Dhruv Kumar

Governments shouldn’t use national security as an excuse to silence people online, especially when it harms free speech and human rights.
@houmanmehrabian.bsky.social
#UCWCOMM150

Should governments ban social media for people under 15 to protect mental health, even if it limits personal freedom and parental choice?

Macron pushes for fast-track ban on social media for children under 15 French President Emmanuel Macron says he wants to fast-track a ban on social media for teenagers under 15. He aims for the law to take effect in September.

apnews.com/article/fran... 
Macron pushes for fast-track ban on social media for children under 15. #UCWCOMM150 @houmanmehrabian.bsky.social

Agree: Australia’s under-16 social media ban does protect young people from some online harms and it unfairly limits their access to information, connection, and digital rights.

Agree: Banning under-16s from social media may protect many young people from harmful content, cyberbullying and addictive design, but it also creates new problems for privacy, access to information, and digital rights because age verification systems can collect sensitive personal data.

Agree, Australia’s under-16 social media ban prioritizes protecting young people from online harms like exploitation and mental health risks, even though it limits some access to online communities and information.

Should governments be allowed to ban social media access for people under a certain age to protect young people, even if it limits freedom of expression?
#UCWCOMM150 @houmanmehrabian.bsky.social

Australia launches a social media ban – and is AI a bubble about to pop? Under-16s to be banned from social media in Australia, and analysts continue to monitor the massive investment in AI

www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Will this provide better safety to the people because of giving police 24/7 access to the traffic cameras in Surrey or does this create a long-term surveillance system that violates the privacy of people?

Surrey mayoral candidate calls for 24-7 police access to city traffic cameras A Surrey mayoral candidate is calling for police to have 24-7 access to the city’s traffic cameras to help respond to violent crime.

www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/ar... #UCWCOMM150 @houmanmehrabian.bsky.social

Would the interest of national security be sufficient to prohibit foreign surveillance technology, even when these companies do not provide the government with control and that prohibition restricts the competitiveness of the market?

Chinese surveillance company Hikvision seeks to overturn ban in Canada Chinese tech behemoth Hikvision, one of the world’s largest video surveillance camera manufacturing companies, is seeking to overturn the federal government’s decision last month to ban the company fr...

www.ctvnews.ca/politics/art... #UCWCOMM150 @houmanmehrabian.bsky.social

Do temporary surveillance cameras installed for major events like the 2026 World Cup meaningfully improve public safety, or do they normalize increased surveillance in public spaces at the expense of privacy?

bsky.app/profile/scru... #UCWCOMM150 @houmanmehrabian.bsky.social

I disagree, It could also lead to bias and unfair targeting of certain groups.

I disagree, while AI facial recognition might help identify suspects, the risks to privacy and potential for biased outcomes could harm innocent people and erode public trust, so it shouldn’t be used without strict oversight and safeguards.

Yes, police should be allowed to use AI-powered facial recognition if it is strictly regulated, transparent, and limited to serious public-safety needs, with strong safeguards to protect privacy and civil liberties.

Should police use AI facial recognition on body cameras despite privacy, bias, and civil-liberties concerns?

AI-powered police body cameras, once taboo, get tested on Canadian city's 'watch list' of faces Police in Edmonton, Canada, have started a pilot project using AI-equipped body cameras to detect faces on a "high risk" watch list.

apnews.com/article/ai-f... police body cameras, once taboo, get tested on Canadian city's 'watch list' of faces. #UCWCOMM150 @houmanmehrabian.bsky.social

I agree that American tech companies should be held accountable when their technology enables mass surveillance and repression.

I agree that U.S. tech companies should be held accountable because they often know their technology can be used for mass surveillance and human rights abuses.

I agree that they should be held legally accountable.

“Should countries limit the export and use of advanced surveillance technologies to protect civil liberties?”

PHOTO ESSAY: Invisible infrared surveillance technology and those caught in its digital cage When you unlock a phone, step into view of a security camera or drive past a license plate reader at night, beams of infrared light - invisible to the naked eye — shine onto the unique contours of you...

apnews.com/photo-essay/... ESSAY: Invisible infrared surveillance technology and those caught in its digital cage. @houmanmehrabian.bsky.social #UCWCOMM150

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