Top all-time · #597
emptywheel
Personal blog · emptywheel.netpoliticssecurity
emptywheel is a personal blog at emptywheel.net about politics and security. Since 2011, 102 different Hacker News readers have linked it 211 times, most often “Software is a long con”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2026-11-01, and you can follow it by feed.
Sometimes recommended · 8 of 40 sampled comments recommend it?
Why HN links it
HN readers link this blog for in-depth analysis of surveillance, national security and legal stories, such as NSA programs, the Assange case and Chelsea Manning.
- Recommended for · 8 comments
- Called a good source for in-depth analysis; excellent analysis; a piece that lays it out nicely.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 40 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
Come for the weedy coverage of legal cases, politics, and left theory. Stay for the potty mouth and craic.
Most-linked posts?
- Software is a long con4 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2017-09-19
- /4 people · 4 mentions · first linked 2019-01-09
- /2017/11/28/the-russian-metadata-in-the-shadow-brokers-dump/3 people · 5 mentions · first linked 2020-07-22
- What Happens After You’re Cancelled3 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2020-02-20
- /2013/01/13/two-days-before-cambridge-cops-arrested-aaron-swartz-secret-service-took-over-the-investigation/3 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2013-01-14
- A World We Built to Burn2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2019-10-30
- The Fishing Expedition into WikiLeaks2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2013-01-19
- “Whoa Whoa Whoa, Stop” Dianne Feinstein Misstates the 2011 Violations2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2013-09-27
- On February 16, DOJ Got a Warrant to Open an iPhone 6 Using Cellebrite2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2016-03-23
- The FBI Downloaded CIA's Hacking Tools Using Starbuck's WiFi2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2020-02-06
What Hacker News says?
> But not convicted! Nah, they all determined he did it. Republican Senators like Lamar Alexander were all quoted saying that both times, they just went on to say they didn't care or they think he learned his lessons. > How many convictions have they gotten - after more than a year - of these "insurrectionists"? Zero. A few plea deals that are now unraveling. But sure, keep bang that "insurrectionist" drum. Over 150…
Comment linking /2022/04/04/the-evidence-needed-for-a-trump-prosecution/
on “Twitter set to accept Musk's $43B offer – sources”Submitted FBI doesnt want you to know it uses NSLs to correlate identities you use online as a story · 197 points
HN discussionThe military justice has a possibility for parole release before the term, unlike U.S. federal civil justice. So there was always the possibility of a such release. https://www.emptywheel.net/2013/08/21/bradley-mannings-sente...
Comment linking /2013/08/21/bradley-mannings-sentence-parole-and-appeal-implications/
on “Obama Commutes Bulk of Chelsea Manning’s Sentence”Submitted McCain Wants to “Expose” Twitter for Refusing to Sell Your Twitter Data to CIA as a story · 38 points
HN discussionThoughtful people brave enough to blow whistles seem to be the greatest check on what looks like a secret, unaccountable, illegal centralization of power based on lies from the top of the government on down. Especially so when you see the oversight committee receive a bald-faced lie, where the leader of the Intelligence agencies lies to the American people by extension, since this is the only public oversight these…
Comment linking /2013/06/10/james-clapper-hails-separation-of-powers-while-excusing-lie-as-too-cute-by-half/
on “Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance”Submitted The CNET “Bombshell” and the Four Surveillance Programs as a story · 38 points
HN discussionYes, and someone who's followed the case pretty closely agrees with you: > Except, Siggi retracts nothing substantive that is alleged in the indictment, so this drama is instead a demand that you accept the word of a liar rather than read the documents to show that the liar’s claims are irrelevant to the charges against Assange. https://www.emptywheel.net/2021/06/27/wikileaks-and-edward-s... (I really don't know any…
Comment linking /2021/06/27/wikileaks-and-edward-snowden-champion-sociopathic-liars-and-sloppy-thinking/
on “Media blackout after key witness against Assange admits lying”Submitted Software is a long con as a story · 15 points
HN discussion- nl · 2013-06-17
http://www.emptywheel.net/2013/06/09/once-upon-a-time-the-pr...
Comment linking /2013/06/09/once-upon-a-time-the-prism-companies-fought-retroactive-immunity/
on “Project Loon” Submitted On the Apple Back Door Rumors … Remember Lavabit as a story · 15 points
HN discussionI'll take that on good faith then. This is a reasonable that lays it out nicely: https://www.emptywheel.net/2016/12/10/evidence-prove-russian...
Comment linking /2016/12/10/evidence-prove-russian-hack/
on “Chelsea Manning ordered to be released [pdf]”Submitted US Secretly Acting Like China Does in Public as a story · 12 points
HN discussionI do not have a good opinion of Julian Assange or of Wikileaks, and I am not afraid to say it. At best it has been an unwitting tool of Russian disinformation campaigns; just as likely it is complicit. One must also wonder why Assange spends so much time talking to folks like Sean Hannity, Dana Rohrbacher, and Charles C. Johnson. https://www.emptywheel.net/2020/09/19/wherein-wikileaks-brag...
