Gabrielle Lim

When I read about this this morning, I almost fell out of my chair. These idiots have no idea what they’re talking about and yet their conspiracy theorizing is dictating massive policies and petty, vindictive bullshit like this…

A Match Made in the Heavens: The Surveillance State and the “New Space” Economy | TechPolicy.Press As private firms dominate space, satellites serve both aid and surveillance—raising urgent questions about power, privacy, and democratic control.

🛰️ New article co-authored by the Citizen Lab's @gabriellelim.bsky.social discusses the risks of privatized space technology. Published in @techpolicypress.bsky.social

Read it here: www.techpolicy.press/a-match-made...

Planet of the Apes XI: The Rise of the Fascists

Many thanks to @ijoc-usc.bsky.social and the guest editors @joncong.bsky.social and @bostonjoan.bsky.social for getting this wonderful special section together.

We draw heavily from securitization theory and consider the ways in which the US, UK, and other Western states may bias or influence global security discourse. It is also a reminder for us scholars to be wary of how we "speak security."

While 3 and 4 are not as surprising, 1 and 2 were somewhat less obvious or, at least, not as talked about within mainstream misinfo studies: the way we phrase things and the power that is imparted on specific ideas (i.e., threats) are important. Who says what and where matters.

(1) the popularization of “fake news” by political and media elites, (2) Western influence over global security discourse and policymaking, (3) the desire for governments to control the flow of information, and (4) high-profile revelations around platform governance and harm.

Drawing on data from 177 counties over the past 15 years and a systematic review of 57 academic articles analyzing the passing of misinformation laws, we identified four concurrent conditions that have driven the global rise of legislation against misinformation:

In a short span of time there has been a global rise in "fake news" laws - legislation that purports to or is designed to curb the spread of false information. @sbradshaw.bsky.social, Monzima Haque, and I wanted to understand why.

"The Global Spread of Misinformation Laws" ijoc.org/index.php/ij...

A Match Made in the Heavens: The Surveillance State and the “New Space” Economy | TechPolicy.Press As private firms dominate space, satellites serve both aid and surveillance—raising urgent questions about power, privacy, and democratic control.

Gabrielle Lim, Aidan Kerr, Marlene Terstiege, and Marc Calabretta discuss the risks of privatized space. The issue is not private sector involvement, but power in the hands of private firms “incentivized to serve the surveillance state and further a new kind of space military-industrial complex.”

NOW OUT ON FIRSTVIEW!!

Institutional Change on #Digital #Platforms: Temporal Shifts in the #Power of #Users, #Businesses, & #States

By @sverrir.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1017/S153...

Artificial Power: 2025 Landscape Report In the aftermath of the “AI boom,” this report examines how the push to integrate AI products everywhere grants AI companies - and the tech oligarchs that run them - power that goes far beyond their d...

Of all the things I read on AI, this is truly one of the best reports critically examining AI. Highly recommend spending an afternoon with it. ainowinstitute.org/2025-landscape Much respect to @ainowinstitute.bsky.social for publishing it.

NEW REPORT: Artificial Power, our 2025 Landscape Report, is out.

Today’s AI isn’t just being used by us, it’s being used on us. We urgently need to reclaim public power over the future trajectory of AI. Another path is possible.

Read the report: ainowinstitute.org/2025-landscape

"The AI industry is on shakier ground than it may
seem. Valuations are sky high, while the business
model hinges on an intensely expensive technology
that lacks a consistent revenue stream. AI companies bleed money for every user they gain."

"The question we should be asking is not if ChatGPT is useful or not, but if OpenAI’s unaccountable power, linked to Microsoft’s monopoly and the business model of the tech economy, is good for society."

Artificial Power: 2025 Landscape Report In the aftermath of the “AI boom,” this report examines how the push to integrate AI products everywhere grants AI companies - and the tech oligarchs that run them - power that goes far beyond their d...

AI Now's 2025 landscape report is out! Highly recommend reading it: ainowinstitute.org/publications...

Naked Gun The Instagram stars making military occupation look good.

...Reminds me of this article on IDF soldiers selling guns and occupation: jewishcurrents.org/naked-gun "It doesn’t matter what the gun or combat accessory can do or has done to occupied people. It just matters that the Angels look good doing it."

This line... "We don’t expect them to write, to debate, or shape public discourse in any meaningful way. We just expect them to look good doing whatever it is they do."

The death of the public intellectual is Hailey Bieber the new Susan Sontag?

h/t to @natashagoel.bsky.social for this insightful piece! Hits home on so many levels. thedigitalmeadow.substack.com/p/the-death-...

From the changemyview community on Reddit Explore this post and more from the changemyview community

The responses by redditors to the disclosure of this experiment are probably more insightful than the actual study: www.reddit.com/r/changemyvi...

Researchers Secretly Ran a Massive, Unauthorized AI Persuasion Experiment on Reddit Users The researchers' bots generated identities as a sexual assault survivor, a trauma counselor, and a Black man opposed to Black Lives Matter.

How not to do social science: www.404media.co/researchers-...

From concerns about social media addiction to urgent civil liberties issues, courts are asking scientists to be arbiters of alleged technology harms. How can scientists reliably inform courts and how can courts interpret our work?

New article with @penney.bsky.social
tsjournal.org/index.php/jo...

Truth in Transition: Disinformation in Post-Assad Syria Disinformation fuels fear and division in Syria’s new political landscape, eroding trust and blocking the path to a peaceful political transition.

Even after Assad’s fall, #disinformation in #Syria is thriving. In an opinion piece in @timep.bsky.social, The Citizen Lab’s @noura.bsky.social discusses how foreign powers and non-state actors exploit social media to manipulate narratives and spread fear.
Read more here: timep.org/2025/01/30/t...

Screenshot of the Life at NASA website from 2024. One sentence states 'We share a set of core values - safety, integrity, teamwork, excellence, inclusion - and they are evident in all that we do.'

Screenshot of the Life at NASA site as of Feb 5, 2025. The sentence now reads "We share a set of core values - safety, integrity, teamwork, excellence - and they are evident in all that we do."

Spot the difference.

What will it take to get news sites to start embedding Bluesky posts instead of x posts in their articles?

I’m still seeing even journo x posts in stories on @nymag.com and @nytimes.com when I know they have a Bluesky…

EXCLUSIVE: NSF starts vetting all grants to comply with Trump’s orders Grantee accounts remain frozen, while union accuses NSF of ignoring rules governing peer review

Trump's fascist program is now steamrolling over academia in 🇺🇸

All academics must stand up and resist this political interference in research!

EXCLUSIVE: NSF starts vetting all grants to comply with Trump’s orders | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

Inside an Elite Ukrainian Unit’s Mission to Capture a North Korean Soldier Ukraine wanted to show that North Korean troops are fighting alongside Russian troops. It took a high-stakes mission to prove it.

The inside story of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces’ high-stakes mission to capture a North Korean soldier.

With Dasl Yoon, photos by Serhii Korovayny.
www.wsj.com/world/inside... (gift link)