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Michiel van Hulten

@michielvanhulten.eu
5.3K followers 2.5K following 111 posts

Democracy defender. Former EU/NL politician and official. No longer on Twitter, Facebook or Whatsapp.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Michiel van Hulten
Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 27m
Tech Executives At AI Roundtable Donated Over $200 Million To Trump’s Super PAC and Pet Projects www.citizen.org/news/tech-ex...
citizen.org
Tech Executives At AI Roundtable Donated Over $200 Million To Trump’s Super PAC and Pet Projects - Public Citizen
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, Big Tech executives met with Donald Trump for a meeting about the threats posed by…
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euobserver — EU news that matters @euobserver.com · 27/09/2026
The fact a Russia-linked billionaire was elected by 110 votes out of 192 in FIDE was a sad reminder that Putin still had friends outside Europe.
euobserver.com
Chess body FIDE elects Kazakh billionaire, amid Russia’s return to world sports
The fact a Russia-linked billionaire was elected by 110 votes out of 192 in FIDE was a sad reminder that Putin still had friends outside Europe.
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 27/09/2026
One of my most special moments in politics was to meet and discuss with former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso. I think of him and the people of Brazil as they prepare to fight off the US-backed far-right challenge to Brazilian democracy. First round next weekend. Stay strong! 🇧🇷
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 26/09/2026
Lula campaign says Meta blocked its ad account newsletters.brazilian.report/p/lula-campa...
newsletters.brazilian.report
President Lula campaign says Meta blocked its ad account
The Workers' Party (PT) and its coalition said Meta disabled President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's re-election campaign's ad account on Wednesday.
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Reposted by Michiel van Hulten
Luke LeBrun @lukelebrun.ca · 26/09/2026
Tech companies suddenly decide they can, in fact, moderate content on their platforms after all
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 24/09/2026
Reading this interview won't make you feel any better about where AI is heading. Detached from reality, to put it mildly.
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 19/09/2026
☺️ This from the OG social media guy in Brussels! Thanks @jonworth.eu, great to see you and other good friends there. And well done to @pweiss.bsky.social and @znconsulting.com for another great #EUinfluencer awards night. For a few special hours, it felt like the old Twitter had never gone away. 🐦
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Reposted by Michiel van Hulten
Jon Worth @jonworth.eu · 18/09/2026
10 years ago this was all Twitter. Then you know who killed it 😡 And now all the Bruxelles crowd is on LinkedIn 🥱 instead #EUinfluencer
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Joni Askola @joniaskola.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
New video out! youtu.be/n3lrUnV1orY?...
youtu.be
The Horseshoe Theory Just Became Real in Germany
YouTube video by Joni Askola
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 18/09/2026
Lovely nugget from the @financialtimes.com report on Liechtenstein’s royal squabbles. Bring on the European Convention on Princely Rights!
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 18/09/2026
Oh Canada! 🇨🇦
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ZN @znconsulting.com · 16/09/2026
Algorithms are evolving, platforms are shifting, and tech is redefining EU communications. 🌐 Join our #EUinfluencer2026 panel, The Future of Influence, with @francescopicci.bsky.social, @michielvanhulten.eu, and Karen Massin on 18/9 at Cardo Brussels. #OneStepAhead
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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 14/09/2026
Your regular reminder: If the Russians stop fighting, the war ends. If the Ukrainians stop fighting, their land will be occupied, their leaders will be killed, their history and language will be erased, their children will be kidnapped to serve Russia.
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 09/09/2026
Major new report from @reset.tech out today, authored by @allxbo.bsky.social: Monetized Slopaganda. Social media monetization programs are incentivizing a new industry of AI-generated political clickbait, targeting audiences in Europe and globally. Full report here: www.reset.tech/resources/mo...
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 04/09/2026
Stunning sunset over North Holland this evening
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 24/08/2026
Nice one, @theguardian.com
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Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 14/08/2026
the gaslighting over the pervert glasses is in a class of its own. They think we're idiots. www.engadget.com/2236054/meta...
engadget.com
Meta is giving away 15,000 AI glasses to blind and visually impaired people in Ireland - Engadget
Meta is donating 15,000 Ray-Ban Meta glasses to an Irish charity supporting people with sight loss.
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 14/08/2026
ICYMI: a major new report from Equimundo and Reset Tech, "The Grift Economy", maps out the multi-billion dollar male grievance industry – the Big Tech-driven online ecosystem that monetises the loneliness, economic anxiety and identity of men. www.equimundo.org/resources/th...
equimundo.org
The Grift Economy | Equimundo
An Equimundo and Reset Tech report covering the grift economy's actors, tactics, and effects on young men's well-being.
