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Stephen T. Cobb

@scobb.net

5.2K followers 2.9K following 3.6K posts

Researcher of tech risk, AI, cybercrime, ethics. MSc. CISSP. He/him. Partner of amazing Chey. Carer. NHS volunteer. Coventrian. UK/US citizen. #FBPE. Pro truth, gender equity. Agin Trump, Musk, Tories. There be cats. Profile=Lola+Me. linktr.ee/StephenCobb

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Stephen T. Cobb @scobb.net · 18d

If you're new to me and/or Bluesky, here's the kind of work I do: explain the risks posed by technology, like baking in bad design choices that are still enabling crimes today. But I try to make my first post of the day a cat/sky/tree pic. #CyberSecurity #CyberCrime #Caturday #Cats #AI #TechEthics

What a Concept! 30 years of Microsoft macro-enabled crime and its impact on humans and AI

When Bill Gates' Microsoft shunned the wisdom of experts and mixed code with content in office documents it enabled cybercrimes costing the world billions. Now it's adding AI into the malware mix.

open.substack.com

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Stephen T. Cobb @scobb.net · 1h

Handy cyber 'trick' that has served me well:
If in doubt about something, maybe an email or text, an offer or a product, company, even a person, just Google a few words of description along with scam or fraud, as seen below:
#CyberAware #ThinkB4UClick #CyberSecurity #StaySafeOnline #BeCyberSmart

Screenshot of an example of using Google to explore the trustworthiness of people, products, services, and so on. Simply search for the name of the iten and the word fraud. In this example, the first and last name of a person or googled together with the word "fraud".

Stephen T. Cobb @scobb.net · 1h

So there I was, about to give a talk about "AI Futures" in which I discuss the tendency of digital technologies to eventually disappoint due to poor behaviour by humans, and a knock at the door delivers a prime example: half the clothes I ordered online were nicked from the bag they were shipped in.

Photo of white man in a light blue shirt holding a large white plastic bag in which there is a hole patched with tape. A hole out of which half the order of clothes (5 out of 10 items) has been stolen.

Stephen T. Cobb @scobb.net · 2h

"The most common fraud in the US over the past year was the impostor scam. More than 856,000 instances, collectively draining $2.7 billion nationwide, were reported to the FTC in 2023" @sciam.bsky.social #StaySafeOnline #CybersecurityAwarenessMonth #CyberAware #ThinkB4UClick #Fraud #BeCyberSmart

Defend Yourself against AI Impostor Scams with a Safe Word

Fraudsters are using AI voice-cloning services to steal identities. Code words can thwart this deception

www.scientificamerican.com

Reposted by Stephen T. Cobb

Scott Smith @canaansdad1987.bsky.social · 3h

Adam Kinzinger is on the spot with this video. Release the Epstein files

#USDemocracy

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Stephen T. Cobb @scobb.net · 3h

"It may feel counterintuitive, but one of the best things to do if you do get conned, is to share the experience with people you know...information is power, and we can learn collectively from our individual missteps...send me your scam tales to: [email protected]" A. Gawrylewski #StaySayOnline

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Stephen T. Cobb @scobb.net · 4h

French Couple at Café De La Ville
Bar-sur-Seine, France

[Photographer's print from 35mm film, shot with Zenit E w/ Helios 58mm F2, September, 1971] #humansofbluesky #streetphotography #photography #candid #urbangaze #monochrome #believeinfilm #blackandwhite #classicmono #foto #b&w

Reposted by Stephen T. Cobb

Teri G @terilg.bsky.social · 14h

Great but chilling column.

