Bruce Schneier (@schneier.com) and I have a new essay in @theconversation.com on the Trump administration's strategy of weaponizing law, technology, & surveillance to chill protest, dissent, & political opposition. In short, the chilling effects are the point. theconversation.com/chilling-eff...

Chilling effects of Trump’s war on free speech extend far beyond campus walls – and that’s the point

A persistent government strategy to sow fear through punitive measures has corroded freedom and democracy.

theconversation.com

New episode! The EU wants to triple data center capacity in five years. But how much energy and water do these facilities actually use? Nobody can say. Tech Policy Press senior editor Ramsha Jahangir digs into the secrecy with Investigate Europe's Nico Schmidt and Leitmotiv's Christiaan van Veen.

Why the EU's Data Center Boom Is a Black Box

Senior editor Ramsha Jahangir speaks with Investigate Europe journalist Nico Schmidt and Leitmotiv cofounder Christiaan van Veen.

buff.ly

Are we shocked the internet turned out the way it did? Even a mere peep into the Clinton-era framework for the Global Information Infrastructure will show that the private sector was always accorded a disproportionate share of power. clintonwhitehouse4.archives.gov/WH/New/Comme...

My name is Jon, and I'm a technologist. Maybe you are struggling with technology, too. If so, there is a community that can help. This twelve step program will help you to reclaim your humanity. dolos.substack.com/p/technologi...

Technologists Anonymous

A 12 Step Program for Reclaiming Our Humanity

dolos.substack.com

If we confuse generative AI’s ability to produce text with consciousness, we risk assigning moral responsibility to chatbots—and not to their makers, Ted Chiang argues.

No, Artificial Intelligence Is Not Conscious

Taken to its logical conclusion, this line of thinking is absurd—and damning.  

bit.ly

Incredible work and worth a deep read! Beyond a great analysis of Bill C-22, I learned a lot more about Canadian policymaking, treaty negotiations, international cyber laws, and the implications for human rights and civil liberties of cross-border data access agreements. Going on the syllabus!

Cynthia Khoo@cyn-k.bsky.social · 2mo ago

New joint publication by @citizenlab.ca + @cancivlib.bsky.social! In which @kate-ro.bsky.social & I join forces w/ Tamir @digitalprivacy.ca to explain the federal govt's many... "(Un)forced Errors: Analysis of Proposed Surveillance Law Expansion under Bill C-22, An Act respecting lawful access" 🧵1/x

New paper from @gabriellelim.bsky.social @noura.bsky.social et al. on the methodology of digital rights governance research and avoiding the “kitchen sink approach.” Read it in Internet Policy Review: policyreview.info/articles/ana...

Avoiding the kitchen sink: A guide to mixed methods approaches within digital rights governance

In this article, we performed a scoping review and argue that mixed or multi-method designs can better support collaboration when thoughtfully applied. However, indiscriminately combining methods with...

policyreview.info

When I read about this this morning, I almost fell out of my chair. These idiots have no idea what they’re talking about and yet their conspiracy theorizing is dictating massive policies and petty, vindictive bullshit like this…

Nina Jankowicz@ninajankowicz.com · last yr.

In another episode of “we live in the stupidest timeline,” Jen Easterly, a woman I have (1) never met and (2) did not work for, had her appointment at West Point terminated because Laura Loomer lied about both of us in a tweet. cyberscoop.com/jen-easterly...

🛰️ New article co-authored by the Citizen Lab's @gabriellelim.bsky.social discusses the risks of privatized space technology. Published in @techpolicypress.bsky.social Read it here: www.techpolicy.press/a-match-made...

A Match Made in the Heavens: The Surveillance State and the “New Space” Economy | TechPolicy.Press

As private firms dominate space, satellites serve both aid and surveillance—raising urgent questions about power, privacy, and democratic control.

techpolicy.press

Planet of the Apes XI: The Rise of the Fascists

Mel Buer@melbuer.bsky.social · last yr.

