David Huerta

Extremely useful risk mitigation advice from @freedom.press 👇

i started researching Russian disinfo networks in 2014 and writing about them in 2015 and the sheer amount of smug online assholes who dismissed every piece of reporting as CIA propaganda or whatever will never not piss me off

go birbs

CactusCon pokemon

@cactuscon.com was so much fun. @huertanix.bsky.social and I had a blast doing our Worst of Cybersecurity Reporting roast for the 7th (!!) time. Great talks, loved the keynote on ransomware and patient care, and the Pokemon shirts and badges were amazing. Plus having a barcade afterparty is fire.

Paywall-free news coverage of ICE raids, deportation campaign aids those who need it most Paywalls create a two-tiered citizenry — one that can afford to be informed, and one that cannot, actor and political activist John Cusack writes.

"Paywalls don’t just limit the reach of news; they create a void often filled by lies and deceit," writes FPF board member @johncusack.bsky.social.

"Whatever business model journalism settles on is sure to depend on public trust. Paywalls undermine that trust."

Paywall-free news coverage of ICE raids, deportation campaign aids those who need it most Paywalls create a two-tiered citizenry — one that can afford to be informed, and one that cannot, actor and political activist John Cusack writes.

“Unpaywalling” is good not only for democracy but for business, writes FPF board member @johncusack.bsky.social.

Outlets that dropped paywalls for their FOIA-based reporting, like @wired.com and @404media.co, saw significant increases in subscriptions and revenue.

Text from an article reading: 'FOIA Wiki. This website, a collaborative effort that was spearheaded by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, is one of my favorite resources. Most entries contain a section on how to challenge exemptions or determinations, as well as case law citations.'

Thanks to @laurenleharper.bsky.social for highlighting FOIA Wiki as one of her "favorite resources" in a recent @freedom.press newsletter! freedom.press/the-classifi...

FOIA.wiki is a free public resource with all the information you need to submit FOIA requests, appeal a denial, and more.

Minnesota judge summons ICE leader to court, threatens contempt sanctions The chief judge, a George W. Bush appointee, said the administration had repeatedly violated or slow-walked court orders in Minnesota.

Good. More sanctions please.

We're tired of judges getting getting credit for saying or writing the right things in response to ICE abuses — including of journalists and their sources — but not doing anything about it.

Join us for a screening of the Oscar-shortlisted film Cover-Up by award-winning director and FPF board member Laura Poitras, followed by a conversation with Poitras, legendary journalist Sy Hersh, and FPF board member @azmatzahra.bsky.social.

📆 Monday, Feb. 2, 6 pm
📍 @columbiajournalism.bsky.social

"The government lumps all eight protestors together and says things that are true of some but not all of them. Two of the five protestors were not protestors at all; instead, they were a journalist and his producer. There is no evidence that those two engaged in any criminal behavior or conspired to do so."

BREAKING

The Eighth Circuit REJECTED Pam Bondi's mandamus request to issue more arrests warrants in the St. Paul church protest.

At the district court level, the chief judge found "no evidence" Don Lemon and his producer "engaged in criminal behavior."

If you have a 3D printer and need an outlet, this is something you can do right now. We are shipping whistles as fast as we can and we can't keep up with how many they need!

Riddle me this: if Elephant Birds really went extinct in the late 1600s, why does this one look exactly like Stephen Miller? #stephenmiller is simply a big bird in a man suit. He must be hunted for sport until extinction.

Man Cereal: Stuff your mouth with balls.

As promised, audio of Intuit CMO Thomas Ranese answering my questions is in today's episode of It Could Happen Here.

You can also listen to him admit he has no idea what happens when your financial data gets stolen here.

Journalists are being targeted, press access to the White House is restricted, and the president is going after news outlets he doesn't like.

We're standing up for press freedom. Join the national town hall tonight — a conversation at a moment of crisis.

freedom.press/townhall2026

First CES panel. Intuit CMO Thomas Ranese is proud of his company's integration with OpenAI, which involves giving AI read/write access to tax data. Since prompt injection attacks are unavoidable, I asked him who will be liable when customer data is exposed: Intuit, OpenAI, etc?

He had no idea.

ICE documents reveal plan to hold 80,000 immigrants in warehouses The Trump administration wants to build seven large-scale deportation hubs to speed up deportations, internal ICE documents show.

WaPo reports that ICE is planning 7 massive human warehouses holding 5,000 to 10,000 people.

