zeynep tufekci

As in cryptographic methods being integrated into our systems to preserve verification while being privacy preserving. I know crypto currently means “coins” but think Diffie-Hellmann, zero-knowledge proofs, federated machine learning etc.

Citrini piece doesn't say much new and has issues.

DoorDash works b/c driver reliability is the hard part.
Travel is already dynamically priced.
MLS data is already useable via RedFin.
People use brands b/c reliability, not just cost.
Folks won't trust comps to auto-spend money, esp not w/ crypto.

They think they’re going to vibe code Mastercard? Doordash? They think the ability to wave a small plastic rectangle almost anywhere in the world and be loaned a car is just about some code?

Come on. Fraud, compliance, infrastructure, etc. etc.
bsky.app/profile/rupe...

My Princeton AI and society team is at the AI Safety summit in Paris.

My Neurips keynote for our approach:
slideslive.com/39055698/are...

Our paper:
ai.sociology.princeton.edu

Say hi especially if you are *utterly* unimpressed by the current doom or hype models.

Wrong nightmares!

Meta Begins $65 Million Election Push to Advance A.I. Agenda

NEWS:

Meta is about to start a $65 million midterms push — its biggest political effort in its 20 years in business.

Meta is standing up two super PACs that this week will drop money in races in Texas and Illinois to push A.I.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/t...

Colbert Doesn’t Give an FCC About Calling Out CBS

Stephen Colbert said that the FCC and CBS - which is in no way a compromised or complicit organization - wouldn’t allow him to broadcast an interview with Democratic State Rep James Talarico. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/a...

Homeland Security Wants Social Media Sites to Expose Anti-ICE Accounts

New story up on the Homeland Security Department’s new tactic: flood social media companies with subpoenas to unmask anonymous accounts that criticize ICE or monitor the movements of ICE agents.

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...

Meta Plans to Add Facial Recognition Technology to Its Smart Glasses

When the subtitle is actually the headline:

“In an internal memo last year, Meta said the political tumult in the United States would distract critics from the feature’s release.”

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/13/t...

Hong Kong ex-media tycoon Jimmy Lai sentenced to 20 years in prison in national security case Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media tycoon and a fierce critic of Beijing, is sentenced to 20 years in prison in one of the most prominent cases prosecuted under a China-imposed national security law.

BREAKING: Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy former Hong Kong media tycoon and a fierce critic of Beijing, is sentenced to 20 years in prison in one of the most prominent cases prosecuted under a China-imposed national security law.

The Congresswoman Criminalized for Visiting ICE Detainees LaMonica McIver went to tour an immigration jail in her district. Now she faces seventeen years in prison.

Last week's New Yorker did a scary deep dive. She's on the hook for $1 million in legal fees, leaving her little for her reelection campaign. #unrigthesystem www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...

Minn. man hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after ICE arrest Alberto Castaneda Mondragon, who is in ICE custody while hospitalized at Hennepin County Medical Center, alleges in a lawsuit that federal agents are interfering in his medical care and that he was so...

“agents told hospital staff that Castaneda Mondragon was “laying down in handcuffs when he attempted to flee, and then, for unknown reasons, purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall.’”
sahanjournal.com/health/ice-d...

ICE Expands Power of Agents to Arrest People Without Warrants

Scoop: Federal agents were told this week that they have broader power to arrest people without a warrant, according to an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo reviewed by The New York Times.

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/u...

A second journalist was arrested by federal agents because she covered the anti-ICE church protest in St. Paul. Georgia Fort is an independent journalist and three-time Midwest Emmy Award winner.

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon arrested after church protest in Minnesota Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has been arrested for his involvement in a protest at a church, his lawyer and a Justice Department official familiar with the situation said on Friday.

Former CNN anchor Don Lemon has been arrested, a Justice Department official said. Lemon livestreamed a demonstration that interrupted a church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, earlier this month that protested Trump's immigration crackdown in the area reut.rs/4q3X1FL

FBI executing search warrant at Georgia election office related to 2020 vote, law enforcement official says The Federal Bureau of Investigation is executing a search warrant at a Fulton County election office in Georgia related to the 2020 election, a law enforcement official familiar with the matter said o...

