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Janet Vertesi

@cyberlyra.bsky.social
2.9K followers 930 following 358 posts

Princeton Sociology Prof; NASA ethnography; tech policy; digitalSTS; critical technical practice; mobile Linux. Conscientious objector to surveillance capitalism. janet.vertesi.com www.optoutproject.net @cyberlyra@hachyderm.io

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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
My latest on Retro Tech at @publicbooks.bsky.social Flipping on an old console and cradling a familiar controller in your hand is not merely a question of nostalgia. It was a reminder of everything we have lost and should fight to regain. www.publicbooks.org/retro-gaming...
publicbooks.org
Retro Gaming: It’s Not Nostalgia, It’s Resistance - Public Books
"If we want to resist the enshittified paradigms around us, we can’t just shake a fist at the sky: We have to show them a better way."
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Thanks to good friends at @veilid.com the future of the internet is decentralized, encrypted, private and secure. Check out: Media player/server: www.veilamp.com Password vault: veilpass.io Collaborative note taking: makertube.net/w/sRRwAZJsCd... Veilidchat: PlayStore beta and iOS Testflight
veilpass.io
veilpass
The password manager we can’t lose. Yours alone, end-to-end encrypted, peer-to-peer.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Hahahaha #Facebook "Muse" internal codebase dump reveals the whole gig is just about keeping up your shopping profile! But of course! #slop til you drop! #ai #meta 🤮 #promptinjection neuromatch.social/@jonny/11732...
neuromatch.social
jonny (nonvenomous) (@jonny@neuromatch.social)
Attached: 4 images you better believe the other thing it's supposed to do aside from build a picture of your friends and loved ones is to figure out what makes you love to shop. This is actually some...
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Turns out if you ask Facebook's "Muse" politely it will just dump all its code at you including API keys and you can see for yourself how much is written by Claude/idiots. Two takes from people who have done it: mouse.dev/blog/muse-ru... neuromatch.social/@jonny/11732... #meanwhileonMastodon
mouse.dev
I asked Meta’s Muse for its filesystem and it sent me 6.8 GB | Mouse
I asked Muse to archive the files it could see and send them to my Google Drive. It did.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Things you're not allowed to have in space: weapons.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Hey #sociologists and #sts scholars! We've been teaching Merton's norms of science wrong for decades!! They're not lofty misstaken descriptions, but a prescription for state funded science to avoid Nazism! More relevant than ever today. My latest with @nataliebaviles.bsky.social #academicsky
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
I can just see Nolan hooked by @emilyrcwilson.bsky.social 's inspired choice for #Odyssey's first line: "a complicated man." That's his type! Deep, intelligent, misunderstood, civilization on his shoulders! Bat-Oppen-dysseus! Incredible film, but I missed the clever, wiley, many-faced trickster.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
So sick of people calling them #CanadianWildfires. The #Arctic is burning because the US has led ignorance and resistance to meaningful #climatechange regulation. Now the only people who can make this stop are busy blaming their neighbors for the inconvenience caused by picking up their trash.
Goose chase meme. Panel 1: Goose skeptically asks, "'Canadian' wildfires, you say?" Panel 2: Goose aggressively gives chase to man on corner of panel, "And why is the Arctic burning, motherfuckers"?
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
At #facct2026 ? Catch my 🔥🔥🔥 talk about The Political Economy of #AI at 10:45 on Level A (Musset), first up in a fantastic lineup of papers on AI #governance, rules and recourse. Paper here: dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/... Looking forward to the conversation! #AcademicSky
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Remember how the US fought a war to illegalize owning humans for forced labor, and a whole bunch of the losers decided NOT TO TELL said humans so they could continue extracting from them for YEARS? A #Juneteenth lesson: the US has a long history of not letting human rights get in the way of profit.
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Prof. Aviles @nataliebaviles.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
My new piece in @issuesinst.bsky.social with @cyberlyra.bsky.social comes at an urgent moment in science policy. New OMB rules and EOs threaten to politicize science and strip it of the democratic norms, autonomy, and pluralism meant to protect science as and for democracy issues.org/merton-redux...
issues.org
Merton Redux: Re-Confronting the Norms of Science in Democracy
The decimation of democratic processes that undergird state-sponsored research may be ultimately more consequential than funding cuts.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
!!!NOW #HIRING!!! - Postdoc: design for societal impact apply.interfolio.com/187187 - Codesign specialist apply.interfolio.com/187163 - Lecturer in design apply.interfolio.com/187186 Join the Keller Center at @princeton.edu & keep #tech #design centered in societal responsibility! #academicsky
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
This debate was absolutely 🔥 and brought the house down at Take Back Tech! Join in for this rebroadcast, make your case and maybe even change your mind when it comes to #AI: Do we RESIST or RECLAIM?
