Sydney Saubestre

#ICYMI: Last week OTI Senior Policy Analyst @sydneysaubestre.bsky.social took part in a #FOSI2025 panel on how age assurance measures can be effective, practical & responsive to the needs of children, families & industry. Check out the write-up of the day: fosi.org/event/fosi-a...

Talking about the tradeoffs between timeliness and accuracy is pretty abstract until you watch the Fed trying to read tea leaves from scraped LinkedIn data and online layoff announcements until the official data comes out

A brief that reads like an excellent feature, includes archival research, and uses a specific historical moment to help us understand the U.S. as a whole? Highly recommend.

As one fun data point: only 24% of tenure or tenure-track econ professors are women, so I don’t think these universities have much to worry about. But good to see they’re doubling down just in case.

Screenshot of an article titled 'The Higher-Point of Trump's Higher-Education Agenda' by Kevin Carey on The Atlantic website, dated October 15, 2025.

Screenshot of a Newsweek article dated October 15, 2025, featuring a quote about government trust and democracy by Senior Policy Analyst, Open Technology Institute, with a blurred American flag in the background.

News article titled 'China's burgeoning undersea sensor net aims to disrupt' by Peter Tranpert, a strategist and senior fellow, dated October 15, 2025, under the category 'Defense' from New America in the News.

New America experts around the web:

1️⃣ @kevincarey1.bsky.social for @theatlantic.com https://bit.ly/3WeYlJw

2️⃣ @sydneysaubestre.bsky.social quoted in @newsweek.com https://bit.ly/3W8Lgl5

3️⃣ Peter Singer for @defenseone.bsky.social https://bit.ly/4n8TiVW

Trump admin accused of violating voters' privacy in search for immigrants Senators Alex Padilla and Gary Peters allege DHS bypassed Congress with its SAVE program expansion.

OTI Senior Policy Analyst @sydneysaubestre.bsky.social was quoted in @dangooding.bsky.social's new piece in @newsweek.com. She states: "If the government can’t be trusted to respect the limits on how it uses our data, it can’t be trusted to protect our democracy." www.newsweek.com/trump-admin-...

In a Toxic World, Pets Could Be Vital Health Watchdogs

Nice piece out today in the @nytimes.com that includes some coverage of our recent @pnas.org paper on air pollution and pets.

When U.S. Data Lies, the World Listens The Trump administration’s manipulation of statistics is exporting uncertainty into the international system.

OTI's @sydneysaubestre.bsky.social & @premmtrivedi.bsky.social argue in @foreignpolicy.com that the #Trump admin is conducting #data theater—a move with the defining feature of performing objectivity through meaningless data staged to simulate truth. foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/22/u...

HAPPENING NOW: @gwlaw.bsky.social's @daniel-solove.bsky.social, one of the world’s leading experts in #privacy law, is sitting down with OTI's @premmtrivedi.bsky.social to discuss privacy and its relationship to power, society and #democracy! bit.ly/4kUZpvQ

💻+🏢 ONLINE & @newamerica.org in D.C.

"Bearing moral witness matters even when it doesn’t automatically produce results, because failing to show up at all cedes ground unnecessarily."

Quiz: What Does DOGE Know About You? The Department of Government Efficiency has unauthorized access to millions of Americans’ data. Take New America’s quiz to see how much of your data is at risk.

I just took a quiz on how much of my personal data DOGE can access. The results aren’t pretty. Take it now to discover how much of your sensitive info is now exposed. #HandsOffMyData www.newamerica.org/oti/briefs/q...

The Supreme Court Gave DOGE Access to Your Most Sensitive Data Supreme Court ruling weakens data privacy, giving DOGE access to sensitive Social Security records. Learn what’s at risk—and what you can do.

Open Technology Institute Senior Policy Analyst @sydneysaubestre.bsky.social breaks down #SCOTUS giving #DOGE access to Americans' Social Security #data. See what personal info of yours may be at risk! www.newamerica.org/the-thread/d...

If this is how we treat the most private, most personal information we have, what clearer sign is there that we’ve stopped valuing privacy at all? (6/n)

And this data isn’t just about you. If a family member used the service, they may have shared part of your genetic story too. (5/n)

You can’t reset your genome. You can’t just change it the way you would a phone number. Real consent means transparency, limits, and the option to walk away—not a buried checkbox. (4/n)

We’re talking about raw DNA, tied to names, ancestry, health risks, and physical traits—over 15 million profiles in all. (3/n)

They say you’ll have “the same rights and protections” after the sale. But everyone deserves to understand—and control—what happens to their genetic code. Selling it without real consent isn’t that. (2/n)

I’ve long warned friends against commercial genetic testing — but didn’t expect 23andMe to end up trying to sell people’s DNA in bankruptcy court. Their excuse? “It’s in the privacy policy.” Meaningful consent? That’s a stretch. 🧵 (1/n)

AI Models Show Signs of Falling Apart as They Ingest More AI-Generated Data As CEOs trip over themselves to invest in AI, the models are falling apart at the seams and going mad from cannibalism.

What if mad cow, but for the internet.

Did DOGE “Breach” Americans’ Data? Sydney Saubestre on DOGE’s push for data access

In April, @sydneysaubestre.bsky.social joined @davidalruiz.bsky.social on the #LockAndCode podcast to discuss #DOGE’s push for sensitive personal data held by the federal government.

The concerns shared then foreshadowed dissents on #SCOTUS decision to allow DOGE access to Social Security data:

Did DOGE “Breach” Americans’ Data? Sydney Saubestre on DOGE’s push for data access

I spoke about some of this with @davidalruiz.bsky.social back in April. It’s clearer than ever: the Trump administration is determined to breach Americans’ data, and SCOTUS is enabling it. www.newamerica.org/oti/in-the-n...

We keep hearing about “waste, fraud, and abuse,” but that’s not a concrete justification—it’s narrative cover. And #SCOTUS seems to have bought it.

Fully agree with Justices Kagan and Sotomayor: the government never made a credible case for immediate access. There’s no “irreparable harm” here—just a rush to breach privacy before the courts can rule.

Privacy laws exist for a reason. Letting a controversial, faux agency exploit Americans’ personal information should alarm everyone, regardless of politics.

The Supreme Court just overrode an injunction blocking #DOGE 's access to Social Security data. Millions of people’s personal records are now exposed before the courts even decide whether that access is even legal.

Did DOGE “Breach” Americans’ Data? Sydney Saubestre on DOGE’s push for data access

I spoke about some of this with @davidalruiz.bsky.social in April, and it’s now clearer than ever: the Trump administration is determined to breach Americans’ data under the guise of modernization and reform. www.newamerica.org/oti/in-the-n...

We’ll hear a lot about “waste, fraud, and abuse,” but that’s not a concrete justification—it’s narrative cover, and one SCOTUS seems to have bought.

Fully agree with Justices Kagan and Sotomayor: the government never made a credible case that immediate access to this data was necessary. There’s no “irreparable harm” here—just a rush to breach privacy before the courts can rule.

Privacy laws exist for a reason. Letting a controversial, faux agency continue to exploit American's personal information should alarm everyone, regardless of politics.