A ProPublica investigation revealed how a little-known Microsoft program could leave some of the U.S. government’s most sensitive data vulnerable to hacking from its leading cyber adversary.

Here are the biggest takeaways from our reporting.
https://www.propublica.org/article/microsoft-digital-escort-china-government-data-takeaways?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News#Tech #Technology#Microsoft#Cybersecurity#Cybercrime#Government

Data manipulation within the US Federal Government [1]

👉Government datasets modified without notice.

▪️We gathered metadata from the US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, and Veterans Affairs database harvest sources [... ] that were modified between Jan 20 and March 25, 2025.

▪️We found that 114 (49%) of the 232 included datasets were substantially altered.

⭐SOME CHANGES⭐

- “Social determinants of health” to “non
medical factors”
- “Gender” to “sex”
- “female details” column deleted

▪️The agencies involved have not issued any statements confirming or explaining these changes [...]

▪️Despite Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr's (Department of Health and Humana Services) calls for “radical transparency”, unlogged data manipulation moves away from meaningful transparency.

▪️Only 15 (13%) of the 114 altered datasets logged or otherwise indicated that the change had occurred.

[1] 🌐https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01249-8/fulltext

@publichealth @psychology @sociology @datascience #publichealth #datascience #science #research #health #government #criticalthinking #hhs #cdc #va @bicmay

A Little-Known Microsoft Program Could Expose the Defense Department to Chinese Hackers
—

The Pentagon bans foreign citizens from accessing highly sensitive data, but Microsoft bypasses this by using engineers in China and elsewhere to remotely instruct American “escorts” who may lack expertise to identify malicious code.

https://www.propublica.org/article/microsoft-digital-escorts-pentagon-defense-department-china-hackers?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News#Tech#Cybersecurity #Technology#Microsoft#Government#Data

With deep job cuts at the FDA, inspectors say the ongoing strain could compromise policing an industry spread across more than 90 countries.

“Things will be missed, we are going to have a lot less safe drugs,” a former inspector said.
https://www.propublica.org/article/fda-cuts-drug-factory-inspections?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News #FDA#Drugs#Safety#Health#Medicine#Government

Elon Musk’s lobbyists spent tens of thousands of dollars on things like gifts and meals for Texas elected officials this year.

But, in most cases, state transparency laws do not require them to disclose which elected officials they wine and dine.
https://www.propublica.org/article/elon-musk-texas-lobbyists-influence-law?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News#ElonMusk#Texas#Law#SpaceX#Tesla#Government#Business#Musk

There's a very big difference between what "government efficiency" means to you, and what it means to a neoliberal.

To you, "efficiency" means something like when you show up in a hospital emergency room, you are seen by a doctor promptly, and they are properly equipped to treat you.

To a neoliberal, "efficiency" means the hospital has as few staff and resources as possible.

As a result, you are likely to be seen by a doctor less promptly, and they will be less well equipped to treat you.

But rich people will pay less tax.

#auspol #politics #economics #economy #government #neoliberalism

Absolutely fucking disgusted by the #US #Government right now. Wasting #tax #payer #dollars on this bullshit #propaganda all while taking away fund for the most vulnerable. Happy 4th of July EVERYONE! Welcome to the bullshit #dictatorship we've supposedly been fighting for 100 years. I am shaking I'm so pissed right now.

Kristi Noem, while governor of South Dakota, supplemented her roughly $130,000 salary by secretly accepting $80,000 donated to a political nonprofit she was affiliated with, records show.

She never disclosed this income on federal ethics forms.

https://www.propublica.org/article/kristi-noem-political-donations-income-dark-money-dhs-ethics?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News#KristiNoem#DHS#Ethics#USPolitics#Government#Nonprofit

“ProPublica’s reporting revealed these cancelled contracts were delivering essential services … and exposed the cruel and dumb AI formulas DOGE bros used to cancel contracts,” Sen. Blumenthal said. “Veterans and all Americans deserve transparency.”

https://www.propublica.org/article/doge-veterans-affairs-ai-senator-investigation?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#DOGE#Veterans#AI#Health#Government #Technology #Journalism#Transparency