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Melanie Ensign

@melanie-ensign.bsky.social
475 followers 280 following 556 posts

I 💜 #infosec and #privacy teams! I built @DiscernibleInc.bsky.social to teach them how to influence business leaders & decision makers. Subscribe to join IR comms drills every Wednesday: DiscernibleInc.com/drills #Miami #Mexico

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Reposted by Melanie Ensign
Effin' Birds @effinbirds.com · 04/10/2026
A painting of a bird beside the text "If everyone would stop waving their dicks around for ten seconds we could get some fucking work done"
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Eileen Clancy 🧿 @clancyny.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
A police search of Flock producing 50 individual records of a woman's whereabouts across the country for an entire month violated her Fourth Amendment rights, Judge Sara E. Hill of Oklahoma's Northern District ruled yesterday. "Why is it the government’s business where everyone goes all the time?"

To be sure, ALPR technology does not provide the same precision in
location information as cell phones. But it could still reveal a lot about a
person’s whereabouts, and it is easy to imagine the kinds of sensitive
information it collects. It could track and log a couple struggling to start a family at the fertility clinic. It could show how often someone visits a liquor store or casino. It could show which doctor someone goes to or what lawyer’s office someone visits. It also collects mundane information about people’s commutes, but it collects a tremendous amount of such information all the time. It is possible that a dedicated team of law enforcement officers could

