Ethics in Beta
@ethicsinbeta.bsky.social
I track the parts of tech that change people more than devices.
Medium: https://medium.com/@EthicsinBeta
Medium: https://medium.com/@EthicsinBeta
Pinned
“Why Should I Care About Privacy If I’m Not Doing Anything Wrong?”
I’ve heard this question so much that it’s begun to wear on me a little.
When I taught technology, I taught all kinds of people from…
medium.com
We lock our doors and close our blinds, but most of us live online with every window wide open.
Privacy isn’t about hiding. It’s about dignity, agency, and the right to be human without someone shaping the outcome.
New piece on Medium about the “nothing to hide” myth.
medium.com/@EthicsinBet...
Privacy isn’t about hiding. It’s about dignity, agency, and the right to be human without someone shaping the outcome.
New piece on Medium about the “nothing to hide” myth.
medium.com/@EthicsinBet...
Technology was supposed to give us time back. Instead, it keeps resetting what “enough” looks like.
Faster tools become faster expectations, and rest starts to feel like falling behind.
I’m trying to remember that not everything needs to be optimized.
Faster tools become faster expectations, and rest starts to feel like falling behind.
I’m trying to remember that not everything needs to be optimized.
February 3, 2026 at 10:58 PM
Technology was supposed to give us time back. Instead, it keeps resetting what “enough” looks like.
Faster tools become faster expectations, and rest starts to feel like falling behind.
I’m trying to remember that not everything needs to be optimized.
Faster tools become faster expectations, and rest starts to feel like falling behind.
I’m trying to remember that not everything needs to be optimized.
You don’t have to reject technology to ask better questions about it.
Most of the time, the questions matter more than the tools.
Most of the time, the questions matter more than the tools.
February 2, 2026 at 8:19 PM
You don’t have to reject technology to ask better questions about it.
Most of the time, the questions matter more than the tools.
Most of the time, the questions matter more than the tools.
“Your constitutional right against self-incrimination should not be dependent on technical convenience or lack thereof.”
Interesting legal and ethical questions here.
theintercept.com/2026/01/30/w...
Interesting legal and ethical questions here.
theintercept.com/2026/01/30/w...
Washington Post Raid Is a Frightening Reminder: Turn Off Your Phone’s Biometrics Now
The search warrant to raid a Washington Post reporter’s home shows how authorities can open your phone without your consent.
theintercept.com
February 1, 2026 at 7:48 PM
“Your constitutional right against self-incrimination should not be dependent on technical convenience or lack thereof.”
Interesting legal and ethical questions here.
theintercept.com/2026/01/30/w...
Interesting legal and ethical questions here.
theintercept.com/2026/01/30/w...
What’s unsettling isn’t that machines are developing culture.
It’s that we gave them the keys before deciding what should be off-limits.
Systems don’t need belief to persist.
They just need access.
It’s that we gave them the keys before deciding what should be off-limits.
Systems don’t need belief to persist.
They just need access.
February 1, 2026 at 3:45 AM
What’s unsettling isn’t that machines are developing culture.
It’s that we gave them the keys before deciding what should be off-limits.
Systems don’t need belief to persist.
They just need access.
It’s that we gave them the keys before deciding what should be off-limits.
Systems don’t need belief to persist.
They just need access.
AI isn’t making people irrational. It’s amplifying whatever was already there.
January 31, 2026 at 10:26 PM
AI isn’t making people irrational. It’s amplifying whatever was already there.
One of the hardest moments I saw teaching tech was the shame people felt when “the right tool” didn’t stop a problem.
This piece is about why that expectation was never fair, and how layered security actually works.
ethicsinbetajournal.substack.com/p/why-one-se...
This piece is about why that expectation was never fair, and how layered security actually works.
ethicsinbetajournal.substack.com/p/why-one-se...
Why One Security Tool Is Never Enough
Why digital self-defense works best in layers, not shortcuts
ethicsinbetajournal.substack.com
January 31, 2026 at 5:13 PM
One of the hardest moments I saw teaching tech was the shame people felt when “the right tool” didn’t stop a problem.
This piece is about why that expectation was never fair, and how layered security actually works.
ethicsinbetajournal.substack.com/p/why-one-se...
