NSA and porn--you knew this conjunction was bound to happen; Internet freedom activists push Bitcoin as a blow for free speech and commerce; Washington insiders are hoping to update how the presidential debates integrate social media; and much, much more. Read More

“Remember who the real enemy is,” implores Katniss Everdeen's mentor and friend, Haymitch Abernathy, in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. It is his succinct reminder that the Capitol, and not her fellow Hunger Games competitors, is the real bad guy. It is a message almost entirely lost in the media coverage and marketing campaign surrounding Catching Fire. The Harry Potter Alliance, a nonprofit advocacy organization, is trying to remedy that with a campaign called Odds In Our Favor that highlights the similarities between the inequities of fictional Panem and present-day America. So far, thousands have participated by uploading selfies in which they hold up the three finger salute that symbolizes solidarity and resistance against 'the few who control the many.'

Why the Obamacare mess may be far, far worse for the Democratic party than people realize; the latest in voter-targeting TV ads; thinking about "popular data" as a new way to grow civic engagement around open data; and much, much more. Read More

Exclusively for Personal Democracy Plus subscribers: A first look at AskThem, a new portal for citizen questions of public officials and figures; an embarrassing data dump for the Indiana GOP; the NSA's spying empire in one handy map; and much, much more. Read More

Nineteen-year-old Julian Gomez just put out a video to fellow Harry Potter fans explaining why they should care about immigration reform. Gomez, a video blogger for the political action group Harry Potter Alliance, announced July 31 that he is an undocumented immigrant. The group is hoping this will mobilize Potter fans, who have already organized around charity work, to get political. Read More