Ben Werdmuller

I lead technology at ProPublica and write speculative fiction. This is a personal account. Every day, I write about tech, democracy, and society at https://werd.io. More about me: https://werd.io/about/ #indieweb #opensource #journalism #writing #fiction #blogs #blogging #startups #openweb #web #fediverse #socialweb #ethics #product #writingcommunity #philadelphia #sanfrancisco

Blog / Newsletter: https://werd.io
Pronouns: he/him
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Signal: https://signal.me/#eu/_ehMeopT5JeELrkt2lSk-R0V6d1AsGt_3Q98UOJhgBMTal5EGTdNIbZHB9H9CqBn

Public Key

npub1lrqq7g0mzygss3gcuudug79snpd5gku6u24fghfj3u8kqtp573rqtjpn8w

NIP-05 Address

ben_at_werd.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs03sq0y8a3zyggg5vwwx7y0zcfsk6ytwdw9255t5eg7rmq9s60g3spz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dstnctde

Publishing to

relay.primal.net

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1lrqq7g0mzygss3gcuudug79snpd5gku6u24fghfj3u8kqtp573rqtjpn8w

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Published at

2026-03-16T14:24:11Z

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0 Metadata

Event JSON

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Last Notes

2026-02-07 17:07:15 UTC

This isn’t new news as such, but people keep being surprised by it, so it’s worth repeating. Substack hosts, profits from, and promotes explicitly Nazi content, and if you are adding value to that network, you are helping them to do so. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/feb/07/revealed-how-substack-makes-money-from-hosting-nazi-newsletters

2025-09-28 16:42:59 UTC

My little buddy is off visiting his grandparents and it's honestly very weird. I miss him very much, obviously. But also, I've been so productive this morning: I tidied up, renewed my vehicle registration, got vaccinated, bought groceries. And it's barely lunchtime. I guess I might go to the gym later and make progress on some personal projects. Weird. (Also, did I mention I miss him very much?)

2025-09-14 01:25:45 UTC

Not superb. https://www.commondreams.org/news/rubio-thought-policing-bill

2025-07-01 14:45:53 UTC

"Some schools have asked staff to use secure messaging systems like Signal instead of text and email to keep sensitive conversations from public reach." They, like many others, need more private, self-hosted software. #Democracy https://werd.io/schools-serving-undocumented-kids-go-underground/

2025-06-17 16:29:25 UTC

It's alive! #threads #fediverse
https://cdn.masto.host/werdsocial/media_attachments/files/114/699/649/726/725/181/original/2c0aa4d331089789.png

2025-04-09 00:03:17 UTC

In a world where people are deported for liking an Instagram post, I worry that we’re making a huge mistake by building open social protocols that don’t have privacy at their core. I’m glad people are working on it.

2025-03-21 15:30:19 UTC

So far this year @npub1qmg…s6k5 has reported on who's working for #DOGE, the impacts of cuts on agencies like #USAID, and a lot more. Reporting on abuses of power matters more than ever before.
This is the last day of our spring member drive you can give as a member. As always, I would love the #fediverse to be represented in our member base. It matters.
If you have the means, please consider joining as a member through a gift of any amount: https://give.propublica.org/give/346423/#!/donation/checkout?c_src=ben #journalism

2025-03-17 20:34:26 UTC

I'd love to read some takes on the pan-European political movement Volt.

2025-03-14 20:16:57 UTC

Job alert: @npub1qmg…s6k5 is looking for an engagement and tips coordinator who can help us triage, vet and distribute tips to journalists across our newsroom. It's an important role with huge implications for our investigative journalism. Check it out: https://boards.greenhouse.io/propublica/jobs/4471275006?gh_src=a959c9ff6us

2025-01-18 13:28:23 UTC

I promise this isn't just Stockholm Syndrome: Frozen is a genuinely great movie.

2024-06-05 14:38:13 UTC

- reply

Thanks for expanding. I think understanding your position on this is really important. I definitely agree that DRM is not the objective; sitting in the US, I don't know that I trust the courts to get to the right place. There's a strong possibility that the EU will do better.

2024-06-05 14:24:03 UTC

- reply

In offering Glaze they do seek to prevent artists’ work from being ingested. But beyond Cara, do you see the wider point about consent and author control in the fediverse?