Sign in

Rosamunde Van Brakel

@rosamundevb.bsky.social
4.7K followers 1.4K following 1.8K posts

assistant prof/senior postdoc criminology VUB/substitute lecturer KULeuven - research: digital & green criminology, surveillance, AI, youth justice, human rights researchportal.vub.be/en/persons/ro…

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
michael veale @michae.lv · 01/10/2026
The proposed social media ban, the EU KIDS Act, is perhaps the most chaotic law I have ever read! New paper: Are EU Kidding Me? Notes from a Poorly Drafted Social Media Ban. files.michae.lv/papers/veale_areEUkiddingme.pdf In the spirit of the proposal I have stayed offline and read no takes.
In September 2026, the European Commission published a proposed EU KIDS Act, responding to the demand for restrictions and further design obligations applying to digital services accessible to children, including social media. This Article argues that regardless of what one believes about the merits of this policy direction, the EU KIDS Act is not the legislative text we need. The scope and drafting are little short of chaotic, full of holes, enormous ambiguities, and unintended consequences. Recitals contradict articles. The use of scope borrowed from other pieces of legislation not designed for this purpose brings services into scope that should not be subject to the relevant provisions, like book-recommendation websites, music services, or exercise trackers. The infrastructural requirement for assurance of age and parental responsibility attestation simply omits enormous issues of complex families and childhoods. Complex design obligations are written in ways that can be plausibly interpreted as implicitly prohibiting entire swathes of products, such as voice assistants. This Article outlines these issues, and many more. The Commission should withdraw this proposal and reissue a workable and realistic text.
38155
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Homicides fall as organised crime grows more profitable – and networked news.un.org/en/story/202...
news.un.org
Homicides fall as organised crime grows more profitable – and networked
Homicide rates are falling across much of the world, but organised crime is on the rise in many regions as criminal networks diversify into trafficking, migrant smuggling, and the exploitation of natu...
031
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
🔥🔥🔥
010
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
DAPPER DON DHARSHI @dapperdondharshi.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A marine biologist films this octopus changing colors while dreaming and it’s spectacular
18355841204
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
TechCrunch @techcrunch.com · 01/10/2026
Google thinks SpaceX’s Starship has to launch 1,600 times before space data centers get off the ground
techcrunch.com
Google thinks SpaceX’s Starship has to launch 1,600 times before space data centers get off the ground
Google launched its first advanced chip into orbit to pave the way for space data centers.
2155
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Alex Hanna @alexhanna.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Indigenous languages are often hidden to LLMs, for good reason. We speak with Keoni Mahelona about his work on Indigenous data sovereignty, and why it’s worth being skeptical when the “AI" industry says it cares about preserving Indigenous languages. (with @emilymbender.bsky.social)
513344
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
If you need to explain to someone why the ‘Rogue AI’ framing is both wrong and harmful, actually blocking our view of what safety and responsibility requires in AI, this will help:
noemamag.com
The AIs Are Not Going Rogue | NOEMA
But they still pose risks.
510044
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Amid a barrage of news stories warning about superintelligent machines rendering humanity extinct, a CNN story describing the opposite scenario – one in which the US military’s reliance on chatbots almost brought the US into war with China – went mostly unnoticed. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Forget ‘superintelligence’: error-prone AI nearly sparked world war three this month | Timnit Gebru and Emily M Bender
The risks of AI aren’t what we think they are, as a recent security incident between China and the United States reveals
074
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
kelly pendergrast @kellypendergrast.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Pretty pumped about our new research project, about people's experiences with once-ubiquitous technologies & what happens when they disappear. First up: the landline. We just expanded the project website big time! Take a look & get in touch if you might want to collaborate: www.everyobject.org
everyobject.org
Every Object an Archive
13310
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Freedom of information request finds six-month trial cost £320,000, used almost 100 police hours and led to just one – incorrect – alert www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Trial of live facial recognition in London stations leads to a false positive and no arrests
Freedom of information request finds six-month trial cost £320,000, used almost 100 police hours and led to just one – incorrect – alert
043
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Andrew Cutting @andrewcutting.coe.int · 29/09/2026
Interesting: 3 international bodies have lodged a complaint against Belgium at the Council of Europe, claiming that "digital exclusion" (e.g. not being able to do things without a phone) is a violation of people's social rights👇 🔗 www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/2336... via @brusselstimes.com
brusselstimes.com
Complaint filed against the Belgian government over digital exclusion
More than 300 testimonies were gathered from 50 civil society organisations on both sides of the language border, as well as in Brussels.
