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Derek Mead

@dmead.bsky.social

44 followers 10 following 23 posts

I am the happiest man on the internet. Chief content officer of Straight Arrow News, san.com.

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Reposted by Derek Mead

Eileen Clancy 🧿 @clancyny.bsky.social · 16h

Mikael Thalen's video explainer is the best, simplest explanation that I've ever seen of how these somewhat obscure devices work. Well worth your 2 min. 24 secs.

Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 17h

EXCLUSIVE: A cell-site simulator, commonly referred to as an IMSI-catcher or "Stingray," may have been used at the ICE facility in Portland.

Analysis of cellular signals in the area showed phones receiving abnormal spikes in requests for their unique identifiers. san.com/cc/exclusive...

Exclusive: Fake cellphone tower likely surveilled protesters at Portland ICE facility

Law enforcement officials may have deployed a secretive cellphone surveillance technology last weekend at Portland’s ICE facility.

Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · 19h

Yet more evidence, direct from @mikaelthalen.bsky.social, of blanket ICE cell phone surveillance at protests san.com/cc/exclusive...

Exclusive: Fake cellphone tower likely surveilled protesters at Portland ICE facility

Law enforcement officials may have deployed a secretive cellphone surveillance technology last weekend at Portland’s ICE facility.

Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · 18d

This finding (from Axios' 2025 Annual Media Trends Report) is important to keep in mind as national storylines continue to shift towards starting social-first (rather than traditional news outlet-first).

Reposted by Derek Mead

simonedelrosario.bsky.social @simonedelrosario.bsky.social · 19d

The app Cancel the Hate was set up to let users report people who spoke negatively about Charlie Kirk after his assassination. But then the app leaked personal data about its users, per @mikaelthalen.bsky.social's investigation. san.com/cc/app-for-o...

App for outing Charlie Kirk’s critics leaked its users’ personal data

An app for anonymously reporting individuals accused of speaking ill against conservative Charlie Kirk leaked personal data about its users.

Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · 19d

Where is everybody? "The United States Senate was in session for a total of 29 seconds on Monday; that’s 29 seconds longer than the House of Representatives." san.com/cc/wheres-co...

Where’s Congress? Capitol Hill empty one week out from government shutdown

The United States Senate was in session for a total of 29 seconds on Monday; that’s 29 seconds longer than the House of Representatives.

Reposted by Derek Mead

Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · 19d

NEW: An app launched by Cancel the Hate, a website for anonymously reporting those accused of speaking ill against Charlie Kirk, was leaking user data.

Cancel the Hate declined to respond to my inquires & removed the app from its website shortly after.

san.com/cc/app-for-o...

App for outing Charlie Kirk’s critics leaked its users’ personal data

An app for anonymously reporting individuals accused of speaking ill against conservative Charlie Kirk leaked personal data about its users.

Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · 23d

SAN investigated the $9 billion industry of heathcare data reselling, in which Big Pharma buys doctor and patient data to target advertising and IRL sales pitches to doctors who don't prescribe their drugs. Few doctors even know how advanced this industry actually is: san.com/cc/health-in...

Your health care data is for sale. Here's how Big Pharma is using it.

Straight Arrow News investigates how both doctor and patient data are collected, sold and utilized through a little-known $9B industry.

Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · 26d

Local governments are jazzing up their social presence to try to increase civic participation. Good marketing, but what can be done to actually increase access? san.com/cc/americans...

Americans think local government is boring. Social media could fix that.

Fewer people are attending public meetings for local government nationwide. A social media push is trying to get more people involved.

Reposted by Derek Mead

Rep. Laura Friedman @friedman.house.gov · Sep 8

We can’t afford massive film companies like Marvel abandoning the U.S. for cheaper options overseas.

Bringing back our greatest export is a bipartisan issue with bipartisan solutions.

'Hollywood of the South' loses Marvel productions to UK

Marvel Studios is moving production from Georgia to the U.K., a shift that highlights rising costs in the U.S. film industry.

Reposted by Derek Mead

demotivational speaker. 💕 @heysita.bsky.social · Sep 9

Marvel is leaving Atlanta and heading to the UK, citing rising costs.

Labor costs are less expensive in the U.K., and universal health care means studios wouldn’t have to subsidize workers’ medical expenses.

This move alone could cost Atlanta up to 20,000 jobs.

san.com/cc/hollywood...

'Hollywood of the South' loses Marvel productions to UK

Marvel Studios is moving production from Georgia to the U.K., a shift that highlights rising costs in the U.S. film industry.

Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · Aug 28

New Epstein emails dropped: san.com/cc/impressiv...

‘Impressive island’: Ex-Israeli prime minister’s hacked emails reveal relationship with Jeffrey Epstein

Emails hacked from the inbox of former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak reveal discussions with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Reposted by Derek Mead

Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · Aug 20

NEW: ICE is legally required to publish detention statistics every 2 weeks. But the data is complex.

That's why the interactive "ICE Detention Map" automatically scrapes & visualizes ICE's data, which shows, among other things, that 71% of detainees have no criminal record.
san.com/cc/interacti...

Interactive ‘ICE Detention Map’ shows 71% of detainees have no criminal record

The detention map extracts immigration data that ICE is legally required to publish to let anyone see stats on detainees across the country.

Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · Aug 19

People seeing energy prices go up vs. the endless demand for data centers: Who comes out on top? san.com/cc/texans-wa...

Texans want to form a new town. A $5 billion Bitcoin company wants to stop it

In Hood County, Texas, residents’ efforts to form their own municipality has brought them into conflict with a $5 billion Bitcoin company.

Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · Aug 13

Is there a word for when two sequential pages of a book have the same word in the same location on both pages? Syncroverbumpagination?

Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · Aug 12

What was the first night of the DC federal takeover like? We hit the streets! san.com/cc/what-dc-w...

What DC was like first night of federal takeover: SAN reporter hits the streets

Straight Arrow News gives a first hand look at DC as the Trump administration takes control of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · Aug 7

We just wanted to know how much bitcoin mining is straining the Texas electric grid, and PUCT sued to prevent the freedom of information request: san.com/cc/exclusive...

Exclusive: SAN reporter's inquiry into Texas' Bitcoin mines triggers lawsuit

The Public Utility Commission of Texas wants to block the release of data on Bitcoin mining, citing terrorism concerns.

Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · Aug 5

A ransomware gang stole the identities (including SSNs) of the confidential informants of a Louisiana sheriff's office, amongst other data: san.com/cc/exclusive...

Exclusive: Confidential informants exposed in Louisiana sheriff's office hack

Data stolen by a ransomware gang has exposed highly sensitive information from a Louisiana sheriff’s office, including names of informants.

Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · Aug 4

Chuck me right in a hole in the ground and help restore some critical habitat. Just don't tell the neighbors... san.com/cc/green-bur...

'Green' burials are helping restore Texas land. Not everyone digs the trend.

A growing number of Americans are choosing “green” burials – in biodegradable coffins or burial shrouds, in low-density cemeteries.

Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · Jul 11

I can't get over how Oklahoma weed farms are changing how politicians look at land ownership in the US san.com/cc/us-to-ban...

Could US ban on farmland sales to China fix Oklahoma's illegal pot problem?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a new ban on the purchase of American farmlands by Chinese buyers.

Reposted by Derek Mead

Sam Cole @samleecole.bsky.social · Jul 8

next time you're in a national park, take some photos of the signage and upload it to help these archivists www.404media.co/save-our-sig...

'Save Our Signs' Wants to Save the Real History of National Parks Before Trump Erases It

Trump wants to erase any "negative" content from educational sites at National Parks. A group of data preservationists asks visitors to help them document placards and monuments, before they disappear...

www.404media.co

Reposted by Derek Mead

Mikael Thalen @mikaelthalen.bsky.social · Jul 9

EXCLUSIVE: I discovered evidence that an IMSI-catcher, commonly called a Stingray, was used during a July 4 protest at an ICE facility.

Using an advanced detection tool called Marlin, I scanned cellular traffic & found hundreds of anomalies indicative of surveillance san.com/cc/exclusive...

Exclusive: Evidence of cell phone surveillance detected at anti-ICE protest

Mobile network anomalies consistent with cell phone surveillance were detected at a July 4 protest at an ICE field office in Washington state.

Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · Jul 9

Big scoop from @mikaelthalen.bsky.social: he built a Stingray detector and found evidence of ICE conducting cell phone surveillance at a protest: san.com/cc/exclusive...

Exclusive: Evidence of cell phone surveillance detected at anti-ICE protest

Mobile network anomalies consistent with cell phone surveillance were detected at a July 4 protest at an ICE field office in Washington state.

Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · Jun 8

I enjoyed these nice pictures from the Wente 8 Hour (or in my case, the Wente 5.7 Hour)

Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · May 29

Okay finally you make something I'll buy

Derek Mead @dmead.bsky.social · May 29

I'm convinced I could do a lot of good for the world if I were on Cameo