Ben Adida
@benadida.com
I lead an incredible team building voting machines everyone can trust. https://voting.works
Optimistic about judicious uses of tech. Systems, security, privacy, cryptography, and the web are my jam.
Previously: Clever, Square, Mozilla, Harvard, MIT.
Optimistic about judicious uses of tech. Systems, security, privacy, cryptography, and the web are my jam.
Previously: Clever, Square, Mozilla, Harvard, MIT.
It's so hard for us humans to accept we got something wrong & unwind actions we took / opinions we formed. It feels like it's going to be so painful. And so we tend to stubbornly double down.
These days, life often remind me that, in fact, if you own the change w/ humility, it's easy & uplifting.
These days, life often remind me that, in fact, if you own the change w/ humility, it's easy & uplifting.
January 11, 2026 at 4:06 PM
It's so hard for us humans to accept we got something wrong & unwind actions we took / opinions we formed. It feels like it's going to be so painful. And so we tend to stubbornly double down.
These days, life often remind me that, in fact, if you own the change w/ humility, it's easy & uplifting.
These days, life often remind me that, in fact, if you own the change w/ humility, it's easy & uplifting.
Alright, are we gonna talk about how Dr Rabinovitch, veteran ER doctor in The Pitt S2E01, rides a motorcycle (!!) without a helmet (!!!) ?
January 11, 2026 at 3:56 AM
Alright, are we gonna talk about how Dr Rabinovitch, veteran ER doctor in The Pitt S2E01, rides a motorcycle (!!) without a helmet (!!!) ?
In the age of AI agents that can be so useful at gluing various services together, the data hosts (Google, Slack, etc) need to do a *much* better job with narrow-permission API access.
For example, I'd love to upload photos from Slack to Google Photos. No I can't give the agent full Slack access.
For example, I'd love to upload photos from Slack to Google Photos. No I can't give the agent full Slack access.
January 10, 2026 at 3:30 PM
In the age of AI agents that can be so useful at gluing various services together, the data hosts (Google, Slack, etc) need to do a *much* better job with narrow-permission API access.
For example, I'd love to upload photos from Slack to Google Photos. No I can't give the agent full Slack access.
For example, I'd love to upload photos from Slack to Google Photos. No I can't give the agent full Slack access.
I might install TikTok just to see this series. I love it.
Best TikTok thing going is the two dudes trying food from every country without leaving NYC. If you haven’t seen them yet, it’s incredible. My favorite so far is last week’s. Legit got me emotional.
January 9, 2026 at 3:35 AM
I might install TikTok just to see this series. I love it.
Ok, this is very interesting. Open-source models and tools. Properly licensed data sets. Let's do this!
blog.mozilla.org/en/mozilla/m...
blog.mozilla.org/en/mozilla/m...
Owners, not renters: Mozilla's open source AI strategy | The Mozilla Blog
The future of intelligence is being set right now, and the path we’re on leads somewhere I don’t want to go. We’re drifting toward a worl
blog.mozilla.org
January 8, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Ok, this is very interesting. Open-source models and tools. Properly licensed data sets. Let's do this!
blog.mozilla.org/en/mozilla/m...
blog.mozilla.org/en/mozilla/m...
Suggestion for Google as they include more AI in various Google apps: help me *manage* my inbox, not by summarizing it, but by giving me power tools for identifying, deleting spam, and auto unsubscribing.
January 8, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Suggestion for Google as they include more AI in various Google apps: help me *manage* my inbox, not by summarizing it, but by giving me power tools for identifying, deleting spam, and auto unsubscribing.
I'd be very interested in seeing aggregate Claude Code usage over the break.
January 5, 2026 at 6:47 PM
I'd be very interested in seeing aggregate Claude Code usage over the break.
AI image generation is becoming scary good. It's only going to get better.
I'm increasingly certain we need strong cryptographic image provenance. Including at the hardware level.
And we should start digitally authenticating and signing real photos that make up the historical record.
I'm increasingly certain we need strong cryptographic image provenance. Including at the hardware level.
And we should start digitally authenticating and signing real photos that make up the historical record.
January 1, 2026 at 10:30 PM
AI image generation is becoming scary good. It's only going to get better.
I'm increasingly certain we need strong cryptographic image provenance. Including at the hardware level.
And we should start digitally authenticating and signing real photos that make up the historical record.
I'm increasingly certain we need strong cryptographic image provenance. Including at the hardware level.
And we should start digitally authenticating and signing real photos that make up the historical record.
