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Amie Stepanovich

@amiest.bsky.social
3.7K followers 239 following 134 posts

Privacy, tech, security My opinions are mine.

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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but even when you are confident about how awful everything is, there are still amazing things out there. There are people who would, without a single care about how “long it’s been”, love to have you reach out and say hello.
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
This is the BEST
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 04/07/2025
"These are the times that try men's souls…Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
Does the idea of living in a beautiful house on top of a mountain in the Blue Ridge appeal to you? We're selling our home - 5 acres of peace, but close to all the conveniences you could want (restaurants, medical, grocery, etc). Tell all your friends: www.landsearch.com/properties/5...
landsearch.com
5 Acres of Residential Land with Home for Sale in Pilot, Virginia
This rural residential 5-acre property for sale in Montgomery County, VA features mountainous terrain and can be your dream property with a 2,046 square foot house.
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
The best thing is getting to spend time with friends who can just passively make your world better by being in it. Don’t settle for less than that.
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Hard same. I remember when @lorenzofb.bsky.social threw in the towel a few years ago and I’m still sitting on this hill.
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Jordan Francis @jordfran.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
Check out this new comparison chart from me @baileysanchez.bsky.social and @keirlamont.bsky.social. We compare NYHIPA to two alternative frameworks—MHMD and the consumer health data protections in Connecticut's comprehensive privacy law. Read it here: www.linkedin.com/posts/jordan...
linkedin.com
Jordan Francis on LinkedIn: FPF Health Law Comparison Chart
New York caused a stir last month when the legislature passed S929, the Health Information Privacy Act ("NYHIPA," or "HIPA" if you want to be maximally…
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Nate Cardozo @natecardozo.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
I’ll be waking up early to attend!
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
Event happening in T-17 hours. So this is kinda your last call for ... a lovely conversation about how encryption helps protect kids and teens!
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John Verdi @johnverdi.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
There is no way to provide backdoors to encrypted data that does not put all users' info at risk. That includes government officials, companies, and individuals. www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Image of Washington Post headline reading "UK orders Apple to let it spy on users' encrypted accounts."
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Jason Koebler @jasonkoebler.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
Instead of going to therapy we all wrote about trying to rise to the moment, how we do this work, why we do this work, etc: www.404media.co/behind-the-b...
The reason this work is so hard at this exact moment is not just because a lot of shit is happening all at once, all over the government. It’s because the administration is hostile to journalists and to people who leak to them, so the stakes of any given story might be very high. We need to confirm information from sources who are in tricky situations, are actively being pressured to quit, are regularly threatened about the potential consequences of leaking or speaking to the press, and are giving us information at great personal risk. We often need to tell these people that what they’re telling us isn’t enough for us to report; we need multiple sources and specifics in order for us to feel comfortable publishing something, and so there are a lot of things we’ve heard but can’t actually publish because we don’t know for sure if it’s true, or because publishing it would almost definitely put a source at risk, etc. So for every article you see on the website, there are probably 10 more that we are trying to get at any given time, reporting lines we’ve had to abandon, and things like this. Add onto this that the District Attorney in DC is actively threatening journalists, the person we’re reporting on hates journalists, is the world’s richest man, and owns a massive social media platform filled with sycophants and uses it to directly threaten people who report on what he’s doing, and the whole endeavor is pretty high stakes and stressful. That’s to say nothing of Trump himself or Kash Patel or any of the other folks potentially involved here.
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 07/02/2025
Looks like the UK is trying to mandate a back door into secure Apple products that will impact security for everyone. Strange that this is happening right before Safer Internet Day, because the result will definitely be a LESS safe internet.
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Vas Panagiotopoulos @vaspanagiotopoulos.com · 06/02/2025
Paragon Solutions, the Israeli spyware vendor linked to new surveillance of journalists and civil society, has set up shop in the 🇪🇺EU’s most powerful country: 🇩🇪 Germany and thus gaining unrestricted access to the bloc. My debut for @euractiv.bsky.social. 👇 www.euractiv.com/section/tech...
euractiv.com
EXCLUSIVE: Spyware firm behind new surveillance of journalists, civil society operates from the EU
Paragon's establishment in Germany comes as places like Italy and Barcelona are becoming key European hubs for the spyware industry, attracting international hacking talent.
