iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Jon Penney

Center for Democracy & Technology @cdt.org · 23/09/2026

JOIN NOW: The FOSO 2026 keynote - “Anonymity Online: Why do we need it? How do we protect it? What are the risks?” - ft. @jkosseff.bsky.social, CDT CEO @alexreevegivens.bsky.social, & @penney.bsky.social! 📩 Login info after registration: foso26.cdt.org

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Jon Penney @penney.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Thrilled to have an opportunity to speak about my new book #ChillingEffects with @justinhendrix.bsky.social, Editor in Chief of @techpolicypress.bsky.social Listen in below!

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Reposted by Jon Penney

Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

How do surveillance, censorship, and technologies of control get weaponized—and how do we push back? Justin Hendrix talks with Jonathon W. Penney, author of "Chilling Effects: Repression, Conformity, and Power in the Digital Age," about his roadmap for reform.

techpolicy.press

A Roadmap for Confronting the Chilling Effects of Censorship, Surveillance and New Technology

A conversation with Jonathon W. Penney, author of Chilling Effects: Repression, Conformity, and Power in the Digital Age.

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Daniel Solove @daniel-solove.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

“In the near future, surveillance systems will be able to track everything we do in public, and much of what we do in private.” - from a great op-ed by Bruce Schneier and Jon Penney www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

theguardian.com

AI surveillance is being supercharged – and it will chill social progress | Bruce Schneier and Jon Penney

These systems will soon be able to track our public and private lives. But we can make the policy choices to reject it

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Jon Penney @penney.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Really enjoyed chatting with @jchanenson.bsky.social about my new book Chilling Effects for the @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social. Listen here: Web: newbooksnetwork.com/chilling-eff... Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/7k2h... Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/j...

newbooksnetwork.com

Jonathon W. Penney, "Chilling Effects: Repression, Conformity, and Power in the Digital Age" (Cambridge UP, 2025) - New Books Network

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Jon Penney @penney.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

I have a new Op-Ed in @theguardian.com (with Bruce Schneier) on the social chill of AI surveillance. If widely deployed, it will be corrosive to democracy & social progress. We cite my new book #ChillingEffects on how surveillance & tech shapes behavior at scale: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

theguardian.com

AI surveillance is being supercharged – and it will chill social progress | Bruce Schneier and Jon Penney

These systems will soon be able to track our public and private lives. But we can make the policy choices to reject it

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Tony Roberts @phatcontroller.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Curtailing freedoms is the *point* of authoritarian policies and the desire of authoritarian politicians.

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Robert Diab @robertdiab.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

I found this enormously informative — a close reading of the encryption and metadata provisions, and implications of the Cloud Act agreement on the way. Thanks @cyn-k.bsky.social, @kate-robertson.bsky.social, and @digitalprivacy.ca!

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Reposted by Jon Penney

The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 30/05/2026

Researchers say fear of arrests, deportations and retaliation is creating a “chilling effect” that’s keeping many students from protesting — even as young Americans sour on Trump. theconversation.com/chilling-eff... #polisky

theconversation.com

Chilling effects of Trump’s war on free speech extend far beyond campus walls – and that’s the point

A persistent government strategy to sow fear through punitive measures has corroded freedom and democracy.

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Jon Penney @penney.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

@salon.com has picked up my essay (co-authored with Bruce Schneier) on the Trump's admin's weaponization of law, tech, and surveillance to chill protest and opposition. We link recent reporting on lack of student protests/activism to this broader Trump admin strategy. www.salon.com/2026/05/28/t...

salon.com

Trump’s war on free speech extends far beyond campus walls - Salon.com

The chilling effect of Trump's actions is felt well beyond the quad.

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Jon Penney @penney.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Bruce Schneier (@schneier.com) and I have a new essay in @theconversation.com on the Trump administration's strategy of weaponizing law, technology, & surveillance to chill protest, dissent, & political opposition. In short, the chilling effects are the point. theconversation.com/chilling-eff...

theconversation.com

Chilling effects of Trump’s war on free speech extend far beyond campus walls – and that’s the point

A persistent government strategy to sow fear through punitive measures has corroded freedom and democracy.

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Reposted by Jon Penney

The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 27/05/2026

"We believe students aren’t protesting for a very simple reason: They are afraid. They are self-censoring and disengaging from campaign activism to avoid punitive measures," says senior research fellow Jon Penney @penney.bsky.social in his new essay for @theconversation.com.

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Jon Penney @penney.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

theconversation.com

Chilling effects of Trump’s war on free speech extend far beyond campus walls – and that’s the point

A persistent government strategy to sow fear through punitive measures has corroded freedom and democracy.

