The big picture to keep in mind is that modern destabilization and foreign interference usually isn’t about invasion. It’s about: undermining trust, amplifying division, convincing people their own system is illegitimate. Once enough people believe that, outside pressure becomes easier to justify.

Be wary of conspiracy-level fraud “evidence” right after a vote. If a referendum fails & w/in hours, there are: “leaked” documents, viral charts “proving” statistical impossibilities, mystery insiders claiming massive fraud. That’s a sign someone is trying to flood the zone before facts can settle.

Keep an eye out for politicians who are suddenly sounding very invested in one Canadian province. Usual = polite commentary. Not normal = foreign politicians saying a province is being “denied democracy” or “needs protection.” That’s how internal politics get reframed as an international issue.

🧵 If Canada ever faced a serious separatist crisis with foreign interference, the real warning signs wouldn’t start with troops or tanks. They’d start with narratives. Here’s what to be on alert for... #cdnpoli

"Greece arrests air force officer on espionage charges linked to China" www.euractiv.com/news/greece-...

"How money drives Russia’s sabotage campaign in Europe. Money, not ideology, recruits disposable agents. Europe’s response must reflect this" www.euractiv.com/opinion/how-...

"We're now under hybrid attack from the U.S." "The U.S. has declared a form of information warfare against us. They're going to use everything that they can to destabilize our country, to disrupt us, potentially to break us apart in order to execute on their national security strategy."

Officer, he was wearing a hoodie!

Dogs today, humans tomorrow. What could possibly go wrong?

Platforms #monetizing schema are encouraging the creation and distribution of hate content: "Hate brings views": Confessions of a London fake news TikToker" www.londoncentric.media/p/london-tik...

"Jeff Bezos’s axing of more than 300 jobs at the storied newspaper has renewed fears about the resilience of America’s democracy to withstand Trump’s attacks" www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...

Ossoff: We were told that MAGA was for working-class Americans. But this is a government of, by, and for the ultra-rich. It’s the wealthiest Cabinet ever. This is the Epstein class. They are the elites they pretend to hate.

Palantir, Deloitte, and the private prison giant GEO Group took in more than $22 billion from ICE and CBP last year. Behind the spreadsheets and contracts, there's a quieter truth: someone is getting rich from cages, borders, and human pain. Profit has always been fluent in the language of cruelty.

"Prosecutors Began Investigating Renee Good's Killing. Washington Told Them to Stop. Federal prosecutors had a warrant to collect evidence from Ms. Good's vehicle, but Trump administration leaders said to drop it. About a dozen prosecutors have departed." www.nytimes.com/2026/02/07/u...

"NSA detected phone call between foreign intelligence and a person close to Trump." www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Your future lawyer might be an AI agent. But I'm pretty sure law societies & bar associations' gatekeeping will keep the fees the same, if not higher. (See relatlor's decade+ fight to keep their dominion over listings.) "Maybe AI agents can be lawyers after all" techcrunch.com/2026/02/06/m...

"TikTok creators flock to UpScrolled app after U.S. takeover....Millions have downloaded UpScrolled, an app pitching itself as 'anti-censorship'" www.cbc.ca/news/world/u...

Seeing a story like this is a reminder and a warning that in a world flooded with disinformation and AI-generated noise is a world that favours authoritarians and fascists. Democracy depends on shared facts to build consensus, but those common reference points have eroded.

"More Than 800 Google Workers Urge Company to Cancel Any Contracts With ICE and CBP. The campaign is among the largest anti-ICE protests by workers at a single company since federal agents shot and killed two people in Minneapolis last month." www.wired.com/story/hundre...

"Greek and French authorities probe alleged Chinese espionage targeting NATO tech, satellite data and military secrets, raising fears of wider spy networks." www.euronews.com/2026/02/06/g...

🚀 dashboardr is out! An #rstats package for building interactive dashboards with tidyverse-style syntax. Launched with a fun hackathon at @ascor.bsky.social (🍕 included). 📦: favstats.github.io/dashboardr/ Big thanks to the dashboardr team, Digicomlab, and @vivifabrien.bsky.social for the logo 🎨

RIP nuclear non-proliferation. "The unthinkable is on the list of Japanese security options. Lawmakers and others are already whispering about the possibility of going nuclear" www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2...

"Was there censorship on TikTok after the U.S. takeover? A TikTok outage more likely explains recent anomalies – there’s no evidence of larger platform changes so far." goodauthority.org/news/was-the...