Comment linking /2020/09/19/wherein-wikileaks-brags-about-entertaining-a-pardon-dangle-from-a-suspected-russian-asset-and-a-white-supremacist/
on “Why are Amnesty International monitors not able to observe the Assange hearing?”Submitted Before MIT Cops Arrested Aaron Swartz, Secret Service Took Over Investigation as a story · 12 points
HN discussionVery much agree about the USA Freedom Act being an opportunity for the intelligence community to get more power. Marcy Wheeler had several examples a few days ago: https://www.emptywheel.net/2015/05/06/the-goodies-usa-f-redu... The Surveillance State Repeal Act would be an even stronger reform than straight expiration. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/24/surveillance-state-...
Comment linking /2015/05/06/the-goodies-usa-f-redux-gives-the-intelligence-community/
on “U.S. NSA domestic phone spying program illegal: appeals court”Submitted The FBI’s Asinine Attempt to Retroactively Justify Cracking Farook’s Phone as a story · 10 points
HN discussionHere's a summary of the legal issues by Marty Lederman: http://justsecurity.org/22799/breaking-circuit-rules-section... And Marcy Wheeler's got some excerpts as well: https://www.emptywheel.net/2015/05/07/2nd-circuit-rules-phon...
Comment linking /2015/05/07/2nd-circuit-rules-phone-dragnet-exceeds-section-215/
on “U.S. NSA domestic phone spying program illegal: appeals court”Submitted CIA Achieves a Whole New Scale of Torture Evidence Destruction as a story · 9 points
HN discussionSome ways to take comfort here: 1) This is not the final word on Bradley Manning's fate. His supporters, who have already raised over $300,000 in his defense thus far, will not stop here. 2) 35 years is bad, but not as bad as it could have been. At least his defense successfully got rid of the "aiding the enemy" charge. 3) This will be appealed something like this, IIRC: (a) Appeal to the convening authority (a mili…
Comment linking /2013/08/21/bradley-mannings-sentence-parole-and-appeal-implications/
on “Judge sentences Bradley Manning to 35 years”Submitted How to indefinitely detain JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon as a story · 9 points
HN discussionThe only White House request to censor was from Trump mad at being called a vulgarity by Chrissy Teigen. https://www.emptywheel.net/2023/02/20/james-comers-twitter-h... Being pressured to enforce your own terms of service by the government ain't censorship. Zuckerberg is a coward, afraid to stand up to Jim Jordan. What a pathetic letter
Comment linking /2023/02/20/james-comers-twitter-hearing-confirmed-donald-trumps-censorship-attempt-and-matt-taibbis-censorship-about-it/
on “Zuckerberg claims regret on caving to White House pressure on content”Submitted Will James Clapper Be the First Known Victim of OmniCISA’s Regulatory Immunity? as a story · 8 points
HN discussionThat is far from clear: https://www.emptywheel.net/2016/11/13/role-obamacare-premium...
Comment linking /2016/11/13/role-obamacare-premium-hikes-trumps-win/
on “President Trump Dismisses FBI Director Comey”Submitted NSA, GCHQ, Declare Civil War on Their Own People as a story · 8 points
HN discussionAnyone still following along here may be interested in Marcy Wheeler’s close examination of the article under discussion, and how it relates to the Assange indictment: https://www.emptywheel.net/2021/06/27/wikileaks-and-edward-s...
Comment linking /2021/06/27/wikileaks-and-edward-snowden-champion-sociopathic-liars-and-sloppy-thinking/
on “Key witness in Assange case admits to lies in indictment”Submitted NSA Kills People Based on Metadata, but Cant Preserve Personnel Metadata FOIA as a story · 7 points
HN discussionMy constitutional law professor Ron Rotunda got himself entwined in those torture memos, at least as far as being mentioned in connection with their authoring. What exactly his role is remains unclear but that shook me pretty deeply: https://www.emptywheel.net/2010/03/09/ronald-rotunda-yoo-sen...
Comment linking /2010/03/09/ronald-rotunda-yoo-sent-email-to-someone-else/
on “Just Say No”Submitted NSA’s Corruption of Cryptography and Its Methods of Coercion as a story · 7 points
HN discussionSome starting points to some previous messes (just what was quick to find, not the most balanced sources): https://itwire.com/security/infosec-researchers-slam-ex-wapo... https://itwire.com/business-it-news/security/image-board-adm... https://www.emptywheel.net/2017/11/28/the-russian-metadata-i...
Comment linking /2017/11/28/the-russian-metadata-in-the-shadow-brokers-dump/
on “Ubiquiti is suing Brian Krebs for his reporting on their breach”Submitted The Internet Didn’t Kill the Middle Class; Laxity and Apathy Did as a story · 7 points
HN discussion
