News and notes from around the interweb:
- Many travelers use VPNs, but be aware that “because VPNs obscure a user’s true location, and because intelligence agencies presume that communications of unknown origin are foreign, Americans may be inadvertently waiving the privacy protections they’re entitled to under the law.”
Americans reportedly spend billions of dollars each year on commercial VPN services, many of which are offered by foreign-headquartered companies using servers located overseas. According to the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, VPNs have the potential to be vulnerable to surveillance by foreign adversaries. While Americans should be warned of these risks, they should also be told if these VPN services, which are advertised as a privacy protection, including by elements of the federal government, could, in fact, negatively impact their rights against U.S. government surveillance.
To that end, we urge you to be more transparent with the American public about whether the use of VPNs can impact their privacy with regard to U.S. government surveillance, and clarify what, if anything, American consumers can do to ensure they receive the privacy protections they are entitled to under the law and Constitution.
- Omni Hotels bought $200 million in distressed debt on The Greenbrier in West Virginia. 28 Presidents have stayed on the property, though the current iteration of the rest was built in 1913 and no sitting President since Eisenhower has gone. It’s the home of Project Greek Island, a bunker built for Congress after the Cuban Missile Crisis which was decommissioned after the Washington Post revealed its existence in 1992.
The property is owned by U.S. Senator and former West Virginia Senator Jim Justice. More on Justice’s ownership of the hotel here.
- Why Bill Franke pushed out Frontier’s CEO, didn’t buy Spirit, and is putting in first class seats but not a real first class product. He also criticizes changes at Southwest Arilines:
They made a lot of changes here recently, and the consumer is uncertain about whether they like or don’t like it. …Southwest has more recently been very traditional in its decision-making.
He thinks consumers love JetBlue but they “either get bigger or be integrated.” He’s talked to them about making an investment but there’s a lot of devil in the details. In concept? Maybe.He’s got airlines in Mexico, South America and Europe but says “I couldn’t drink enough whiskey to survive the politics” of Brazil.
To Franke, the Airbus A321XLR and Abu Dhabi hubs were mistakes at Wizz Air that he was against but didn’t block, though the XLR could make sense if Wizz Air were to fly to the U.S. “Maybe they’re going to do that. ”
- I kind of like that they were honest, actually:
@united Delayed flight caused me to change a connecting flight. I went to the gate to inquire about my checked bag. The flight attendant told me when I asked, “I don’t care about your bag” right to my face. Was some of the most belittling customer service. Was shocked
— Eric (@Eric15030611) April 3, 2026
- Lifetime ban. But at least they weren’t clipping their toenails over the tray?
@AmericanAir is this normal and acceptable? AA1338. Your flight attendant was about as hospitable as a MTA bus driver and couldn’t be bothered to stop this behavior. And this is during meal service. pic.twitter.com/kqyyHph5ng
— Jason (@JasonDWeinstein) April 3, 2026
- An app that compares Uber, Waymo, Lyft and Curbed prices
- I kind of like that they were honest, actually:
@ Gary — Well, what’s worse, exposing my banking and loyalty program passwords to thieves in airport lounges, airplanes and hotels, or waiving my right to privacy?
@ Gene – Why the knee-jerk reaction? Gary didn’t lecture you on what to do. He only relayed info. Your preference whether to trust the government is your own business. Nobody cares about it.
Fun Fact: Unless you have a very specific use case such as remote access to company systems, you probably don’t need a VPN. Ordinary TLS and DoH are more than adequate.