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Mārtiņš Vaivars

@martinsvaivars.bsky.social
802 followers 478 following 264 posts

Work on technology –- co-founder of RivalSense.co and Heppia.com. Care about music, friends, democracy, and books.

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Reposted by Mārtiņš Vaivars
Alan Jagolinzer @jagolinzer.bsky.social · 7h
We are aware of the political frictions related to the Lithuania disinfo conference. We expect no spillover impact and are still hosting the 2027 Cambridge Disinformation Summit. The call for papers is open. For more information, see the conference website: www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/events/cambr...
jbs.cam.ac.uk
Cambridge Disinformation Summit (2027)
Connect with Cambridge Judge! Explore our full calendar of upcoming events, learn about our programmes and connect with world-class speakers.
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Ulrike Franke @rikefranke.eu · 7h
“The demarche request appears to be an unusual administration effort to use allied government pressure to silence criticism from European citizens and Americans abroad” www.politico.com/news/2026/10...
politico.com
EU, Canada and Lithuania pull out of disinformation conference after US pressure
The Trump administration was bothered by panels that referred to the U.S. as a disinformation threat.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 23h
More on #disnfo2026 - EEAS runs scared of US 'disinformation' debate www.rapporteur.com/news/eeas-ru...
rapporteur.com
EEAS runs scared of US 'disinformation' debate | Rapporteur
Europe is ready to talk about foreign interference provided it does not have to identify the US as a possible source
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Šī vienkārši nav taisnība -- daudzi datorzinātnes un kiberdrošības eksperti, ieskaitot Andri Ambaini, rekomendē nekad nepāriet uz e-vēlēšanām. Kiberdrošība nav 100% lieta -- pilnīga drošība un uzticamība vienkārši neeksistē. www.aaas.org/programs/epi... Valsts IT procesi gan dramatiski jāuzlabo.
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Lelde Luika @leldeluika.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Drīzāk kā lielu cīņu starp vērtībām, vēlēšanu rezultāti uzrāda 1990. gadu personāliju politikas atgriešanos, kopā ar praktiski neattīstītām partiju attiecībām ar vēlētājiem starpvēlēšanu posmā (re: zemā aktivitāte) un soctīkliem. Idejas = personālijas ir neprognozējamība un arī patvaļīgums.
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Man laikam vislielākās bailes būs par sabiedriskajiem medijiem. Grūti iztēloties pasauli, kur NA nemēģinās viņus revidēt.
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Žurnāls Ir @zurnalsir.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
🔔 Svētdien aicinām pievienoties īpašam “Šķiltavas” speciālizlaidumam tiešraidē mūsu “Facebook” un “Instagram” profilos! 🎙️ “Ir” kolēģi Nellija Ločmele, Aivars Ozoliņš un Pauls Raudseps kopīgi pārrunās Saeimas vēlēšanu rezultātus un spriedīs, ko esam sabalsojuši. Uz tikšanos svētdien tiešraidē! 👋
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Lai Kulbergam izdodas -- valsts aparāts varētu būt daudz mazāks, valsts uzņēmumi ir slikti pārvaldīti un birokrātija varētu būt daudz mazāka. Nepiekrītu citām tēzēm, bet pret tām mums būs jācīnās. Nav ne jausmas par iekšējo spēka samēru tajā partijā. Ja dinamika ir slikta, var būt arī ļoti slikti.
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 03/10/2026
Negotiations to end the war in Ukraine "have expanded to include a multibillion-dollar oil deal that would benefit Middle Eastern business executives with ties to the two main U.S. negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner" reports @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/u...
nytimes.com
U.S.-Russia Talks on Ukraine Now Involve an Oil Deal Tied to Trump Allies (Gift Article)
President Vladimir V. Putin brought up a sale of Russian energy assets with President Trump’s envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, pushing a deal that raises new questions about conflicts of inter...
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Eric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 03/10/2026
JUST POSTED: Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have pushed a multibillion oil deal with Russia as part of peace talks that will bring profits to their family business partners. A new front for Trump-era conflicts of interest. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/u...
nytimes.com
U.S.-Russia Talks on Ukraine Now Involve an Oil Deal Tied to Trump Allies (Gift Article)
President Vladimir V. Putin brought up a sale of Russian energy assets with President Trump’s envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, pushing a deal that raises new questions about conflicts of inter...