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
Join FPF next week for a virtual event on how encryption keeps kids and teens safe and secure, and be among the first to access one of FPF's newest resources. Register here: www.eventbrite.com/e/how-encryp...
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 29/01/2025
The folks at @abcaustralia.bsky.social did some very cool research into PIN commonality - big takeaway: if you're using a year or other date, stop (and while you're at it, kill all your other re-used passwords as well?): www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01...
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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 28/01/2025
I think some people hear “grants” and think that without them, scientists and government workers just have less stuff to play with at work. But grants fund salaries for students, academics, researchers, and people who work in all areas of public service. “Pausing” grants means people don’t eat.
washingtonpost.com
White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion
The Trump administration has put a hold on all federal financial grants and loans, affecting tens of billions of dollars in payments.
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Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
People of the Internet! A thing I am doing! The indefatigable @noahkunin.bsky.social and I have launched an occasional podcast called WatchCats to keep track of the inscrutable doings of the newly-christened DOGE. watchcats.transistor.fm/episodes/noa...
watchcats.transistor.fm
WatchCats | Noah Kunin and Julian Sanchez: Who watches the Watch DOGEs? | WatchCats #0
Noah Kunin and Julian Sanchez introduce the idea behind WatchCats!~~~Want to support the podcast? Join our Substack!--SOCIALS--XBlueSky
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 27/01/2025
The thing about policymaking is that, within any given space, folks are rarely more than one person removed from one another. If someone is saying something publicly rather than directly, it's to make a show. There may be good reasons to make a show, but it's good to keep that motivation in mind.
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Gabriel Malor @gabrielmalor.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
Who is your celebrity “Birthday Twin” (born same day as you)? Answer with pic or gif only. Mine is DON'T GIVE AWAY PII IN ANSWERS TO STUPID SOCIAL MEDIA PROMPTS dot gif
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Wondering where the US may go on AI legislation this year? So is everyone else. Here is @julespolonetsky.bsky.social on the different paths we may take, and how state legislators are doing their homework on the topic www.techpolicy.press/2025-may-be-...
techpolicy.press
2025 May be the Year of AI Legislation: Will We See Consensus Rules or a Patchwork? | TechPolicy.Press
Future of Privacy Forum CEO Jules Polonetsky notes shared perspectives on artificial intelligence FPF has observed in working with state lawmakers.
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
PSA to snow-impacted drivers: drive safe but also don’t be the jerk who doesn’t clean off the top of your car so that others get hit with giant slabs of ice. No one likes that person.
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
New employment opportunity at @futureofprivacy.bsky.social - fpf.org/policy-couns...
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Daniel Solove @daniel-solove.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
ICYMI [VIDEO] Webinar: Privacy Under the Trump Administration – @Daniel-Solove.bsky.social Amie Stepanovich (FPF) @amiest.bsky.social and @OmerTene.bsky.social (Goodwin) www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha1R...
youtube.com
Webinar: Privacy Under the Trump Administration
YouTube video by TeachPrivacy
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
It's happening!
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bailey sanchez @baileysanchez.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
I’m speaking at FOSI’s conference next Monday on “State of the States: From Albany to Sacramento.” We’ll be discussing trends in youth privacy & online safety laws, including what the courts have had to say about which laws might be unconstitutional. Reach out if you’ll be there!
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
I hope you'll register to join me, @daniel-solove.bsky.social and @omertene.bsky.social next week with the big question everyone (well, everyone in privacy) is asking: what now? teachprivacy.com/webinar-priv... Any big thoughts? Please, tell me!
teachprivacy.com
Webinar - Privacy Under the Trump Administration
Privacy Under the Trump Administration Thurs, Dec 12, 2024 at 2 PM ET In this webinar, we will discuss how privacy issues will fare under the upcoming
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TeachPrivacy @teachprivacy.bsky.social · 05/12/2024
Webinar: Privacy Under the Trump Administration (Thurs, Dec 12 at 2 PM ET) –Daniel Solove, Amie Stepanovich (FPF), and Omer Tene (Goodwin) Register free: teachprivacy.com/webinar-priv... @daniel-solove.bsky.social @amiest.bsky.social @omertene.bsky.social
teachprivacy.com
Webinar - Privacy Under the Trump Administration
Privacy Under the Trump Administration Thurs, Dec 12, 2024 at 2 PM ET In this webinar, we will discuss how privacy issues will fare under the upcoming
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 04/12/2024
In a move that will surprise no one paying attention, but is worthy of awareness, the FBI has issued a PSA on the use of synthetic content (read: AI generated content) to facilitate financial fraud www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA...
