Sascha Meinrath
@saschameinrath.bsky.social
Feisty professor, open tech champion, civil liberties maven, tinkerer, gardener, biker, hiker. Founder: Open Technology Institute, X-Lab; Co-Founder: Open Technology Fund, M-Lab; President: Defending Rights and Dissent
I had a lovely conversaion with Ashoka's Hanae Baruchel, which lead to this Forbe's interview spanning everything from AI censorship and surveillance to how to bolster privacy when utilizing AI: www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka...
AI Is The New Censor: Surveillance And The Case For Open Models
A conversation with social entrepreneur Sascha Meinrath about privacy breaches and censorship disguised as AI safeguards, and what can be done about it.
www.forbes.com
October 8, 2026 at 4:56 PM
I had a lovely conversaion with Ashoka's Hanae Baruchel, which lead to this Forbe's interview spanning everything from AI censorship and surveillance to how to bolster privacy when utilizing AI: www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka...
Thrilled to announce Defending Rights & Dissent's new Executive Director, Shannon Al-Wakeel! Shannon is a powerhouse who'll be a champion for civil liberty during these trying times: www.rightsanddissent.org/news/defendi...
Defending Rights & Dissent Announces New Executive Director Shannon Al-Wakeel
Civil liberties advocacy group Defending Rights & Dissent today announced the appointment of veteran human rights attorney and former board co-president Shannon Al-Wakeel as its new Executive D…
www.rightsanddissent.org
October 6, 2026 at 11:45 AM
Thrilled to announce Defending Rights & Dissent's new Executive Director, Shannon Al-Wakeel! Shannon is a powerhouse who'll be a champion for civil liberty during these trying times: www.rightsanddissent.org/news/defendi...
Once again, more empirical evidence that Starlink cannot deliver *broadband* speeds to a huge proportion of its current customers: www.ookla.com/research/rep... -- further documentation that X-Lab's analysis of Starlink capacity limits is spot on: thexlab.org/wp-content/u...
50 U.S. States Broadband Speed Performance | H1 2026 Report
See how U.S. states compare on broadband performance, where the digital divide is narrowing, and how Starlink performance improved in 1H 2026.
www.ookla.com
September 16, 2026 at 12:37 PM
Once again, more empirical evidence that Starlink cannot deliver *broadband* speeds to a huge proportion of its current customers: www.ookla.com/research/rep... -- further documentation that X-Lab's analysis of Starlink capacity limits is spot on: thexlab.org/wp-content/u...
ATTN: Broadband Data & GIS Geeks! We will be hosting the inaugural meet-up of the newly formed Broadband Data & Policy Forum:
broadbanddata.org/join-the-com...
If you have an interest in broadband... in GIS... in telecom policy... join us at 3pm ET on September 9th:
broadbanddata.org/join-the-com...
If you have an interest in broadband... in GIS... in telecom policy... join us at 3pm ET on September 9th:
Join the Community - Broadband Data and Policy Forum
broadbanddata.org
September 3, 2026 at 6:11 PM
ATTN: Broadband Data & GIS Geeks! We will be hosting the inaugural meet-up of the newly formed Broadband Data & Policy Forum:
broadbanddata.org/join-the-com...
If you have an interest in broadband... in GIS... in telecom policy... join us at 3pm ET on September 9th:
broadbanddata.org/join-the-com...
If you have an interest in broadband... in GIS... in telecom policy... join us at 3pm ET on September 9th:
Reposted by Sascha Meinrath
What do surveillance, A.I., and broadband policy have in common?
@sportshotchris.bsky.social and @saschameinrath.bsky.social connect the dots on our latest Unbuffered podcast
@sportshotchris.bsky.social and @saschameinrath.bsky.social connect the dots on our latest Unbuffered podcast
Technology Without Guardrails - Episode 19 of Unbuffered
YouTube video by Institute for Local Self-Reliance
youtu.be
July 30, 2026 at 6:24 PM
What do surveillance, A.I., and broadband policy have in common?
@sportshotchris.bsky.social and @saschameinrath.bsky.social connect the dots on our latest Unbuffered podcast
@sportshotchris.bsky.social and @saschameinrath.bsky.social connect the dots on our latest Unbuffered podcast
AI is the new censor: Frontier models are increasingly censoring *legal* information and *legal* queries by their users. AI is rapidly becoming the largest censor on the planet and the corporations that program censorship via AI are following a highly dystopian playbook.