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Bill Gates on A.I. | The Ezra Klein Show www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_15...
youtube.com
Bill Gates’s Blunt Warning on A.I. | The Ezra Klein Show
YouTube video by The Ezra Klein Show
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Ja šis piepildīsies, šī liekas mega svarīga ziņa, gada ziņa defence24.com/geopolitics/...
defence24.com
UK offers nuclear umbrella to Finland and other JEF members
Within the framework of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), the United Kingdom will offer Finland and other member states of the group military protection through the use of nuclear weapons.
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Iemetu feisīti 3-4 paragrāfu domas par šīm vēlēšanām: www.facebook.com/martins.vaiv...
facebook.com
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Corruption and Regime Change with Anne Applebaum and Tim Snyder www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKwf...
youtube.com
Corruption and Regime Change with Anne Applebaum and Tim Snyder
YouTube video by Timothy Snyder
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Marcel Dirsus @marceldirsus.com · 28/09/2026
Of all the bad things happening, the death of the newspaper has to be among the most consequential. We just no longer have a common reality, and reporting has been replaced by opinion, opinion and opinion. It's all reels and podcasts and personalised algorithms
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Crawford Kilian @crof.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Trump allies could use midterms ‘counting window’ to disrupt results, experts warn
Fears grow that loyalists in key states could use critical period when votes are counted to amplify false claims
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Kādēļ Edmunds Cepurītis vairs nekandidē uz Saeimu? Viņš likās ļoti jaudīgs deputāts.
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It is not enough that you should understand about applied science in order that your work may increase man’s blessings. Concern for man himself and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors, concern for the great unsolved problems of the organization of labor and the distribution of goods in order that the creations of our mind shall be a blessing and not a curse to mankind. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.
—Albert Einstein, remarks to students at California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, Feb 16, 1931
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e.w. niedermeyer @niedermeyer.online · 22/09/2026
it's so important to teach the next generation of leaders that introspection is fake and gay and invented by the libs to make great men feel sad
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Tom Hannen @tomhannen.ft.com · 21/09/2026
Kremlin-backed forgery scheme moved $6.9bn through global banks - FT video produced by me, written by @chriscook.news & @chassnews.bsky.social FT story (1st 300 clicks free): as.ft.com/r/c4fd2c08-5...
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Important scoop by my colleagues:
ft.com
Donald Trump presses Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop hitting Russian refineries
US president tells Ukrainian leader in phone call it is all about ‘diesel, diesel, diesel’, according to officials
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Klausos, kā Progresīvo kandidāts argumentē pret ES jaunajām soctīklu regulācijām jauniešiem. Skan pēc soctīklu PR tēzēm. Vai tas, ka savā LMT vai Tet kontā vari ielogoties ar Smart ID / E-parakstu, rada "neskaitāmus privātuma riskus"? Kā ar vecuma pierādīšanu caur Veriff, ja pērc lietas uz nomaksu?
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
‘We cannot allow race to be reintroduced into our politics. We cannot allow Briton to be set against Briton.’ Bravo Rishi Sunak www.thetimes.com/article/e89d...
thetimes.com
Rishi Sunak: Britishness must not be turned into a DNA test
I worry that the immigration debate is going far beyond arrival numbers
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Mark Carney -- Address to the European Parliament www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7Y9...
youtube.com
LIVE: Address to the European Parliament • EN DIRECT : Allocution devant le Parlement européen
YouTube video by Mark Carney
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Satori.lv @satorilv.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Politiķi var gūt situatīvu labumu, izmantojot nelegālās imigrācijas jautājumu, lai radikalizētu attieksmi pret imigrāciju kopumā un sasaistītu to ar plašāku nacionālās identitātes apdraudējuma izjūtu. Kaprāns par migrāciju medijos, politiķu izteikumos un realitātē. #SIF_MAF2026
satori.lv
Mārtiņš Kaprāns | Priekšvēlēšanu imigrācijas trauksme. Vēlēšanu troksnis
Ja Baltkrievija instrumentalizē imigrantus, tad atsevišķi Latvijas politiķi priekšvēlēšanu laikā cenšas instrumentalizēt sabiedrisko domu par imigrāciju.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Threats intensify against Israeli directors of Gaza documentary NAZA www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
Threats intensify against Israeli directors of Gaza documentary NAZA
Human rights organisations express support for directors of Guardian-produced film facing threats from Israeli ministers and far-right activists
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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 14/09/2026
Online grifters, private companies, and far-right ideologues have transformed traditional American diplomacy, @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu writes. She explores how they’re wielding their newfound power:
bit.ly
Donald Trump’s Empire of Grift
Far-right ideologues have transformed American foreign policy into a tool of private gain and antidemocratic reaction.
