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Mike Stabile

@mikestabile.bsky.social
12K followers 913 following 4.1K posts

First Amendment rodeo clown. Policy Director at Free Speech Coalition, co-founder SWR Data, among other things. Personal account, all outrage / nonsense here is my own. Terrible at DMs

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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 12h
"My concern about the bans is that people will go underground. When they go underground online, bad things happen — really terrible things happen."
businessinsider.com
Tech is entering its prohibition era. We've been here before.
Governments are seeking to set restrictions on popular tech. Though well-intentioned, the bans are easier said than done.
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Riana @riana.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
NEW RESEARCH PAPER! With Cyndie Demeocq at U of Edinburgh, today I’m releasing a paper analyzing 71 federal criminal cases, filed around the US from 2022-2025, that somehow involve AI-generated or -morphed CSAM or child obscenity. Here's the SSRN link: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com
Yes, It's Already Illegal: Federal Criminal Prosecutions for AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material, 2022-2025
<div> Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is now capable of creating realistic-looking images and videos with just a text prompt. This capacity has been mi
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Utah wanted websites to verify the actual, physical location of visitors and force them to identify VPN users. The controversial addition to the state's age-verification law was suppose to go into effect next week, but a District Court judge struck it down at least temporarily.
techradar.com
Federal judge strikes down Utah's controversial VPN age verification rules
A major win for digital privacy as courts rule that state-level age verification laws cannot mandate the tracking of encrypted web traffic
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Zoom's new AI assistant comes with a prompt to "make me sound smart" on a call. Good luck!
Pre-programmed prompts: 