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
It's truly mind-blowing that in an era where we are bombarded with warnings about fraud, data breach, the coming dangers of quantum computing, etc, that we still can't get an unqualified statement from many regulators and gov officials in support of basic online security tools
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Me: My work is so thought-intensive, AI could never possibly step in for me Also me: Half of my job is repeating things I've already said 50 times throughout the course of my career for a new audience.
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Guardian Australia @australia.theguardian.com · 27/11/2024
Why I’ve changed my mind about the social media bill | Andrew Wilkie
theguardian.com
Why I’ve changed my mind about the social media bill | Andrew Wilkie
The ban is a blunt instrument that will silence the voices of young people instead of placing the onus on tech companies to protect them Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast I have a confession to make. I’ve done something that politicians aren’t expected to do. I’ve realised I was wrong and changed my mind. I have two teenage daughters and three teenage stepsons, and when the federal government announced that they were going to ban social media for under-16-year-olds, I was onboard. Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
If you're going to be up for the next couple hours, why not tune in virtually to our panel, "Exploring Online Security and Trust in Online Spaces for Young Australians" - register here: bit.ly/4g0Y5G3
bit.ly
Navigating Digital Safety: Exploring Security and Trust in Online Spaces for Young Australians
As technology evolves, so do the challenges of privacy, internet security, and online safety. As users of online platforms, young Australians are exposed to varied and increasing risks, including risks to their personal data privacy. Online spaces are also increasingly threatened by criminal and state-backed actors, and challenges to social cohesion. In our current digital context, what does it truly mean to be secure online, and how can we create a safer digital environment?
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Mona Eltahawy @monaeltahawy.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
UN Women's report on femicide showed that, globally, the most dangerous place for a woman to be was in her home, where the majority of women die at the hands of men. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
theguardian.com
Home is the most dangerous place for women, says global femicide report
Of the 85,000 women killed by men in 2023, 60% died at the hands of a partner or family member, new UN figures show
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
It turns out if you want to influence Australian policy, you need to have the Wiggles on your side www.smh.com.au/politics/fed...
Screenshot of article that reads, "LNP MP Garth Hamilton said Labor had rushed the legislation and sent mixed signals about details such as which platforms would be included. The Wiggles successfully lobbied to allow YouTube to remain while Snapchat will be banned, though both apps now also have a TikTok-style feed of clips."
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to sit down individually with folks at different organizations to learn how their privacy and cybersecurity teams work - or, at times, do not work - together. In this short report I summarize 10 things I learned from those interviews: fpf.org/resource/cha...
fpf.org
Challenges and Opportunities in Organizational Collaboration on Privacy and Cybersecurity
FPF’s Expert Group on Privacy and Cybersecurity has launched a new project to better understand these trends. As an initial step, we surveyed privacy and cybersecurity experts across organizations of ...
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
With the conversations happening in Canberra this week on tech and young people, it seems a good time to re-up the FPF infographic: Unpacking Age Assurance: Technologies and Tradeoffs, available here: fpf.org/wp-content/u...
screenshot of FPF's age assurance infographic, full text available at link
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Every time I see a story like this I think about the police chief who once told me how badly he wanted a drone to sit in his town square with a camera and a gun www.scmp.com/news/china/s...
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 24/11/2024
So this is truly scary for me because I was medically unable to complete my pertussis vaccination. Those of us with severe allergies rely upon the general public getting vaccinated for protection.
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 23/11/2024
Optimist: The cup is half full Pessimist: The cup is half empty Privacy Professional: What is the legitimate purpose for knowing what is in my cup and will the information about said cup be de-identified?
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Nothing quite says "you've made it" as a social media site as a government block therecord.media/bluesky-acce...
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Australians can tell I’m not a local because when I glare at the bad drivers running through pedestrian right-of-ways, I’m actually glaring at the passenger.
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Amie Stepanovich @amiest.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Hits different - xkcd.com/792/
xkcd.com
Password Reuse
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