Reposted by Ben Adida
This thread of four tweets offers a neat mental model for working with coding agents
In essence a language model changes you from a programmer who writes lines of code, to a programmer that manages the context the model has access to, prunes irrelevant things, adds useful material to context, and writes detailed specifications. If that doesn't sound fun to you, you won't enjoy it.
December 30, 2025 at 1:17 AM
This thread of four tweets offers a neat mental model for working with coding agents
People who know me know that I love a good QR code. But I've just met my QR code nemesis: a QR code menu link at a restaurant that launches WhatsApp so you have to message and get a PDF menu in return. No paper menu.
December 28, 2025 at 9:36 PM
People who know me know that I love a good QR code. But I've just met my QR code nemesis: a QR code menu link at a restaurant that launches WhatsApp so you have to message and get a PDF menu in return. No paper menu.
Coke with real sugar is so superior, it's just mind boggling we put up with anything else.
December 27, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Coke with real sugar is so superior, it's just mind boggling we put up with anything else.
Yo. This place is pretty freaking cool.
December 27, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Yo. This place is pretty freaking cool.
The first IACR election got coverage from NYT, BBC, and more. I'm surprised the second one, which went well, was not covered at all. 😉
Jokes aside, congrats to the IACR for their transparency and immediate process mitigation.
Will think on how to make Helios more robust for the future.
Jokes aside, congrats to the IACR for their transparency and immediate process mitigation.
Will think on how to make Helios more robust for the future.
December 22, 2025 at 11:03 PM
The first IACR election got coverage from NYT, BBC, and more. I'm surprised the second one, which went well, was not covered at all. 😉
Jokes aside, congrats to the IACR for their transparency and immediate process mitigation.
Will think on how to make Helios more robust for the future.
Jokes aside, congrats to the IACR for their transparency and immediate process mitigation.
Will think on how to make Helios more robust for the future.
Reposted by Ben Adida
We hope you have a wonderful holiday with loved ones!
Just in case you find yourself discussing elections over dinner, we've got you covered with a new episode of how.voting.works that debunks election fraud allegations from the last two Presidential elections.
podcast.voting.works/2407158/epis...
Just in case you find yourself discussing elections over dinner, we've got you covered with a new episode of how.voting.works that debunks election fraud allegations from the last two Presidential elections.
podcast.voting.works/2407158/epis...
December 22, 2025 at 7:32 PM
We hope you have a wonderful holiday with loved ones!
Just in case you find yourself discussing elections over dinner, we've got you covered with a new episode of how.voting.works that debunks election fraud allegations from the last two Presidential elections.
podcast.voting.works/2407158/epis...
Just in case you find yourself discussing elections over dinner, we've got you covered with a new episode of how.voting.works that debunks election fraud allegations from the last two Presidential elections.
podcast.voting.works/2407158/epis...
Just in time for your holiday dinners with family, I dig in and debunk some of the most pernicious election fraud claims from the last two Presidential elections.
www.buzzsprout.com/2407158/epis...
www.buzzsprout.com/2407158/epis...
Episode 7 – Fraud allegations in 2020 and 2024, what to make of them? - How Voting Works
Typically, election security experts shy away from engaging with fraud allegations, because the theories are numerous and often lacking in evidence.But it's Christmas time, and you're probably hanging...
www.buzzsprout.com
December 22, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Just in time for your holiday dinners with family, I dig in and debunk some of the most pernicious election fraud claims from the last two Presidential elections.
www.buzzsprout.com/2407158/epis...
www.buzzsprout.com/2407158/epis...
It was epic the first time I saw it, days after it aired, it's still epic today.
20 years ago tonight, Andy Samberg and Chris Parnell enjoyed a Lazy Sunday:
Lazy Sunday - SNL Digital Short
YouTube video by Saturday Night Live
www.youtube.com
December 18, 2025 at 2:54 AM
It was epic the first time I saw it, days after it aired, it's still epic today.
One of the most amazing things about Mozilla is that just about everyone who's worked there, even years ago, wants to see the Mozilla mission continue to win.
That's what all this criticism is about. People freaking care.
Also, @lu.is is right. Product over tech.
That's what all this criticism is about. People freaking care.
Also, @lu.is is right. Product over tech.
🔥 take: Mozilla’s challenge isn’t leadership or AI.
Virtually no one wants to “browse” or to have a “browser”. They want to search, scroll, or use a webapp—if they think about the renderer’s UX something has gone wrong.
So as long as Moz self-identifies as a “browser company”, they’ll lose.
Virtually no one wants to “browse” or to have a “browser”. They want to search, scroll, or use a webapp—if they think about the renderer’s UX something has gone wrong.
So as long as Moz self-identifies as a “browser company”, they’ll lose.