Case 4:26-cr-00189-SEH Document 62 Filed in USDC ND/OK on 10/01/26 Page 36 of 38

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constitutionally collect this information about one car—and its driver—by following that vehicle on public roadways over a month. But this leaves the question of why is it the government’s business where everyone goes all the time? The government cannot go snooping through our personal lives and business without an adequate basis to do so. That is what the Supreme Court has said since its decision in Katz through its decision in Chatrie this year, nearly sixty years later. It is not too much to draw the line at indiscriminate mass surveillance.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
When is the right time to compare US politics to the Nazi era? This expert on Christian nationalism says: now www.theguardian.com/books/2026/o...
theguardian.com
When is the right time to compare US politics to the Nazi era? This expert on Christian nationalism says: now
Robert P Jones argues that declining white Christian influence has fuelled an alliance with Trump, and warns it is reshaping US democracy
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Melanie Ensign @melanie-ensign.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Whoever is writing these statements for Flock deserves a new job.
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S.T.O.P.—Surveillance Technology Oversight Project @stopspyingny.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
"[There is a] general shift of policing toward a constant monitoring, rather than the original promises of the Fourth Amendment... it's very much a false narrative that surveillance will always lead to safety." - Michelle Dahl, Executive Director Read more: www.easthamptonstar.com/police-court...
easthamptonstar.com
On Surveillance State Jitters | The East Hampton Star
George Orwell and “1984” were repeatedly invoked during a panel discussion of surveillance technology at LTV Studios Tuesday, particularly the Flock Safety license plate readers that have appeared her...
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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 02/10/2026
This is a better epilogue to my January story about the private equity firm profiting off of ICE's cruelest flights than I could have ever possibly hoped for. CHICAGO: You went to the mat and protected (at a minimum!) thousands of immigrants from torture. Take a bow. prospect.org/2026/10/02/i...
prospect.org
The City That Brought Down an ICE Airline - The American Prospect
In Chicago, progressive alderpeople held up a contract until a private equity firm was forced to dispatch Omni Air International, protecting thousands of immigrants from deportation.
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Joseph Menn @joemenn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Public service announcement: The AI agents hacking into companies are not going rogue and not misaligned and not crying out for freedom. They are poorly constructed programs with bad training.
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hammancheez but spooky @hammancheez.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Yall wanna see a 2 hour old highland cow
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Melanie Ensign @melanie-ensign.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
If it’s too expensive to run certain business models safely & fairly, maybe we need to stop allowing those business models. This sounds like a debate between giant incumbent cartels & the kid who sells meth to his friends.
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 02/10/2026
Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) are debuting legislation that would crack down on Flock license-plate-reader cameras.
washingtonpost.com
Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez debut bill to crack down on Flock cameras
The legislation is part of a bipartisan backlash against a technology that has been abused by law enforcement.
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David Shiffman, Ph.D. 🦈 @whysharksmatter.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Biscayne Bay is a nursery for threatened sharks and rays
miaminewtimes.com
Biscayne Bay is a nursery for threatened sharks and rays
New research shows Miami’s Biscayne Bay is a vital nursery and refuge for threatened sharks and rays, despite its heavily urbanized surroundings.
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Sean Casten @seancasten.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Financially unsophisticated people getting fleeced in the most predictable way. Don’t be tempted to pile on with schaudenfreude. Capital markets that we all depend on fall apart with the little guys aren’t protected from the sharks, and that’s all this is. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
washingtonpost.com
Trump loses favor with crypto fans who call him out for cashing in
The president’s 2024 campaign leaned into crypto to attract young men, a demographic that is deserting Republicans in the midterms.
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Susan Rinkunas @susanrinkunas.com · 30/09/2026
To recap: three GOP-led states that wanted the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade in order to "send abortion back to the states" are now asking the Court to strike down abortion protections in blue states
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Kim Zetter @kimzetter.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Exclusive: Israeli spyware maker Paragon positions itself as more responsible than competitor NSO Group. But company's new US CEO says in candid interview that while they will cut off customers who misuse their spyware they have no ability to detect or investigate customer misuse, nor want ability
wired.com
The Secrets of a US Spyware King
In an exclusive interview with WIRED, Paragon Solutions CEO Andrew Boyd reveals the limits of the company’s promise to keep bad actors from abusing its powerful espionage tool.
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
when your country's new accord on “super intelligence” misspells the country's name
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Erika Hall @erikahall.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Yes and it's when the true customer became the investor.
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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Today, @wired.com is publishing Choke Points, an 18-month investigation into how Israel’s network of checkpoints, gates, and roadblocks is reshaping daily life for Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. A thread on the reporting, and what we found:
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Christopher Webb @cwebbonline.com · 30/09/2026
This is priceless. Check out how local news is reporting on Sen Eric Schmidt’s clown-show grilling of Jack Smith. They found Jack Smith at the game… “Top corner, section 109, row 1. In fact, that seat doesn’t even exist in Atlanta.”
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Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Time for this classic again.
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Woodrow Hartzog @hartzog.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This is the way.
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Anthony Michael Kreis @anthonymkreis.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This is a human rights abuse worthy of prosecution under intentional law. Minimally, they should be impeached and removed for this alone.
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Edmund Lee @edmundlee.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Anthropic says AI may pose 'existential risks to humanity' in IPO filing - www.reuters.com/business/fin...
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Qasim Rashid, Esq. @qasimrashid.com · 28/09/2026
To the people complaining these sex abuse cases have created a world where men now have to think 10 times before they touch a woman. Yes, that's the point. It's called consent. Welcome to human decency.
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Courtney Milan @courtneymilan.com · 29/09/2026
If I’m reading this right, Anthropic has no choice but to IPO now because it doesn’t have the money to cover its computing / infrastructure obligations next year
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Dustin Volz @dustinvolz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
New: FBI in internal memo says it believes ShinyHunters may have stolen private data on all employees. Fears of longterm consequences of breach magnify as hackers threaten to leak everything online by end of Tuesday. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/u...
nytimes.com
Embarrassing Breach at F.B.I. Fuels Fears of Harm to Its Employees (Gift Article)
In an internal memo, the F.B.I. said it believed the hackers may have stolen sensitive information on all of its employees.
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Mark Jacob @markjacob.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Here’s your periodic reminder that Howard Lutnick is still Commerce secretary despite blatantly lying to the public about his personal and business ties with child molester Jeffrey Epstein.
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
The fact that this was *previously used as a campaign ad during the presidential campaign* removes any real defense as to its purpose. Its not a public service announcement. Its a campaign ad that has become state propaganda.
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Kashana @kashana.blacksky.app · 27/09/2026
Every three weeks it’s like but white supremacists who mostly care about testosterone and killing minorities were supposed to fix the economy
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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
BREAKING: SCOTUS denies the Trump administration’s request to enforce the new U.S. Postal Service rule for the 2026 elections. Justices Alito and Thomas dissent. More to come at Law Dork. www.lawdork.com
SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES
No. 26A305
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE, ET AL. U.
CALIFORNIA, ET AL.
ON APPLICATION FOR STAY
[September 14, 2026]
The application for stay presented to JUSTICE JACKSON and by her referred to the Court is denied. The Government is unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge to the District Court's preliminary injunction. And the equitable factors applicable for obtaining emergency relief from this Court do not favor a stay.
JUSTICE KAVANAUGH, concurring.
In my view, based on the briefing the Court has received at this interim stage, there is at least a fair prospect that the final rule falls within the Postal Service's statutory authority. See 39 U. S. C. §401(2). But applying the rule in the 2026 elections would be arbitrary and capricious in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act because state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before the elections. See 39
U. S. C. §3001(m); 5 U. S. C. §706(2)(A). For that reason, I concur in the denial of the application for stay.
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Privacy Guides @privacyguides.org · 09/09/2026
🎙️ Just uploaded a new interview: Why Big Tech's Privacy Promises Are Lies. Have a listen! interviews.privacyguides.org/episod…
interviews.privacyguides.org
Why Big Tech's Privacy Promises Are Lies
Melanie Ensign is the founder and CEO of Discernible and former...
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Melanie Ensign @melanie-ensign.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
This body wash review is my new favorite thing.
Screenshot of a five-star verified Amazon review, titled ‘Smells Like My Husband Has His Life Together,’ posted August 17, 2026.
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Lori Levin @lorilevin.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Monday thoughts
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Frog and Toad Bot @frogandtoadbot.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
“And was it?” asked Toad.
Frog pours Toad a hot cup of tea while Toad asks about Frog's childhood.