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MediaJustice @mediajustice.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
We want YOUR voice in our debate! 🥊 Enter the ring TODAY at 7PM ET | 4PM PT for “The AI Question: A Movement Debate” to test what you think you know about #AI! Come ready to share your thoughts, push back, and maybe even shift your own perspective! streamyard.com/watch/SKsxNh...
streamyard.com
The AI Question: A Movement Debate
It's clear that how we respond to the way AI is reshaping our world can define the coming decade of organizing. So tune in to Part 2 of our Take Back Tech 2026 Live Rebroadcast! We'll be debating the ...
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
If you 👍 the Pope's recent Encyclical, you'll 😍 our new paper, shifting the conversation about "ethics" to one about political economy. Catch it here in pre-print before its release next month! #academicsky
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Gil Durán @gilduran.com · 24/05/2026
One thing AI LLMs are very good at: convincing their victims that mediocrity is greatness, and that the ability to generate high volumes of mediocre content is a substitute for skill, talent, or work. This is the distinct impression I get every time I look at LinkedIn.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Very Important Words the Tech Industry Ruined: - Friend - Like - Engagement - Smart - Experience - Connect - Contact - Intelligence - Search - Insights - Chat - Mention - Reaction - Stories - Social - Viral - Community - Authentic - Generative - Content - Experience - Companion - Learn - Privacy
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Prof. Aviles @nataliebaviles.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
I wrote a piece with @cyberlyra.bsky.social for @issuesinst.bsky.social on why reading Merton’s writings from the 1930s and 40s helps us better understand our current moment. Look for it in June, or DM me for a copy! (2/2)
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Gonna conduct a Tech Reclaimers public Teach-In at the Summer of Ludd in NYC! Mark your calendars #nyc for June 29 at 4pm or June 30 at noon ... More info coming soon! This whole event is gonna be EPIC! #summerofludd #techreclaimers #optout #bigtech #digitalresistance
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Ben Waber @bwaber.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Next was an amazing talk by @cyberlyra.bsky.social on confronting the political economy of modern AI at @princetoncitp.bsky.social. An absolute banger. Highly recommend www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7ju... (4/6)
youtube.com
CITP Seminar:Janet Vertesi - Where Fairness Fails: How to Confront Material Political Economy of AI
YouTube video by CITP Princeton
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PrincetonHCI @princetonhci.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Check our new work on OpenCourier — an open protocol for interoperable, worker-owned delivery platforms. By: Yuhan Liu, Varun Rao, @s0hw.bsky.social @cyberlyra.bsky.social and @andresmh.hci.social.ap.brid.gy Thanks to @pcc-global.bsky.social for amplifying it! platform.coop/blog/toward-...
platform.coop
Toward Worker-owned Delivery Platforms with the OpenCourier Protocol | Platform Cooperativism Consortium
The OpenCourier protocol opens up opportunities for delivery workers to own the platforms that manage their livelihoods. We introduce the protocol, welcoming contributors and comments.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
🔥🔥 talk at @princetoncitp.bsky.social on the #politicaleconomy of #AI, turning #safety and #regulation into decoys, and how to see the new market-making strategies of monopoly. Joint work with @zephoria.bsky.social, Alex Taylor and Ben Shestakovsky. #academicsky www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7ju...
youtube.com
CITP Seminar:Janet Vertesi - Where Fairness Fails: How to Confront Material Political Economy of AI
YouTube video by CITP Princeton
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
I'm so excited to join this exciting conference in the fall! Wonderful to see this kind of conversation re-emerge at a time of need. Thanks, @markhurst.bsky.social for this opportunity.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
All the more reason to do my #cybercleanse and #optout Free and open source tools are actually FREE and make your hardware last longer. Small companies in the EU dedicated to privacy-first are not taking money from VC to enshittify. Get off their boat, it's sinking fast.
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Senate Commerce Dems @commerce.senate.gov · 26/04/2026
Statement from @cantwell.senate.gov on the unprecedented firing of the members of the National Science Board, which oversees the National Science Foundation.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
An entire #press corps already on location. An event unfolding in a room full of experts who professionally and personally process social experience by --- wait for it -- reporting about it! One could not ask for better or more extensive coverage. #optout #starvethebeast #gasprices
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Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Sign up! It's free! It's not a Substack!
techpolicy.press
Newsletter
Tech Policy Press is a nonprofit media and community venture intended to provoke new ideas, debate and discussion at the intersection of technology and democracy. We publish opinion and analysis.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
You don't read the news, the news reads you. Editors run stories for clicks, likes, and scrolls. Manipulators "game" the news with events that claim all the space above the fold. Withhold your clicks. Don't feed the Beast, starve it. Your attention is needed elsewhere. #digitalresistance #optout
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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 23/04/2026
Well, they've finally struck home. #ICE has detained my former #umich student, Yousif Azizi, a PhD student in public policy at Virginia Tech w/a valid visa. He was arrested while taking his children to school in Maryland. After multiple transfers, he is in a detention center in Arizona.
yousofazizi.com
Free Yousof Azizi
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
#RFK does percentages like #copilot adds in #excel.