13314
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
As the imaginary existential risks of AI are back in, here's a programme I did for the BBC www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...
bbc.co.uk
BBC Radio 4 - Analysis, How real is the existential threat from AI?
AI can't kill us, so why are imaginary threats being taken so seriously?
2108
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Jack Stilgoe @jackstilgoe.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Jack Good's (1965) Speculations Concerning the First Ultraintelligent Machine birthed a few stubborn ideas - the technological singularity, AI as "the last invention that man need ever make" and the "intelligence explosion". He was a Bletchley man, Turing colleague and adviser to Kubrick's 2001.
2147
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Jongeren die zich nergens thuisvoelen, verliezen zich in een vloedgolf van geweld. Het is één grote leegte www.demorgen.be/nieuws/nihil...
demorgen.be
Nihilistisch gewelddadig extremisme is in opmars: ‘Dit is geen normaal jongerengedrag’
Bij het begin van het nieuwe schooljaar bracht het OCAD, het overheidsorgaan dat toekijkt op het dreigingsniveau in ons land, een brochure uit over een nieuwe vorm van radicalisering: nihilistisch gew...
020
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Ana @anafernandezi.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Very happy to be invited and to teach students what I've been researching for the past 3 years. I’m also looking forward to take off my researcher hat for a moment and hearing what students think about AI!
021
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Jacob Öberg @profjacob.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
🚨🚨Quite a scoop: A #US based data-extraction firm accused of being secretly run from #Russia has worked on #EU-backed projects and sold its services to European #lawenforcement agencies. www.politico.eu/article/russ...
politico.eu
Russian tech surveillance company infiltrated Europe’s law enforcement agencies
The same technology used by Western police was allegedly being developed in Russia and sold to Russian security services.
5139142
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Jared Yates Sexton @jysexton.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Just helping with editing here. These bots aren’t sentient. They’re doing what they’re programmed to do. OpenAI, a private company supposedly bound by laws, committed federal crimes.
Screenshot of BBC article: OpenAI bots (struck through) meddled with multiple US government agency sites
16892933066
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Mél Hogan / The Data Fix @melhogan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Open call for pitches for vol 3 of Predictions: ruhr-uni-bochum.sciebo.de/s/pDyDideqak...
ruhr-uni-bochum.sciebo.de
Prediction_Volume 3 Open Call for Submissions.pdf
sciebo - Die Campuscloud
22412
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
A new study from a team of researchers at Georgetown University and the University of Washington suggests that when prompted to summarize a video, AI systems that output incorrect information can manipulate people’s memory and the perception of truth. college.georgetown.edu/news-story/n...
college.georgetown.edu
New Research Finds That Misleading AI-Generated Summaries Can Distort Human Memory - College of Arts & Sciences
A new study from a team of researchers at Georgetown University and the University of Washington suggests that when prompted to summarize a video, AI systems that output incorrect information can mani...
141
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Er zijn de honderdduizenden doden en gewonden, maar de oorlog in Oekraïne heeft ook een grote impact op de natuur en de dieren die er leven. Schrijver Tommy Wieringa brengt de ecocide in beeld en geeft een stem aan hen die zelf niet kunnen praten. #morethanhuman www.demorgen.be/oorlog-in-oe...
demorgen.be
Zeepaardjes in zonnebloemolie: hoe de oorlog in Oekraïne ook natuur en dieren vernietigt
Er zijn de honderdduizenden doden en gewonden, maar de oorlog in Oekraïne heeft ook een grote impact op de natuur en de dieren die er leven. Schrijver Tommy Wieringa brengt de ecocide in beeld en geef...
030
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
US: In the latest sign that artificial intelligence is fueling higher health care costs, a group of insurers released a report Thursday claiming that hospitals’ use of A.I. was responsible for nearly $1 billion in additional expenses over two years. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/b...
nytimes.com
Battle of Hospital A.I. vs. Insurer A.I. Is Pushing Medical Costs Higher
The use of artificial intelligence by hospitals and health insurers is escalating their longstanding feud over paying for medical care.
15429
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Een paar quotes van mij over AI @demorgen.be www.demorgen.be/tech-ai/van-...
130
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
There we are again
Image of TinTin Captain says ‘What a week, huh?’ Tin Tin says ‘Captain, it’s Wednesday’
050
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“The emperor is a fan of Flock,” a man dressed as Darth Vader told a San Diego City Council meeting last month.... “We must continue utilizing Flock technologies so that we can follow and surveil the rebel scum.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Why People Are Sabotaging Flock Surveillance Cameras
The campaign against Flock shows that fighting to protect personal privacy isn’t a lost cause.
