Haha, I accidentally configured FaceID with a huge smile recently (because I was in a hurry). Now, I can only unlock my device if I smile. Strangely, this has helped me feel better about my 2026 malaise.
Remote
Joseph Lorenzo Hall, PhD
@joebeone@techpolicy.social
mastodon 4.7.3I help government get tech right and tech get governance right
Distinguished Technologist at the Internet Society. Former Chief Technologist at the Center for Democracy & Technology, Princeton CITP, NYU, with graduate studies at UC Berkeley's School of Information and the Astronomy Department. https://josephhall.org/ (he/him)
1975 Followers
1476 Following
50 Posts
Joined November 10, 2022
The Carriers Would Not Come, So the Colville Tribes Built Their Own Network | ISOC Pulse https://pulse.internetsociety.org/en/blog/2026/09/the-carriers-would-not-come-so-the-colville-tribes-built-their-own-network/
and, some days, you're preparing for a talk, and you run across a picture of yourself from 23 years ago, hahaha... I look like a monchhichi. "Students buck DMCA threat" - CNET https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/students-buck-dmca-threat/
"impenetrable blender of hypervelocity shrapnel"… yup, you know you're reading about the Kessler Syndrome, when:
Oof: "The Second Derivative: Why No One Understands the AI Boom" https://www.groundbrkr.com/p/the-second-derivative-why-no-one
"SpaceX’s Starlink blackout punishes Myanmar civilians, not just cybercriminals" South China Morning Post https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3364870/spacexs-starlink-blackout-punishes-myanmar-civilians-not-just-cybercriminals
Don't want to share your phone number to message with people on WhatsApp? "It’s time to reserve your WhatsApp username" https://blog.whatsapp.com/its-time-to-reserve-your-whatsapp-username
Concentration of Government Web Services Raises Questions About Underlying Drivers | ISOC Pulse https://pulse.internetsociety.org/en/blog/2026/09/concentration-of-government-web-services-raises-questions-about-underlying-drivers/
Alex Stamos made a great point on the Big Technology Podcast that I’d generalize: technology is increasingly putting tools of mass destruction, and mass creation, into individuals’ hands. We are nowhere near ready for the responsibility that kind of power requires.
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Mandatory identity checks create massive privacy and security risks. Recently, a Texas data breach exposed 3 million driver's licenses and passports. Broad identity mandates weaken trust while doing little to improve online safety for youth. https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/08/another-massive-data-breach-exposed-millions-of-drivers-license-numbers/
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@lhn@mastodon.online @mattburgess@infosec.exchange hell to the fuck yeah
So... I bought a big-ass battery for my remote Mac mini.
Then I discovered that battery backup, clean shutdown, automatic restart, and actually being able to get back to work are four different problems. So I fixed those other three. https://josephhall.org/blog/remote-mac-mini-recovery/
Can an AI chatbot save lives by answering texts about pregnancy? | WAMC https://www.wamc.org/2026-09-17/can-an-ai-chatbot-save-lives-by-answering-texts-about-pregnancy
Just out! "Policy Brief: VPN Restrictions" - Internet Society https://www.internetsociety.org/resources/policybriefs/2026/vpn-restrictions/
"the long-term effect of our current activities in space over time got an order of magnitude worse in just one year." ESA Space Environment Report 2026 https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Space_Debris/ESA_Space_Environment_Report_2026
You can't bug fix your way out of the vulnpocalypse · Alex Gaynor https://alexgaynor.net/2026/jul/15/you-cant-bugfix-your-way-out-of-the-vulnpocalypse/
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This isn't our idiosyncratic read. The IETF, ITU, and ETSI all describe CDNs as systems that optimize delivery over existing networks—not as networks themselves. Even AGCOM's own description of CDNs concedes the point. 4/5
if I ever use the word "juncture", you’ll know an alien has snatched my body
People are about to learn the hard way that "air-gapping" is a remarkably fragile load-bearing concept
goddamn this is excellent: "Moving Forward from Hot Fable Summer" - by Alex Stamos https://alexstamos.com/p/moving-forward-from-hot-fable-summer
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ISOC has filed an amicus brief supporting Netflix's appeal of AGCOM Resolution 207. The statute defines an electronic communications network by one thing: transmission of signals. CDNs don't do that. They operate at the application layer and don't transmit to third parties. 3/5
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Here's the part techies should notice. Reclassifying CDNs as ECNs pulls them into interconnection dispute resolution—the very mechanism telecom operators have pushed to compel "fair share" network usage fees.A technical misclassification becomes a backdoor payment regime. 2/5
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The deeper question: what happens when law and Internet architecture diverge?
