöffnung
16:00 : Beginn
18:00 : Ende & sozialer Teil
Im Programm vorgesehen sind Jahresberichte, Wahlen, Parolenfassungen u.a. Die Traktanden im Detail werden rund eine Woche vor der PV kommuniziert.
Organisatorisches
Unsere Versammlungen sind öffentlich und alle sind herzlich willkommen, aber stimmberechtigt sind nur Piraten, die den aktuellen Mitgliederbeitrag bezahlt haben. Die Zahlungsinformationen findest du hier: https://www.piratenpartei.chhttps://www.piratenpartei.ch/mitgliedschaft/
Danke für deinen Beitrag!
Anträge
Anträge an die Piratenversammlung müssen bis am 16. Mai eingereicht werden und durch mindestens 2 Piraten (= Quorum gemäss Statuten) unterstützt werden. Wir bitten auch um Übersetzungen der Anträge DE/FR, damit möglichst alle verstehen, was verhandelt wird. Änderungs- und Gegenanträge sind bis 1 Woche vor der Versammlung einzureichen. Die Anträge werden im Redmine erfasst (projects.piratenpartei.ch/proj…) und sollten mindestens folgende Kriterien erfüllen:
- Antragstext mit Begründung
- Für Statutenänderungen: alter & neuer Text im Vergleich
- Liste der Unterstützer (Quorum)
An und während der PV sind nur noch Ordnungsanträge zulässig. Damit wir die Versammlungen bestmöglich durchführen können, sind wir auf Personen angewiesen, die vor Ort die Debatten übersetzen. Es soll von Deutsch auf Französisch und umgekehrt übersetzt werden. Wer mithelfen kann, melde sich bitte per E-Mail an info@piratenpartei.ch
Wir freuen uns, dich und viele andere Piraten wiederzusehen!
Piratige Grüsse
Arbeitsgruppe PV
============
Nous t’invitons cordialement à la troisième assemblée générale ordinaire des Pirates en 2023. Celle-ci aura lieu à Berne.
Lieu : Käfigturm Berne (polit-forum-bern.ch/turmgeschi…)
Marktgasse 67, 3011 Berne
openstreetmap.org/way/25123620…
Arrivée en voiture : utiliser les parkings publics.
Arrivée en transports publics : gare centrale de Berne, à 5 minutes à pied.
Quand : Samedi, 30.05.2026
15:30h : Ouverture des portes
16:00h : Début de l’assemblée
18:00h : fin et part sociale
Le programme prévoit entre autres le budget et les paroles au peuple. Les détails de l’ordre du jour seront communiqués environ une semaine avant l’AP.
Organisation
Nos assemblées sont publiques et tout le monde est le bienvenu, mais seuls les Pirates qui ont payé leur cotisation actuel ont le droit de vote. Tu trouveras les informations de paiement ici :
partipirate.ch/membres/
Merci pour ta contribution !
Motions
Les motions à l’assemblée des Pirates doivent être soumises avant le 16 mai et être soutenues par au moins 2 Pirates (= quorum selon les statuts). Nous demandons également une traduction des motions en français/allemand ou en anglais, afin que tout le monde puisse comprendre ce qui est négocié. Les amendements et les contre-propositions doivent être déposés jusqu’à une semaine avant l’assemblée. Les motions sont saisies dans Redmine (projects.piratenpartei.ch/proj…) et doivent remplir au moins les critères suivants :
- texte de la motion avec justification
- Pour les modifications des statuts : ancien & nouveau texte en comparaison.
- Liste des soutiens (quorum).
Lors et pendant l’AP, seules les motions d’ordre sont autorisées. Pour que les assemblées se déroulent au mieux, nous avons besoin de personnes qui traduisent les débats sur place. Il s’agit de traduire de l’allemand au français et vice-versa. Les personnes qui peuvent aider sont priées de s’annoncer par e-mail à info@piratenpartei.ch.
Nous nous réjouissons de te revoir, toi et de nombreux autres pirates !
Salutations pirates
Groupe de travail AP
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Anlasslose Massenüberwachung: Datenschutzbeauftragte kritisieren Chatkontrolle
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Polizeigesetz Schleswig-Holstein: „Wie aus einem dystopischen Science-Fiction-Film“
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Datenschutz Medienpreis: Auszeichnung für unsere Stalkerware-Recherche
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Ein Jahr Schwarz-Rot: „Neuer Tiefpunkt“ in Sachen Transparenz
Let´s Keep Android Open!