040
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
New from 404 Media: Meta announced Muse, its AI agent that can book restaurants for you. We've seen internal Meta messages showing Meta is actually testing having these calls being made by human beings in call centers. In those tests its not AI, it's just a person www.404media.co/meta-tests-m...
404media.co
Meta Tests Muse AI Agent Calls That Are Actually Made By Humans in a Call Center
"This has potential for so much negative PR. It could portray us as ‘their AI is not good enough so they still need humans’ kind of coverage for this launch."
23421175
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
New: hackers say they have personal data on all FBI employees and spouses. I got a sample of 5,000 alleged employees, including name, physical address, phone number, and in some cases spouses. Could be a massive national security and counterintelligence risk www.404media.co/we-hacked-th...
404media.co
‘We Hacked the FBI:’ Hackers Say They Have Data on All FBI Employees
A sample of 5,000 alleged agents seen by 404 Media includes names, addresses, phone numbers, and details on FBI employees' spouses.
1351368582
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Fabio Chiusi @fabiochiusi.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
“Some hospitality and entertainment venues have introduced restrictions or bans, and anti-smart glasses advertisements have begun appearing at some bus stations throughout London” Good, but not good enough. These have to banned from all places. www.cnn.com/2026/09/22/t...
cnn.com
‘Turn the cameras off:’ London’s growing privacy pushback against smart glasses | CNN Business
Some Londoners told CNN that smart glasses make them feel uneasy in places where people expect a degree of privacy, like bars, restaurants and other social settings.
073
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Katja Bego @katjabego.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Some comments by me in this CNBC piece on the accelerating “arms race” to build new tech, such as new underwater drones and sensors, to protect critical undersea infrastructure like cables. This is an area of dual-use tech development where Europe is doing rather well! www.cnbc.com/2026/09/19/u...
cnbc.com
A new arms race is unfolding on the ocean floor
Countries and companies are investing in technologies for underwater use amid concerns about the vulnerability of critical infrastructure on the ocean floor.
3207
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Dr. Sandra Steingraber 🏳️‍🌈 @ssteingraber1.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
NEW RESEARCH from NYC: Air pollution harms kids’ brains in ways that impair memory, problem-solving, speech, and language. Cleaner air = better cognitive development [Your reminder that air pollution is just another word for fossil fuel combustion byproducts] www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Improved air quality linked to better mental development in toddlers, study finds
Long-term research in New York shows efforts to reduce air pollution associated with higher cognitive test scores
15126
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Lou Charbonneau @loucharb.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
🚨It's UN General Assembly time again! Here's a short thread🧵 on @hrw.org's preview. ➡️ World leaders should recommit to defending human rights & resist the push by the US, #Russia #China & others to undermine the UN and other intl orgs & kill off accountability avenues for grave crimes.
hrw.org
UN: Commit to Human Rights, Justice for Grave Crimes
World leaders at the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City from September 22-28, 2026, should commit to defending human rights, Human Rights Watch said. They should co...
2278
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
keep your electric eye on me @ubisurv.net · 09/09/2026
@mehdighassemi.bsky.social and I have a piece out on #NEOM 's dreams of "digital air" in this excellent new special Mediapolis dossier on The Synthetic City. #smartcities #AI #AIcities www.mediapolisjournal.com/dossiers/dos...
mediapolisjournal.com
Dossier: The Synthetic City
Dossier editors: Scott Rodgers, Helena Atteneder, Lou Brandner, Marcos Dias, Diogo Pereira Henriques and Sara Trentham-Black Scott Rodgers, Helena Atteneder, Lou Brandner, Marcos Dias, …
1168
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
404 Media @404media.co · 21/09/2026
When chatbots become our closest “friends,” what happens to our capacity to care? @samleecole.bsky.social speaks to Professor Sherry Turkle, a licensed clinical psychologist and the founding director of MIT's Initiative on Technology and Self. Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=whqD...
1017657
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Great art on Bluesky @art.feediverse.org · 21/09/2026
Paul Klee, Burdened Children, 1930 #museumarchive #tatemuseum
0388
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Jacob Öberg @profjacob.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
🚨🚨 Social media venues such as #facebook and #instagram's algorithms have been designed by #meta to filter out 'social topic' such as #civilrights and #feminism. #Freespeech my ass. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Meta bans ads for Virginia Woolf play in Spain because they relate to feminism
Theatre told that Facebook and Instagram filter out ads mentioning ‘social topics’ such as civil rights or feminism
15323203
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 21/09/2026
Five UK police forces end Palantir project after two years ft.trib.al/VrVXkzn
ft.trib.al
Five UK police forces end Palantir project after two years
Significant setback for US technology company’s bid to establish itself as key supplier to British law enforcement
39125
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
so not cats?
