So whether you are vaccinated or unvaccinated, now is the time to bring out your masks, wash and dry them if needed, and perhaps update your stash altogether. Here are our WIRED recommendations: wired.trib.al/TpyWryo 1/
No matter how effective a mask is, it's not going to work if you don't want to wear it. Lululemon’s Double Strap Mask has signature soft fabric, so it's stretchy and silky against your face allowing you to wear it comfortably, all day. 📸: Lululemon fave.co/3D2Pgc6 2/
Kitsbow's Wake Protech Reusable Face Mask is another great option for double maskers. It offers six sizes to fit a whole slew of faces. It's on the heavier side of masks, but it comes with options for removable inserts and merino wool. 📸: Kitsbow fave.co/2W79zEt 3/
Protect your little ones, even on the go. Happy Masks Pro Series are the perfect masks for all little adventurers. They have a nanofiber filter and are stiffer, with more structure than other masks, so it's easier for kids to run & play 📸: Happy Masks fave.co/3xYohL0 4/
Need an affordable alternative? The Con.Struct cotton face masks are shockingly durable and well made, considering the price. These breathable one-size masks come with adjustable ear loops, a moldable nose wire, & an adjustable filter 📸: Con.Struct amzn.to/3k35x89 5/
Why fit in when you can stand out? Vistaprint's fabric face masks are popular, stretchy, extremely comfortable, and machine washable—but the best part is that they come in a plethora of chic designs to help you express yourself. 📸: Vistaprint fave.co/2WaKxEg 6/
Wearing your mask for an extended period of time? Timbuk2’s Face Mask 3-Pack are made from jersey cotton and tie around the head, making them harder to pop on and off but more comfortable for extended wear 📸: Timbuk2 fave.co/3AY2t41 7/
Exceptional breathability and durability—Sign me up. The Graf Lantz organic cotton masks have strategic darts that allow them to sit well off your face, and they have a filter pocket for additional protection. 📸: Graf Lantz fave.co/3y0yxT0 8/
Pro tip: The best way to make your mask more effective is to make it easier and more comfortable to wear. Here are a few of our favorite mask accessories: 📸: Amazon wired.trib.al/TpyWryo 9/
Subscribe to WIRED for less than $1 per month and get unlimited access to our longform features, buying guides, and tech news wired.trib.al/BMxcvqp
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DOGE is knitting together data from the Department of Homeland Security, Social Security Administration, and IRS that could create a surveillance tool of unprecedented scope. wired.com/story/doge-col…
The scale at which DOGE is seeking to interconnect data, including sensitive biometric data, has never been done before, raising alarms with experts who fear it may lead to disastrous privacy violations. wired.com/story/doge-col…
“They are trying to amass a huge amount of data,” a senior DHS official tells WIRED. “It has nothing to do with finding fraud or wasteful spending … They are already cross-referencing immigration with SSA and IRS as well as voter data.” wired.com/story/doge-col…
American police are spending hundreds of thousands on Massive Blue’s unproven and secretive technology that uses AI-generated online personas designed to interact with and collect intelligence on “college protesters,” “radicalized” political activists, and suspected traffickers.
Massive Blue calls its product Overwatch, which it markets as an “AI-powered force multiplier for public safety” that “deploys lifelike virtual agents, which infiltrate and engage criminal networks across various channels.”
404 Media obtained a presentation showing some of these AI characters. These include a “radicalized AI” “protest persona,” which poses as a 36-year-old divorced woman who is lonely, has no children, is interested in baking, activism, and “body positivity.”
The audit covers DOGE’s handling of data at several Cabinet-level agencies, including:
–the Departments of Labor, Education, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services
–the Treasury
–the Social Security Administration
–the US DOGE Service (USDS) itself wired.com/story/gao-audi…
It's being carried out after congressional leaders’ requests and is centered on DOGE’s adherence to privacy and data protection laws and regulations.
A Congressional aide said the requests followed media reports on DOGE’s incursions into federal systems. wired.com/story/gao-audi…
Dozens of federal employees tell WIRED that Trump's federal return to office order has resulted in chaos (including bad Wi-Fi and no toilet paper), with productivity plummeting and public services suffering. wired.com/story/federal-…
One effect of all this, many federal employees tell WIRED, is that they are travelling long distances in order to spend all of their time in virtual meetings.
A Treasury employee says they spend most of their time at the office on video calls as well. wired.com/story/federal-…
It isn’t just traveling to work to sit on Zoom calls—it’s that there may be no place to take the call, or no working internet to connect to it.
WIRED granted employees anonymity to speak freely about their experiences. wired.com/story/federal-…
SCOOP: Elon Musk’s DOGE has plans to stage a “hackathon” next week in Washington, DC. The goal is to create a single “mega API”—a bridge that lets software systems talk to one another—for accessing IRS data, sources tell WIRED. wired.com/story/doge-hac…
DOGE ops have repeatedly referred to the company Palantir as a possible partner in the project, sources tell WIRED.
SCOOP: Shortly after senior Trump officials discussed the bombing of Yemen in a Signal group chat that just happened to include the Atlantic's editor in chief, a subset of the group feasted at a secret dinner featuring Trump where guests were asked to pay $1 million apiece to join. wired.com/story/trump-of…
The date was Saturday, March 15. President Donald Trump was at his Mar-a-Lago estate attending a “candlelight” dinner that wasn’t on his public calendar. On the lawn outside, luxury cars were on display: a Rolls Royce was parked near a Bugatti and Lamborghini.
Earlier that day, the United States had bombed Yemen, targeting Houthi leadership. At least 53 people, including children, were killed.