Border patrol walking McArthur park here in LA

In a short span of time there has been a global rise in "fake news" laws - legislation that purports to or is designed to curb the spread of false information. @sbradshaw.bsky.social, Monzima Haque, and I wanted to understand why. "The Global Spread of Misinformation Laws" ijoc.org/index.php/ij...

Gabrielle Lim, Aidan Kerr, Marlene Terstiege, and Marc Calabretta discuss the risks of privatized space. The issue is not private sector involvement, but power in the hands of private firms “incentivized to serve the surveillance state and further a new kind of space military-industrial complex.”

A Match Made in the Heavens: The Surveillance State and the “New Space” Economy | TechPolicy.Press

As private firms dominate space, satellites serve both aid and surveillance—raising urgent questions about power, privacy, and democratic control.

techpolicy.press

NOW OUT ON FIRSTVIEW!! Institutional Change on #Digital #Platforms: Temporal Shifts in the #Power of #Users, #Businesses, & #States By @sverrir.bsky.social doi.org/10.1017/S153...

Of all the things I read on AI, this is truly one of the best reports critically examining AI. Highly recommend spending an afternoon with it. ainowinstitute.org/2025-landscape Much respect to @ainowinstitute.bsky.social for publishing it.

Artificial Power: 2025 Landscape Report

In the aftermath of the “AI boom,” this report examines how the push to integrate AI products everywhere grants AI companies - and the tech oligarchs that run them - power that goes far beyond their d...

ainowinstitute.org

AI Now's 2025 landscape report is out! Highly recommend reading it: ainowinstitute.org/publications...

Artificial Power: 2025 Landscape Report

In the aftermath of the “AI boom,” this report examines how the push to integrate AI products everywhere grants AI companies - and the tech oligarchs that run them - power that goes far beyond their d...

ainowinstitute.org

h/t to @natashagoel.bsky.social for this insightful piece! Hits home on so many levels. thedigitalmeadow.substack.com/p/the-death-...

The death of the public intellectual

is Hailey Bieber the new Susan Sontag?

thedigitalmeadow.substack.com

How not to do social science: www.404media.co/researchers-...

Researchers Secretly Ran a Massive, Unauthorized AI Persuasion Experiment on Reddit Users

The researchers' bots generated identities as a sexual assault survivor, a trauma counselor, and a Black man opposed to Black Lives Matter.

404media.co

From concerns about social media addiction to urgent civil liberties issues, courts are asking scientists to be arbiters of alleged technology harms. How can scientists reliably inform courts and how can courts interpret our work? New article with @penney.bsky.social tsjournal.org/index.php/jo...

Even after Assad’s fall, #disinformation in #Syria is thriving. In an opinion piece in @timep.bsky.social, The Citizen Lab’s @noura.bsky.social discusses how foreign powers and non-state actors exploit social media to manipulate narratives and spread fear. Read more here: timep.org/2025/01/30/t...

Truth in Transition: Disinformation in Post-Assad Syria

Disinformation fuels fear and division in Syria’s new political landscape, eroding trust and blocking the path to a peaceful political transition.

timep.org

Spot the difference.

What will it take to get news sites to start embedding Bluesky posts instead of x posts in their articles? I’m still seeing even journo x posts in stories on @nymag.com and @nytimes.com when I know they have a Bluesky…

Trump's fascist program is now steamrolling over academia in 🇺🇸 All academics must stand up and resist this political interference in research! EXCLUSIVE: NSF starts vetting all grants to comply with Trump’s orders | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

EXCLUSIVE: NSF starts vetting all grants to comply with Trump’s orders

Grantee accounts remain frozen, while union accuses NSF of ignoring rules governing peer review

science.org

The inside story of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces’ high-stakes mission to capture a North Korean soldier. With Dasl Yoon, photos by Serhii Korovayny. www.wsj.com/world/inside... (gift link)

Inside an Elite Ukrainian Unit’s Mission to Capture a North Korean Soldier

Ukraine wanted to show that North Korean troops are fighting alongside Russian troops. It took a high-stakes mission to prove it.

wsj.com