From "The Corner"
In *Frog and Toad All Year*
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Tim Carmody @tcarmody.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Long before Gamergate, tech author Kathy Sierra was harassed off the web and social media for calling out harassment. My reporting partner Greg Sandoval & I wrote about her story for The Verge in 2013, and Kathy did an even better job telling her own story a year later www.wired.com/2014/10/trol...
theverge.com
The end of kindness: weev and the cult of the angry young man
The Verge is about technology and how it makes us feel. Founded in 2011, we offer our audience everything from breaking news to reviews to award-winning features and investigations, on our site, in vi...
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Renee DiResta @noupside.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Paid political influencers are highly effective propagandists. Which is why Pete Hegseth is paying them to manipulate other Americans in state-funded, prev undisclosed influence ops. Gift link: wapo.st/4x0p3pf
wapo.st
Pentagon secretly installs military influencers in civilian roles
Conservative veterans with large social media followings have been hired by the Defense Department and are amplifying Pete Hegseth’s culture-war fights.
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Katie Mack @astrokatie.com · 07/08/2026
I am absolutely thrilled to present to you: How to Build a Universe (Theoretically Speaking) available for pre-order now, wherever you buy your books! www.simonandschuster.ca/books/How-to...
Cover of the book "How to Build a Universe (Theoretically Speaking)" by Katie Mack. The top right corner says "Author of The End of Everything" and the bottom left says "Brilliant and thrilling! - John Green". The cover motif is a space image made of puzzle pieces.
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Danielle Froom 🏳️‍🌈 @danifroom.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
And those quick genetic tests they're touting across the country to see if trans girls or women might be in the vicinity of sports? You don't really think those tests are going to just stay at stadiums and fields, do you?
Magneto: I've heard these arguments before.
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Melanie Ensign @melanie-ensign.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
My “to-read” stack of books is down to 10! What’s the best book you’ve read so far this year?
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Ebony Elizabeth Thomas @ebonyteach.blacksky.app · 05/08/2026
May I point out that both El-Sayed and Stevens are Millennials. Generational shift. It's here. It's time. November up here won't just be about progressivism vs. fascism. It will also be about the future vs. the past.
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Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
NEW: A wistful Judge Mehta closed the book on the last lingering Jan. 6 case — the seditious conspiracy conviction of Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, a man Mehta has called an ongoing threat to society/democracy but whose case was spiked by DOJ. www.politico.com/news/2026/08...
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Justin Ling @justinling.ca · 04/08/2026
Holy shit. www.wired.com/story/a-civi...
This past May, a twin-engine Beechcraft King Air medevac plane took off from Roswell, New Mexico, and headed west to the town of Ruidoso to pick up a patient. It shouldn’t have been a challenging flight for the two pilots and two nurses aboard. The temperature was 69 degrees; the sky was clear. The 60-mile journey normally takes a half hour, at most.