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CPDPconferences @cpdpconferences.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Chilling Effects, Repression, Conformity, and Power in the Digital Age  With @penney.bsky.social, Ido Sivan-Sevilla (Remote Speaker), Aurelia Tamo-Larrieux, @aleksandraq.bsky.social More information: cpdp.be/171875 #CPDP2026 #CPDPCultureClub #CompetingVisionsSharedFutures

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Michael Geist @mgeist.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

"Chilling effects" is a term everyone uses and few people interrogate. @penney.bsky.social joins the Law Bytes podcast to discuss his new book and why we may be understating the issue, with implications for surveillance, content moderation, and AI regulation.

michaelgeist.ca

The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 264: Jon Penney on Chilling Effects in the Digital Age - Michael Geist

“Chilling effects” is a term people hear all the time: in court rulings, in debates over content moderation, in dealing with online harms, or in news coverage of surveillance and legal reforms. The…

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Jon Penney @penney.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

Last month, the Virginia Journal of Law & Technology hosted a Symposium on my new book "Chilling Effects". Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ApG... Amazing lineup incl: @daniellecitron.bsky.social @zittrain.bsky.social @ariezra.bsky.social @natematias.bsky.social Julie Cohen, Neil Richards, & others

VOLT Symposium dedicated to new book: Chilling Effects: Repression, Conformity, and Power in the Digital Age (Cambridge University Press)

Chilling Effects: Repression, Conformity, and Power in the Digital Age (Cambridge University Press) and Dan Solove quote

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Reposted by Jon Penney

J. Nathan Matias @natematias.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

What does it take to prove causality in tech harms cases? After rulings in NM & CA, commentators are throwing around causality in arguments both for & against the results. If you’re frustrated by the causality maze, don’t worry- @penney.bsky.social & I have you covered tsjournal.org/index.php/jo...

tsjournal.org

Science and Causality in Technology Litigation | Journal of Online Trust and Safety

Journal of Online Trust and Safety

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Jon Penney @penney.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Thanks so much, Jacob! Value your thoughts once you’ve read!

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Evelyn Douek @evelyndouek.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Chilling effects are hard to measure or document. They are what doesn't get said over here, because of some gvt action over there. But pieces like this are a small part of making visible what is obvious: right now, chilling effects are everywhere www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/u...

nytimes.com

Professors Are Changing What They Teach, Even Far from Trump’s Gaze

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Jon Penney @penney.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Delighted to join @daniel-solove.bsky.social tomorrow (Tues, Mar 17 at 2 PM ET) to talk about my new book "Chilling Effects". Register Here (free & online!): teachprivacy.com/video-tech-s...

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Reposted by Jon Penney

The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 09/03/2026

BOOK LAUNCH: Join the Citizen Lab’s @penney.bsky.social @rondeibert.bsky.social, and Kate Robertson as they discuss Penney’s new book, "Chilling Effects: Repression, Conformity, and Power in the Digital Age." 🕠 March 12, 5:30 pm ✅ RSVP: machformext.osgoode.yorku.ca/machform/vie...

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Reposted by Jon Penney

CDTS | CLTS • uOttawa @cdtsuottawaclts.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

Join us on February 23rd for a conversation with @penney.bsky.social around his new book Chilling Effects, exposing how emerging technologies are increasingly weaponized to threaten democracy. ℹ️/🎟 www.uottawa.ca/research-inn...

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Reposted by Jon Penney

CDTS | CLTS • uOttawa @cdtsuottawaclts.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

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Oxford Internet Institute @oii.ox.ac.uk · 02/02/2026

Happening tomorrow! Join us online to hear from @penney.bsky.social exploring key themes from his new book, ‘Chilling effects: repression, conformity and power in the digital age’. Tuesday 3 February, 12.00-13.00 GMT. Register here: www.oii.ox.ac.uk/news-events/...

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Reposted by Jon Penney

Daniel Solove @daniel-solove.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Hot off the press - Jon Penney's @penney.bsky.social new book, CHILLING EFFECTS. As I wrote in my blurb: "This book is the definitive account of chilling effects – the most comprehensive and incisive analysis to date." amzn.to/3L3G2VC

amzn.to

Chilling Effects

Amazon.com: Chilling Effects: 9781108725309: Penney, Jonathon W.: Books

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Reposted by Jon Penney

Siena Anstis @sanstis.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

More transparency is a critical component that in theory should be relatively easy to implement. Along with @penney.bsky.social & Niamh Leonard, we argued that such transparency is critical to the system's functioning: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti....

sciencedirect.com

Moving from secrecy to transparency in the offensive cyber capabilities sector: The case of dual-use technologies exports

Transparency is central to the prevention of human rights abuses. Over the past few decades, a belief in transparency has permeated multiple industrie…

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Reposted by Jon Penney

J. Nathan Matias @natematias.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

How can we know if a law or policy has chilled people’s free expression? Can we use science to find out? Excited to join @penney.bsky.social, author of a new book on Chilling Effects, & @katygb.bsky.social on Dec 10th to discuss the science of civil liberties knightcolumbia.org/events/the-s...

