A video: “The Fake Reviews Industrial Complex” The Impact of Fake Reviews on Consumer Behavior Widespread Influence: Approximately 93% of customers have made purchasing decisions based on online reviews, highlighting their significant role in consumer behavior. Revenue Correlation: A one-star…

A video: “TR Every Banned Operating System in History Explained in 9 Minutes” Key Insights by Merlin AI Tails OS: Privacy and Surveillance Concerns - Tails OS is designed for maximum privacy, erasing all digital traces after each session, making it appealing to journalists and whistleblowers. -…

Our PhD program (Communication Sciences) students’ publications (Bilgi İletişim Bilimleri) erkansaka.net/2026/01/02/g...

Our PhD program (Communication Sciences) students’ publications (Bilgi İletişim Bilimleri) As I prepare for the next semester, I listed all the publications and projects our current students have. In the end, you can also see the Google Scholar accounts of our graduates. This is my third year as…

Major 2025 counter‑ISIS operations in Turkey This post is not a definitive account of ISIS activity in Türkiye in 2025, but an open-source synthesis of publicly reported operations, arrests, and one lethal confrontation. It reflects what is visible through media and official statements as of 31…

A video: “Why Does Nobody Use Linux?” Historical Context of Linux Linux originated from the UNIX operating system, created in 1969 at Bell Labs, which aimed to improve productivity through time-sharing. Linus Torvalds developed Linux in 1991 while seeking an affordable UNIX-like system, leading to…

Another busy week left behind- including a training session at AA After three weeks, I can finally rest on a Saturday, which still includes the embarrassingly dirty car getting washed, which in turn contributes more to Google Maps by trying a different mall. The highlight of the week was a…

AI and International Relations. How (Authoritarian) Powers Weaponize Data to Control the Future of Knowledge Reflections from the "International Relations in the Age of AI" panel held at the Point Hotel Taksim in Istanbul, organized by EUROPolitika Journal on December 20, 2025. I have formatted my…

A video: “The Corporate Negligence Put Millions of Kids in Danger on Roblox “ CORPORATE NEGLIGENCE AND LEGAL ACTIONS A 12-year-old filed a lawsuit against Roblox, alleging assault in games labeled as safe spaces, highlighting a significant breach of trust. Multiple lawsuits across Texas, Kentucky,…

EFF presents: The Breachies 2025- The Worst, Weirdest, Most Impactful Data Breaches of the Year I created a table from their page, but here is the source! Award Name Recipient Breach Details Date Say Something Without Saying Anything Mixpanel Analytics SDK used by apps like Ring and PornHub;…

My notes from the “Cultural Heritage in Digital Ecosystems” Panel Reflections from the panel "Dijital Ekosistemlerde Kültürel Miras" at Feshane , December 20, 2025, organized by Europa Nostra Türkiye Association. The Infrastructure of Cultural Memory To understand digital transformation in the…

One of the most hate-mongering supporter groups in Turkey: Bursaspor fans As impunity continues, Bursaspor fans eagerly add new insults to Kurdish citizens. In the past, Beşiktaş fans regularly clashed with Bursa fans, as their aggressive attitudes were not limited to Kurdish citizens. But their…

Our STS Türkiye Winter School program announced! (January 12-15, 2026) STS Turkey Science, Technology, and Society Winter School 2026: STS101: Introduction to Science and Technology Studies Location: Ministry of Youth and Sports Facility, Gölbaşı, Ankara Organizers: Şafak Kılıçtepe, Gülizar…

Top Investigative Tools of 2025 by GIJN (The Global Investigative Journalism Network) Many complex investigations gather leads and data through a blend of custom and open source tools. One example from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) this year was how their team…

A video: “From $2 Billion to Nothing – The Rise and Fall of Atari” The Rise of Atari In the early 1980s, Atari emerged as the largest name in the video game industry, rapidly increasing its annual revenue from $75 million to $2 billion in just three years. Founded by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney…

Google discontinues another useful service: the dark web report Those subscribed to the dark web report got this email from the Google Team: An update on dark web report We are discontinuing the dark web report, which was meant to scan the dark web for your personal information. It will stop…

My new publication: “Big Tech and Gender” My short entry at The Sage International Encyclopedia of Politics and Gender has been published. Saka, E. (2025). Big tech and gender. In The Sage International Encyclopedia of Politics and Gender (Vol. 4, pp. 79-81). SAGE Publications, Inc., Here is the…

Thoughts on academic life (5)- The University Rankings Game erkansaka.net/2025/12/15/u...

A video: “How Telegram Became the New Dark Web” Background of Telegram's Creation - Pavel Durov, influenced by his technology background, co-founded VK, a popular social media platform in Russia, before creating Telegram. - After refusing government demands to censor VK, Durov left Russia to…

Generative AI and Higher Education. A collection of recent op-eds erkansaka.net/2025/12/13/g...

Possible Risks of online Age Verification EFF recently listed 10 dangers of Age Verification.  Governments and corporations increasingly mandate users to undergo types of age verification. Online age verification can protect children from some harms, but it also introduces significant risks around…

Did Denmark really classify US as a threat? According to the German news outlet tagesspiegel.de, that's the case, but I asked Perplexity for more confirmation. Here is what I found: The phrase making the rounds is partly accurate but also somewhat misleading. Denmark’s military intelligence has,…

A video: “Exploring the TOR Onion Network: Accessing the Deep and Dark Web Beyond the Surface Internet” Key Insights  by Merlin AI Overview of the Internet Layers - The surface web constitutes only about 1% of the internet, which is indexed and easily accessible via standard search engines. - The…

No more support from the US? Europe in new times An op-ed at the Guardian (Trump’s new doctrine confirms it. Ready or not, Europe is on its own) looks to represent a broader tendency among Europeans. The arguments in that Guardian commentary are not unique; several analysts, think tanks, and…