Get the classification wrong, and you don't just mislabel a technology—you reshape interconnection, competition, and the open Internet. Carl's blog+brief (IT, EN): https://www.internetsociety.org/blog/2026/07/defending-the-open-internet-why-italys-content-delivery-network-decision-matters/ 5/5
When the Lights Went Out: What the Iberian Blackout Taught Us About Internet Resilience | ISOC Pulse https://pulse.internetsociety.org/en/blog/2026/07/when-the-lights-went-out-what-the-iberian-blackout-taught-us-about-internet-resilience/
Honored to be featured in the @CenDemTech@techpolicy.social Alumni Spotlight series. My years there shaped how I approach policy technology: combining technical depth with principled pragmatism to build lasting real-world impact. https://cdt.org/insights/cdt-alumni-spotlight-joe-hall/ 1/3
First all-woman a cappella group to take the world championship, Girls Quartet. Their winning song: "Mothers and Daughters" https://youtu.be/237MVL5y8ac (worth the six minutes)
"What policy makers need to know about AI safety and security" by EKR https://educatedguesswork.org/posts/ai-security-policymakers/ full paper: https://educatedguesswork.org/assets/ai-security-policy.pdf
Nonprofits hold sensitive data and are actively targeted by adversaries and scammers. Steve Sharer (RipRap Security) and Tom Anderson (IT4Causes) hosted an excellent PIR/NTEN webinar on hardening these operational environments. Watch: https://youtu.be/Y1Y6B11v3cY
Cybersecurity for Mission-Driven Organizations l Tech for Good Learning Series
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Failing to harden nonprofit operational environments causes serious disruption, breaches trust, and can result in real harm. Implementing robust controls ensures resources remain dedicated to the mission, not marinating in technical debt and crisis.
Measuring Data Center Growth | ISOC Pulse https://pulse.internetsociety.org/en/blog/2026/07/measuring-data-center-growth/
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Protecting youth and preserving privacy go hand in hand. A trustworthy Internet depends on proactive alternatives that avoid mass data collection—like no-log in-person token issuance, double-blind systems, and credentials that age seamlessly with the user.
If you missed the information session for the Common Good Cyber Fund, the recording is now available on YouTube. Learn more about the program objectives, eligibility requirements, and the upcoming application window opening June 23rd. Watch here: https://youtu.be/AEYui3bpAaQ
"AI Is Only as Trustworthy as the Internet" by ISOC CEO Sally Wentworth (gift link) https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/keeping-the-internet-open-is-necessary-for-ai-to-thrive-by-sally-wentworth-2026-09?h=AES.yirWHt7IvxbsHYs3RWqBxYOULDC8e%2bPMUgDVfWUyGHsrZDn2BUzwiL9jOrO4ys21&
The Fourth Circuit Says Border Agents Can Search Your Phone By Hand, No Suspicion Required | Electronic Frontier Foundation https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2026/07/fourth-circuit-says-border-agents-can-search-your-phone-hand-no-suspicion-required
are there any fucking trauma shares that random airports will not confiscate? just had my favorite pair of confiscated in the Vienna airport because it was 1 cm over. Total bullshit. 
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The case challenges Texas HB 2420, which requires broad age verification and parental consent for almost all mobile app downloads. The law forces users to upload government IDs or credit cards just to access everyday digital services.
Want to help protect the future of Wikipedia? The Wikimedia Endowment Board is looking for At-Large Directors with financial or fundraising expertise. Please share with anyone you think might be a good fit: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/wikimediaendowment/jobs/4226183?gh_src=0hpu1qso1us
Upcoming Webinar | Disconnected Justice: The Non-Implementation of Internet Shutdown Judgments - Media Defence https://www.mediadefence.org/news/webinar-disconnected-justice/
"Reinvention Blueprint No. 3: To Unmake the Surveillance State, Rethink the Privacy Act" by Hanna Bloch-Wehba https://www.justsecurity.org/149051/reinvention-blueprint-no-3-surveillance-state-privacy-act/
Is there a recent treatise on software products liability law in the USA? My knowledge is probably ten years out of date...
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@llorenzin@infosec.exchange mini is the key!
"How We Built a Data Warehouse Using ClickHouse" https://letsencrypt.org/2026/09/17/clickhouse
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@noplasticshower@infosec.exchange was just getting to that on the long weekend
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@lhn@mastodon.online @mattburgess@infosec.exchange and I did just suscribe to probably 95% of those newsletters. RIP my inbox!
I got tired of GitHub Actions waking up whenever it felt like it, so I timed it against Cloudflare Cron for 10 mornings. Median delay: ~26m vs. 0.30s. One GitHub run was 10+ hours late. That settled it. https://josephhall.org/blog/small-bake-off/
Border agents can search cellphones without a warrant or reasonable suspicion: 2nd Circuit https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/the-government-was-entitled-trumps-border-agents-can-now-search-cellphones-without-a-warrant-probable-cause-or-reasonable-suspicion-2nd-circuit-rules/
ISOC Ghana urges policy reforms to expand community networks and bridge rural digital divide - MyJoyOnline https://www.myjoyonline.com/isoc-ghana-urges-policy-reforms-to-expand-community-networks-and-bridge-rural-digital-divide/