Catch me up

Make me sound smart

Decisions and Action Items
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Kriss Lowrance @krisslowrance.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
My job in 2019: "Make porn sites work better, so adults who pay money to view porn will want to pay money to view porn." My Job in 2026: "Draft a compliance plan for Eastwestern Tennabamaho's new 'porn sites confirm viewer's blood type every 10 seconds' law, so Visa doesn't drone-strike my house"
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Ursula K. Le Guin Bot @leguinbot.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
What sane person could live in this world and not be crazy?
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
“I don’t want the government spying on me” is the type of straightforward position to take, regardless of ideology.
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🌦️Wifeguy Auteur🌦️ @delugeduvall.effigyfilms.com · 25/09/2026
if “we’re all cam girls in a surveillance state” ya’ll better be acting in solidarity with actual fucking cam girls 😒
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JW Mason @jwmason.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This is the master key to deciphering contemporary debates about free speech. www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2026/se...
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
It's also why its so important to support groups like @eff.org and @fightforthefuture.org who work to educate legislators. Yes, there are terrible ideologues who hate privacy online, but a lot — perhaps the majority — legislators voting for these bans just haven't thought it through.
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Trust me when I tell you that few lawmakers have thought through any of the implications. Frighteningly few understand the technology. Others don't understand why we need privacy on the internet — or think only criminals do. That's why calling / writing / fighting is so important.
cnet.com
Wisconsin Reverses Decision to Ban VPNs in Age-Verification Bill - CNET
The law would have required websites to block VPN users from accessing "harmful material."
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
We can and should fight back. I worked on the WI bill, which banned sites with "material harmful to minors" from accepting VPN traffic. Thanks to @fightforthefuture.org and @fsc.bsky.social and others, the provision was ultimately struck — and the bill vetoed. But that's only because we fought back
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Michigan, Wisconsin and Utah all tried to pass VPN restrictions this past year. We should expect even more this year: I'm already hearing about new bills being planned in other states, including one that would make it a felony to bypass age-verification using VPN. This isn't about protecting kids.
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
VPN bans are a direct response to age-verification. Legislators are frustrated that people are getting around their surveillance, but rather than rethink their strategy, they're doubling down and banning VPNs. Fight the Flock-ing of the internet.
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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
some pilots are part of the furry community
An illustration of the Ralph Lauren Polo bear dressed up as a pilot and standing in front of a red airplane. The text says "Polo Aviator by Ralph Lauren."
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ryan cooper @ryanlcooper.com · 24/09/2026
"No one on Bluesky thinks they’re interacting with a cross section of the population. But a lot of people on X do think that." talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/we-di...
talkingpointsmemo.com
We Didn’t Know Until This Day … Twitter Was the Echo Chamber All Along
Daniel Drezner says we are now in the Wile E. Coyote phase...
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
"It does expose a structural failure familiar to sex workers and other criminalized people: information exists in fragments, while institutions wait for a victim who can package the whole case for them."
swopbehindbars.org
Seven Women Were Missing. Why Did It Take a House Full of Evidence to Make Them Visible?
The unfolding Philadelphia investigation is not yet a solved serial-killer case. It is already a warning about whose disappearances are treated as urgent - and whose are allowed to become background n...
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
"Housing instability, criminalization, poverty, isolation, and institutional indifference create danger... We should not need a million files, a room full of chemicals, and the possibility of a serial killer before missing women become visible."
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
welp, there's a new SCREEN Act. Sort of. This one's "Strengthened Checks for Reliable Evaluation of Entrants Nationwide Act" and focused on cruise lines visas (?) Purely as an acronym, I think "Shielding Children's Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net Act" is better. Or at least campier.
rickscott.senate.gov
Sen. Rick Scott Introduces SCREEN Act to Help Protect American Kids from Foreign Predators
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Florida's educational commissioner singled out Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" demanding its removal from school libraries, even if no complaint is filed: “The time is over for how we are addressing the smut, the porn, the inappropriateness that is still infiltrating our libraries in our schools."
yahoo.com
Florida schools must do more to purge ‘inappropriate’ books, commissioner says
The big story: Saying Florida parents continue to find too much age-inappropriate material in their children’s schools, state education commissioner Henry Mack instructed districts to do a better job ...
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I realize "fans believe sex workers are human and have feelings" is a low bar to shoot for, but the religious right and a whole lot of second-wave feminists have campaigned for years that no one could actually see these people as human so...
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Adult content creators are seen as real people by fans, rebutting years of anti-porn claims that sex work strips creators of humanity. In fact, OnlyFans creators were percieved as having more self-control, free will and capacity for independent thinking than other women.
psypost.org
Sexual objectification does not erase the perceived humanity of OnlyFans creators, study suggests
People who sell explicit digital content online are heavily sexually objectified by observers, yet they are still viewed as capable individuals with free will. These findings challenge traditional psy...
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Cecilia Tan @ceciliatan.com · 23/09/2026
So less than 5 years ago, korean company Kakao bought the serial fiction site Radish for $440 million, Tapas for $510 million. Both were moneymaking sites where a fair number of romance and erotica writers made bank. But they shut down Radish less than a year ago, and now Tapas will close, too. Why?
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I will confirm this works. The pool is deep and there’s almost no limit to the number of times you can casually bring up Bard and G. Gordon Liddy, as if revealing an ancient truth. Lots of jumping off points for annoying conversation.
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Discord re-launches age-verification after its disastrous roll-out (and privacy leak) earlier this year. But this time, they say they're not asking for ID or biometrics (at least for most people), but relying on less sensitive information like account age.
polygon.com
Discord's Controversial Age Verification Policy Starts Today
Discord company says "90%" of users won't be asked to confirm their age
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
British regular Ofcom praised Apple for its age-check protocols. The same regulator is now investigating Pornhub for using those same protocols OSA's becoming less and less about protecting kids and more and more about creating a regime to punish speech and platforms the government doesn't like
bbc.com
Pornhub age checks investigated by Ofcom
The regulator says it has concerns over how the site is relying on third party checks provided by Apple for some users.
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
And it’s not even Locktober
playboy.com
One in Three Gen Z Men Hasn't Masturbated in 90 Days
