Isabel Linzer

How do social media content moderation systems work for low-resource and indigenous languages of the Global South/Majority World?
Please join us on August 7!

#contentmoderation #LLMs #AI #NLP #languages

Read this piece where we explore the serious implications of synthetic media in conflict -especially when it begins to further destabilise an already fragile information ecosystem like Iran’s, amid wartime conditions where access to truth can mean the difference between life and death.

Adaptation and Innovation: The Civic Space Response to AI-Infused Elections With case studies also by: Laura Zommer and Kian Vesteinsson Introduction AI avatars delivered independent news about Venezuela’s contested election, allowing journalists to protect their identity and avoid politically motivated arrest. Voters in the United Kingdom could cast their ballots for an AI avatar to hold a seat in Parliament. A deepfake video showed United States […]

AI risks are growing, but attention to elections is dwindling. CDT’s report, by @isabelalinzer.bsky.social, with case studies by Laura Zommer & @kianvest.bsky.social, outlines steps for sustaining info resilience through collaboration & responsive policy. Read more: cdt.org/insights/ada...

Adaptation and Innovation: The Civic Space Response to AI-Infused Elections With case studies also by: Laura Zommer and Kian Vesteinsson Introduction AI avatars delivered independent news about Venezuela’s contested election, allowing journalists to protect their identity and avoid politically motivated arrest. Voters in the United Kingdom could cast their ballots for an AI avatar to hold a seat in Parliament. A deepfake video showed United States […]

CASE STUDIES: AI amplified information integrity challenges during elections in 2024. CDT’s new report examines how civic actors in Mexico, Taiwan, and beyond adapted—tracking deepfakes, using AI for fact-checking, and countering disinformation. cdt.org/insights/ada...

After discovering a "very sophisticated" Iranian hack of his office's website, Arizona's secretary of state notified federal and state authorities — but not CISA, in which he said he's lost faith. archive.is/B47dV (h/t @derekbjohnson.bsky.social)

In India’s deportation drive, Muslim men recount being tossed into the sea India’s recent deportation drive targeting its Muslim minority was marked by home demolitions, arbitrary detentions, allegations of torture and a lack of due process.

Tremendous, meticulous, disturbing reporting here on India’s Hindu nationalist government deporting Muslim citizens by literally forcing them to walk the plank into the sea. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

Event graphic for CDT's 2025 Annual Benefit, Tech Prom. Abstract gradients of dark blue, and dark blue and gold text.

🎉 Tech Prom is back! 🎉

Join CDT on October 23 at The LINE DC for an unforgettable evening with the tech policy community. Connect, celebrate, and support CDT’s mission.

🎟️ Tickets & sponsorships now available!
📍 The LINE DC | 🕕 6–10 PM
cdt.org/event/2025-t...

the president does not actually have the power to fire a university president or a museum director, but if elites simply roll over under pressure, then effectively he does

CDT's Isabel Linzer Speaks on "Cyber Interference with Democracy" Panel: Insights from the 2025 Octopus Conference Earlier in June, CDT’s Isabel Linzer participated in the Council of Europe’s 2025 Octopus Conference on cybercrime, speaking on a panel during the session on “Cyber Interference with Democracy.” The panel identified evolving disinformation tactics that extend beyond traditional methods that include deepfakes, AI-generated content, manipulated engagement, and hyper-specific targeted disinformation campaigns. These sophisticated approaches […]

This month, Isabel repped CDT at the Council of Europe’s Octopus Conference, speaking on AI in elections + global deepfake legislation. We’re lucky to have her on the team! cdt.org/insights/cdt...

CDT Submits Testimony on Connecticut Bill Creating Criminal Penalties for Election Deepfakes Today, CDT submitted testimony to the Connecticut Joint Committee on Government Administration and Elections, urging modifications to H.B.6846 to protect users’ free expression rights. H.B.6846 would ...

In this testimony on a CT deepfakes law, @beccabranum.bsky.social reminds us that some of the efforts to limit AI election risks introduce new threats to democracy, like limiting political speech and engagement cdt.org/insights/cdt...

The Munich Security Conference Provides an Opportunity to Improve on the AI Elections Accord Ahead of the Munich Security Conference, one crucial issue is at risk of falling by the wayside: protecting democracy from abuses of AI.

The AI Elections Accord ended earlier this year. @alexreevegivens.bsky.social outlined in @justsecurity.org how companies should build a long-term approach to AI & elections www.justsecurity.org/107809/tech-...

With Outcome of CISA Election Security Review Looming, Agency Must Protect Critical Infrastructure On Friday, February 14th, acting Executive Director of the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Bridget Bean issued a memo to agency staff announcing that all election security work would b...

Blog from @tharper.bsky.social discussing cuts to CISA and its serious implications for election security: cdt.org/insights/wit...