knightcolumbia.org

The Science of Chilling Effects

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Katy Glenn Bass @katygb.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Details and RSVP link for the social science and chilling effects webinar on Dec. 10, with @penney.bsky.social and @natematias.bsky.social: knightcolumbia.org/events/the-s...

knightcolumbia.org

The Science of Chilling Effects

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Katy Glenn Bass @katygb.bsky.social · 28/10/2025

Want to learn more about chilling effects and why they matter to the First Amendment? Join our webinar with litigators and experts on Monday, Nov. 17, including @carriedecell.bsky.social @evelyndouek.bsky.social @penney.bsky.social @stacylivingston.bsky.social: knightcolumbia.org/events/litig...

knightcolumbia.org

Litigating Chilling Effects

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Jameel Jaffer @jameeljaffer.bsky.social · 04/08/2025

The Columbia settlement is an “astonishing transfer of autonomy and authority to . . . an administration whose disdain for the values of the academy is demonstrated anew every day.” New @knightcolumbia.org analysis of the Columbia settlement, just published. knightcolumbia.org/blog/what-th...

knightcolumbia.org

What the Columbia Settlement Really Means

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J. Nathan Matias @natematias.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

From concerns about social media addiction to urgent civil liberties issues, courts are asking scientists to be arbiters of alleged technology harms. How can scientists reliably inform courts and how can courts interpret our work? New article with @penney.bsky.social tsjournal.org/index.php/jo...

tsjournal.org

Science and Causality in Technology Litigation | Journal of Online Trust and Safety

Journal of Online Trust and Safety

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Ignacio Cofone @ignaciocofone.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

Really grateful to the Université de Montréal for organizing this roundtable on The Privacy Fallacy and to @penney.bsky.social @elanazeide.bsky.social @stzeitouni.bsky.social @cehaupt.bsky.social Nicolas Vermeys Pierre-Luc Deziel & Neil Richards for joining and sharing their fabulous interventions

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Jon Penney @penney.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

Except this authoritarian regime is too stupid to do so, and in fact is adopting policies to do the opposite, and will accelerate those prices. Their advantage is their ruthlessness, shamelessness, and wealth; their disadvantage is their stupidity.

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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Steve Levitsky, co-author of How Democracies Die "the U.S. is sliding toward a more 21st-century model of autocracy: competitive authoritarianism" www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv... "A failure to resist... could pave the way for authoritarian entrenchment" www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

A classic authoritarian move is to go after judges. I honestly did not think we would see it in the US because the system is already so politicized and Trump has a 6-3 majority. But here we are.

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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 06/02/2025

President Trump delayed the U.S. #TikTok ban, but is his executive order legally sound? The Citizen Lab’s @penney.bsky.social writes for the @theglobeandmail.com, questioning whether the move addresses privacy issues or is purely about political power. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

theglobeandmail.com

Opinion: The TikTok ban is already dead in the water

No matter what happens next, Donald Trump has already completely undermined the law’s efforts to protect national security from Chinese interference

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Karl Bode @karlbode.com · 03/02/2025

it really is appropriate to view this as potentially the biggest privacy and cybersecurity scandal in American history

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Jon Penney @penney.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

Others like @taylorowen.bsky.social, who I link therein, have written similarly about this new era. It requires a different approach to tech regulation but also democratic governance. The law that enacted the TikTok ban weaponizes rather than restrains this new tech/state power.

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Jon Penney @penney.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

I wrote about the the TikTok ban in the @theglobeandmail.com. I argue the ban is dead for a few reasons, but mostly because its' design failed to account for the new era that Trump's admin represents: persistent weaponization of tech and state power: www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

theglobeandmail.com

Opinion: The TikTok ban is already dead in the water

No matter what happens next, Donald Trump has already completely undermined the law’s efforts to protect national security from Chinese interference

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J. Nathan Matias @natematias.bsky.social · 23/01/2025

How can scientists provide courts with reliable evidence in tech litigation? @mwoluchem.bsky.social interviewed researchers, civil society, & litigators CAT Lab convened to ask this question. Here's her report: A Collective Front Toward Platform Accountability citizensandtech.org/2025/01/scie...

citizensandtech.org

Building Bridges for Science in Technology Litigation

How can we bridge the knowledge gaps between empirical researchers, litigators, and regulators?

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The Citizen Lab @citizenlab.ca · 12/12/2024

NGOs and individual experts, including Citizen Lab's @rondeibert.bsky.social, @noura.bsky.social, @penney.bsky.social, and Kate Robertson, urge Canada to reject the UN's draft Convention against Cybercrime in an open letter to @melaniejolycan.bsky.social, Hon Dominic LeBlanc & Hon Arif Virani.

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