One in three men and nearly half of women haven't masturbated in the last 90 days according to Playboy's Gen Z Sex Survey.
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
France's National Assembly is considering a bill that would criminalize adult content sales, equating online content creation with pimping. Consumers and platforms would face steep fines and prison. The bill is being championed by Céline Thiébault-Martinez, an MP on the supposed socialist left.
avn.com
An Anti-Sexual Violence Bill Could Ban Adult Sites in France AVN
A proposed national bill intended to combat gender-based and sexual violence in the French Republic could drastically expand pimping and procurement measures online to potentially cover direct-to-cons...
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
“Girth of a Nation”
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
"HHS Launches Commission on Gooning, Calls for EO on Semen Retention"
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Sex workers know the stakes.
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Great, great work by @siouxsieqmedia.bsky.social @savannahsly.bskyverified.social @siridahl.com @iamfivestar.bsky.social @goodstein.bsky.social and the rest of the team pushing out this incredible campaign.
Hot2Vote Poster featuring Hazel Grace Casey Calvert Hot2Vote posterSiouxsie Q Hot2Vote posterLittlePuck Hot2Vote poster
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
"Hot2Vote is launching a $100K campaign in Atlanta to ensure people are registered to vote — with the help of adult film stars. The multimedia effort includes more than 100 performers telling people 'always check their status' after the state’s mass cancellation of inactive voter registrations."
politico.com
Shapiro stakes a ’28 position on AI
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I was there when it was released on DVD and it was called Das Butt
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Helen Rosner @hels.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Bluesky why did you declare a drawing I made for a three-year-old to be adult content
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I just paid $6+ which is … a first.
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Lorelei Lee (they/them) @loreleilee.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
And we can't have reproductive freedom or trans rights without sex workers' rights. The connection should be obvious.
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Florida Freedom to Read Project @flfreedomread.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
“The options are fewer and farther away in rural communities, so removing a book from a school library can have a greater practical effect on whether a young person can obtain it,” William Johnson of @penamerica.bsky.social said. www.cfpublic.org/education/20...
cfpublic.org
Nearly 600 books were banned from Florida schools last year
The removals were reported in just 10 of Florida’s 67 school districts. Three are in Central Florida: Orange, Polk and Sumter counties.
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Evan Greer @evangreer.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I want to see a ban on facial recognition, ALPRs, and other AI surveillance weapons. I want strict privacy legislation cracking down on all companies including AI giants nonconsensual hoovering up of data. I want robust protections for open source and open weights. I want... What do you want?
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
"“I have always been unapologetically me... These attacks on my identity have just made me stronger in my values and convictions.”
washingtonsun.com
Democratic Congressional Candidate Defends Resurfaced Explicit Photos
Chris Gallant, 37, said the photos have no bearing on his ability to serve in Congress.
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Lorelei Lee (they/them) @loreleilee.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Happy Sex Worker Pride Day (September 14th). It’s a great day to support sex workers by donating to sex worker-led organizations. Help me make a list of org’s donation pages below! #sexworkerpride #sexworkiswork #decrimnow
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Nazis mad about consensual sex again.
nypost.com
Exclusive | NY Dem House candidate modeled for XXX-rated BDSM ads while serving in National Guard
Aspiring eastern Long Island congressman Chris Gallant, 37, appears to have had a prior career modeling sex toys for one of the self-described “forerunner” fetish stores in the country.
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By Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 12/09/2026
The fact that OpenAI is making it much easier for unskilled people to break into and damage servers is indeed *very* bad news, but it's not *new* bad news. Irresponsible parties have been doing this for years, most notably the NSA.
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Jess Miers 🦝 @jmiers230.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I did a somewhat deep dive into the recent OpenAI and Anthropic "hacks" for an upcoming interview. IMO, the AI companies are better off running with the "rogue AI" story because the real story is actually pretty embarrassing. Like making your Wi-Fi password "wifi" embarrassing. 🧵
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 12/09/2026
A trans man in the UK has been banned in the workplace restrooms after he was forced to use the women's restrooms to comply with the new EHRC guidance. The women complained because he is visibly male and so they told him he can't use any bathroom.
A screenshot of a Reddit post from the r/LegalAdviceUK subreddit by user Dijstraanon, titled "FtM transgender facing two different issues at work? England."
The post text reads:
"Brother in law is trans FtM and presents fully as a man. He's now facing an impossible situation at work with his employer telling him that due to recent legislation he must use the toilet of his birth gender. BUT several female colleagues have raised a grievance about him using their gendered toilet.
His employer has told him that he cannot use the toilet while he is at work until they sort it out and cannot give him a timeframe to do so. They do [cut off] have disabled separate toilets.
In the mean time one of his female colleagues has accused him of sexual harassment because he was used their gendered toilet. His menstrual cycle meant he needed to use the toilet.
He's been with the employer for just over 5 years but only in this location for 18 months. The location is mainly male with just a handful of females, and his workshop only has male toilets.
I do not know how to support him and as he's not in a union there is no one to turn too right now."
The post has an orange "Comments Moderated" tag, 169 upvotes, and 134 comments.
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
"He has praised Trump and decried 'fake news' in sermons uploaded to YouTube, delivering what he calls the 'pure, uncut word of God.'"
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I don't have my dictionary handy, but last I checked we had a word for "sex with an underage female relative"
Some 30 years ago, Kingwas a marching band assistant at a high school outside Raleigh when he was charged with statutory rape and indecent liberties with a 15-year-old student, The News & Observer reported at the time. King, then 31, was convicted in 1998 and served nearly five years in prison before being paroled, according to state department of corrections records.
In 2010, he pleaded guilty to having sex with an underage female relative and served close to three years in prison, state records show.
King is required under North Carolina law to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
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Mike Stabile @mikestabile.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I'm going to suggest that Pedocon theory is not really "theory" anymore, expect maybe in so far as you can say gravity is a theory.
abcnews.com
Convicted sex offender offered opening prayer at rally for GOP Senate nominee in North Carolina
A North Carolina pastor who led the opening prayer at a recent campaign stop for Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley is a registered sex offender, twice sentenced to prison
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Kat Abughazaleh @katmabu.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Thinking about how a girl at Christian summer camp asked me if my dad was in Al Qaeda and I got in trouble for asking if her dad was a Klansman bc “her question was understandable”
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