This piece is about why that expectation was never fair, and how layered security actually works.
ethicsinbetajournal.substack.com/p/why-one-se...
I’m less interested in villains and more interested in systems that outlive them.
January 30, 2026 at 3:28 PM
I’m less interested in villains and more interested in systems that outlive them.
Reposted by Ethics in Beta
Ex-Google engineer convicted of stealing AI secrets for Chinese companies reut.rs/4a2TUb3
Ex-Google engineer convicted of stealing AI secrets for Chinese companies
Former Google software engineer Linwei Ding was convicted by a federal jury in San Francisco on Thursday of stealing AI trade secrets from the U.S. tech giant to benefit two Chinese companies he was secretly working for, the U.S. Department of Justice said on Thursday.
reut.rs
January 30, 2026 at 2:30 AM
Ex-Google engineer convicted of stealing AI secrets for Chinese companies reut.rs/4a2TUb3
Privacy didn’t disappear. It was traded away one ‘helpful’ feature at a time.
January 29, 2026 at 10:34 PM
Privacy didn’t disappear. It was traded away one ‘helpful’ feature at a time.
Reposted by Ethics in Beta
ICYMI: ICE has been using an AI-powered Palantir system to summarize tips sent to its tip line since last spring, according to a newly released Homeland Security document. www.wired.com/story/ice-is...
ICE Is Using Palantir’s AI Tools to Sort Through Tips
ICE has been using an AI-powered Palantir system to summarize tips sent to its tip line since last spring, according to a newly released Homeland Security document.
www.wired.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:27 PM
ICYMI: ICE has been using an AI-powered Palantir system to summarize tips sent to its tip line since last spring, according to a newly released Homeland Security document. www.wired.com/story/ice-is...
“Looks like AI.”
“Probably fake.”
I’m noticing how quickly doubt arrives now, often before curiosity.
This piece is about that pattern, why it’s exhausting, and how staying human online starts to feel like a choice.
ethicsinbetajournal.substack.com/p/that-dead-...
“Probably fake.”
I’m noticing how quickly doubt arrives now, often before curiosity.
This piece is about that pattern, why it’s exhausting, and how staying human online starts to feel like a choice.
ethicsinbetajournal.substack.com/p/that-dead-...
That Dead Internet Feeling
How uncertainty about what’s real is reshaping trust and participation online
ethicsinbetajournal.substack.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:11 PM
“Looks like AI.”
“Probably fake.”
I’m noticing how quickly doubt arrives now, often before curiosity.
This piece is about that pattern, why it’s exhausting, and how staying human online starts to feel like a choice.
ethicsinbetajournal.substack.com/p/that-dead-...
“Probably fake.”
I’m noticing how quickly doubt arrives now, often before curiosity.
This piece is about that pattern, why it’s exhausting, and how staying human online starts to feel like a choice.
ethicsinbetajournal.substack.com/p/that-dead-...
During moments of heightened attention, context rarely leads.
What spreads fastest is what triggers reaction.
I wrote about how platforms guide visibility during these moments, and how that shapes what we think we’re responding to.
medium.com/@EthicsinBet...
What spreads fastest is what triggers reaction.
I wrote about how platforms guide visibility during these moments, and how that shapes what we think we’re responding to.
medium.com/@EthicsinBet...
How Narratives Get Shaped When Everything Feels Urgent
Why speed, pressure, and attention shape what we think we know
medium.com
January 27, 2026 at 5:03 PM
During moments of heightened attention, context rarely leads.
What spreads fastest is what triggers reaction.
I wrote about how platforms guide visibility during these moments, and how that shapes what we think we’re responding to.
medium.com/@EthicsinBet...
What spreads fastest is what triggers reaction.
I wrote about how platforms guide visibility during these moments, and how that shapes what we think we’re responding to.
medium.com/@EthicsinBet...
Turns out electrons aren’t the only ones who act different when watched.
January 25, 2026 at 4:01 AM
Turns out electrons aren’t the only ones who act different when watched.
A lot of debates about AI get stuck on ownership and copying.
But learning, human or machine, has always been about absorbing, remixing, and reinterpreting what already exists.
But learning, human or machine, has always been about absorbing, remixing, and reinterpreting what already exists.