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Andrew Weinstein @andrewjweinstein.com · 15/09/2026
There’s obviously a lot going on right now, but a Russian oligarch bankrolling the wedding of the president’s son is the kind of story that should dominate headlines in any functioning political culture.
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Anil Dash @anildash.com · 09/09/2026
There are a lot of people who think their parents got their brains destroyed by Fox News, but somehow they’re not getting their brains destroyed by staying on Twitter.
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 14/09/2026
Kremlev, the Russian who sponsored Don Jr's wedding, is a former member of the Night Wolves biker gang, went to China with Putin and is personally sanctioned by Ukraine for his role in abducting children. He praises Stalin on social media www.propublica.org/article/dona...
propublica.org
Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding Bankrolled by Putin-Linked Russian Oligarch
The oligarch, Umar Kremlev, spent hundreds of thousands on expenses like renting out a private island. He appears to have met Trump Jr. only recently, but he attended the intimate wedding with a large...
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Medijiem un ietekmeļiem šķiet, ka vienīgie iespējamie "tēmu eksperti" ir citi ietekmeļi -- par AI, par kiberdrošību, par veselību, par finanšu pratību. Lai gan patiesie tēmu eksperti tepat Latvijā ir pāris zvanu, pāris Google search attālumā. Un publiskā telpa rezultātā pilna ar puspatiesībām.
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Yoshua Bengio @yoshuabengio.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Over the past few days, I've taken the time to summarize my thoughts on the recent incidents involving agents’ misaligned behavior. We don't know with certainty what comes next, but we know where these issues originate, and this can help us plan the path forward.
yoshuabengio.org
Yoshua Bengio | Why are AI agents lying, cheating and coordinating?
A lot has been written about the incidents of the last few months in which AI agents misbehaved in serious ways. They took actions that would be considered as crimes if a human took them, escaped thei...
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Tony Tassell @tonytassell.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Mario Draghi here on why Europe needs more datacentres - FT oped here..and he argues Europe can have "AI without oligarchs" as.ft.com/r/ba1a469e-0...
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Nicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
We already knew Egyptian intelligence warned Israel ahead of Oct. 7 and the Netanyahu govt dismissed it. Now we learn UAE leader MBZ warned Bibi directly that Hamas was about to try something big. He dismissed that too. One of the worst security failures in history. And followed by so much awful.
haaretz.com
Netanyahu got an explicit warning before Oct. 7. He didn't brief security chiefs
In September '23, UAE President bin Zayed called Netanyahu to deliver a harsh warning. Netanyahu did nothing. An extensive investigation, conducted for a new book, reveals the PM's failures surroundin...
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Satori palūdza uzrakstīt komentāru par dāņu filmu "Tehplomātija", kas šonedēļ ir skatāma Rīgā: satori.lv/article/soci...
satori.lv
Mārtiņš Vaivars | Sociālie mediji pret demokrātiju
Kādēļ šie uzņēmumi netiek jēgpilni regulēti, lai gan to nodarītais kaitējums ir labi dokumentēts? Kādēļ ASV un ES šos monopolus pārsvarā nesoda par konkurences tiesību pārkāpšanu? "Tehplomātija" piedā...
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
The Fascist Internationale
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Germany’s far-right AfD thanks Elon Musk www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
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Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Nick Turse: “It’s been a year of murders,” said a defense official who was horrified by the first strike and has remained so as the U.S. has targeted scores of so-called “drug boats” in the year since. “The Trump administration has normalized murder.” The official added: “It’s absolutely criminal.”
theintercept.com
The U.S. Has Killed 227 Civilians in Boat Strikes During “A Year of Murders”
“The boat strikes are, perhaps, the most stark testament to the lawlessness of the Trump administration.”
