When people seek guidance from science, they expect it to work more than once. I have TWO new articles on commercial forces & proprietary models that make science less reliable, with pointers to communities and ideas that might help. This post offers a summary: citizensandtech.org/2026/07/comm...

New Studies: How Commercial Forces Make Science Less Reliable

Computational social science has been distorted by commercial forces, and AI is making it worse.

citizensandtech.org

Someone in DC set up a “little free blockbuster” with DVDs inside instead of books lol

I wrote about what's happening to the web now that everything is A.I. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/20/t...

How Google’s A.I. Search Is Imperiling the Open Web (Gift Article)

As Google incorporates more artificial intelligence into search, people are spending more time on Google. Some website operators are crying foul.

nytimes.com

A common Q I get on social media is: how do I get into tech/AI ethics as a field/for a job? I would love some help with this! What is some helpful advice here that (a) is not about academia or even research really; and (b) doesn't involve getting a PhD?

This is the weirdest request for input that I've seen in a while. It's almost like the ACM is sitting at the table with the "change my mind" sign. So, let's do it. Short thread with the input I gave them:

Association for Computing Machinery@acm.org · 3w ago

If you would like to share your thoughts, please use this link (buff.ly/fnANR1x). ACM leadership will take your feedback into account while we develop and implement our AI content strategy over the coming months.

If you're attending the CSCW conference this Fall in Salt Lake City: I am co-organizing a workshop on public scholarship! The application process is very lightweight (just a form, no papers required). Please share with folks interested in this topic! Deadline 8/15. sites.google.com/cornell.edu/...

CSCW Public Scholarship 2026

🎶 Wake up in the morning gotta check that feed Like that study, share that blog, we gotta get up to speed Before we leave, post a vid critiquing the AI stack ‘Cause CSCW researchers, we aint holding ...

sites.google.com

In anticipation of Trump's press conference on alleged election interference tomorrow, we're doing an early release of our "Rigged Election" Bingo game. Which worn out tropes will he and his operatives roll out (again) tomorrow? Create your own card to play along. bingo.cip.uw.edu/s/92d3739d-2...

"Rigged Election" Bingo

Spot the tropes before they spread — can you get BINGO?

bingo.cip.uw.edu

Losing Google Search is not the loss of a public good - it’s the loss of a rent seeking extractor that enclosed our information & sold the story that it was providing a public good. But rebooting real public goods Google ate will not be easy.

Guys I can’t keep doing this independently. I need a job. If you know of a place—advocacy, OSINT org, think tank, left media, etc—where I could take this work in-house, pls let me know. I admire the folks making independent work for them, but I am collapsing under the weight and the lack of impact.

Gillian Brockell@gillianbrockell.com · 4w ago

A few minutes ago, two ICE flights operated by Journey Aviation landed in Eswatini, likely another third-country removal of immigrants to a maximum security prison there. Nineteen people have already been sent there on previous ICE flights in the last nine months. Only two have been released.

Not a great economy alert! Wall Street Bets users think Palantir spiked today because The Onion story titled “Palantir Acquires Pentagon for $800 Billion” hit their front page. They’re guessing trading bots indexed the top post on the subreddit reddit not understanding source.

Fabulous line up for an AMA today on @askhistorians.bsky.social! Drs. Robert Bland, Sharron Wilkins Conrad, and Karen Cox! They study the histories of race, racism, and political activism in the US following the Civil War and through the Civil Rights Movement. old.reddit.com/r/AskHistori...

We are historians whose work studies race, rights, and justice in American democracy, Ask Us Anything about Confederate Monuments, Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Movement & more!

This week the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence claiming that "all men are created equal," but the...

old.reddit.com

Okay, it's time for a Moist Owlette™ timeline cleanse. Today's moist owlette is "Owlfredo" at the Stone Zoo in Stoneham, Massachusetts. She's an Eastern screech owl (Megascops asio) & Animal Ambassador with a big personality. (📷: @zoonewengland.bsky.social via IG)

Been reflecting a bit on the news out of Belfast, and the possibilities of anti-fascist activism. Since Trump 1.0, @askhistorians.bsky.social has fielded a steady stream of questions that amounted to 'what kind of activism helped defeat fascism in the past'.

The law locks up the man or woman Who steals the goose from off the common, But leaves the greater villain loose Who steals the common from the goose. (I’m pretty sure James Boyle made us memorize this in his Intro IP class.)

Ever wonder how Wall St. got so powerful? Why your urban rent is so expensive? Or why so many young professionals are obsessed with fitness? Come find out on my Reddit AMA on r/AskHistorians--I'll be there talking YUPPIES all morning.