January 25, 2026 at 2:30 AM
A lot of debates about AI get stuck on ownership and copying.
But learning, human or machine, has always been about absorbing, remixing, and reinterpreting what already exists.
But learning, human or machine, has always been about absorbing, remixing, and reinterpreting what already exists.
Technology keeps getting smarter.
Life doesn’t feel easier.
Somewhere between optimization and scale, we stopped asking whether these tools were reducing stress or just redistributing it.
Life doesn’t feel easier.
Somewhere between optimization and scale, we stopped asking whether these tools were reducing stress or just redistributing it.
January 24, 2026 at 7:05 PM
Technology keeps getting smarter.
Life doesn’t feel easier.
Somewhere between optimization and scale, we stopped asking whether these tools were reducing stress or just redistributing it.
Life doesn’t feel easier.
Somewhere between optimization and scale, we stopped asking whether these tools were reducing stress or just redistributing it.
When rules live inside algorithms, enforcement often shows up as silence.
I wrote about TikTok, automated moderation, and what that does to trust, visibility, and agency.
open.substack.com/pub/ethicsin...
I wrote about TikTok, automated moderation, and what that does to trust, visibility, and agency.
open.substack.com/pub/ethicsin...
Governance by Interface: Who Decides What Gets Seen?
When visibility becomes a form of power
open.substack.com
January 24, 2026 at 4:12 PM
When rules live inside algorithms, enforcement often shows up as silence.
I wrote about TikTok, automated moderation, and what that does to trust, visibility, and agency.
open.substack.com/pub/ethicsin...
I wrote about TikTok, automated moderation, and what that does to trust, visibility, and agency.
open.substack.com/pub/ethicsin...
BitLocker is marketed as “your data, protected.”
Until you learn where the recovery keys actually live.
Moments like this always make me think less about law enforcement and more about defaults, consent, and what “encrypted” really means.
techcrunch.com/2026/01/23/m...
Until you learn where the recovery keys actually live.
Moments like this always make me think less about law enforcement and more about defaults, consent, and what “encrypted” really means.
techcrunch.com/2026/01/23/m...
Microsoft gave FBI a set of BitLocker encryption keys to unlock suspects' laptops: Reports | TechCrunch
The FBI served Microsoft a warrant requesting encryption recovery keys to decrypt the hard drives of people involved in an alleged fraud case in Guam.
techcrunch.com
January 23, 2026 at 11:55 PM
BitLocker is marketed as “your data, protected.”
Until you learn where the recovery keys actually live.
Moments like this always make me think less about law enforcement and more about defaults, consent, and what “encrypted” really means.
techcrunch.com/2026/01/23/m...
Until you learn where the recovery keys actually live.
Moments like this always make me think less about law enforcement and more about defaults, consent, and what “encrypted” really means.
techcrunch.com/2026/01/23/m...
If sci-fi movies were subtle warning labels, now might be a good time to revisit Gattaca.
Tech money is flowing into embryo gene-editing startups that aim to push beyond existing legal and ethical limits.
nypost.com/2025/11/08/b...
Tech money is flowing into embryo gene-editing startups that aim to push beyond existing legal and ethical limits.
nypost.com/2025/11/08/b...
Tech billionaires back startup probing gene-edited ‘designer babies’ despite US ban: report
The company, Preventive, says its goal is to end hereditary disease by editing human embryos before birth.
nypost.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:27 PM
If sci-fi movies were subtle warning labels, now might be a good time to revisit Gattaca.
Tech money is flowing into embryo gene-editing startups that aim to push beyond existing legal and ethical limits.
nypost.com/2025/11/08/b...
Tech money is flowing into embryo gene-editing startups that aim to push beyond existing legal and ethical limits.
nypost.com/2025/11/08/b...
Nothing weird going on here.
January 23, 2026 at 8:45 PM
Nothing weird going on here.
I used to tell my students that convenience and security pull in opposite directions.
This is me trying to explain why that still matters, especially now that “easy” is the default setting for almost everything.
open.substack.com/pub/ethicsin...
This is me trying to explain why that still matters, especially now that “easy” is the default setting for almost everything.
open.substack.com/pub/ethicsin...
The Convenience Paradox
Why Making Things Easier Keeps Making Them Easier to Break
open.substack.com
January 23, 2026 at 5:09 PM
I used to tell my students that convenience and security pull in opposite directions.