FBI searching Fulton County elections office, per Reuters
www.reuters.com/world/us/fbi...

Peer review science relies, more than we care to admit, on what @zey.bsky.social calls "load bearing frictions" that make it difficult to fake good science, and on trust that most ppl also value science itself & won't cheat just for personal gain. This creates the wrong environment for that to hold.

ICE Asks Companies About ‘Ad Tech and Big Data’ Tools It Could Use in Investigations A new federal filing from ICE demonstrates how commercial tools are increasingly being considered by the government for law enforcement and surveillance.

New: Amid the escalating situation in Minneapolis, ICE posted in the Federal Register asking companies to provide info about “commercial Big Data and Ad Tech” products that would “directly support investigations activities”
www.wired.com/story/ice-as...

Top of NYT homepage: “Man Killed by Federal Agents in Minnesota Was Holding a Phone, Not a Gun”.

Incredible headline.

Zeynep Tufecki on having the wrong nightmares about generative AI I was writing a blog post where I was going to reference Zeynep Tufecki’s 2025 NeurIPS keynote, and realized there isn’t a solid synopsis online.

Wrote a summary of a great keynote by @zey.bsky.social at NeurIPS, arguing that we’re having the wrong nightmares about AI: not AGI or superhuman benchmarks, but good-enough genAI at scale threatens "load bearing frictions" society relies on to signal effort, authenticity, sincerity, credibility.

Thank you! (Sent you a direct message btw).

I think this is likely to require a wholesale change in the peer review system. The signals of authenticity and effort are no longer useful. Zeynep Tufekci gave a great talk related to this at #NeurIPS2025

Former Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai convicted in landmark national security trial Jimmy Lai, the former Hong Kong media mogul and outspoken critic of Beijing, has been convicted in a landmark national security trial in the city’s court, which could send him to prison for the rest of his life.

BREAKING: Hong Kong court convicts Jimmy Lai, founder of former pro-democracy newspaper, in landmark national security trial.

Invited talk by Zeynep @zey.bsky.social Tufekci at @neuripsconf.bsky.social was really very good!
Title: Are We Having the Wrong Nightmares About AI?
Spoiler: yep! 😉
Very thoughtful! Thanks!🙏

Thank you!

Thank you!

„Making things easy breaks systems that use difficulty as signaling“ @zey.bsky.social @neuripsconf.bsky.social

Front page of The New York Times, dated Wednesday, November 5, 2025. The headline reads: “Mamdani Is Elected Mayor, Capping Ascent.” Sub-headline: “First Muslim to Lead the City — A Triumph for Progressives.” Large central photo shows Zohra Mamdani smiling and walking outside among supporters and press, with cameras and phones pointed toward him. He is wearing a white shirt, black blazer, and campaign button, holding papers and waving. A crowd surrounds him, some taking pictures. Caption beneath: “New York City — Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday. The Democratic mayoral nominee defeated Andrew M. Cuomo and other candidates.” On the left bottom corner, another photo shows Mikie Sherrill hugging a supporter in New Jersey after winning a governor’s race. On the right bottom corner, a photo of Abigail Spanberger clapping on stage in Virginia after her gubernatorial win. Article text highlights Mamdani’s historic election as New York City's first Muslim mayor, his progressive platform, strong support from immigrant and working-class communities, and comparisons with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whom he defeated. Mentions national implications, turnout from South Asian and Muslim voters, his housing and social safety net policies, and broader Democratic wins nationwide. Weather and NYT slogan appear at the top; price listed as $4.00.

Tomorrow's frontpage

AI and the Future of Work (10/7/25). It's a wrap!

Thanks to our expert panelists: @dacemoglumit.bsky.social, @pkrugman.bsky.social, Danielle Li, @zey.bsky.social & @sgreenhouse.bsky.social.

#AI. Who will win and who will lose? How worried should we be? Stay tuned for the video, coming soon.

The picture we've all been waiting for: #AlaaIsFree

h/t: Mohamed Elbaqer