“Who is funding you” ATProto devs have got no money, we've got our strong beliefs
Robin Berjon
@robin.berjon.com
Political technologist, bringing democracy to the internet. Brussels, 🇪🇺. • tech, governance, science, politics, philosophy, infrastructure, cats, terrible puns • DASL, Eurosky/Mu, Modal • ex W3C, NYT • Signal robin.77
All that Gen-Z is inheriting is their elders' capitulation. Capitulation on the biosphere. Capitulation on inequality. Capitulation on the private government of the internet. Capitulation on the democratic governance of transnational systems. Their fight is everywhere existential.
Albert Pinto@70sbachchan.bsky.social · 7h agoPeople think I'm joking when I say that disinformation threatens democracy and sovereignty, and that this means that kinetic options should be on the table, even if ideally not used.
Anonymous@youranoncentral.bsky.social · 13h agoRussian bot traffic has dropped to nearly 0 after Ukraine struck a Yandex data center in Vladimir, Russia
Some #Caturday Science!🧪 This is Miko the Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) from GarLyn Zoo Wildlife Park (non-AZA accredited, in Michigan's UP). Miko is showing his winter weight, but you're also seeing a PRIMORDIAL POUCH swinging under his tummy. Let's talk about these pendulous paunches.
I really really wouldn't mind a democratic insurrection in India right now.
Albert Pinto@70sbachchan.bsky.social · yesterdayModi has lost it. "The govt has responded by massively increasing the security presence in the capital. Around thirty thousand police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed, internet services have been disrupted, trains to Delhi have been cancelled, metro stations and roads have been closed."
That’s a really dramatic and, yeah, aggressive claim and I started at ‘ok W is bad but is that over the top?’ then I read the thread and no, I don’t think it’s particularly over the top :(
Robin Berjon@robin.berjon.com · 2d agoOk — I've seen enough. #WSocial is the politics of Elon Musk meets the accountability of Mark Zuckerberg.
The funniest thing about “who is funding you” question is that believe it or not, we are also all trying to find an answer to that question so we can get paid.
just when you thought it couldn’t get worse
Christopher Miller@christopherjm.ft.com · 2d agoUS officials stepped up pressure on Ukraine to stop striking Russian oil refineries and threatened to cut off vital intelligence sharing as Donald Trump announced a deal with Moscow to release diesel on to the world market. www.ft.com/content/7fd4... via @financialtimes.com
I once helped run and co-owned a social media website that at its peak had about 2 million visitors a month. As well as the successes, we had plenty of fails, hacks, and complaints, but we always owned up to our mistakes instead of making up shite excuses.
Robin Berjon@robin.berjon.com · 2d agoOk — I've seen enough. #WSocial is the politics of Elon Musk meets the accountability of Mark Zuckerberg.
New working paper: the Norwegian wealth tax was a huge success. The "exodus" of wealthy people never happened (less than 100 individuals left). Tax revenue increased by 71.5%. No changes in business activity or investment. www.nber.org/papers/w35854
1) Putin doesn't have diesel to spare. 2) Diesel is cover for lifting sanctions. 3) Putin's statement sounds like he's offering an Iran escape hatch, which I've been predicting. 4) Half of the MASSIVE bribes Putin is offering now don't exist. 5) But he does mention security coop -- Kash.
I missed that when it came out: @masnick.com does a great job tying the story together (and also seems to see the story as having broken on @mu.social). www.techdirt.com/2026/10/08/u...
US Gov’t Interferes To Get Foreign Sponsors To Drop Conference Because A Panel Asks If The US Engages In Foreign Information Interference
One of the most bizarre things over the last few years is how two guys, Michael Shellenberger and Matt Taibbi, bumbling around cosplaying as "free speech" experts, have done tremendous damage to free speech. After Elon Musk brought them in to report on the so-called "Twitter Files," the two of them spun up nonsense tales...
techdirt.com
C'est tout en anglais mais vous comprendrez sans trop de mal, à propos du PDS WSocial qui séduit tant les médias avec son narratif "on va remplacer Twitter"...
Robin Berjon@robin.berjon.com · 2d agoOk — I've seen enough. #WSocial is the politics of Elon Musk meets the accountability of Mark Zuckerberg.
Ok — I've seen enough. #WSocial is the politics of Elon Musk meets the accountability of Mark Zuckerberg.