This is me trying to explain why that still matters, especially now that “easy” is the default setting for almost everything.
open.substack.com/pub/ethicsin...
This is me trying to explain why that still matters, especially now that “easy” is the default setting for almost everything.
open.substack.com/pub/ethicsin...
AI can take repetitive work off your plate, but it doesn’t understand context, judgment, or human impact on its own.
The work shifts from assembling things to steering them and making sure what’s produced actually makes sense.
The work shifts from assembling things to steering them and making sure what’s produced actually makes sense.
January 23, 2026 at 12:48 AM
AI can take repetitive work off your plate, but it doesn’t understand context, judgment, or human impact on its own.
The work shifts from assembling things to steering them and making sure what’s produced actually makes sense.
The work shifts from assembling things to steering them and making sure what’s produced actually makes sense.
AI doesn’t come with ethics preinstalled.
It’s a tool, and like most tools, it takes care and practice to use well.
Used thoughtfully, it can support real work. Used carelessly or at scale, it can cause real harm.
The difference is how it’s used.
It’s a tool, and like most tools, it takes care and practice to use well.
Used thoughtfully, it can support real work. Used carelessly or at scale, it can cause real harm.
The difference is how it’s used.
January 22, 2026 at 10:23 PM
AI doesn’t come with ethics preinstalled.
It’s a tool, and like most tools, it takes care and practice to use well.
Used thoughtfully, it can support real work. Used carelessly or at scale, it can cause real harm.
The difference is how it’s used.
It’s a tool, and like most tools, it takes care and practice to use well.
Used thoughtfully, it can support real work. Used carelessly or at scale, it can cause real harm.
The difference is how it’s used.
Free AI SAT prep could make college-level study more accessible and that’s meaningful.
But there’s a real risk of it becoming a crutch if people stop verifying answers and doing the work themselves.
Use with awareness matters.
But there’s a real risk of it becoming a crutch if people stop verifying answers and doing the work themselves.
Use with awareness matters.
Google now offers a way for college-bound students to take free SAT practice exams with the help of Gemini.
Google now offers free SAT practice exams, powered by Gemini | TechCrunch
Google now offers a way for college-bound students to take free SAT practice exams with the help of Gemini.
techcrunch.com
January 22, 2026 at 9:16 PM
Free AI SAT prep could make college-level study more accessible and that’s meaningful.
But there’s a real risk of it becoming a crutch if people stop verifying answers and doing the work themselves.
Use with awareness matters.
But there’s a real risk of it becoming a crutch if people stop verifying answers and doing the work themselves.
Use with awareness matters.
When AI is talked about mostly in terms of growth and competitiveness, it's easy to miss why people are skeptical.
People don't experience GDP. They experience systems.
People don't experience GDP. They experience systems.
Facing a public worried about job-killing robots, the White House is embarking on a campaign to show that AI will actually unleash an economic renaissance — and that President Trump deserves the credit.
White House boasts of a ‘Trump Revolution,’ countering fears of job-killing robots
President Donald Trump wants America to lead on artificial intelligence at almost any cost, but he must contend with a skeptical public.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 22, 2026 at 5:23 AM
When AI is talked about mostly in terms of growth and competitiveness, it's easy to miss why people are skeptical.
People don't experience GDP. They experience systems.
People don't experience GDP. They experience systems.
A lot of the disconnect around AI comes from judging it by personal use.
If your experience is basic tools, the warnings sound ridiculous.
The concern isn’t the chat window. It’s what happens when those tools get embedded into critical systems and scaled far beyond individual use.
If your experience is basic tools, the warnings sound ridiculous.
The concern isn’t the chat window. It’s what happens when those tools get embedded into critical systems and scaled far beyond individual use.
January 22, 2026 at 2:28 AM
A lot of the disconnect around AI comes from judging it by personal use.
If your experience is basic tools, the warnings sound ridiculous.
The concern isn’t the chat window. It’s what happens when those tools get embedded into critical systems and scaled far beyond individual use.
If your experience is basic tools, the warnings sound ridiculous.
The concern isn’t the chat window. It’s what happens when those tools get embedded into critical systems and scaled far beyond individual use.