Prof Patman swinging here "It's a direct challenge for countries like New Zealand, which support the view that international relations should be based on rules, procedures and laws" That goes straight to the rhetoric party leaders like to use about the rules based international order

Whatever you might think of Maduro, the seizure and kidnapping of a head of state takes us to a very dark place. Vast, arbitrary, extra-legal power, which could be exercised almost anywhere, regardless of the character of the target government.

But when will Grok "apologise" for allowing (and worse, encouraging) the rape of a chatbot role playing as a minor? | xAI's Grok Chatbots: Violent misogyny, and CSAM at a planetary scale www.linkedin.com/pulse/xais-g...

"Meta and TikTok are obstructing researchers’ access to data, "the European Commission rules Data are needed to study how social media spreads misinformation and influences elections, scientists say." www.science.org/content/arti...

Superb.

Asians Supporting Tino Rangatiratanga on Brian Tamaki's violence against the Sikh community: "The Destiny Church/“True Patriot” display of anti-Indian racism targeting the Sikh community is reprehensible and only serves white supremacy." Via Facebook www.facebook.com/Asians4Tino/... #nzpol

Lauren Chen's footprint in New Zealand www.linkedin.com/pulse/lauren... #nzpol

If you happen to be looking for bad redactions in a large set of data files today for some reason, there's an open source tool for that.

When we say "no, everything hasn't been digitized," I need you to understand that we really mean is that virtually nothing has been digitized. This is because the realm of primary sources that historians use is incomprehensibly large.

Don't want to upset the holiday mood of folks in New Zealand by posting aspects of awful commentary inciting hate, & harm inspired by, & directly associated with Brian Tamaki's rally over the weekend. The rally was widely covered in Indian media, as well as foreign social media accounts. #nzpol

Since, AFAIK, it isn't probed by New Zealand media or critically raised elsewhere incl. in parliament, it will never cease to surprise me how the Foreign Minister esp., & others in Govt willingly appear on a far-right podcast platform that promotes, & normalises ChCh terrorist's violent extremism.

The US TikTok sale has been signed. The company will be controlled by a joint venture including Oracle, Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz, Abu Dhabi-based MGX. Adding a UAE company really makes it clear that this was never about national security concerns. www.axios.com/2025/12/18/t...

Two far-right networks designated as terrorist entities newsroom.co.nz/2025/12/18/t... by @marcdaalder.bsky.social Good, but designation's basis showcases enduring blindness in New Zealand towards violent extremist content's free flow into, & spread within domestic social media networks. #nzpol

"An independent panel of legal experts, including former Court of Appeal judge Sir Terence Arnold and former Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson KC, had rated Rainbow as “not recommended” for Chief Commissioner as he lacked proper human rights experience." www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Meta's 2024 annual human rights report (it's latest, and just released) highlights a China-linked coordinated inauthentic behavior network which had also targeted New Zealand. Full report at humanrights.fb.com/annual-human... News media also reported this last year.

"A diary page set out the man’s manifesto, saying he had been radicalised at 19 and he was a 'soldier of Christ, his country, people and religion'". | Hawke’s Bay man deemed a ‘national security threat’, wanted to commit mass killing www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-t...

Protection of the State from Terrorism Act, No. of 2026: Observations from an information integrity perspective www.linkedin.com/pulse/protec... (LinkedIn) sanjanah.wordpress.com/2025/12/16/p... (WordPress) #SriLanka

"A Sydney Muslim community leader says Islamic leaders are refusing to perform funeral rites for the Bondi gunman who was shot dead on Sunday, according to RNZ. Dr Jamal Rifi says the leaders have decided not to accept 50-year-old Sajid Akram's body because the gunman's actions don't reflect Islam."

This is how a normal country responds to a mass shooting. And no, it's not too early. "Australia PM will propose tougher gun laws after Bondi Beach mass shooting" abcnews.go.com/Internationa...

Merriam-Webster’s human editors have chosen ‘slop’ as the 2025 Word of the Year.

Our hearts go out today to everyone killed, injured or affected by the Bondi Beach massacre. We started up in response to the terrorist attack against the Muslim community in Christchurch and we are equally heartbroken today by the terrorist attack on the Jewish community in Sydney.

This will be an interesting case. @openpolicy.bsky.social

🎯

I've just read the Listener's article by Peter Bale Hearts and Minds, on online discourse: www.nzherald.co.nz/the-listener.... I want to comment on its inaccuracies and platforming of hateful speakers.

In the wake of the tragedy in Australia today, someone took the time to create a fake news website and made up a white “IT professional” named "Edward Crabtree" and claimed he stopped the Bondi shooting. The real hero is a man named Ahmed Al Ahmed. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12...