Elena Rossini ⁂@elenarossini.com · 3d agoDear friends who don't speak German: Go to YouTube ASAP, turn on subtitles → autogenerated translation and watch this video! TL;DR: #WSocial is posting legal names, nationalities and approx. birthdays of verified users as a public record on the Atmosphere. Confronted, they claim it's "by design" 🤯
the Irish government continues to cater for the AI industry while ignoring independent experts, impacted communities, and CSOs "Prominent speaking slots at the event will feature US AI firms Google, Microsoft & OpenAI, with Meta, IBM, Intel, Nvidia, Amazon, Anthropic & AMD represented on panels"
Liz Carolan@lizcarolan.com · 2d agoIrish Gov is hosting its "International AI Summit" next week Even I was surprised by how industry heavy is it 83% of speakers are corporates, 0 independent experts, 1 union rep I'm not explicit about this in the piece -but- surely this is, at best, tone deaf? www.techpolicy.press/at-irelands-...
It's totally, totally not creepy when I'm all alone at home and the house is being battered by wind and rain under dark skies, and all of a sudden the printer starts printing random documents.
Hey @atproto.science ppl 👋 which researcher profiles do you actually keep updated? e.g. @orcid.org, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, university/lab page, LinkedIn, funder CV's (NWO, ERC, NIH biosketch), Academia.edu, conference apps... Anything else...? Which ones do you never (or hate to) update?
Side note: I'm not 100% sure, but I think that this story broke first on here (maybe even on @mu.social) Wednesday morning, no?
Dave Keating@davekeating.substack.com · 4d agoYet again, the EU surrenders to Trump. After facing pressure from the US State Department, @kajakallas.bsky.social's EU foreign service pulled out of a conference this week at the last minute – because one of the panels dared to discuss American disinfo in Europe.
Remember the 2019 Christchurch Call, a call by Western govts and Big Tech to "end the ability to use social media to organise and promote terrorism and violent extremism"? It was a response to livestreamed mass-murder by a far-right loner. Which platforms will stream Hegseth's blood + circus?
Le bon vieux temps... "plus jamais 20%" www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpH0...
Bérurier noir - Porcherie live 1989
YouTube video by punkmusiclovers
youtube.com
Some politicians are braver than others, have a stronger moral compass than others. Those are the ones who, like @annaluehrmann.eurosky.social (on @eurosky.social 💖!), work for their citizens rather than in submission to US adversaries.
Anna Lührmann@annaluehrmann.eurosky.social · 3d agoI stand in solidarity with researchers at the #disinfo2026 conference. We need brave researchers and civil society in our fight against disinformation. EU institutions and governments should not cave under US pressure.
The kids know the right traditions. This will never stop being true.
Stephanie Lamy@stephlamy.bsky.social · 4d ago“YThe youth says fuck the National Front,” chant protesters at Bastille in Paris - a longstanding anti-fascist slogan popularised by French punk band Bérurier Noir in the 1980s. via @anthodepe.bsky.social
If you want to see a civil servant putting on a very brave face to answer questions when he knows his bosses are spineless cowards who've fucked up big time, watch this. #DisinfoGate audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/vid...
Audiovisual Service - EC Midday press briefing of 08/10/2026
MEMBER STATES / DISINFORMATION - EEAS decision to withdraw his logo to the #Disinfo2026 Conference in Lithuania: Q&A
audiovisual.ec.europa.eu
Credit to the US for making the point the conference was trying to make about US foreign interference in European democracies for them, and bringing more attention to the conference and its themes than they could have possibly hoped for. www.politico.com/news/2026/10...
EU, Canada and Lithuania pull out of disinformation conference after US pressure
The Trump administration was bothered by panels that referred to the U.S. as a disinformation threat.
politico.com
Three government sponsors pulled their logos from Europe's premier disinformation conference in Vilnius this week. Ramsha Jahangir and Giovana Fleck report on what drove the withdrawals and the transatlantic politics behind them.
Disinformation Conference in Europe Caught Up in Transatlantic Politics
Europe’s top disinformation conference faces government withdrawals and pressure over its debate on foreign interference, free speech and the US.
techpolicy.press
“The demarche request appears to be an unusual administration effort to use allied government pressure to silence criticism from European citizens and Americans abroad” www.politico.com/news/2026/10...
EU, Canada and Lithuania pull out of disinformation conference after US pressure
The Trump administration was bothered by panels that referred to the U.S. as a disinformation threat.
politico.com
We are aware of the political frictions related to the Lithuania disinfo conference. We expect no spillover impact and are still hosting the 2027 Cambridge Disinformation Summit. The call for papers is open. For more information, see the conference website: www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/events/cambr...
Cambridge Disinformation Summit (2027)
Connect with Cambridge Judge! Explore our full calendar of upcoming events, learn about our programmes and connect with world-class speakers.
jbs.cam.ac.uk