December 17, 2025 at 3:39 AM
One of the most amazing things about Mozilla is that just about everyone who's worked there, even years ago, wants to see the Mozilla mission continue to win.
That's what all this criticism is about. People freaking care.
Also, @lu.is is right. Product over tech.
That's what all this criticism is about. People freaking care.
Also, @lu.is is right. Product over tech.
Reposted by Ben Adida
Ahmed al Ahmed, a Lebanese Muslim who owns a Sydney fruit shop, risked his life to disarm one of the Bondi Beach shooters.
His courage gives me hope amidst the horror and darkness. Muslims and Jews are not enemies. Our futures, in the Middle East and beyond, are intrinsically bound.
A true hero.
His courage gives me hope amidst the horror and darkness. Muslims and Jews are not enemies. Our futures, in the Middle East and beyond, are intrinsically bound.
A true hero.
December 14, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Ahmed al Ahmed, a Lebanese Muslim who owns a Sydney fruit shop, risked his life to disarm one of the Bondi Beach shooters.
His courage gives me hope amidst the horror and darkness. Muslims and Jews are not enemies. Our futures, in the Middle East and beyond, are intrinsically bound.
A true hero.
His courage gives me hope amidst the horror and darkness. Muslims and Jews are not enemies. Our futures, in the Middle East and beyond, are intrinsically bound.
A true hero.
This week, I had the chance to speak in depth with election administrators in Michigan, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
And I gotta tell you, election administrators rock. I sincerely believe we could all learn a lot by just watching how much they care about and how hard they work for American democracy.
And I gotta tell you, election administrators rock. I sincerely believe we could all learn a lot by just watching how much they care about and how hard they work for American democracy.
December 13, 2025 at 2:18 AM
This week, I had the chance to speak in depth with election administrators in Michigan, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
And I gotta tell you, election administrators rock. I sincerely believe we could all learn a lot by just watching how much they care about and how hard they work for American democracy.
And I gotta tell you, election administrators rock. I sincerely believe we could all learn a lot by just watching how much they care about and how hard they work for American democracy.
@boblord.bsky.social is really on to something critically important with his critique of how we give security advice so so poorly.
medium.com/@boblord/if-...
medium.com/@boblord/if-...
If Seatbelt Guidance Worked Like Cybersecurity Guidance
Different industries take different approaches to providing guidance to everyday people. In the automotive world the messaging is clear and…
medium.com
December 12, 2025 at 10:09 PM
@boblord.bsky.social is really on to something critically important with his critique of how we give security advice so so poorly.
medium.com/@boblord/if-...
medium.com/@boblord/if-...
Checking out a Shoup lever machine in Topeka, Kansas. No, these are not in use anymore. Just fun to see in person the type of voting machine that was broadly used in the US in the middle of the 20th century.
December 12, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Checking out a Shoup lever machine in Topeka, Kansas. No, these are not in use anymore. Just fun to see in person the type of voting machine that was broadly used in the US in the middle of the 20th century.
First time in Topeka Kansas. I'm told this is the hilly part of the state.
December 11, 2025 at 8:11 PM
First time in Topeka Kansas. I'm told this is the hilly part of the state.
Is there anything congestion pricing can't do?
Wow... NYC's congestion pricing has led to big drops in PM2.5 and real improvements in local air quality.
December 9, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Is there anything congestion pricing can't do?
Reposted by Ben Adida
If you have recently taken your cybersecurity awareness training, did you see any examples of hacklore?
I’m collecting real examples of hacklore in the wild.
I’m collecting real examples of hacklore in the wild.
Stop Hacklore!
Hacklore is a blend of hacking and folklore—modern urban legends about digital safety. Hacklore spreads quickly and confidently, passed from person to person as if it were hard-earned wisdom. But…
hacklore.org
December 9, 2025 at 2:00 AM
If you have recently taken your cybersecurity awareness training, did you see any examples of hacklore?
I’m collecting real examples of hacklore in the wild.
I’m collecting real examples of hacklore in the wild.
This is incredible. Been a while since I've been impressed with a new category of web attack, and ... This is super impressive.
Developer attempts to replicate "Liquid Glass" in CSS, and once finished realizes what she'd actually created is an exploit for a fundamental, previously unknown, and rather serious browser vulnerability
lyra.horse/blog/2025/12...
"CSS hack accidentally becomes regular hack"
lyra.horse/blog/2025/12...
"CSS hack accidentally becomes regular hack"
SVG Filters - Clickjacking 2.0
A novel and powerful twist on an old classic.
lyra.horse
December 5, 2025 at 1:46 PM
This is incredible. Been a while since I've been impressed with a new category of web attack, and ... This is super impressive.