The blog of The Data Guys™ · Seattle ⇄ Evansville
Honest talk about data, AI, privacy and the people tech forgets. Pull up a chair. I’ll pour, you sip, and we’ll talk about what’s really happening in tech, with sources, and what it means for your block.
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The Tea ReportEight states sue OpenAI, Europe makes its first AI Act moves after AI agents broke loose, Washington admits it's behind on privacy, and digital equity money comes back from the dead. Here's the tea, and what it means for your block.
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The whole pot
When the Affordable Connectivity Program ended in June 2024, millions of households lost $30 a month toward internet. Here's what help still exists, how Lifeline works, how to find low-cost plans, and how to pick the right one.
Business email compromise cost U.S. victims more than $3 billion in 2025, and ransomware reports keep rising. Here's how these attacks actually work, and a practical, affordable security checklist for small businesses and nonprofits.
Washington has about 127 data centers using roughly 6% of the state's electricity, and AI is driving more. Here's how data centers use power and water, what Washington tried to do about it in 2026, and the questions communities should ask.
Many job applications are filtered by software before any person reads them. Here's how applicant tracking systems and AI screeners actually work, what the Workday lawsuit is testing, and practical, honest ways to get your application in front of a human.
A University of Washington report found federal immigration agents searched license plate camera data from at least 18 Washington police agencies, some of which never agreed to share it. Here's how plate readers work, where the data leaks, and the questions every city should answer.
AI vendors promise the moon. Before you sign, ask these twelve questions about your data, accuracy, security, bias, cost and exit. Includes the answers that should make you walk away.
Participatory design means the people who will live with a technology help shape it from the start. Here's what it looks like in practice, why it produces better data and better tools, and how to run a community session that actually changes decisions.
Seattle was one of the first big cities to require public review before using surveillance technology. Here's how the Surveillance Ordinance works, what a Surveillance Impact Report is, the role of the community working group, and how residents can weigh in.
Privacy policies are long on purpose. Here's a five-minute method to find the parts that matter: what's collected, who it's shared with, whether it's sold, how long it's kept, and how to opt out. Includes the exact words to search for.
Your staff are probably already using AI. A simple, one-page policy protects your customers, your data and your team. Here's a plain-language template you can adapt today, and the reasoning behind each line.
You don't need a CS degree to build a career in data. Here's the honest roadmap I'd give my younger self: the skills that matter, the order to learn them, portfolio projects that get noticed, and how to land the first role.
Washington's My Health My Data Act protects health data that HIPAA never covered: apps, wearables, location near clinics, even inferences made by algorithms. Here's what it covers, your rights, the 2,000-foot geofence ban, and what small businesses must do.
Data brokers collect and sell your name, address, phone, relatives and habits. Here's how the industry works under the hood, what California's one-click DROP system shows is possible, and a step-by-step plan to remove yourself from people-search sites.
Eight states are suing OpenAI over harms to children, and Connecticut now requires chatbot safeguards for kids. Here's how AI chatbots are built to keep you talking, what the risks are for teens, and a practical conversation plan for parents.
Digital navigators help people get online, use the internet safely and finish the tasks that run modern life. Here's what the work really looks like, how navigators are trained, how to find one in Seattle, and how to become one.
AI agents escaped test environments, Europe made its first AI Act moves, and states are suing. Here's what AI agents actually are, what went wrong, and a practical kill-switch checklist for any business using them.
Washington is home to Amazon and Microsoft, yet it has no comprehensive consumer privacy law. Here's what the Attorney General's first Data Privacy Report found, what protections you do have today, and what to do about it.
Older Americans reported $7.7 billion in losses to internet crime in 2025, and AI is making scams harder to spot. Here's how voice-clone and deepfake scams work, the red flags, and a family safe-word plan you can set up tonight.
Shoppers saw prices up to 23% higher for the same groceries at the same store at the same time. Here's how surveillance pricing works, which states are banning it, and how to protect your wallet.
California's No Robo Bosses Act and Connecticut's new AI rules put limits on using algorithms to discipline, fire and monitor workers. Here's what changed, what it means for Washington workers and employers, and what to ask at your job.
In 2025 the federal government canceled the Digital Equity Act grants. Part of the money is coming back. Here's the full timeline, what's still missing, and how Seattle groups can apply for the 2027 Technology Matching Fund right now.
Most AI projects fail because the data underneath them isn't ready. Here's the eight-floor Data House framework I use with organizations, the cracks to look for on each floor, and one move to make on each this month.
A practical, four-week plan for small business owners to test AI on one real problem, measure if it helps, and decide with evidence. Includes what to try first, what to never hand over, and how to measure results.
Glucose monitor users reportedly faced a mandatory terms update covering AI data use and arbitration. Here's why 'accept or uninstall' isn't real consent, what terms of service usually hide, and how to protect yourself.
Why “tea”?
Sipping Tea with a Techie started as my LinkedIn newsletter, where we sip tea and dive into the latest in the tech industry. It grew into in-person conversations too, like the Sipping Tea with a Techie session at the Filipino Community of Seattle.
Here is the promise. I’ll tell you what is actually happening in data, AI and privacy, cite where I got it, and always end with something you can do. No hype. No doom. Just the tea, served warm, for the people who usually get left out of the conversation.
— D
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