Kristen Thomasen

The Prodigal Techbro Prodigal tech bro stories skip straight from the past, when they were part of something that—surprise!—turned out to be bad, to the present, where they are now a moral authority on how to do good…

remember there’s always a lucrative position for the seeming critic of the tech industry who doesn’t actually challenge its power and foundational ideas.

the prodigal tech bro is one example. there’s a whole industry of academics and journalists who serve in this role too.

A smiling Black woman in patterned clothing stands by a machine. Bold yellow text reads: "Black Zine Fair, Bulk Space, 2857 E Grand Blvd, Detroit, MI 48202, August 9, 2025, 11am to 6pm." The word "Detroit" is vertically aligned on the right.

TODAY in DETROIT! blackzinefair.org/detroit/

Famine kills nearly 200 in Gaza amid ‘apocalyptic’ battle for survival Two children died of starvation on Thursday, as WHO warns 12,000 children aged under five suffering acute malnutrition.

Gaza health authorities say nearly 200 people, including 96 children, have died of hunger, as the WHO warns that 12,000 children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition due to Israel's blockade aje.io/lev0jv

We could have had cancer vaccines, and instead the United States will contribute nothing whatsoever to mRNA research, condemning millions of people worldwide to unnecessary illness and death

I'm begging Canadian media to tie this to Bill C-2, the links are so obvious

Woohooo! 🎉

I am so damn excited to share my new book, Law and Technology: A Methodical Approach. Full of stories and priced at $40, this book explains why law finds technology so difficult to regulate, and what to do about it. global.oup.com/academic/pro...

Large Public Libraries Give Young Adults Across U.S. Access to Banned Books - EdSurge News “It’s our entire book collection,” said Amy Mikel of Brooklyn Public Library’s national e-lending program for young readers, Books UnBanned. “Half a ...

“Since 2022, thousands of eligible young adults have registered for a little-known program called Books Unbanned, which Brooklyn Public Library in New York created that year to counter efforts to restrict access to certain books.”

This is actually a noob tip:

ICE arrested a 6-year-old boy with leukemia at immigration court. His family is suing. A Honduran mother and her two children — ages 6 and 9 — sued the Trump administration over their arrest at Los Angeles Immigration Court, the first lawsuit challenging the arrests of children under a ...

DO NOT LOOK AWAY

ICE arrested a 6yo boy with leukemia at #immigration court

I wrote about Toronto’s bubble zone bylaw for @canadiandimension.bsky.social
TL;DR: it’s bad, but probably not (just) for the reasons you think it is

co-sign

How burning Waymos became the image of the LA protests Are these “surveillance devices” being targeted?

Residents “see the gleaming, futuristic robots rolling down the street, with their spinning sensors and all-seeing cameras, and they ask, Why? Did they consent to taking part in an experiment by Big Tech to see if robots can be trained to be better drivers than humans?”

Absolutely surreal to have lived through the Napster days and watched as the titans of industry moved hell and high water to lock down any possible chance that someone's song might get swapped online without giving the studios a cut and now those same people are just like "well we gotta steal music"

Zine depicting a panel discussion on resisting technofascism.

Check out this zine which captures the key moments from "Resisting Technofascism" - a panel discussion moderated by our senior fellow @cyn-k.bsky.social at U of Windsor's #WeRobot2025 conference last month.

See it here👇 www.uwindsor.ca/law/sites/uw...

❤️

I only had a chance to take a quick peek but this zine looks incredible. It’s inspiring, informative, and beautiful. I’m going to print out a hard copy so I can enjoy reading it offline. (I find it easier to slow down and savor things that way.)

Thank you Ann! I should add, there’s a higher resolution version that’s perfect for printing, too: www.uwindsor.ca/law/sites/uw...

Thank you for being a part of it! 😊

This was such an awesome event, and this is such a fantastic commemoration of it. Check it out!

😍

😍

Maybe one of the coolest things that's happened to me—being illustrated in a zine! (Not that that's the important part 😅) Much thanks to @kristenthomasen.bsky.social, awesome panelists, & @marcngui.bsky.social for capturing our discussion so well. Check it out here: tinyurl.com/rtfzine #WeRobot2025

The conversation was artfully captured by Windsor, ON creator @marcngui.bsky.social (www.happysleepy.com). Thank you also to Transnational Law and Racial Justice Network for co-sponsoring the zine.

Read, print, share widely 💕

3/3 www.uwindsor.ca/law/sites/uw...

I'm so excited to share the zine published from the workshop on Resisting Techno-Fascism. @cyn-k.bsky.social, @biancawylie.com, @lukestark.bsky.social, @drvv.bsky.social & @saraghebremusse.bsky.social held a timely convo about the weaving of tech, policy, and authoritarian/fascistic politics 👇 2/3

ICYMI: We Robot 2025 has a new permanent online home @windsorlaw.bsky.social, along with 2 exciting updates:

🤖 Video links are now included for each of our panels. Revisit or check out the conversation if you couldn't join us in person.

🤖 And (see next post) 1/3

www.uwindsor.ca/law/3450/wer...

Edward Elgar Publishing vient de publier « Robot Law: Volume II », un nouvel ouvrage de référence co-dirigé par la professeure @kristenthomasen.bsky.social qui explore les défis juridiques, éthiques et sociétaux posés par la robotique et les systèmes automatisés.

› www.uottawa.ca/recherche-in...