Critical Internet Studies Institute

Thursday webinar: Catch CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app on AI, libraries, & privacy

The memes that may — or may not — shed light on Charlie Kirk’s killing - The Boston Globe Are the alleged shooter’s messages left, right, or just ragebait?

I wanted to follow up on the meme discussion with a longer piece about how to understand memes as cultural artifacts with their own politics.

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/19/o...

CISI Founder interviewed today in TIME Magazine

Dr. Donovan @bostonjoan.bksy.social breaks it down.

ICYMI: Today, CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social spoke with @anitachabria.bsky.social for the @latimes.com

I’m putting this information out here so that press and police can begin to understand what’s actually motivating Kirk’s murder.

Thank you! We have been deep in the work this week, so this is very appreciated. More to come.

If you want to figure out something productive to do in the aftermath of this horrific week, donating to @criticalinternet.bsky.social is a good place to start. I just did.

We agree.

Google Pixel 10 Pro Review: This A.I. Phone Can Save Time if You Surrender Your Data

CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.blacksky.app quoted in @nytimes.com on the perils of trading time for privacy www.nytimes.com/2025/08/27/t...

Inside the White House meme factory : It's Been a Minute We need to talk about the memes your tax dollars paid for. What is the federal government trying to communicate with them?The social media accounts of the White House and the Department of Homeland Se...

Audio/transcript: CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social interviewed on @npr.org about the taxpayer-paid "forced memes" & rage bait of ICE social media www.npr.org/2025/08/22/n...

The Trump Administration Is Using Memes to Turn Mass Deportation Into One Big Joke Memes shared by the White House, DHS, and ICE have used catchy TikTok tunes to normalize mass deportation and Christian nationalist narratives. Experts say that’s the point.

ICYMI, CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social was quoted in the @wired.com piece by @tessowen.bsky.social on dog whistles & aesthetic slop as targeted recruitment appeal www.wired.com/story/trump-...

The official voice of the US government is cruel, gross, and weird. What is that doing to us? Joking memes about imprisonment, deportation, and death by alligator are designed to radicalize and desensitize.

“It’s so important for young people to have a sense of pride of place and duty to their country. But not in this way, not in a way that oppresses the human dignity of others.” –CISI Co-Director @bostonjoan.bsky.social on ICE meme propaganda in @motherjones.com www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Quotes CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.bsky.social: "It's clear that whatever imaginary boundary there was between consumer surveillance tech and government surveillance tech is now completely erased."

Surveillance Podcast Episode · Politechs · S1 E4 · 1h 13m

For an update on Chris' work with CISI, check out this new podcast via @politechs.bsky.social. Remember: Don't give the gift of surveillance! @hypervisible.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

Four Leading Scholars and Advocates Join EPIC’s Advisory Board <p>Today the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) announced the addition of four members to its Advisory Board.</p>

Congrats to CISI Co-Director @hypervisible.bsky.social on joining the @epic.org Advisory Board! epic.org/four-leading...

How do we ensure timely, accurate local knowledge after a violent incident--rather than political exploitation?

Learn how our monitoring work applies to breaking news in @npquarterly.bsky.social

“Libraries are under attack,” said Brewster Kahle. At our Escaping the Memory Hole event, he made a passionate call to action for defending digital libraries amid cyberattacks, lawsuits, & censorship. 📚💿 🎞️📼🏛️

Full video ➡️ youtu.be/_L1VP8klL_g

#MemoryHole #Preservation #InternetArchive

"They give lip service to the idea of consent...float trial balloons up...& then they do it anyway!" 👓

–CISI co-director @hypervisible.bsky.social on Meta's "antisocial" spy glasses as "luxury surveillance" versus embracing community "obscurity." With @markhurst.bsky.social for @wfmu.bsky.social 🔊

And plug: I mentioned Lockdown Mode and Advanced Protection Program in a tip sheet I cowrote with @bostonjoan.bsky.social for @criticalinternet.bsky.social. If you fit the profile, these are really good and really easy things to switch on to be safer

Research — The Critical Internet Studies Institute

Pairs well with our digital security #tipsheet for knowledge workers, via @threatc.at & @bostonjoan.bsky.social! www.criticalinternet.org/research

Data Privacy in Trump 2.0 and LGBTQ Rights: What You Need to Know Americans are “constantly shedding data.” What does that mean for LGBTQ people under the current administration?

Interesting resource via @unclosetedmedia.bsky.social www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/data-priva...

Trump Allies’ Criticism of Judges Prompts Security Concerns President Donald Trump’s allies have fueled misinformation and verbal attacks against courts on social media, raising concerns that judges hearing high-profile litigation challenging his administratio...

New reports of intimidation campaigns toward US judges– including anonymous 🍕 deliveries–are sadly no surprise.

CISI was quick to flag potential networked incitement towards an independent judiciary; see @bloomberglaw.com (quoting @bostonjoan.bsky.social) news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Analysis | More airports are scanning faces. A new bill would limit the practice. Senators revive bipartisan push to regulate the TSA’s use of facial recognition at security checkpoints.

Facial recognition technology is “uniquely dangerous, unreliable, and a persistent threat to human rights.” CISI co-director @hypervisible.bsky.social quoted by @willoremus.com in today's @washingtonpost.com Tech Brief www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

ICYMI: CISI co-director quoted in @prospectmagazine.co.uk on measures against “this new technological oligarchy”

The Critical Internet Studies Institute CISI is an independent nonprofit that offers research and programs that mobilize knowledge on emerging technology topics including networked incitement, privacy and community safety, surveillance over...

We follow new forms of surveillance & networked incitement, tracking real-time impact on communities. Read more about our active research www.criticalinternet.org

Listen: CISI co-director speaks with @cbcradiocanada.bsky.social on potential networked incitement from official US use of memes to warn undocumented migrants

📚 ❤️ Knowledge needs our work! Make sure to follow our program partners @libraryfutures.bsky.social to learn more about coalition-building against library cuts and censorship

"For the public sector, eliminating workplace surveillance is simply not possible." Co-directors @hypervisible.bsky.social & @bostonjoan.bsky.social for @justsecurity.org