Join us for the 8th session in our Gender & Tech Talk Series, "Digital Transformation,” on Feb 24, 10am ET, with the amazing Jamila Venturini/@derechosdigitales.org & Madeleine Fern/CanArctic Inuit Net. Free to all: dtdlab.virginia.edu/event/gender... @yasmincurzi.com / @uvadatascience.bsky.social

How is the concept of culture wars rooted in the social and political struggles of nineteenth-century Germany? Robert D. Priest explores these little-known origins.

“One notable MIT study found that 95 percent of companies that integrated AI saw zero meaningful growth in revenue. For coding tasks, one of AI’s most widely hyped applications, another study showed that programmers who used AI coding tools actually became slower at their jobs.”

But popularity is not the same as good. Unpopular is not the same as bad. And having moral clarity is good actually even if it means engaging in behaviors that are deeply unpopular.

Join us for the 7th event in our Gender & Tech Online Talk Series "Dis/Misinformation & Political Extremism” on Jan 27 at 11am EST, with the amazing @pinheiromachado.bsky.social + @robyncaplan.bsky.social. Free & open to all: dtdlab.virginia.edu/event/gender.... See you there @yasmincurzi.com

This article of mine from 2024 at @unicornriot.bsky.social still carries a lot of weight because of the implications of not just training civilians to conduct ICE raids, but also because of how it trains everyday people to become informants and cheerleaders for DHS.

Grok becoming a mass mainstream nudify app with baked-in viral distribution was entirely predictable; the only surprise is how long it took. So much of the risk scenario for this assumed mainstream AI model creators would limit its output and this would be a targeted harassment/niche model issue.

Make a Bond film academic. The Spy Who Plagiarized Me

I don't want gen AI in my software I don't want gen AI in my phone I don't want gen AI in my email I don't want gen AI in my recipes I don't want gen AI in my safety documentation I don't want gen AI in my schools I don't want gen AI in my healthcare I don't want gen AI in my life

It's like poetry, they rhyme.

Our collective task is not to save tech but to save us, our world. The resonant computing manifesto is too focused on means and not on ends. And that's basically the core issue. The belief in technological determinism.

slop machine goes brrrrrr

www.bbc.com/news/article... leave the deep sea and all its freaky little guys alone!

Australia began enforcing a ban on social media apps for children under the age of 16 — becoming the first country to do so. The measure is meant to protect children from the pressures and risks of social media, a mounting global concern.

Landmark penalty triggers US fury as Brussels enforces first digital transparency sanction.

LGBT rights are on the chopping block around the world. But the landscape for these rights has also shifted tremendously towards progress in recent decades. Listen to a new episode of HRW's Rights & Wrongs podcast ⤵️ Spotify: https://bit.ly/4pmItBK Apple: https://apple.co/4a0mR9w

Breaking News: The EU fined X $140 million for violating rules governing the transparency of online platforms.

The most precious commodity you have is your attention. You don’t have to waste it on poor-faith debates or arguments with strangers if you don’t think they’ll be productive. You can prioritize the things that matter to you and make your life richer.

We just published a deep look into David Sacks, the White House's AI and Crypto czar. The story examines how he has been able keep hundreds of stakes in AI-related and crypto companies as he influences gov policy in those very industries. Here's what we found: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/t...

“What is remigration, which the Department of Homeland Security is calling for?” It’s this:

We are all so screwed because the entire global economy has bet on an industry that can’t make money. Read about the massive fraud: open.substack.com/pub/shanakaa...

Far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro arrested in Brazil

John Solomon’s Informing America set out to create an echo chamber to shape public opinion. It’s working. via @motherjones.com

Dear US-based friends: how do you actually clean your salads? I just realized that “ready to eat” meant “washed” (almost like giving a bath in bacteria, which I find a lovely idea but doesn’t make them unsafe), and I decided that I’m not eating anything green here until further notice.