I knew it: Istanbul ranks as the world’s most congested city Despite all the congestion I am exposed to in İstanbul, I still remember LA's congestion, which prevented me from visiting the city as many times as I desired (while staying in Irvine, CA). The Zag Daily piece reports that Istanbul ranks…

4 nations withdraw from Eurovision 2026 over Israel’s inclusion Israel's policies are defined as genocidal by several global entities, but still included in many civilized world events, unlike Russia. Four European countries took an honorable stand. As of early December 2025, four countries have…

The Global Fact-Check Chatbot (GFC) has been officially constituted The Global Fact-Check Chatbot (GFC) has been officially constituted, launching with 38 founding members (the list is available below). This initiative, which originated during the convening in Bosnia in June 2024, was developed to…

A (one-year-old) video: “Why Japan’s Semiconductor Industry Failed” Key Insights for by Merlin AI Historical Context of Japan’s Semiconductor Dominance - In the 1980s, Japan held over 50% of the global semiconductor market, surpassing the United States. - The rise was facilitated by government…

Online Piracy is back? Novel forms of online piracy erkansaka.net/2025/12/01/p...

A video: “Why SimCity Died” Historical Context of SimCity - SimCity was created by Will Wright and released in 1989, marking a groundbreaking shift in gaming with its open-ended gameplay. - The franchise quickly gained popularity, selling over a million copies by 1993, largely due to a successful…

Thoughts on academic life (4)- The Administrator Problem erkansaka.net/2025/11/28/a...

Pope Leo XIV’s Visit to Türkiye: Faith, Diplomacy, and the Legacy of Nicaea Council We have a visitor in town! Pope Leo XIV’s ongoing visit to Türkiye is being framed as a highly symbolic first foreign trip, aimed at interfaith dialogue, Christian unity, and signaling Türkiye’s role in regional…

Is the AI Boom a Bubble? A list of Arguments Behind the Hype erkansaka.net/2025/11/27/a...

About last week… An AI Glossary related to disinformation issues As I stay indoors today to get rest, it was a busy week. Let me recount some of the activities: I served as a facilitator at the EELISA Student-led Bootcamp held at İstanbul Technical University. I prepared a glossary for the…

A video: “Whatever Happened To GoPro?” Key Insights for Whatever Happened To GoPro? by Merlin AI Market Position Decline - GoPro's stock price plummeted from $86 at its IPO in 2014 to approximately $1.30, reflecting a 33% bankruptcy probability. - Once the leading brand for action cameras, GoPro…

Quoted in Hürriyet on Mamdani’s campaigning erkansaka.net/2025/11/20/g...

My talk at the RESAID event: “Information Disorders in the Age of AI and Algorithms” A few days ago, I was invited to serve as a panelist at a RESAID project ("Creating Societal Cognitive Resilience Against Information Disorders - RESAID") event. This EU-funded project has substantive online…

An expected result: “New international student enrollment in the U.S. dropped by 17 percent this fall” erkansaka.net/2025/11/17/u...

Recommended novel: The Halfway House by Guillermo Rosales erkansaka.net/2025/11/16/r...

Recommended novel: The Halfway House by Guillermo Rosales A heart-wrenching one, if you dare to read. “This posthumous translation of Rosales, a Cuban-American writer who committed suicide in 1993, delivers a raw, powerful story set in a Miami home for the mentally ill… It’s a frightening,…

A one-year-old video: “From Bankruptcy To Billions: The Rebirth Of Nokia” Key Insights for From Bankruptcy To Billions: The Rebirth Of Nokia by Merlin AI Nokia's Rise and Fall in the Mobile Market In 2008, Nokia's revenue peaked at over $76 billion, dominating the mobile industry. The launch of…

This is so messed up: “Over 1,000 players face probe in Türkiye’s football betting scandal” erkansaka.net/2025/11/12/t...

This is so messed up: “Over 1,000 players face probe in Türkiye’s football betting scandal” I want to resume my active Beşiktaş fandom, but it is so hard to focus on the game itself amid these scandals.  Türkiye is currently facing a major football betting scandal, with over 1,000 professional…

Initial reactions to the Imamoğlu Case Indictment erkansaka.net/2025/11/11/i...

Initial reactions to the Imamoğlu Case Indictment Here is an overview by Perplexity. Overview: The İmamoğlu Indictment On November 11, 2025, Turkish authorities announced a sweeping indictment against Ekrem İmamoğlu, the jailed Mayor of Istanbul and a leading opposition figure. The nearly…

Busy week, STS conference, Training at AA This becomes a routine: Staying and resting at home on Saturdays and socializing on Sundays. The last three days of the week were so hectic; now it is hard to do anything today besides reading, blogging, etc. However, a state of satisfaction is here as we…

A (one-year-old) video: “Where People Go When They Want to Hack You” Key Insights for Where People Go When They Want to Hack You by Merlin AI Understanding the Zero Day Market The zero day market revolves around the sale of undisclosed vulnerabilities in software, which can be exploited before the…

Youtube’s Erasure of Videos Documenting Israeli Human Rights Violations is the last stage of similar cases erkansaka.net/2025/11/07/y...

Our annual STS Conference Happening Now As I always state, I am lucky to be one of the convenors of STS Turkiye, a platform for social scientists focused on Science and Technology Studies. While the political agenda is always hectic and chaotic, we work to coordinate STS-related studies that are…

Zohran Mamdani’s Historic NYC Mayoral Win (Against the Establishment) Zohran Mamdani’s historic mayoral victory in New York City is notable not only as a milestone for representation but for how he challenged both the Democratic establishment and Donald Trump’s threats, signaling a pivotal moment…