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 08/08/2026
Looking for solar eclipse glasses on Amazon, I came across this “endorsement” from former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau for made-in-China glasses that are listed as a Amazon beststeller. Something tells me Trudeau did not actually endorse these glasses, which also claim to be CE and ISO-compliant.
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Reposted by Michiel van Hulten
The New York Times @nytimes.com · 07/08/2026
A judge ordered Meta to pay $567 million and make changes to the way young people can use its platforms, the largest financial penalty yet against the tech giant in its ongoing legal battles over social media harm and addiction.
nyti.ms
Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million Fine by New Mexico Judge
The penalty, imposed by a state judge, is on top of a $375 million fine ordered by a jury that found Meta misled users about the safety of its platforms.
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dell cameron @dell.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
NEW: Meta reviewed, approved, and ran more than 50 ads containing AI-generated child sexual abuse material across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads. They ran for nine months. Some were live this week. After WIRED asked about them, researchers found ~30 more
wired.com
Meta Ran Ads That Contained AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Imagery
More than 50 offending image and video ads were published across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, or Threads, according to Meta’s ad library data. Some ran as recently as this week.
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 05/08/2026
😂 (Source: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...)
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God @thegodshow.com · 26/07/2026
Thou shalt not let the richest man on Earth tell his 250 million followers to murder journalists. Thou shalt lock him up for inciting violence.
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Pete Fraser @petefrasermusic.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
I’m just a simple Internet user, but it seems to me that the UK government shouldn’t use this man’s website for official communications, I dunno.
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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
What do these companies have in common: -Amazon -Walmart -FedEx -McDonald's -Dollar General -DoorDash -Instacart They're all highly profitable, give their CEOs lucrative salaries, and pay thousands of workers starvation wages — making them reliant on SNAP and Medicaid.
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Center for Countering Digital Hate @counterhate.com · 23/07/2026
Kids shouldn't have to sue to make social media safe. A 15-year-old is dropping his lawsuit against Meta for their addictive design. This comes after another child was forced to go to trial for a brutal 7 weeks in a similar case. Meta would rather go to trial with kids than prioritize safety.
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Dave Keating @davekeating.substack.com · 23/07/2026
🇪🇺Commission just fined #Google €890m for anti-competitive practices under DMA. But tech sovereignty advocates aren't impressed by the amount. "Plenty of people would dodge the fare if the fine were cheaper than the ticket" says Green MEP Alexandra Geese. "The size of this fine is disappointing...🧵
theguardian.com
EU fines Google €890m for competition breaches over search and apps
Firm told to treat third-party services that appear in its results in ‘fair and non-discriminatory manner’
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 22/07/2026
France's decision to ban under-15s from social media is a direct result of Big Tech companies systematically flouting EU online safety legislation. In @euobserver.com I argue we need a new approach: requiring apps to be certified as safe before they can access kids. euobserver.com/228652/von-d...
euobserver.com
Von der Leyen is right to reject a blanket kids’ social media ban — but her plan still lets Big Tech off the hook
The EU has left the door open to age-estimation by behavioural profiling, and the EU's own data protection authorities have warned that this can be more intrusive than the verification it replaces, in...
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pippaneill.bsky.social @pippaneill.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
As hosepipe bans are issued across the country, my reporting today reveals that data centres are estimated to be using 6.6 million litres of drinking water every single day! Water UK said this is a “genuine failing of government”. www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Not enough water for UK’s datacentre plans, trade body says
Industry says government’s failure to address cooling demands means AI growth plans are ‘fatally flawed’
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 21/07/2026
We require tablets and smartphones to be certified as safe before they can be sold. So why do we allow the apps that run on them to be live-tested on kids? We need 'safe social': apps certified as safe before they can access children. My op-ed for @euobserver.com euobserver.com/228652/von-d...
euobserver.com
Von der Leyen is right to reject a blanket kids’ social media ban — but her plan still lets Big Tech off the hook
The EU has left the door open to age-estimation by behavioural profiling, and the EU's own data protection authorities have warned that this can be more intrusive than the verification it replaces, in...