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Pirates have consistently chosen Android over Apple because it is opensource and free. You buy the phone, so you should be able to decide what apps run on it. You should be able to tinker with it, as you wish. Unfortunately, Google’s new developer verification rules will change that. Starting in September 2026 (just a few months away from now), apps from outside the Play Store will be blocked unless the developer has registered with Google, agreed to its terms, paid fees, and handed over their identity documents. We are raising a big red flag. We must stop this regulation from advancing.
Link to global petition: https://keepandroidopen.org/
Google presents this as a security move, but obviously the big corporation has capitalistic motives. This policy will hurt independent developers, open-source projects, privacy tools, and ordinary users. A phone should not become something you only partly control after you paid for it.
Our colleagues at the European Pirates (PPEU) in their recent blog have emphasized these concerns: europeanpirates.eu/european-pi…
They highlight the need for “free software and the open ecosystem,” “civil liberties and the right to privacy,” and “competition law under the Digital Markets Act.”
In their 14 page position paper on this issue, PPEU argues that this is not just a security update. It would make F-Droid and similar opensource projects difficult or impossible to operate. PPEU frames the issue as a Digital Markets Act problem. Specifically, they highlight how this may breach Article 6(4) of that act, which requires that third-party apps and app stores are allowed and not just Google. They are calling on the European Commission to investigate.
<ADD Screenshot of PPEU position paper>
However, this is not just a European problem, it is a global one.
Android is used by billions of people. This decision will affect people far beyond Europe. Google has become richer and more powerful than many individual nations. Most of us live in countries without a supranational entity that can fight back, and we must speak up now as global activists!
Android’s openness is worth protecting. Once that freedom is gone, it may not come back.
Martti Randmaa member of the Estonian Pirate Party added:
“If this were really about keeping users safe, harmful apps wouldn’t appear in their app store in the first place. Blocking people from installing apps on their own phones feels unfair and limits their control over devices they own. Technology should work for everyone, not be controlled by a few private companies.”
Anja Hirschel, the German Pirate Party’s lead candidate for the 2024 European elections, said on the matter:
“We call on politicians to handle digital freedom responsibly as a fundamental part of our democracy and to protect it consistently. It is dishonest to stir up artificial societal debates in order to expand surveillance powers.”
Keith Goldstein, international coordinator of the Israeli Pirate Party and Chairperson of Pirate Parties International adds:
“This crackdown by Google is aimed at restricting the free and open internet, which is very important for all of us involved in the Pirate movement. We develop independent tools, often without any funding or goals to make profits. Android’s openness allowed us access to provide these tools, which Apple did not, and therefore we embraced it. Once Google decides who may develop and distribute software, we no longer truly own our own devices. We call on Google to withdraw this policy and let innovators share software freely. This is not a matter that nations can solve on their own. We need a global response.”
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Verhaltensscanner: „Eine reale Gefahr“
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Konferenz für Menschenrechte: Druck aus China soll zu Absage der RightsCon geführt haben [Update]
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Konferenz für Menschenrechte: Druck aus China soll zu Absage der RightsCon geführt haben
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Neue Welle: SPD, Linke und Grüne verlassen Musks Plattform X
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FAQ: Das Überwachungspaket der Bundesregierung
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Staatliches Hacken: Ermittler verwechseln Staatstrojaner mit Telefonüberwachung
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Trugbild: Im Bann des Banalen
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KW 18: Die Woche, in der fast niemand vom Überwachungspaket sprach
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Erzwungene „Grenzpartnerschaft“: EU-Kommission will US-Behörden erlauben, politische Ansichten und „Herkunft“ abzufragen
Bootlicking Brendan’s back at it
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Dear Friend of Press Freedom:
U.S. journalist Alex Colston was detained by Israel for a second time while on board an international aid flotilla to Gaza, along with French and Turkish Al Jazeera journalists and almost 200 activists. He reports that he and other abductees were held for two days in shipping containers, in stress positions and under floodlights, while some endured further torture. Most of them have been released, but the U.S. State Department was of no help. It opted to condemn the flotillas rather than defending Americans illegally abducted in international waters.
Read on for more press freedom news. But first, tell your lawmakers to help put a stop to domestic surveillance by reforming FISA Section 702.