Asked about my thoughts on social media bans for under 16s->Simply I feel mixed. Some lives saved & some youth will manage better, BUT it's crazy that govts happy to regulate end users, misplacing responsibility, and ignoring the actual producers of the most harm: Big Tech. 🧵1/4

Trump’s National Security Strategy: The violent extremist ideology behind the Christchurch massacre rendered as official policy www.linkedin.com/pulse/trumps... (LinkedIn) sanjanah.wordpress.com/2025/12/12/t... (WordPress) #nzpol

Submission to Meta Oversight Board: Policy advisory opinion on Community Notes Expansion www.linkedin.com/pulse/submis... (LinkedIn) sanjanah.wordpress.com/2025/12/11/s... (WordPress)

Enjoyed being on The Hoon with the lovely Prof Patman talking about, amongst other things, the impact of the 'National Security Strategy' released by Trump's White House on white supremacist discourse, & networks in New Zealand. Tried to say what I could in the time allowed! youtu.be/ic1neV_XzR0?...

Up to 26,000 NZers' devices infected with malware Lumma Stealer www.1news.co.nz/2025/12/10/u...

Locating the PLA's cognitive warfare doctrine in Sri Lanka: Implications for India, and beyond www.linkedin.com/pulse/locati... (LinkedIn) sanjanah.wordpress.com/2025/12/08/l... (WordPress) #InformationOperations #Disinformation #InfluenceOperations #FIMI #Democracy #China #India

Great capture on #Australia's ban on key social media apps, and platforms for under-16s by Dr @legallyfeminist.bsky.social, originally posted to Instagram. Reposted to YouTube for wider audience, & better accessibility given importance of issue, & value of insights. www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2ng...

And rightly so, given what's unfolded over just 2025. | UN sounds alarm on NZ racism and Māori rights www.teaonews.co.nz/2025/12/07/u...

Sydney Water has estimated up to 250 megalitres a day will be needed to service datacentres planned by 2035, more than Canberra's entire drinking water. Second feature with @petrastock.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/environment/...

The US State Department is now targeting anyone applying for an H-1b visa who has worked on "activities such as misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, compliance and online safety, among others." www.yahoo.com/news/article...

🤡

Important for those here who aren't on Twitter. Some very important, and interesting questions to consider. | The New Zealand MFAT’s seeking public views on next Strategic Foreign Policy Assessment. Complete the survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/J7J8P9V #nzpol

Folks in New Zealand should pick up latest copy of Listener magazine. Peter Bale's long form journalism is excellent, and comprehensively captures pulsating far-right landscapes, and what it all risks evolving into given Govt's platforming of, & dalliance with thinly-veiled extremist ideologues.

Some would argue this assessment also mirrors the NZ government. | FBI ‘is rudderless ship’ with director Kash Patel ‘in over his head’, damning report by agents claims www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

I wish Disinfo Project had ¼ of the funding, & resources he had to continue work we did. Examples like this make it harder for other folk to access philanthropy. | The transparency project that went dark: Inside the collapse of Bryce Edwards’ Integrity Institute www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Compelling warning by Ireland's Data Protection Commission, originally posted to Instagram. The risks, and threats are progressively, and exponentially worse as generative AI is used against material featuring (your/our) children, incl. in production of CSAM/CSEM. www.instagram.com/reel/DRcD5Fi...

Despite DOGE's failure at the domestic level, as noted in slate.com/news-and-pol..., the US is pushing for DOGE-style cuts at the UN. www.newsweek.com/us-ambassado...

Make this make sense.

Sadly this also seems increasingly relevant to academics in Aotearoa. cc @hendysh.bsky.social @siouxsiew.bsky.social @sanjanah.bsky.social

I see this New Zealand citizen is making the news again. www.thelettersfromleo.com/p/new-jd-van...

No other way to put it other than an absolute clusterfuck | Court Filings Allege Meta Downplayed Risks to Children and Misled the Public time.com/7336204/meta...

“Meta shut down internal research into the mental health effects of Facebook after finding causal evidence that its products harmed users’ mental health, according to unredacted filings in a lawsuit by U.S. school districts against Meta and other social media platforms.”

Modern South Asia Workshop macmillan.yale.edu/southasia/mo...

The friendship illusion: China’s influence operations, and strategic erasure of India A study of Facebook posts from 1 October to 21 November 2025 www.linkedin.com/pulse/friend... (on LinkedIn) sanjanah.wordpress.com/2025/11/23/t... (on WordPress) #China #InfluenceOperations #India

At New Zealand's Kawaiican cybersecurity convention, organizers hacked together a way for attendees to track CO2 levels throughout the venue—even before they arrived. www.wired.com/story/this-h...