ArXiv is going to ban researchers for a year if they are caught submitting AI slop. ArXiv told us it's a one strike rule: do it once, you're out. www.404media.co/new-arxiv-ru...

ArXiv to Ban Researchers for a Year if They Submit AI Slop

The change comes as arXiv and others struggle to manage an influx of AI-generated materials masquerading as rigorous science.

404media.co

This is a problematic take. 1. This author draws on personal LLM experiences, such as tutoring as a PhD holder. Actual studies that show mixed results for LLMs as tutors in, say, CS education, including cognitive offloading and students not building relationships with other people.

holly jean buck@hollyjeanbuck.bsky.social · 3mo ago

"AI data center" moratoriums are not the way. They risk pushing burdens to places with less regulation, and driving up the price of compute, which will worsen inequality. jacobin.com/2026/04/ai-d...

I wrote about RightsCon's cancellation after Zambia's government announced it would postpone the event to sort out its concerns over "thematic issues." With thousands about to depart (or already en route) to Lusaka, it's a huge blow to the digital and human rights field.

RightsCon Canceled After Zambia Requires ‘Full Alignment’ With 'National Values'

Organizers canceled the event just days before thousands were set to descend on Lusaka to discuss issues at the intersection of technology and human rights.

techpolicy.press

We must understand that the Voting Rights Act was not merely about ensuring Black Americans rights, it was about democratizing America. This ruling is not just a decimation of Black rights and Black Americans’ ability to have representation, it is a fatal blow to multiracial democracy.

The April 2026 @acm-sigchi.bsky.social research ethics column by @cfiesler.bsky.social, @vitak.bsky.social, and me asks: "is it ever ethical to violate a platform’s Terms of Service to conduct research?" (Spoiler: it's complicated) sigchi.org/news/newslet... 1/3

When people talk about self-censorship, they often focus on campus events or classroom discussions. But self-censorship of research is different and more impt. Big difference btw "I don't want to offend others" to "I don't want to speak truth to power" www.chronicle.com/article/near...

Nearly One-Third of Faculty in Red States Say They’ve Censored Their Research

A new survey of 4,000 academics looked at the effects of state laws barring “divisive concepts” and federal grant cuts.

chronicle.com

pls repost! Are you an academic or someone who has published academically who has requested name changes in your works because you were married (or used to go by a former name)? please let me know via reply/DM/the contact form on my website if you're willing to chat about! #AcademicChatter 🗂️🗃️📜📚

Historians are going to look back on this era and note that every major infrastructure project in the US was a data center or a detention center. A vast expansion of the carceral state.

‘Psychological torture’: outcry over conditions at ICE desert detention camp

Detainees tell of abuse at sprawling Texas facility whose giant generators gobble energy and fuel climate crisis

theguardian.com

How do concerns about AI shape people's sense of community & information trust online? CAT Lab surveyed thousands of redditors in @askhistorians.bsky.social to find out. Our survey is special because we surveyed viewers, commenters, and banned accounts. (1/🧵) www.reddit.com/r/AskHistori...

From the AskHistorians community on Reddit

Explore this post and more from the AskHistorians community

reddit.com

🧵Tradwife culture is moving further into the mainstream. People who watch this film will likely come away with a better sense of the performance, hypocrisy and marketing behind the movement. But, the real issue is the way tradwife content functions as an algorithmic gateway into far-right ideology.

Charlotte Clymer@charlotteclymer.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Holy shit, I have NEVER been more excited for a movie.

I had heard people at #CHI2026 say that they didn't want AI-generated podcasts to be made on top of their work. While this perspective is totally understandable, I thought the podcasts could potentially be useful. But after looking up one of mine, I can't believe this feature was allowed to launch.

Ever been interested in the AskHistorians behind the scenes? The fantastic @sarahagilbert.bsky.social has drafted up a fascinating post on the data and shared the Community Survey Results! Explore the surveys methods, & dive into the results, in this great thread: old.reddit.com/r/AskHistori...

AskHistorians Community Survey Results

Back in December and January my research team spammed the community with a survey. Many of you graciously responded to that survey (and/or our...

old.reddit.com

And just like clockwork, the first comment on a survey report I just shared is one of those bots

Sarah Gilbert@sarahagilbert.bsky.social · 4mo ago

The study is about websites, but we've observed something similar on @askhistorians.bsky.social where we've gotten an deluge of overly saccharine, "fellow-kids" type bots over the last month. The team bans dozens of these things every day.

The study is about websites, but we've observed something similar on @askhistorians.bsky.social where we've gotten an deluge of overly saccharine, "fellow-kids" type bots over the last month. The team bans dozens of these things every day.

James Grimmelmann@jtlg.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Bad content drives out good. www.wired.com/story/ai-slo...