I've been working on this for awhile, and now it's finally out in the world — our new series explores the nuances of detransitioning in America right now. I spoke with two detransitioners who feel harmed by the Trump administration. Their stories can teach us a lot. I hope you'll read them.

"Investimento"?? Espero q o governo não caia nesse gaslighting.

Venture capitalists Andreessen and Horowitz invest in startup that sells thousands of AI bot influencers to manipulate social media as a service, clearly violating major platform policies www.404media.co/a16z-backed-...

Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching

We are happy to share with you our new issue "Building Trans Communities" (November–December 2025), where we mobilize collective embodiments and solidarities against transphobia around the world. Order your copy here: thefunambulist.net/shop/62-buil...

Matança, que inclui 4 PMs, foi desencadeada para tentar colocar pecha em Lula e fazer lobby para Trump, que busca classificar CV e PCC como "terroristas" para justificar ação armada no Brasil sem aval do governo brasileiro.

Ha poucas pesquisas com dados sobre o impacto econômico de ações de segurança FRACASSADAS como estas, "contra o tráfico". A última, feita em 2024 com os poucos dados disponíveis apontava para mais de 7 bilhões por ano - em apenas 6 estados!

join us tomorrow!

What makes Bluesky different: it’s open source, so anyone can contribute to building the experience they want. And even if you build a whole new app, the protocol means you can migrate with your data, identity, and relationships intact.

Ted Cruz’s new bill would let AI companies set their own rules for up to 10 years

join us for the 4th session of our Gender & Tech Online Talk Series on Sept. 29th, 11AM, EDT. we are eager to host two brilliant keynote speakers, Paz Peña (Mozilla Foundation) and Tamara Kneese (Data & Society), who will discuss the social and environmental impacts of technocapitalism. more info: 👇

Respeito à nossa Constituição, à nossa legislação e ao povo brasileiro. É isso que exigimos. Porque democracia e soberania não se negociam 🇧🇷 🎥 Audiovisual/PR

“This back-to-school season, the usual first-day jitters have been replaced by paralyzing fear. Kids are missing school, afraid to leave their homes. Parents are having to make plans in case they are disappeared. And teachers are having to be trained in safety protocols should they encounter ICE.”

Contribuí para essa super matéria da @laismartins.com no @intercept.com.br ⬇️⬇️⬇️

It’s deeply concerning to see #LinkedIn remove a policy protecting transgender and nonbinary people from one of the most prevalent and extreme types of online anti-trans hate at a time when trans people are under unprecedented attack, writes GLAAD’s @jenniolsonsf.bsky.social.

this is insane

Come and join us in the third webinar of our Gender and Tech Online Talk Series - this time to discuss platform governance from an intersectional perspective with the amazing Julie Owono and Coleen Carrigan. More details below! See you there?

This talk will be moderated by @yasmincurzi.com, who is also co-organizing this series with me. The series is sponsored by the Digital Technology for Democracy Lab and the UVA School of Data Science.

Are you interested in learning more about how gender is shaped by digitization and platform governance? Join us on Aug 28 11am EDT for the 3rd event in the Gender & Tech Online Talk Series with Julie Owono & Coleen Carrigan. Free & open to the public. Register here: virginia.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

One more effort to politicize federal grantmaking. *Grants must by approved by a political appointee, working with OMB. *"Discretionary awards must, where applicable, demonstrably advance the President’s policy priorities." *Cannot "promote anti-American values" www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

There’s a nonzero chance you will die from a cancer that could have been curable because people who couldn’t pass 7th grade biology and are scared of things like “mRNA” and “riboflavin” and “walkable cities” decided to make their ignorance everybody else’s problem

What kind of vile people put this much effort into reducing racial, economic and cultural diversity on campuses? What kind of people think it's bad to make an effort to include underrepresented people in higher ed? Their vision of America is truly that of AmeriKKKa. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/u...

Trump EO requires commissars to decide who gets federal money: www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...