August 20, 2026 at 3:26 PM
AI is the new censor: Frontier models are increasingly censoring *legal* information and *legal* queries by their users. AI is rapidly becoming the largest censor on the planet and the corporations that program censorship via AI are following a highly dystopian playbook.
Excellent overview of Starshield -- the SpaceX Program you've likely never heard of that is a very, very, very grave danger to privacy and civil liberty -- from one of my excellent PhD students here at the PSU Department of Telecom, Abby Simmerman:
www.benton.org/blog/starshi...
www.benton.org/blog/starshi...
Starshield: The Military-Grade Starlink No One is Talking About
Starshield has received little media coverage compared to Starlink or other subsidiaries of SpaceX
www.benton.org
August 5, 2026 at 12:16 PM
Excellent overview of Starshield -- the SpaceX Program you've likely never heard of that is a very, very, very grave danger to privacy and civil liberty -- from one of my excellent PhD students here at the PSU Department of Telecom, Abby Simmerman:
www.benton.org/blog/starshi...
www.benton.org/blog/starshi...
My girls in their native habitat!
July 16, 2026 at 3:53 PM
My girls in their native habitat!
I've spent a lot of time over the past few months wading through FOIA'ed PA IT expenditures. To say this appears to be a hot mess is a vast understatement. The lack of coordination wastes tax-payer funding & opens up operational security vulnerabilities.
www.pennlive.com/politics/202...
www.pennlive.com/politics/202...
Pa. taxpayers paid $34M for lawmakers’ sophisticated — and redundant — tech
Partisan mistrust keeps Pennsylvania's legislative caucuses running separate, costly and redundant technology systems despite expert and watchdog criticism.
www.pennlive.com
July 16, 2026 at 12:42 PM
I've spent a lot of time over the past few months wading through FOIA'ed PA IT expenditures. To say this appears to be a hot mess is a vast understatement. The lack of coordination wastes tax-payer funding & opens up operational security vulnerabilities.
www.pennlive.com/politics/202...
www.pennlive.com/politics/202...
It was a real pleasure to work w/ the investigative team at APNews to expose how scammers are leveraging US Tech Companies:
apnews.com/article/scam...
There were threads I wish we could have continued pulling upon... needless to say, there are myriad stories behind this story.
apnews.com/article/scam...
There were threads I wish we could have continued pulling upon... needless to say, there are myriad stories behind this story.
Four days to make victims fall in love: How global scammers use US tech to fleece people
Technology from American companies is being used to power a revolution in the scam industry, playing a key role in the industrialization and globalization of fraud in ways that have not been clear unt...
apnews.com
July 1, 2026 at 3:12 PM
It was a real pleasure to work w/ the investigative team at APNews to expose how scammers are leveraging US Tech Companies:
apnews.com/article/scam...
There were threads I wish we could have continued pulling upon... needless to say, there are myriad stories behind this story.
apnews.com/article/scam...
There were threads I wish we could have continued pulling upon... needless to say, there are myriad stories behind this story.
TELECOM TAKEOUT -- CANADA DAY SPECIAL: See the issue the caused this weekend's witchhunt, was taken offline, but survives still in the Internet Achive... WHAT DON'T THEY WANT YOU TO SEE!?!
web.archive.org/.../1996trut...
web.archive.org/.../1996trut...
June 29, 2026 at 1:21 PM
TELECOM TAKEOUT -- CANADA DAY SPECIAL: See the issue the caused this weekend's witchhunt, was taken offline, but survives still in the Internet Achive... WHAT DON'T THEY WANT YOU TO SEE!?!
web.archive.org/.../1996trut...
web.archive.org/.../1996trut...
Let the [BEAD] defaults... BEGIN!!!
www.broadband.io/c/get-broadb...
Did we not learn from the RDOF default fiasco: lowest-bid contracts yield extremely high default rates unless you have *meaningful* repercussions for defaulters. Mark my words, this will get much worse over the next 18-24 months.
www.broadband.io/c/get-broadb...
Did we not learn from the RDOF default fiasco: lowest-bid contracts yield extremely high default rates unless you have *meaningful* repercussions for defaulters. Mark my words, this will get much worse over the next 18-24 months.
Some BEAD Winners Are Walking Away. What Happens Next? | The Broadband Community
With BEAD awards moving into the contract execution phase, a small but growing number of proposed subgrantees are deciding not to proceed. In some cases, companies are walking away voluntarily. In ano...
www.broadband.io
June 17, 2026 at 2:27 PM
Let the [BEAD] defaults... BEGIN!!!
www.broadband.io/c/get-broadb...