+ a follow up from earlier this month: cdt.org/insights/cis...

Adaptation and Innovation: The Civic Space Response to AI-Infused Elections With case studies also by: Laura Zommer and Kian Vesteinsson Introduction AI avatars delivered independent news about Venezuela’s contested election, allowing journalists to protect their identity and...

Read our @cdt.org research about the use of AI in 2024's elections globally. The third case study uses interviews with 15 experts researching AI & elections to evaluate the impact of AI on elections so far, and how that should inform future work cdt.org/insights/ada...

A.I. Is Starting to Wear Down Democracy

Really important to keep our eye on the ball with AI & elections, even between cycles and especially as CISA is gutted. @stuartathompson.bsky.social + @stevenleemyers.bsky.social do that here. Recent related research from my @cdt.org colleagues below🧵 www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/t...

Transnational repression of human rights defenders: The impacts on civic space and the responsibility of host states | Think Tank | European Parliament Transnational repression of human rights defenders: The impacts on civic space and the responsibility of host states

"Transnational repression of human rights defenders: The impacts on civic space and the responsibility of host states" - Study on transnational repression with @mmichae1sen.bsky.social and @saipirafurstenberg.bsky.social now online.

AI-generated image of an i-phone with a warning message.

Traveling to or from the U.S. with your devices? Be aware: Border agents have broad search authority. Our latest blog by Jacob Smith, CDT Intern, reveals crucial privacy risks & how your digital life can be exposed. cdt.org/insights/pro...

CDT Submits Comments to HHS Supporting Its Proposed Rule Limiting Law Enforcement Access to Reproductive Health Records Also contributed to by CDT Intern Sydney Brinker In the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and subsequent state laws that criminalize abortion, patients are at heightened risk that their health care providers will turn over sensitive reproductive health information to law enforcement for abortion-related investigations. In response […]

This week, a Texas judge struck down the rule prohibiting sharing patients’ abortion records with law enforcement when the procedure was lawfully provided. CDT previously supported the rule & commended HHS for passing it.

1) cdt.org/insights/cdt...
2) cdt.org/press/hhs-ad...

Transnational Repression

Really pleased to see my former OHCHR colleagues publish this brief on transnational repression: www.ohchr.org/en/documents...

French Lawmaker Says He Was Denied Entry Into the United States

Every one of these petty, ideologically driven visa denials is an assault on *our* freedom of association, our right to hear, and our ability to learn about the world around us. They are meant to make us stupider, more susceptible to manipulation, and less free. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/19/w...

Opinion | Parsing ICE’s mixed-up, hard-to-believe assault claims ICE officials keep touting a 413 percent increase in assaults on officers to justify officers masking their identities.

I asked ICE where the “413% increase in assaults” justification for its officers using masks came from. They didn’t answer. So I dug into it, and what I found … did not boost their argument.
Gift link: wapo.st/4l7a1ch

Canadian intelligence accuses India over Sikh’s killing as Carney meets Modi Killing of Canadian national was ‘significant escalation in India’s repression efforts’ but leaders shake hands at G7

Shake hands, then release the report. by @leylandcecco.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

G7 Leaders’ Statement on Transnational Repression TNR undermines national security, state sovereignty, the safety and human rights of victims, and principles of international law. It has a chilling effect in our countries.

There’s a lot going on, but the G7 leaders issued a good statement on transnational repression today: www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/stat...

"LA Residents Are Foiling ICE Raids Using Amazon Ring’s Neighborhood Watch" www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...

Imperial President at Home, Emperor Abroad American foreign policy in an age of unrestrained executive power.

Published yesterday, already even more relevant today www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

View of the hemicyle room at Council for Europe, with a screen showing dates and details about the Octopus Conference

In Strasbourg about to kick off day one of the Octopus Conference. Shoot me a message if you're in town!

New: Trump's proposed CISA budget would cut $425M and >1,000 positions, w/ deep cuts to partner engagement & risk analysis.

Cuts would affect vuln assessments, shared services, trainings, election security, intl affairs, & more.

My story w/ full details: www.cybersecuritydive.com/news/cisa-tr...

Opinion | Elon Musk’s Legacy Is Disease, Starvation and Death

Well-articulated and cathartic www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/o...

Perpetually proud to be a Wes alum these days

This is Not An #Ad: Political Influencers, Elections, and Information Integrity on Social Media The rise of political influencers is among the latest ways that digital technology has changed how campaigns interact with voters and how voters engage with politics. CDT’s research in this area is de...

In a new blog, CDT’s @isabelalinzer.bsky.social explores when political speech by influencers becomes something more — raising urgent questions about transparency, regulation, and information integrity. A must-read for anyone tracking the evolving implications. cdt.org/insights/thi...