Recalls the acting ICE director 2015 statement that he wanted to see a “business”-oriented approach to deportations, “like [Amazon] Prime, but with human beings”.

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Hell Gate Is Hiring Again! We're looking for an editor to join the worker-owned media revolution.

🚨JOB ALERT🚨 Enjoy writing clever headlines and assigning one-of-a-kind stories? Have an eye for detail and a knack for turning rough copy into sparkling prose? We're looking for another editor to join our small but elite team covering New York City news and culture.

The 2026 journalist’s digital security checklist Our digital security training team's checklist to help journalists secure their digital life.

In tumultuous times, we believe in being prepared, not scared.

We’ve distilled the advice our trainers have shared with thousands of journalists over the years into the actionable, concrete steps in our 2026 journalist’s digital security checklist:

CactusCon. I'm speaking at Cactuscon 14! Worst of Cybersecurity Reporting 2025. Saturday, February 7, 2026, 11:30 AM. Yael Grauer, huertanix

I know we're all trying to get through the holidays and the end of the year and nobody's thinking about February yet, but mark this in your calendar? @huertanix.bsky.social @cactuscon.com

US Journalists on Aid Flotillas Allege Israeli Soldier Abuse A recent panel of three US journalists aboard the Gaza aid flotillas say they faced assault and threats from Israeli soldiers — and that the US government did little to help them.

We wrote for @jacobinmag.bsky.social about our recent panel with three U.S. journalists who were aboard the Gaza aid flotillas.

They described facing assaults and threats from Israeli soldiers — and said the U.S. government did little to help.

journalists really should stop baring their entire asses like this

"I have no idea how this technology actually works but my editor is mostly interested in engagement clicks so we proceeded anyway"

Iranian Studies Professor Taken Into Immigration Custody While Traveling To Academic Conference Vahid Abedini was on his way to a Middle East Studies Association meeting when he was detained. He’s now in ICE custody.

ICE now casually and lawlessly arrests scholars, journalists and commentators without any justification.

Professor Detained En Route To Middle East Studies Conference: Vahid Abedini was on his way to a Middle East Studies Association meeting when he was detained. He’s now in ICE custody.

When I briefly lived in Portland, Oregon it was surreal being seemingly the only person who's music tastes weren't limited to stuff that came out in the 80s to early 2000s.

my advice for growing older is to never stop listening to new music

Apple Has A New Digital ID And Passport Feature On iPhones — But Security Experts Have Thoughts Security experts weigh the pros and cons of uploading your personal identification onto your phone.

FPF senior digital security trainer @huertanix.bsky.social spoke with @huffpost.com’s @monicatorrr.bsky.social about the privacy implications of uploading your personal identification onto your phone.

Zohran, the Sickos Guy, and Tim Onion.

One last time: Every time I post it he goes up five more points.

@sulliview.bsky.social on why #ZohranMamdani will [very likely] be next mayor of New York:

Chicago woman dragged out of her car after colliding with ICE demands accountability The arrest of Dayanne Figueroa highlights growing concerns about the use of force against U.S. citizens and due process. She was released after a few hours without charges.

Full story here: www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/03/c...

Dayanne Figueroa was on her way to get coffee before heading to work when she encountered a chaotic scene in West Town: heavily armed, masked federal agents making arrests on a residential street. People yelled as vehicles honked their horn — a sign now used to alert neighbors that immigration federal agents are in the area — and witnesses said federal agents had arrested several landscaper workers presumed to be in the country without authorization. As Figuero tried to drive through the 1600 block of West Hubbard Street on Friday, Oct. 10, an unmarked vehicle driven by federal agents collided with Figueroa’s as it tried to speed away from a hostile crowd, multiple videos reviewed by the Tribune show. Seconds after the crash, agents abruptly stopped their vehicle and exited with weapons in hand pointing at Figueroa, a U.S citizen. Agents then forcibly opened her door and pulled her out of the vehicle by her legs without identifying themselves, presenting a warrant or informing her that she was under arrest. As bystanders yelled, “You hit her! We have it on video!” agents ignored the crowd and forced Figueroa into a red minivan and drove away. Her car was left behind in the middle of the road, her coffee still in the cup holder, and her keys in plain view.

In Chicago, a woman was driving to get coffee when a DHS vehicle fleeing an angry crowd crashed into her car. Armed agents jumped out of the vehicle, yanked her door open, pulled her by the legs out of her car at gunpoint, held her incommunicado for hours, then released her with no charges.