What you missed in September 2025

It’s an interesting thing writing a book. You know the world is going on around you but so much of it feels a few steps further removed than it might otherwise. There’s so much passing you by that you would have otherwise been following or writing about, but instead there’s the subject of the book and the long journey to bring it to completion.

Things have been a little slow with Disconnect lately, and I’m sorry about that. There are a long list of things I’ve wanted to write (and likely still will when time allows), but with an intense travel schedule (11 cities in a little over a month) and the draft of my book due in early November, I’m really in the thick of it and dedicating words to any other projects has been a challenge. I hope you’ll forgive the temporary slow pace of commentary. It will return!

As a result, I don’t have many other articles or even interviews to share, beyond the interview I conduct each week for Tech Won’t Save Us. I have been giving some talks, but I’m not even sure if there are public records available of them.

I did want to make a note about the most recent piece I published on Disconnect though, which provided a criticism of the approach of digital rights groups. In the piece, I was intentionally vague, chastising digital rights as a whole instead of being clearer about which groups and approaches I have the greatest issue with. Part of that also came from my experience in Canada, where I feel that more libertarian framing of digital rights has unfortunately gained a strong foothold, because Canadians tend to be far too focused on US discourses than those in other parts of the world (to our detriment). I think that caused some unfortunate confusion.

So, I wanted to clear that up: I think the biggest problem comes from the United States and the model of digital rights set by groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and some of its offshoots. Digital rights beyond the United States can differ quite a bit from the politics the EFF has long pushed. In Europe, for example, there are groups under the digital rights label that are much more aligned to the issues I often write about. That isn’t to say there aren’t still some disagreements between us or that there aren’t digital rights groups in those jurisdictions that take a much more libertarian line. I’d never call myself a digital rights activist, but I see some of those non-US groups as potential allies in a way I’d never characterize the EFF. Maybe this is something I need to flesh out a bit more in future, but that’s what I have to say for now.

Back to this roundup, there are some fascinating stories from last month. The top 3 picks are about the contractors powering Google’s generative AI efforts, the exodus of top staff from Elon Musk’s companies, and a reflection on the impacts of mass surveillance. Plus, more great reads, labor updates, and other important stories you might have missed from September.

Until next month!

— Paris