“We should be exceedingly clear:
There is no crisis in Chicago that requires the Nat’l Guard. To the extent that there is civil instability in Chicago it has been caused by Trump’s surge of federal agents into the city & their lawless assault on the citizens of Chicago”

Emergency Triad: The Chicago Rubicon and What Comes Next

We aren’t at the worst-case scenario yet. But if you squint, you can see it looming out there, just over the horizon.

www.thebulwark.com

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Reposted by Stephen T. Cobb

Honorée Fanonne Jeffers @blklibrarygirl.bsky.social · 1d

If you worked on something today, congratulate yourself: Childcare, answering emails, physical therapy, writing, watering plants.

Anything you did, go ‘head & remind yourself you survived another day & that’s a gracious plenty, given what’s happening.

Let’s not take our survival for granted.

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Farrukh @implausibleblog.bsky.social · 1d

Victoria Derbyshire, "You described Reform UK as the right wing fascists of 1930s, why?"

Lord Heseltine, "Because that's what they are"

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 1d

Your Prime Day reminder that Amazon...

-Provides cloud services that help fuel ICE's deportation machine
-Donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund
-Scrapped plans to display tariff costs after pressure from Trump
-Shelled out $40M for a documentary about Melania Trump

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Graham Platner for Senate @grahamformaine.bsky.social · 1d

VA healthcare saved my life. It allowed me to build my business.

In the richest country on Earth, we can guarantee decent healthcare for all.

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Reposted by Stephen T. Cobb

Amy Tidd @amytidd.bsky.social · 1d

A $10 million Medicaid settlement was quietly sent to the Hope Florida Foundation — a charity led by Casey DeSantis meant to help Floridians. But instead it was funneled into the coffers of a political com. to fight last year’s marijuana legalization effort.

floridapolitics.com/archives/759...

Subpoenas are flying over Hope Florida scandal with grand jury reportedly imminent

Hope Florida has been the subject of increasing scrutiny and lawmakers’ questions.

floridapolitics.com

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Reposted by Stephen T. Cobb

Lane Stellmaker @hipcrimevocab.net · 1d

If you are a Texan being investigated for your connections to "radical leftist" groups, I am interested in representing you against harassment by Ken Paxton's office.

Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 1d

Citing the “martyrdom” of Charlie Kirk, Texas AG Ken Paxton says his office is pursuing sweeping undercover investigations into “leftist” groups. “To those demented souls who seek to kill, steal, and destroy our country, know this: you cannot hide, you cannot escape, and justice is coming."

"Leftist political terrorism is a clear and present danger. Corrupted ideologies like transgenderism and Antifa are a cancer on our culture and have unleashed their deranged and drugged-up foot soldiers on the American people," said Attorney General Paxton. "The martyrdom of Charlie Kirk marks a turning point in America.
There can be no compromise with those who want us dead. To that end, I have directed my office to continue its efforts to identify, investigate, and infiltrate these leftist terror cells. To those demented souls who seek to kill, steal, and destroy our country, know this: you cannot hide, you cannot escape, and justice is coming."
The radical Left has incubated an environment where political violence is not only justified but celebrated and praised. In July, nearly two dozen armed leftists connected to various Texas-based Antifa-like groups ambushed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") facility in Alvarado, Texas. On September 10, 2025, a leftist assassin connected to the radical transgender movement murdered Charlie Kirk because of Kirk's bold support for truth, love of country, and unshakable faith. Two weeks later, another deranged leftist opened fire at an ICE facility in Dallas.
President Donald Trump has officially designated Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization and instructed his administration to "utilize all applicable authorities to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle any and all illegal operations — especially those involving terrorist actions — conducted by Antifa." Building on President Trump's bold actions, Attorney General Paxton has instructed his office to initiate sweeping investigations into radical leftist organizations engaged in or providing support to those performing political violence.

