Kathryn's Corner in the Back Room

View of a window display of Detroit Jewel deluxe gas ranges at the J.L. Hudson Company department store. Mannequin of a woman poses with a Jewel gas range. Sign in background reads: "Detroit Jewel deluxe gas ranges." Ribbons attach to placards which read: "Robertshaw control, folding cover top, Insta-flame, cool pendant handles, mechanical boiler, simply turn the button, lights oven or top." Sign in foreground reads: "Made in Detroit, Detroit Michigan stove company gas ranges. National demonstration week, May 18 to 25. 10th floor, Farmer." Printed on front: "Davis B. Hillmer."

But here’s the thing, when the FBI needs location data on someone, they need a WARRANT to get that information from that company, or that company’s cooperation. Back in the early 2000s, there were a number of companies that simply handed over data to letter agencies like the NSA or FBI, and they got roasted for it by their customers. Don’t fool yourself, the only reason why backdoors weren’t coded into your phones by companies like Apple is because they did the math and realized that the cost of cooperating and alienating their customer base was too high, not because these companies have ethics.

So we live in a climate where companies are promising users security and privacy, and when they don’t it’s a scandal that loses them customers and money. They aren’t playing nice with the FBI, so what is the FBI to do? Easy. Circumvent silicon valley.

There is exactly zero reason for the FBI, as an organization, to make entertainment apps. Educational is maybe in line with past practices, but even when they did stuff like that in the 90s, we called it out for the propaganda it was. This app is absolutely a trojan horse. This is so they can get the data you would normally give to a 3rd party company without a warrant.

The remaining ones this year are:

May 2nd

August 1st

September 5th

October 3rd

This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but with a banger

I think we should go the other way around.

make more and more weird false dichotomies in greetings. "gamers and pianists". "oil painters and swordsmen". "vexillologists and entomologists". "chess masters and diamond artificers". "accountants and gendered individuals".

View of a cow resting in front of the Sign of the Black and White Cow store in Rochester, Michigan. Printed on back: “All roads lead to the Sign of the Black & White Cow, Van Hoosen farm store. Rochester, Mich.” Map is printed on back.