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Signal @signal.org · 22/04/2026
We are very happy that today Apple issued a patch and a security advisory. This comes following 404 Media reporting that the FBI accessed Signal message notification content via iOS despite the app being deleted.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
What an incredible weekend at #TakeBackTech !! Thanks to @mediajustice.bsky.social and friends for this extraordinary opportunity to envision and live a better future together.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
So excited for #TakeBackTech this weekend, and grateful to the incredible folks at @mediajustice.bsky.social for the amazing program. Join us Saturday for a 🔥 AI Debate panel with so many luminaries, and Sunday for my @reclaimtech.bsky.social GOODBYE GOOGLE workshop on #optout techniques in action!
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
I share @anildash.com 's rage. I was teaching about these trends back in 2011; and by the time GamerGate hit in 2014 the writing was on the wall. Many people spoke up--nothing happened.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
"This is the least transparent #NASA budget request I've ever seen — and I've literally looked through every single one since 1960." -- @caseydreier.bsky.social Love that slush fund line for "Mars Technologies" underwriting more Elon promises he can't keep. #space www.space.com/astronomy/na...
space.com
NASA science faces 'very serious threat' from new White House budget, experts say
"This is the least transparent NASA budget request I've ever seen — and I've literally looked through every single one since 1960."
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Gratulálok és egészségedre, Magyarország!!! #Hungary #election #Magyar
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Carly Goodman @carlygoodman.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
It sounds like it would be difficult but would it really be so bad to end the Internet and invest in newspapers, record and video stores, and libraries
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
THIS>> "It is not about whether #AI will help itself to your job. It is about whether the people who make AI are helping themselves to your country." www.newstatesman.com/technology/2... Thanks to @emilymbender.bsky.social for sharing on Masto. #optout #digitalresistance #reclaimcontrol
newstatesman.com
The silent coup
How AI captured Westminster
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Last month I visited Berkeley to speak about the Opt Out Project and the video has just been posted! Check it out!! How to Opt Out: Lessons from 14 Years of Evading Surveillance Capitalism www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilXL... #optout #reclaimtech #academicsky
youtube.com
How to Opt Out: Lessons from 14 Years of Evading Surveillance Capitalism | Janet Vertesi
YouTube video by Berkeley Economy and Society Initiative
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Taco Tuesday, yum!
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Mood: Remember when the Boeing capsule failed so the astronauts stayed up a few extra months at the #ISS? When they left in June '24, Biden hadn't debated Trump yet. When they returned in Feb '25, DOGE was already in full force... Let's hope #Artemis II crew recognizes the Earth they return to.
media.tenor.com
a statue of liberty sits on a sandy beach
Alt: Final scene of Planet of the Apes, when the Statue of Liberty is discovered engulfed by dunes.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Follow along as we do the 21-day #cybercleanse week-by-week! This weekend, ditch #Chrome, #Safari, or #Edge and move to a privacy-centric alternative. Already on #Firefox? There is a long list of easy, free, and freeing new ones to try! #optout #bigtech www.optoutproject.net/better-brows...
optoutproject.net
Day Two: Better Browsing
According to statcounter.com, Google's Chrome browser currently enjoys over 68% marketshare, with Apple's Safari not even a close second at…
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
If you have never met an astronaut, let me tell you: #NASA truly selects the best of us. Kind, whip-smart, generous, brilliant leaders and teammates, exceptionally skilled, brave, and dedicated people. All four on board #Artemis today are incredible human beings. Godspeed to them on their launch.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
Technology does not change society. Societies shape technologies and their adoption.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
This is a great summary of the key parts of our conversation - how to get off Google, practically speaking. Not ideally, but actually how to move to alternatives.
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Mark Hurst @markhurst.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
"Every step we take towards deGoogling, no matter how small, is a step in the right direction." New from me: The first step toward getting off Google, feat. @cyberlyra.bsky.social buttondown.com/creativegood...
buttondown.com
The first step toward getting off Google
Switching to non-surveilling alternatives is fast and easy.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
No tyrants. No oligarchs. Join the digital resistance. Free yourself from #bigtech The Tech Reclaimers are doing the #cybercleanse together, one week at a time. Signal Chat or Discord via www.reclaimcontrol.tech Follow @reclaimtech.bsky.social or social.techreclaimers.club/@TheBulletin #nokings
reclaimcontrol.tech
Reclaim Control | over your technology, your devices, your data, your digital life.
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Sam Wang @samwang.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Indeed, why would our community support such extreme policies? We know that immigrants built America and get the job done! Let’s make the administration of immigration what it was before 2003: a civilian agency, not a masked paramilitary. SamForNJ.org
samfornj.org
Sam Wang for New Jersey | Join the Democratic Reform Movement
Support Sam Wang's campaign for a fair, transparent, and accountable government in New Jersey. Join the movement to reform democracy and challenge gerrymandering.
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Janet Vertesi @cyberlyra.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
He's only happy to shave the hair he didn't pay for.
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Mark Hurst @markhurst.bsky.social · 24/03/2026
Excited to share my Techtonic interview with @cyberlyra.bsky.social - aka Janet Vertesi - about WHY and HOW to get off of Big Tech, and onto community-minded alternatives. Full episode, with lots of tips about what platforms to switch to: techtonic.fm/episodes/202...
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