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Reposted by Michiel van Hulten
David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Category error to call today's economy neoliberal. It is more like globalised corporatism in which the largest players work with and against national governments for the most advantageous conditions. www.ft.com/content/b41a...
ft.com
JPMorgan boss Jamie Dimon warns of ‘consequences’ if Andy Burnham taxes banks
Chief executive says any tax raid by new UK prime minister would threaten bank’s planned £3bn London office
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 17/07/2026
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Meta trying to destroy whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams, US senator says
Republican Josh Hawley accuses Mark Zuckerberg’s firm of relentlessly pursuing and attempting to bankrupt her
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 16/07/2026
UK CEO shocked to discover that access to incoming PM Burnham’s chief of staff can’t be bought. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 15/07/2026
Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations @somoamsterdam.bsky.social has published an excellent analysis of the EU data centre market, pointing out that the current EU policy of uncontrolled data centre expansion will only end up benefiting US Big Tech giants. www.somo.nl/eus-data-cen...
somo.nl
EU's data centre expansion will fast-track profits and power for US Big Tech and investors - SOMO
The global competition to ‘win’ the AI-race is driving an unparalleled expansion of large-scale data centres across the world. Cloaked in a narrative of pursuing European tech sovereignty and adopting...
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Reposted by Michiel van Hulten
Center for Countering Digital Hate @counterhate.com · 14/07/2026
YouTube still recommends harmful content to teen accounts, including thinspiration, extreme calorie restriction & subliminal weight-loss videos. Our new findings show the platform can reduce these harms when it chooses to. The problem isn't that YouTube can’t act. It's that it hasn't done enough 🧵
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 14/07/2026
www.theguardian.com/books/2026/j...
theguardian.com
Book publishers sue Google for copyright infringement over Gemini AI training
Group of major publishers accuses the tech giant of ‘one of the most prolific infringements of copyrighted materials in history’
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 13/07/2026
Good to see the European Commission taking a leaf out of JFK's book! ec.europa.eu/commission/p... (Image generated by Gemini, loosely based on a quote by Commission President Von der Leyen today.)
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 10/07/2026
ec.europa.eu/commission/p...
ec.europa.eu
Commission preliminarily finds the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook in breach of the Digital Services Act
Today, the European Commission preliminarily found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act for the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook.
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 02/07/2026
All democratic governments and political parties and all public authorities should quit X. And anyone else with an ounce of morality should, too.
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Peter Walker @peterwalker99.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Oh, hello.
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Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Starmer's government is still on X, the platform that promotes hate and racism.
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Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Yes. It's just bizarre cope to argue that "govt leaving wouldn't change anything". Of course it would - journalist/media/commentators would move immediately, the rest of the public sector would move in a week, and much of civil society would follow. This really isn't hard.
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Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 27/06/2026
Australia to double fines on Big Tech as children bypass social media ban aje.news/jhfo0z
Australia to double fines on Big Tech as children bypass social media ban
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UNITED24 Media @united24media.com · 18/06/2026
A Ukrainian drone strike on a Moscow oil refinery sparked a flood of memes. Here are some of the best. Share your favorites! 🧵 1/16 ⬇️
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 16/06/2026
The second part of this sounds absolutely groundbreaking. Could the era of platform impunity finally be coming to an end?
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Cold War Steve @coldwarsteve.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
My first in a series of World Cup collages for @theguardian.com 👇 www.theguardian.com/football/pic...
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 13/06/2026
Aaand it’s official. The Dutch Labour Party and Green Left have merged to become Progressive Netherlands. 💚❤️
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Center for Countering Digital Hate @counterhate.com · 12/06/2026
Elon Musk becomes the world’s first trillionaire today. Instead of focusing on his SpaceX IPO, we found that he is amplifying anti-migrant narratives on X fueling real-life violence in Belfast.
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 12/06/2026
Plans to ban under-16s from social media are politically understandable and may be the only immediate way to keep kids safe online. A more sustainable solution is to require platforms to be certified as safe by a regulator before they can have kids on them. My op-ed: www.euractiv.com/opinion/euro...
euractiv.com
Europe needs 'safe social' to protect children online | Euractiv
Until a regulatory body declares them safe to use, Europe has to put an end to the live-testing of dangerous products on children
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Michiel van Hulten @michielvanhulten.eu · 10/06/2026
And yet there are still people who call themselves progressives who are active on the main social media network fuelling this violence. The excuse: I want to be able to reach everyone. The reality: you're helping to sustain this poisonous ecosystem. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Violence erupts in Belfast after protests over knife attack
Crowds, including people in masks and hoods, burned vehicles and properties after calls for demonstrations from far-right figures
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