Curious re: who is using paid ads to shape your thinking re: politics & social issues on Facebook & Instagram? We've an app for that. PoliDashboard Unveils 25 New Country-Specific Dashboards, Advancing Global Transparency in Political Advertising on Meta Platforms. socialmedialab.ca/2026/02/04/p...

How is it that Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is now 25 years old? Gosh, I feel old.

PoliDashboard Unveils 25 New Country-Specific Dashboards, Advancing Global Transparency in Political Advertising on Meta Platform socialmedialab.ca/2026/02/04/p...

The war is set to forever change Ukrainian society. "The steel porcupine: How Ukraine plans to defend itself after the war. That means a permanent massive army, heavy investment in the latest drone and missile technology, and domestic arms production." www.politico.eu/article/stee...

As borders harden and student flows change, this scenario is about to play out in America and, to a small extent, here in Canada as well. "‘If I think about what this means, I want to cry’: what happens when a city loses its university?" www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Historically, seeking financial or military support from a foreign power to overthrow or undermine your own sovereign has often been treated as treason by the existing regime, but whether it legally counts as treason depends.

"B.C. Premier David Eby is not backing down after calling the Alberta separatist movement seeking foreign assistance an act of treason — but one analyst is warning against using such serious language during a time where Canada needs to stand united." www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

👀 "Homeland Security is trying to force tech companies to hand over data about Trump critics" techcrunch.com/2026/02/03/h...

"For The National, CBC’s Ashley Fraser breaks down the backlash and how it plays into the emerging issue of digital sovereignty." Features an interview with our @philipmai.com on why digital sovereignty is a multigenerational project. www.cbc.ca/player/play/...

"EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that creating a separate EU army alongside NATO would be “extremely dangerous”, arguing it would blur chains of command in a crisis." www.euronews.com/2026/02/02/k...

A clear early example came in May 2017, when Ukraine banned Russian platforms including VKontakte (VK), Odnoklassniki, Mail. ru, and Yandex. The move was part of broader sanctions aimed at limiting Kremlin propaganda and reducing cyber threats amid the ongoing conflict.

As the geopolitical landscape shifts beneath our feet, digital sovereignty is moving from a niche concern to a strategic priority for countries such as Canada, Australia, Brazil, India, the EU and others.

"Why some U.S. TikTok users are deleting the app. TikTok’s U.S. operations are now majority controlled by an American-owned joint venture, but the transition was glitchy and users have expressed concern that there could be more censorship on the platform." www.cbc.ca/player/play/...

"From classroom game to niche meme: How AI character Amelia spread across Europe" www.euronews.com/my-europe/20...

There's something magical about the light at sunrise. Happy Monday, everyone. #twilight #Toronto

"Among the hires at CBS News announced by Weiss is a doctor who claims he reduced his biological age by 20 years with cold plunges; that cod liver oil treats autism; and that Alzheimer’s and dementia can be reversed with supplements he sells on his online store." www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

"The first woman, a foreign-born naturalized U.S. citizen, resents how her undocumented coworkers spend their days cleaning the rooms of agents who are “hunting down their family members.”" www.notus.org/immigration/...

This race was such a massive swing blowout that Democrat Taylor Rehmet literally won a city called White Settlement

And the interned Japanese Americans never recovered their lives or property.

The nazis redistributed the stolen property of deported Jews to the German population. It was called Aryanization. This is no different. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryaniz...

It paints a portrait of a system where accountability is selective and moral clarity fades in the glow of power and prestige. Look at how long it took King Charles to take action against Prince Andrew. Ultimately, this is about more than one man’s crimes; it’s about the ecosystem that enabled him.

What's up with all of the academics in the Epstein files?

The US wanted to ban TikTok over national security concerns. Does the new deal with China fix that? Our @philipmai.com spoke to @ABC Australia re: the limits of #digitalsovereignty and how the deal falls short. www.abc.net.au/news/2026-01...

Re-upping this after the DOJ released 3,000,000 more pages from Epstein's file.

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." This makes for some good, uncomfortable reading. #longread #realism #liberalism #ThucydidesTrap

Line of the night from Cory Doctorow, speaking at @hotdocs.bsky.social with snowbound @superwuster.bsky.social: “I don’t know if Mark Carney believes in the Carney doctrine, but I believe in the Carney doctrine.”