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Bootlicking Brendan’s back at it
Days before the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, comedian Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about President Donald Trump’s mortality. No one protested until after a gunman unsuccessfully attempted to evade security at the dinner. Trump then feigned outrage, claiming Kimmel called for his assassination. Because there’s no other reason to joke that a 79-year-old whose own health secretary says it’s a wonder he’s alive might not be long for this world.
The following day, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr and his Donald Trump lapel pin ordered Disney’s ABC, which airs Kimmel’s show, to seek early renewal of its broadcast licenses. It’s the latest escalation in Carr’s never-ending quest to kiss up to his boss by attacking free speech.
We said in a statement, “The FCC is neither the journalism police nor the humor police. This is nothing but illegal jawboning intended to intimidate ABC into kissing the ring.” And Carr’s claims that his attack on ABC is really about diversity, equity, and inclusion — not censorship — is an insult to our intelligence. That he felt the need to cite a pretext only further demonstrates that he knows full well that his prior threats of content-based retaliation were frivolous.
ABC needs to fight back to make clear that Carr’s new tactic won’t work. Otherwise it’s entirely possible he’ll try it again next time a news show inspires a late night rage tweet from his boss.
It’s almost World Press Freedom Day. Someone forgot to tell the world
For years, World Press Freedom Day on May 3 has helped spotlight global press freedom violations. It’s a day to demand justice for journalists murdered in Gaza and Lebanon, or to celebrate the release of wrongfully detained reporters like Ahmed Shihab-Eldin.
Holding foreign regimes accountable for press freedom is essential, and it’s been a rough year for journalists’ rights all around the globe. But this year, the U.S. — which dropped to 64th out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index — needs to take a hard look in the mirror, too.
FPF sues for White House texts
FPF joined Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington in a lawsuit seeking to establish that federal agencies must abide by the Presidential Records Act, including the provision that presidential papers become subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act five years after the end of the president’s term. The suit follows the Justice Department’s nonsense memo claiming the PRA is unconstitutional and contests the White House’s internal guidance allowing deletion of text messages, despite the act’s requirements.
Hear from experts on the SEC gag rule
Those seeking to settle regulatory actions by the Securities and Exchange Commission are prohibited from publicly disputing the SEC’s claims against them. It’s a dangerous prior restraint, especially as financial regulators deal with new technologies from cryptocurrency to prediction markets. They’re sure to make mistakes, and you deserve to be informed.
We’ve assembled a group of experts, including legendary First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams and attorneys from the New Civil Liberties Alliance, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, and the law firm Quinn Emanuel, to talk about the dangers of the “gag rule” and current efforts to challenge it at the Supreme Court. Join us on Tuesday, May 5, at 2 p.m. ET.
What we're reading
US Congress passes short-term renewal of FISA warrantless spying powers
The Guardian
Any longer term extension must include reforms to stop illegal surveillance of journalists and other Americans. Maybe this will help: Sen. Ron Wyden said he “secured a deal that a long-term extension would not move forward without a secretive court opinion being made public, which he says reveals abuses of Americans’ rights through section 702.”
Media organizations call on Israel to allow foreign reporters independent access to Gaza
The Associated Press
Israel’s excuses for barring international press from entering Gaza were nonsense at the height of the war. They make even less sense now. It’s clearer than ever that Israel doesn’t want the world to see the truth and Americans to see what they’re bankrolling.
60 Minutes journalist decries ‘spread of corporate meddling and editorial fear’ at CBS News
The Guardian
“Some executives are asking not, ‘Is the story true?’ But, ‘Is it good for business?’”
ABC can beat Trump FCC’s license threat if owner Disney is willing to fight
Ars Technica
News companies have caved to Carr and Trump in the past, but times have changed — Trump is highly unpopular and loses in court regularly. We hope ABC not only defends itself but goes on offense to put a stop to Carr’s jawboning for good.
The Trump administration is dismantling FOIA
NOTUS
It’s impossible to look at the firing of FOIA officials after the release of a declassified memo to FPF as “anything other than inappropriate retaliation for a lawful FOIA release,” FPF’s Lauren Harper explains.
Officials can hide texts, emails on private devices from records requests, state Supreme Court rules
Forward Kentucky
Kentucky’s legislature needs to step in and fix this. Government officials can’t be allowed to evade transparency by using personal devices to discuss government business.