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Dr Duncan Robertson @duncanrobertson.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Manufacturing dissent.
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Nezinu, kā es dzīvē esmu attapies vietā, kur es par kādu tēmu 100% piekrītu Valainim. "Anti-birokrātijas valdība", "business-friendly valdība" www.facebook.com/reel/1756466...
facebook.com
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Bill Gates -- The turbulent AI era is here. The choices we make now are critical. www.gatesnotes.com/home/home-pa...
gatesnotes.com
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Enerģijas Importa Atkarības Apvienība, Fosilā Kurināmā Savienība un NIMBY Vienotība www.lsm.lv/raksts/zinas...
lsm.lv
Valdība neakceptē «K2 Ventum» vēja parka ieceri Pāvilostas pusē
Ministru kabinets otrdien nolēma neakceptēt SIA "K2 Ventum" plānoto vēja elektrostaciju (VES) parka būvniecību Dienvidkurzemes novada Sakas pagastā un ar to saistītā elektropārvades pieslēguma izveidi...
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Techmeme @techmeme.com · 25/08/2026
A profile of French software maker ChapsVision, which won a contract to replace Palantir at France's domestic intel agency in June and targets an IPO by 2030 (Adrienne Klasa/Financial Times) Main Link | Techmeme Permalink
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Gustavs Strenga @strenga.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Šis nav alarmisms. Vēršanās pret NVO, zinātniekiem, dabas aizstāvjiem ir tikai pirmie autoritāro tendenču signāli. Mūs gaida saspringti laiki Latvijā.
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Ed Zitron @edzitron.com · 22/08/2026
the average tech exec and venture capitalist and honestly an alarming amount of bay area software engineers have close to zero interaction or connection with regular people, and the richer they are, the more isolated they've become. They have built rationalizations for everything.
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Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 19/08/2026
Woah.
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Mārtiņš Vaivars @martinsvaivars.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
"The Nerd Reich": Author Gil Durán on Big Tech Fascism, Peter Thiel, JD Vance & the War on Democracy www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg7Y...
youtube.com
"The Nerd Reich": Author Gil Durán on Big Tech Fascism, Peter Thiel, JD Vance & the War on Democracy
YouTube video by Democracy Now!
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 14/08/2026
Bleak tidbit from Regime Change — Bessent attempted a Hitler-style shakedown of Zelenskyy as one of his first acts as Treasury Secretary
“Bessent’s proposal would require Ukraine to pay the United States 50 percent of future revenue from state-owned natural resources, including hydrocarbons and rare earth minerals. The document prescribed very specific commitments from Ukraine, but offered no security commitments from the United States. Even though the minerals deal had been Zelensky’s idea, part of the “Victory Plan for Ukraine” he had recently unveiled, he was shocked by Bessent’s terms.
Zelensky explained that he was leading his country through a particularly violent phase of the three-year-old war, and insisted that he and his staff needed more time to consider the proposal. Bessent saw things very differently. He had traveled nearly five thousand miles to an active war zone to obtain Zelensky’s signature, and now Zelensky was telling him no.
“You need to sign this,” Bessent urged. “The purpose of this is to show that there is no daylight” between the U.S. and Ukraine.
Zelensky, furious, replied that the document was an attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty. This was not the way international agreements worked—this was a shakedown.”

Excerpt From
Regime Change
Maggie Haberman
https://books.apple.com/us/book/regime-change/id6761716648
This material may be protected by copyright.
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Gustavs Strenga @strenga.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
"Valdības pamatdarbs ir priekšvēlēšanu izrāde." Pilnīgi piekrītu @aivarsozolins.bsky.social ir.lv/politika/kul...
ir.lv
Kulberga benefice
Valdības pamatdarbs ir priekšvēlēšanu izrāde
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Melissa Jo Peltier @melissjpeltier.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
olgalautman.substack.com/p/why-is-rus... Because Trump faced no consequences for his 2016 dalliances with Russia, the GOP now treats Moscow as just another branch of Washington DC. Is anyone doing anything to stop this?
olgalautman.substack.com
Why Is Russia Talking About Giving Kash Patel Kompromat on Democrats?
A few weeks ago, I wrote about Patel’s reported upcoming trip to Moscow and St.
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