Good reminder here: Immigration authorities in the U.S. have been collecting social media data since Trump 1.0. Now they're using it to justify their "catch and revoke" scheme. Important reporting and analysis by @tekendra-parmar.bsky.social www.compiler.news/mahmoud-khal...

The chilling effects of using A.I. to hunt ‘pro-Hamas’ activists

The State Department is attempting to use artificial intelligence to target visa holders in the United States who express views counter to U.S. foreign policy. Is the real goal legitimizing a politica...

compiler.news

SCOOP: More than 300 FTC blogs published under FTC Chair Lina Khan disappeared this morning. They included posts critical of Amazon, Microsoft, and generative AI. www.wired.com/story/federa...

FTC Removes Posts Critical of Amazon, Microsoft, and AI Companies

Business-guidance content published during the Biden administration has been removed from the Federal Trade Commission website.

wired.com

BREAKING: Hundreds of Jews and allies have taken over Trump Tower chanting “We want justice, you say how. Bring Mahmoud home now!” and “Fight Nazis, not students.” The civil disobedience is spawned by the ICE arrest of Palestinian student Mahmoud Khalil.

Universities are doing Trump's bidding, purging voices of dissent from their halls. Among them is Swarthmore, a college with a foundation in Quaker values of peaceful resistance and civil disobedience. We must hold them to account -- sign & share if you agree. actionnetwork.org/petitions/de...

Demand Swarthmore College Reverse the Suspension of a Peaceful Protestor

SWARTHMORE COLLEGE ISSUES ITS FIRST SUSPENSION FOR PEACEFUL PROTEST On Thursday, March 6th 2025, Swarthmore college SUSPENDED a student for peaceful protest activities in the Fall of 2023. The studen...

actionnetwork.org

It’s economic independence—not the lofty and abstract ideas of academic freedom, but the indispensable fact that colleges become the sole economic engines in their regions—that Trump and his acolytes want to curtail.

Trump Is Cracking Down on the Colleges That Cave to Him

Columbia University complied with the demand to aid in Mahmoud Khalil’s arrest. It didn’t save it from the president’s wrath.

newrepublic.com

Good read on gov't bureaucracy, the current limitations of tech, and the coming human toll of Musk's AI-driven slash-and-burn strategy, via @benzevgreen.bsky.social www.techpolicy.press/doge-plan-to...

What Yale, Columbia and other universities are doing has precious little to do with anti-semitism. The GOP is exploiting a crack in academia that divides people focused on scholarship and truth-telling from those with political and economic capital. Rich people with values, please come forward.

"The decision came three days after a news site, *powered at least in part by artificial intelligence,* published a story about Dr. Doutaghi....The news site called her a member of a terrorist group." Shame on Yale. Cowardice will end free thought in this country. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/12/u...

Yale Scholar Banned After A.I. News Site Accuses Her of Terrorist Link

The deputy director of a liberal project at Yale Law School was put on leave over allegations that she is linked to Samidoun, a group the U.S. government has said funds terrorists.

nytimes.com

New: we've obtained a leaked list of the more than 200 sites, services, apps an ICE surveillance contractor monitors. Bluesky, OnlyFans, many more. Used to track targets. Highly relevant with the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil by ICE. We've published the full list here: www.404media.co/the-200-site...

The 200+ Sites an ICE Surveillance Contractor is Monitoring

404 Media has obtained the list of sites and services that ICE contractor ShadowDragon pulls data from. ShadowDragon sources data from all over the web and lets government analysts easily search it an...

404media.co

Fear of retribution has rapidly become a feature of working as a journalist in the U.S. Here's a tip from working with journos in Cuba and China: Partner up with a journalist in a safer jurisdiction. Work together on the reporting, but put the story out under their byline.

EVERYONE ought to read this piece from @mmasnick.bsky.social. If I were an editor at @niemanreports.org or @columjournreview.bsky.social I would be begging to republish a version. www.techdirt.com/2025/03/04/w...

Why Techdirt Is Now A Democracy Blog (Whether We Like It Or Not)

While political reporters are still doing their view-from-nowhere “Democrats say this, Republicans say that” dance, tech and legal journalists have been watching an unfortunately recogn…

techdirt.com

If you're in the weeds of Meta's policy change blitz, this is a good thread 👇🏻

Dave Willner@dwillner.bsky.social · 2y ago

Folks are mostly missing the forest for the trees re: the recent Meta announcement. Specifically, the focus on the move from fact checking to community notes. There two different changes that are a much bigger deal that have received less focus. 🧵 1/11

When censorship happens on Meta's platforms, Meta must be held accountable. Fact-checkers, contrary to what Zuckerberg insinuated, never censored anything. True to form, @factchecknet.bsky.social has set the record straight 👇🏻

Some very nice coverage of a very dark turn at Meta, with a quote from me. Thanks @inafried.bsky.social for reaching out and reporting with such care! www.axios.com/2025/01/09/m...

Meta's new content policies will let many groups be targeted

Changes in moderation will release a flood of hate speech and could even fuel real-world violence, experts say.

axios.com

WTAF...This is Meta, a company that has spent years insisting that it's all about authentic identities and "real" people and "real" conversations. www.firstpost.com/tech/meta-is...

Meta is planning to deploy millions of AI-bots on Facebook and Instagram as user base shrinks

These AI-bots, according to Meta’s vice-president of product for generative AI, Connor Hayes, will function similarly to traditional user accounts, complete with bios, profile pictures, and will have ...

firstpost.com

US colleagues: Pay attention to what's coming for non-profits that are pushing for equitable, rights-protective technology. And look to your counterparts in India, Hungary, Turkey for tips. They have plenty.

Dr Abeba Birhane@abeba.blacksky.app · 2y ago

Senator Ted Cruz's letter to the U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland arguing that Europe and AI Safety organizations are engaged in illegal political activity in the US www.commerce.senate.gov/services/fil...

Trump seized the phone records of NYT reporters. Patel has vowed to do it again, if not engage in even more invasive surveillance. And its headline team is going with "wow, bold choice." That is really, really something.

Matt Novak@paleofuture.bsky.social · 2y ago

The New York Times vs PBS Newshour in my RSS feeds

Glad to see my piece on legal threats against researchers is making the rounds here on @bsky.app, where I've finally set up camp. Thanks to @heymike.bsky.social & @compiler.news for all the support. Please read and share --- more relevant than ever.

Compiler @compiler.news · 2y ago

The right's attacks on #misinformation research have left academics struggling to maintain support & fearful of retribution. @ninajankowicz.com, @noupside.bsky.social, @kkarahal.bsky.social, @rebekahtromble.bsky.social & others talk about this ongoing threat: 👉 www.compiler.news/misinformati...