π Microsoft Patch, Dev Jobs Decline, FTC vs. Censorship
Good morning. Itβs Friday, February 21. Today we are covering:
Microsoft fixes Power Pages security flaw, tells users to be on their guard
Software engineering job openings hit five-year low?
FTC Opens Inquiry Into Censorship at Tech Companies
Coinbase says SEC dropping enforcement case as CEO calls for end to 'bogus' actions against crypto
Meta's 'free speech' revamp divides oversight board
Letβs dive in
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Microsoft fixes Power Pages security flaw, tells users to be on their guard
By Sead FadilpaΕ‘iΔ via TechRadar
Microsoft patched a high-severity security flaw in Power Pages that allowed unauthorized attackers to log into websites by exploiting an improper access control vulnerability (CVE-2025-24989, severity 8.2/10).
Cybercriminals discovered and exploited the flaw before Microsoft issued a fix, potentially compromising affected websites by redirecting users, serving malvertising, or stealing data.
Microsoft warns users to stay vigilant despite the patch, advising affected customers to review their sites for signs of exploitation and follow cleanup instructions.
Software engineering job openings hit five-year low?
By Gergely Orosz via The Pragmatic Engineer
Software engineering job postings have hit a five-year low, with 35% fewer vacancies than in early 2020 and 3.5x fewer than the mid-2022 peak, according to Indeed. The decline is widespread, except in Australia, where job listings remain stable.
AI-driven automation, particularly GenAI coding tools, is accelerating developer productivity, leading some companiesβlike Salesforceβto freeze hiring due to reported 30% efficiency gains. Startups like Linear and Bluesky are thriving with lean engineering teams, suggesting that smaller teams may now be more effective.
Interest rates, post-pandemic overhiring, and shifting priorities in tech have also contributed to the downturn. While Big Tech slows hiring, the rise of AI-assisted software creation by non-developers may eventually increase demand for engineers to refine and scale new AI-generated applications.
π: A deepdive, with lots of analysis. Several other sectors have seen the hiring boom-and-bust that software engineers have seen. Like banking. But no other industry saw jobs decline as much as software engineering. - Gergely Orosz (@GergelyOrosz)
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FTC Opens Inquiry Into Censorship at Tech Companies
By Katherine Hamilton via Wall Street Journal
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched an inquiry into how technology companies implement content censorship and decide what users can see.
The FTC aims to assess whether these censorship practices are unpredictable, potentially harming consumers and competition in the market.
The agency suggests that certain content moderation policies by tech platforms could be legally questionable and warrant further scrutiny.
Related Articles:
FTC seeks publicβs input on βun-Americanβ and βpotentially illegalβ Big Tech censorship β including βshadow banningβ- New York Post
π: Big Tech censorship is not just un-American, it is potentially illegal. The FTC wants your help to investigate these potential violations of the law. We are asking for public submissions from anyone who has been a victim of tech censorship (banning, demonetization, shadow banning, etc.), from employees of tech platforms, or from anyone else who can shed light on these practices and the ways in which they may violate the law. - Andrew Ferguson (@AFergusonFTC)
Coinbase says SEC dropping enforcement case as CEO calls for end to 'bogus' actions against crypto
By Jesse Pound via CNBC
Coinbase announced that the SEC has agreed to drop its enforcement case against the company, pending approval from the regulator's commissioners, with CEO Brian Armstrong stating that the company will not pay any fines.
The SEC's 2023 charges accused Coinbase of operating an unregistered securities exchange and failing to register its crypto staking program, but the case was initiated under former SEC Chair Gary Gensler, and the commission is expected to take a more favorable stance under President Trump.
Trump's administration has embraced crypto, with the president attending the 2024 Bitcoin Conference, securing industry donations, and signing an executive order to develop a regulatory framework, contributing to a market rally with Bitcoin surpassing $100,000.
π: After years of litigation, millions of your taxpayer dollars spent, and irreparable harm done to the country, we reached an agreement with SEC staff to dismiss their litigation against Coinbase. Once approved by the Commission (which we're told to expect next week) this would be a full dismissal, with $0 in fines paid and zero changes to our businessβ¦ - Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong)
Meta's 'free speech' revamp divides oversight board
By Hannah Murphy via Financial Times
Metaβs oversight board is internally divided over Mark Zuckerbergβs decision to end fact-checking in the U.S. and weaken hate-speech policies globally, with some members feeling blindsided by the changes.
The board is exploring ways to hold Meta accountable, including issuing a white paper or seeking a policy advisory opinion, but Meta would need to initiate the latter.
Critics, including civil rights groups, warn the changes could amplify misinformation and harm vulnerable communities, while some board members fear it aligns Meta with Donald Trumpβs political agenda.
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