About this site
Garbage Institute is a wholly independent web publication that focuses on the strange, absurd and unfortunate parts of the internet. This largely exists at the intersection of privacy, tech policy and cybersecurity. Ideally, this project will exist in such a way that allows regular, non-savvy individuals to understand the implication while also providing resources for a deeper dive, allowing the more curious to pursue further. In the era of misinformation, it's important to challenge our understandings, continuing to pursue what is our version of the truth.
About the author
My name is Garrett Jansen. By day, I'm a cybersecurity professional, trying to do what I can to limit the harm of bad actors (read: bad dudes) in the digital world. By night, I am a fan of keeping a finger on the pulse of the funkiest bits of the digital realm, wanting to understand how it happened and the impact it has in shaping our daily lives.
Beyond work and fun, I have a master’s degree from Wilmington University in cybersecurity, with an emphasis on terrorism. All of that helps me be a qualified voice in the space, while never forgetting my roots of lifelong learning and accepting that I'm not always right. If something is wrong, or you feel it's just misleading, I'm always happy to accept good faith feedback and put it to work, when it's justified.
How you can follow
First, there is a newsletter. You can subscribe from nearly any page on this website, however that can be pretty expensive to maintain, and this website does not pay for itself. There are no ads, and this is entirely a labor of love.
If you can, please follow me via RSS or social media first. Social media, in order of engagement:
I've dabbled a bit with Threads, but it's tied to my Instagram, and it's looking like ActivityPub support is getting added, I'll just drop a guide on following me via Threads once that is a broader release.