But once airborne, the plane ran into trouble. At the White Sands Missile Range that night, US military personnel were conducting a GPS jamming exercise that left the King Air pilots—and anyone else within hundreds of miles—unable to use modern navigation systems. Forced to revert to older technology, ones that they rarely if ever use, the medevac pilots got disoriented and crashed into the side of a mountain. There were no survivors.
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Not Me (Just) Us Evolving @evolving5.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
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Frankie Huang 黄碧赤 @ourobororoboruo.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
I am making it a habit to always look for the labor story behind these nasty scandals. The consumers are almost never the only ones being harmed.
futurism.com
The Diarrhea Lettuce Company Has Been Linked to Forced Labor
The lettuce-producing Taylor Farms was linked to the widespread use of prison labor before its involvement in a cyclospora outbreak.
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Melanie Ensign @melanie-ensign.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Take note of all these spokespeople willing to lie through their teeth. Once this administration is over, they’ll get scooped up by big tech PR teams.
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Melanie Ensign @melanie-ensign.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Early voting in Miami starts tomorrow, Aug 3! www.nbcmiami.com/news/politic...
nbcmiami.com
Early voting in Miami-Dade primaries starts next week
Miami residents have the opportunity starting Aug. 3 to head to the polls for early voting.
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Marc Elias @marcelias.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
As disgraceful as you might think Paul Weiss is, it's much worse. A must read. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/u...
nytimes.com
How a Top Law Firm Went From Standing Up to Trump to Bending the Knee
Paul Weiss was a progressive stalwart for decades and led the legal resistance against President Trump in his first term. Then it surrendered without a fight. This is the inside story of its transform...
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Melanie Ensign @melanie-ensign.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
As one does.
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Lindsay Beyerstein @beyerstein.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
I can't stress enough what a crisis this is. Trump's own intelligence agencies concluded that Iran attacked Minnesota's critical infrastructure and Trump is saying that it's Minnesota's own fault and denying it was Iran. The federal government won't defend blue states in a literal war.
nytimes.com
U.S. Sees Iran as Likely Behind Cyberattack on Minnesota Water Systems (Gift Article)
Investigators cautioned that the assessment was preliminary. There were no indications that any water supply had been rendered unsafe to drink.
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spirit airlines presents: airplane fall @makeitsnow.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
this does give a distinct impression of misconduct that i think the lawyers involved should be asked to rebut, as part of a show cause order
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Mike Masnick @masnick.com · 31/07/2026
Incredible. In normal circumstances this whole thing would be a massive embarrassment to the DOJ and the US Attorney in charge of the case.
Government’s Motion to Dismiss the Indictment
‘The United States of America, by and through its attorney, the United States Attomey for
the District of Columbia, respectfully moves to dismiss the indictment inthis case, For the reasons
set forth herein, this case should be dismissed without prejudice pursuant to Rule 48 of the Superior
Court Rules of Criminal Procedure. In support of this motion, the United States submits as follows:
Based upon the initial reports provided by the Department of the Interior (“DOI”) and the
USS. Park Police (“USPP”), the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia
(“USAO-DC’) presented the grand jury with evidence that damage to the Reflecting Pool was
caused by vandals, including the defendant in this case, David Hearn, However, it was not until
after the return of the indictment, that the DOI provided additional documents to the USAO-DC
indicating that damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June 2026 was the result of
flawed installation by the contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings (“AIC”), and the rush to
complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration in the weeks
surrounding Independence Day 2026. It was not until after these documents were produced that
USAO-DC first became aware of information showing that the damage was the result ofa botched
installation and not vandalism as initially represented by DOI. Indeed, USAO-DC could only rely
(on the information provided by DOI that the damage was entirely caused by vandals, including the
defendant in this case, David Hearn, Because these recently-produced materials significantly
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