Did we not learn from the RDOF default fiasco: lowest-bid contracts yield extremely high default rates unless you have *meaningful* repercussions for defaulters. Mark my words, this will get much worse over the next 18-24 months.
www.broadband.io/c/get-broadb...
Did we not learn from the RDOF default fiasco: lowest-bid contracts yield extremely high default rates unless you have *meaningful* repercussions for defaulters. Mark my words, this will get much worse over the next 18-24 months.
We've launched a lawsuit quadfecta suing the State Dept, FBI, DOJ, and ICE to make public the illegal surveillance of Palestine solidarity advocates! More here:
www.rightsanddissent.org/news/defendi...
www.rightsanddissent.org/news/defendi...
Defending Rights & Dissent Sues State Dept, FBI, DOJ, & ICE For Records on Surveillance of Palestine Solidarity Activism
Civil liberties defense group Defending Rights & Dissent has filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to compel the State Department, the FBI, the DOJ, and ICE to release cri…
www.rightsanddissent.org
May 26, 2026 at 9:56 PM
We've launched a lawsuit quadfecta suing the State Dept, FBI, DOJ, and ICE to make public the illegal surveillance of Palestine solidarity advocates! More here:
www.rightsanddissent.org/news/defendi...
www.rightsanddissent.org/news/defendi...
Digging into the compendium of consumer complaints against Starlink, the evidence is there, for all to see that problems are not only on the horizon, they are already here: www.fastcompany.com/91532281/spa...
We obtained nearly 1,000 complaints about SpaceX’s Starlink. Here’s what they reveal
New documents show how the satellite provider has become a lifeline—and, for some customers, a headache.
www.fastcompany.com
April 29, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Digging into the compendium of consumer complaints against Starlink, the evidence is there, for all to see that problems are not only on the horizon, they are already here: www.fastcompany.com/91532281/spa...
The newly-formed "Democrats for Fascism Caucus" has four members:
SHAME!
Dems @golden.house.gov, Josh Gottheimer & @gluesenkampperez.house.gov voted for Speaker Johnson’s scheme to make it easier for Trump to use FISA data to prosecute Americans.
And all of them, plus @tomsuozzi.bsky.social, voted with Republicans to try and ram FISA through w/o any reforms.
Dems @golden.house.gov, Josh Gottheimer & @gluesenkampperez.house.gov voted for Speaker Johnson’s scheme to make it easier for Trump to use FISA data to prosecute Americans.
And all of them, plus @tomsuozzi.bsky.social, voted with Republicans to try and ram FISA through w/o any reforms.
April 17, 2026 at 6:34 PM
The newly-formed "Democrats for Fascism Caucus" has four members:
Every interaction with AI-mediated "help" desks will be an interaction with the technological love-child of Rube Goldberg and Franz Kafka.
January 21, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Every interaction with AI-mediated "help" desks will be an interaction with the technological love-child of Rube Goldberg and Franz Kafka.
To end 2025, in the past month, Starlink has increased its lowest cost service by 100%, removing its $40/month plan and only allowing U.S. customers to purchase its $80/month or $120/month plans -- see:
www.notebookcheck.net/SpaceX-quiet...
www.notebookcheck.net/SpaceX-quiet...
SpaceX quietly removes its $40 Starlink plan in the US
SpaceX has dropped its 'Residential 100Mbps' plan from Starlink's US site. This sudden change likely stems from high demand filling up network capacity in the areas where it was available. However, th...
www.notebookcheck.net
December 18, 2025 at 2:15 PM
To end 2025, in the past month, Starlink has increased its lowest cost service by 100%, removing its $40/month plan and only allowing U.S. customers to purchase its $80/month or $120/month plans -- see:
www.notebookcheck.net/SpaceX-quiet...
www.notebookcheck.net/SpaceX-quiet...
I've been working with the incredible Data & Forensics team over at Sky News for the last couple months on this analysis of Starlink's activities. Definitely eye-opening, and raises substantial questions over corporate accountability and rule of law:
news.sky.com/story/elon-m...
news.sky.com/story/elon-m...