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Dr Kat Day (she/her) @chronicleflask.katday.com · 2d

Daughter of Robin Williams, Zelda Williams 💔

zeldawilliams
20m
From Create Mode
••
Please, just stop sending me AI videos of Dad. Stop believing I wanna see it or that I'll understand, I don't and I won't. If you're just trying to troll me, I've seen way worse, i'll restrict and move on. But please, if you've got any decency, just stop doing this to him and to me, to everyone even, full stop. It's dumb, it's a waste of time and energy, and believe me, it's NOT what he'd want.
To watch the legacies of real people be condensed down to 'this vaguely looks and sounds like them so that's enough,
, just so
other people can churn out horrible TikTok slop puppeteering them is maddening. You're not making art, you're making disgusting, over-processed hotdogs out of the lives of human beings, out of the history of art and music, and then shoving them down someone else's throat hoping they'll give you a little thumbs up and like it.
Gross.

And for the love of EVERYTHING, stop calling it 'the future. Al is just badly recycling and regurgitating the past to be reconsumed. You are taking in the Human Centipede of content, and from the very very end of the line, all while the folks at the front laugh and laugh, consume and consume.

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Senator Sheldon Whitehouse @whitehouse.senate.gov · 1d

AG Bondi, here’s that correction you requested.

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SAM @samierens.bsky.social · 2d

This needs to go viral!!

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Adam Parkhomenko @adamparkhomenko.bsky.social · 2d

Oh look the party that screams “family values” every five minutes is silent when one of their megachurch darlings pleads guilty to child sex abuse. But they’ll trip over themselves to ban books and attack drag shows. Tells you everything you need to know.

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Stephen T. Cobb @scobb.net · 1d

Excellent assessment of what is wrong with Elon Musk. And there's a lot wrong with Elon Musk.

moonchildjs.bsky.social @moonchildjs.bsky.social · 2d

Professor leaves Piers Morgan speechless. Kevin O’Leary smug faced silence.

Reposted by Stephen T. Cobb

Chris Murphy @chrismurphyct.bsky.social · 1d

This has nothing to do with crime. This is an attempt to crush political dissent.

Never before, in our entire 250 year history, has the military or immigration agents been used like this. It's dystopian, illegal, and it should stop.

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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 1d

The UAE is an authoritarian autocracy, a petro-state with no income tax for citizens, to bribe them for the lack of democratic voice or free speech

It is 85% migrant, a segregated society with a ban on integration in principle and practice, few rights, equal opportunities, nor voice for incomers

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GLEN JACKSON @glenjackson.bsky.social · 1d

🇨🇦 @mark-carney.bsky.social played Trump like a fiddle and just kept handing him rope, watching him dementia-out while making faces like this in the Oval Office today:
@deanblundell.bsky.social

open.substack.com/pub/deanblun...

VIDEO: Mark Carney Dog Walked Trump In Their Oval Office Meeting As Trump Melted Down. Again.

No one handles Trump better than Canada's Mark Carney. No one.

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Stephen T. Cobb

ChuckCjmmn @chuckcjmmn.bsky.social · 1d

MAGA Mike Johnson ranks near the top in terms of the most spineless speakers of the house ever. He’s a diaper changing cheerleader for Trump. Epitomizing the nonexistent maga work ethic.

#DefendersOfDemocracy

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Reposted by Stephen T. Cobb

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 1d

Just as a reminder, Bondi’s origin story in Trump world is that she said she was going to investigate Trump University, Trump sent her a $25K check and the investigation disappeared. She later became Trump’s personal defense lawyer. So yeah, don’t challenge her integrity.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d

Bondi to Blumenthal: "You lied. How dare you? I'm a career prosecutor. Don't you ever challenge my integrity. Do not question my ability to be fair and impartial."

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Andrea Devon @andreadevon.bsky.social · 1d

Mike Johnson says Republicans may not pay back federal workers after Trump’s shutdown.

They stand with billionaires and turn their backs on the workers who keep this country running. 😡

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Brian Tyler Cohen @briantylercohen.bsky.social · 1d

This is Adelita Grijalva.

She was elected to Congress two weeks ago, officially making her the final vote needed to force the release of the Epstein files.

She has still not been sworn in because Mike Johnson refuses to do so.

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