I think I have our taxes squared away with two more days until I have to file them–or file for an extension as I often do–so of course I’m worrying about what financial data points I’m overlooking and how they might cause us to pay more than required.

4/11/2023: QuaDream spyware, Al Jazeera

The Arabic-language news channel had me make a Skype appearance about this commercial spyware flagged by Microsoft and Citizen Lab. The week ended with news that the Israeli firm behind this iPhone hacking tool was shutting down. 

4/12/2023: Worried About AI? The Feds Want Your Help Writing Rules to Keep It in Check, PCMag

I had missed the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s announcement Tuesday of its request for comments about policies to hold artificial-intelligence applications accountable, but hearing Microsoft president Brad Smith commend this effort during an appearance at a conference Wednesday morning gave me something extra for a day-after story.

4/14/2023: Why the Feds Appreciate Private Satellite Images of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine, PCMag

Beyond Smith’s quotes about the NTIA RFC, Planet Labs’ Planet Explore 2023 conference also yielded this story about how much the intelligence community has come to appreciate commercial satellite imagery even though it has its own, far more capable reconnaissance satellites in orbit.

4/14/2023: Discord leaker, Al Jazeera

I made a studio appearance to discuss the bizarre case of Massachusetts Air National Guard airman Jack Teixeira and his months-long sharing of classified documents in a Discord group. My comments boiled down to “this guy is going to go to jail for the dumbest possible reason, which is that he wanted to look cool on the Internet.”