Elon Musk's race for space
Elon Musk's race for space
news.sky.com
December 16, 2025 at 2:56 PM
I've been working with the incredible Data & Forensics team over at Sky News for the last couple months on this analysis of Starlink's activities. Definitely eye-opening, and raises substantial questions over corporate accountability and rule of law:
news.sky.com/story/elon-m...
news.sky.com/story/elon-m...
My team created the Broadband Nutrition Label in 2009 to empower consumers to make informed purchasing decisions. The FCC botched the rollout. and is now looking to eliminate this modest win: www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Analysis | Your internet bill is about to get more confusing
Internet service ‘nutrition labels’ can help you spot hidden fees and predict price increases. Here’s how to use them —and why they might get less useful.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 6, 2025 at 4:24 PM
My team created the Broadband Nutrition Label in 2009 to empower consumers to make informed purchasing decisions. The FCC botched the rollout. and is now looking to eliminate this modest win: www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
New York Times' headline be like: "Mamdani, who cannot possibly win, wins" (followed by an above-the-fold picture of grumpy cat).
November 6, 2025 at 12:14 PM
New York Times' headline be like: "Mamdani, who cannot possibly win, wins" (followed by an above-the-fold picture of grumpy cat).
WOW -- this was just presented by Netflix research staff at IRTF Montreal -- documents massive rebuffering/variability problems for streaming via Starlink:
datatracker.ietf.org/meeting/124/...
Basically underscores everything we'd been warning about here: thexlab.org/starlinkcapa...
datatracker.ietf.org/meeting/124/...
Basically underscores everything we'd been warning about here: thexlab.org/starlinkcapa...
datatracker.ietf.org
November 4, 2025 at 12:37 AM
WOW -- this was just presented by Netflix research staff at IRTF Montreal -- documents massive rebuffering/variability problems for streaming via Starlink:
datatracker.ietf.org/meeting/124/...
Basically underscores everything we'd been warning about here: thexlab.org/starlinkcapa...
datatracker.ietf.org/meeting/124/...
Basically underscores everything we'd been warning about here: thexlab.org/starlinkcapa...
This is a terrifying development, and an obvious end run around the Posse Comitatus Act.
This is one of the most important pieces of journalism this year. Some thoughts on the magnitude of its significance. 1/
Revealed: Pentagon orders states’ national guards to form ‘quick reaction forces’ for ‘crowd control’
Pentagon memo details plan to train over 20,000 national guard members across the US to carry out Trump’s order on subduing civil unrest
www.theguardian.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:05 PM
This is a terrifying development, and an obvious end run around the Posse Comitatus Act.
Reposted by Sascha Meinrath
This is one of the most important pieces of journalism this year. Some thoughts on the magnitude of its significance. 1/
Revealed: Pentagon orders states’ national guards to form ‘quick reaction forces’ for ‘crowd control’
Pentagon memo details plan to train over 20,000 national guard members across the US to carry out Trump’s order on subduing civil unrest
www.theguardian.com
October 29, 2025 at 6:58 PM
This is one of the most important pieces of journalism this year. Some thoughts on the magnitude of its significance. 1/
This research paper is absolutely bonkers -- "Don’t Look Up: There Are Sensitive Internal Links in the Clear on GEO Satellites": satcom.sysnet.ucsd.edu/docs/dontloo... the amount of sensitive cellular, military, and other intel being leaked is crazy! This needs getting wider coverage.
satcom.sysnet.ucsd.edu
October 15, 2025 at 1:15 PM
This research paper is absolutely bonkers -- "Don’t Look Up: There Are Sensitive Internal Links in the Clear on GEO Satellites": satcom.sysnet.ucsd.edu/docs/dontloo... the amount of sensitive cellular, military, and other intel being leaked is crazy! This needs getting wider coverage.
October 18th is No Kings Day! Come out to show your support for Civil Liberty & celebrate our Constitutional Rights! Join the national day of resistance & if you're in State College, PA, we'll be meeting up near Old Main on the Penn State campus. See you there!!! #nokings #1018 www.nokings.org
No Kings
As the president escalates his authoritarian power grab, the NO KINGS non-violent movement continues to rise stronger. We are united once again to remind the world: America has No Kings and the power ...
www.nokings.org
October 10, 2025 at 12:50 PM
October 18th is No Kings Day! Come out to show your support for Civil Liberty & celebrate our Constitutional Rights! Join the national day of resistance & if you're in State College, PA, we'll be meeting up near Old Main on the Penn State campus. See you there!!! #nokings #1018 www.nokings.org