Blake Montgomery
@montgomery.bsky.social
4.2K followers 330 following 230 posts
Tech editor at the Guardian US, science fiction writer, and a tale told by an idiot. Email me: [email protected]
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Reposted by Blake Montgomery
kcinbk.bsky.social
I wrote about how foreign apparel sellers rushed to cash in on Charlie Kirk’s death. Within hours, these astroturf accounts started flooding Facebook and Instagram with merch ads. Some of these paid posts even claimed “100% of the profits” would go to his orgs and family.

tinyurl.com/4x253yn7
Merch sellers cash in on Kirk’s killing with flood of social media ads
Foreign brands not linked to Kirk’s Turning Point USA sell patriotic gear with unclear promises to donate profits
www.theguardian.com
Reposted by Blake Montgomery
jmbooyah.bsky.social
In 2021, a 25-year-old US citizen had their DNA collected by CBP at a Chicago airport according to new govt data. They were just one of about 2000 US citizens who had their DNA collected by border agents & shared with the FBI including some as young as 14. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
US border patrol collected DNA from thousands of US citizens for years, data shows
CBP officers took DNA samples from about 2,000 citizens, some as young as 14 and many who never faced criminal charges, new analysis shows
www.theguardian.com
Reposted by Blake Montgomery
jmbooyah.bsky.social
NEW: How does ICE actually use Palantir?

A new cache of documents obtained by @justfutureslaw.bsky.social from 2014-2022 give us a fresh look at real examples of how the agency has used the technology to perform enforcement operations www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
montgomery.bsky.social
For years, little was known about the multibillion-dollar company that handles data for the US immigration enforcement agency. Now, a cache of emails, training docs and reports sheds light on how Palantir helps Ice with investigations and on-the-ground enforcement
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
Documents offer rare insight on Ice’s close relationship with Palantir
For years, little was known about the multibillion-dollar company that handles data for the US immigration enforcement agency. Now, a cache of emails, training documents and reports sheds light on how...
www.theguardian.com
montgomery.bsky.social
Tim Apple put his son on Ozempic
montgomery.bsky.social
The news today is like "The president gave a pedophile a sexy birthday card" and "Israel probs bombed Qatar holy shit", but me and the rest of the tech journos are like "omggg u guys new iphone!!"
Reposted by Blake Montgomery
rmac.bsky.social
When Ross Ulbricht received a pardon from Trump for running Silk Road, the dark web drug marketplace, we wondered what his next move would be.

Over the past 7 months, he's gone on a speaking tour and received tens of millions of dollars in donations. It's a story tailor-made for the Trump era.
The Spectacular Comeback Tour of a Crypto Overlord
www.nytimes.com
Reposted by Blake Montgomery
couts.bsky.social
🚨Journalism job alert🚨

We're hiring an investigative reporter to join my team at @wired.com. We're looking for someone who has both traditional and non-traditional reporting skills (coding/data work/OSINT, etc). Fit the bill? Come work with me! condenast.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/CondeCareers...
Senior Writer, Investigations
WIRED is where a better future is imagined. For three decades, we have been the indispensable guide to a world in constant transformation. We cover humanity’s biggest challenges, from climate change t...
condenast.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com
Reposted by Blake Montgomery
darakerr.bsky.social
For Hawaiians, SpaceX rocket debris polluting their waters is distressing.

They treat it "like it’s this vast ocean with these tiny, remote specs," one person said. "That smallness and that idea of remoteness... means that the area can be used in this way.”

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Inside Elon Musk’s plan to rain SpaceX’s rocket debris over Hawaii’s pristine waters
Texas has long been under threat from the launches and explosions of SpaceX rockets. Now Hawaii is emerging as another possible victim
www.theguardian.com
Reposted by Blake Montgomery
darakerr.bsky.social
Finally, this story by Nick Robins-Early dropped!

“Just a few months ago, it was hard to imagine that an active government employee at an agency embedded across the government would assume control over a pharmaceutical company seeking FDA approval.”

www.theguardian.com/technology/n...
How Elon Musk’s billionaire Doge lieutenant took over the US’s biggest MDMA company
Antonio Gracias is part of the growing movement among Silicon Valley’s right wing enamored with the therapeutic and commercial potential of drugs like MDMA
www.theguardian.com
montgomery.bsky.social
I promise you that this story has the strangest introductory scene you will read today www.theguardian.com/technology/n...