R Petras

My neighbor’s igloo.
#Baltimore

My neighbor!

So proud of our Baltimore community.

The @psst-org.bsky.social Safe offers tech workers a way to come forward with concerns discreetly. We offer pro-bono legal advice and overall support. If you are someone you know see something, you can save it in the Safe.

When you talk to real tech workers instead of billionaire CEOs, they hold one common opinion about AI. 👇

We need to make it easier - and normal - for people who work in tech to be able to share their takes. A working climate that chills free speech at the peril of job loss doesn't serve anyone.

Ummmm…this can’t be good.

Keeping public pressure on these companies has quite literally become an existential imperative.

Brutal fact is that holding big tech/big AI to account really threatens the pocket book. We need to fix that - collective action within the industry can keep people safe and financially sound.
Thank you @katekenny.bsky.social for making sense of it all.

Opinion | That Hegseth Speech Was Actually Pretty Good

Wrong. Accountability fosters trust. W/o trust, the military is a danger to national security.
"Oversight agencies...created a network of whistle-blowers & watchdogs that undermines the authority of commanders. Commanders who are too accountable become risk-averse."
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/07/o...

Until companies re-set their cultures to call out these concerns, we need external mechanisms, like the @psst-org.bsky.social Safe to help the public know what is going on behind the curtain.

My 86 yo mom goes to a protest every week. She has lately felt deflated. This article helped her.

From the chicago community on Reddit: Mayor Brandon Johnson on biking in Chicago Explore this post and more from the chicago community

Love biking through Chicago
www.reddit.com/r/chicago/co...

WORKERS SPEAK OUT 🎤

Be careful who you RIF.

Aisha Coffey spent 15 years running campaigns that literally saved lives. After getting laid off by Doge, she’s leading a network of federal workers getting the truth out to the public.

Here's her “villain arc”:

psstpsst.substack.com/p/strategic-...

Here’s the o those who don’t stay silent.
@psst-org.bsky.social

Incredible hearing.
Could really benefit from more information from the inside of these companies.
@psst-org.bsky.social

Good news today. 👏👏👏

We tuned into this hearing live and shared out the most salient moments, check out our thread for a recap: bsky.app/profile/psst...

A common thread across AI research: safeguards exist, but are way too easy to bypass. ⬇️

More details on WhatsApp's lack of security protocols. @psst-org.bsky.social behind-the-scenes look.

For every $1 Meta has invested in the safety and security of its users, it has spent more than $7 to boost its own stock price.

The most unsurprising statement ever.

Disparaging whistleblowers is in the PR handbook at Meta.

@psst-org.bsky.social

Happening now - whistleblowers in front of the Senate once again making it clear that Meta cannot be trusted.

Whistle-Blower Sues Meta Over Claims of WhatsApp Security Flaws

New Meta whistleblower says WhatsApp was shockingly unprotected: just 6 security engineers, 100,000 account hacks/day, exposed metadata. Businesses, journalists, activists, families rely on it daily.

We helped protect this worker as he brought his story to the NYT:

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/t...

If only Meta committed to the security they claim, we wouldn't need a whistleblower to tell the truth. Time & time again, the only way the public knows what's going on is through a whistleblower. @psst-org.bsky.social helped bring this story to the public while protecting Baig.

Whistleblowers have long been one of the most important checks on power we have. When they share, we listen.

Oh I will be buying more than one copy and gifting to others. Hers is a story of courage and perseverance…all to help us know truth. @reazlepuff.bsky.social is one of the main reasons I work everyday to help those who come forward with critical information.

Remember, we are not receiving WHO info either...

It used to be that federal workers helped the federal govt do better for citizens. Now they are the enemy of the federal government. Let that sink in.

(If you have faced retaliation for reporting public concerns, @psst-org.bsky.social can give you pro bono legal advice.)

Trump administration suspends FEMA employees who warned about disaster response The letter urges Congress to take action to stop the Trump administration from dismantling FEMA and prevent “another national catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina.”

Trump administration suspends FEMA employees who warned about disaster response

Critically important information for the public.

It is shocking how quickly the US fell from its position as a leader in government accountability and whistleblower protections for workers.

FEMA workers put on leave after letter criticizing Trump administration, Washington Post reports Some employees at the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency were put on leave on Tuesday after they signed an open letter of dissent about the agency's leadership, the Washington Post reported, citing documents reviewed by the newspaper.

It cannot be overstated how quickly protections for federal workers who report concerns have broken down.

@psst-org.bsky.social

www.reuters.com/world/us/fem...

“Mr. Borges spent weeks pressing for fixes inside” the agency, Andrea Meza, a lawyer with GAP, said. “When nothing changed, he used the protected channels federal whistle-blower law provides.” Let's hope those channels hold.