“For months, lone vibe coder Rafael Concepcion has obsessively built tools to counter the federal immigration crackdown—pivoting as he’s been outmatched. He’s also lost his job and become a target.”
surveillance
Why Conservationists Are Making Rhinos Radioactive
“Rapid DNA tests, x-ray fluorescence guns, and other technologies are being deployed in the fight against wildlife trafficking.”
Russia’s ‘Ghost Detainees’: The Investigation That Cost Viktoriia Roshchyna Her Life
“Forbidden Stories investigated her detention and death, which came on the heels of a reporting trip to Zaporizhzhia aimed at telling the stories of Ukrainian civilians unlawfully held by Russia.”
The Hidden-Pregnancy Experiment
“We are increasingly trading our privacy for a sense of security. Becoming a parent showed me how tempting, and how dangerous, that exchange can be.”
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Featuring reads from Scott Huler, Sophie Elmhirst, Lauren Smiley, Brian Payton, and Caity Weaver.
How Citizen Surveillance Ate San Francisco
“When a homeless man attacked a former city official, footage of the onslaught became a rallying cry. Then came another video, and another—and the story turned inside out.”
The Hacker
“Runa Sandvik has made it her life’s work to protect journalists against cyberattacks. Authoritarian regimes are keeping her in business.”
‘Nothing Will Go Wrong. It’s Paradise.’
“Numerous passengers traveling on major cruise lines such as Carnival and Disney say in court documents that they were raped and assaulted — oftentimes by crew members.”
The Kremlin Has Entered the Chat
“Telegram has the capacity to share nearly any confidential information a government requests. Users just have to trust that it won’t.”