110
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
⭐️ Start of academic year this coming week! It will be the 6th year that I will teach my Master course on Legal, Ethical & Social Issues of AI at the VUB and I must say it’s becoming increasingly difficult to incorporate all the new developments. 1/ caliweb.vub.be?page=course-...
caliweb.vub.be
Legal, Ethical and Social Issues of Artificial Intelligence
2173
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Netpol @netpol.org · 20/09/2026
Victims of intrusive police surveillance accused the government of seeking to cut short the #spycops public inquiry by holding a phoney and rigged consultation. When campaigners tried to deliver submissions in person this week, the Home Office went into lockdown www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Victims say Home Office attempt to curtail spycops inquiry will result in a ‘cover-up’
Shabana Mahmood is concerned about length and £144m cost of inquiry into intrusive police surveillance
01810
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
⭐️ Start of academic year this coming week! It will be the 6th year that I will teach my Master course on Legal, Ethical & Social Issues of AI at the VUB and I must say it’s becoming increasingly difficult to incorporate all the new developments. 1/ caliweb.vub.be?page=course-...
caliweb.vub.be
Legal, Ethical and Social Issues of Artificial Intelligence
2173
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
one thing worth saying here specifically: there's lots that AI can't (yet) do and there's a lot of money riding on selling a particular narrative about its future capabilities. but the existential risk of AI is not only not mere hype but it is already a present tense problem
1747798
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Increase coincides with proscription of Palestine Action last year which has led to thousands of arrests for allegedly supporting the protest group www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Almost half of terrorism arrests in Great Britain since 9/11 have been in past year
Increase coincides with proscription of Palestine Action last year which has led to thousands of arrests for allegedly supporting the protest group
061
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
#digitalcriminology
010
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Goede opinie! www.demorgen.be/meningen/nie...
demorgen.be
Niet AI, maar onze afhankelijkheid van de infrastructuren is angstwekkend
Thomas Decreus is universitair docent filosofie aan Tilburg University en auteur van Spektakeldemocratie. Hij wijst onder meer op de hype als gemene deler tussen de manie en paniek rond artificiële in...
030
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Vlaanderen wil vanaf 2027 slimme camera’s en AI inzetten om risicovolle natuurgebieden permanent te monitoren en rook automatisch te detecteren. vilt.be/nl/nieuws/sl...
vilt.be
Slimme camera’s en nieuwe richtlijnen voor beheermachin
Vlaanderen wil vanaf 2027 slimme camera’s en AI inzetten om risicovolle natuurgebieden permanent te monitoren en rook automatisch te detecteren. Daarnaast beschikt het Ag
000
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
#rhizomaticharm
000
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
In the early morning of 13 September 2026, authorities conducted raids on the homes of dozens of LGBTI+ activists and the offices of leading organisations dedicated to defending LGBTI+ human rights in Ankara, Istanbul, and Mersin. velvele.net/2026/09/17/j...
velvele.net
Judith Butler, Noura Erakat, Slavoj Žižek and others join more than 1,250 academics in joint letter against repression of LGBTI+ people in Turkey
A joint call from more than 1,250 academics, including Judith Butler, Noura Erakat, Slavoj Žižek, Susan Stryker, Jasbir Puar, Elizabeth Anderson, Etienne Balibar and Peter Hallward.
041
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Quinn Slobodian @quinnslobodian.com · 17/09/2026
“The human becomes the bottleneck.” - former Palantir employee giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
1211536
Rosamunde Van Brakel @rosamundevb.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
A review of global research found that for several health problems, incl cardiovascular conditions, kidney disease and Parkinson’s, women were less likely to receive the same treatment as men, revealing the extent to which women have significantly unequal care. www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
theguardian.com
Women with same health conditions as men ‘less likely to be offered active treatment’
Men with heart, kidney or liver conditions more likely to be offered intervention compared with women, global analysis finds
111
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
WIRED @wired.com · 17/09/2026
Amazon Web Services didn’t design its data centers to withstand war, and now the company admits it can’t recover what’s been lost. www.wired.com/story/custom...
wired.com
Customer Data Permanently Lost in Iran Strikes on Amazon Data Centers
Amazon Web Services didn’t design its data centers to withstand war, and now the company admits it can’t recover what’s been lost.
714880
Reposted by Rosamunde Van Brakel
Eugenia Stamboliev @eugeniaunivie.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Nice to see someone’s finally addressing those infamous ‚10%‘ 🙏🏼 (aka that random likelihood AI is turning into Arnold Schwarzenegger or vice versa) www.not-ship.com/stop-trustin...
not-ship.com
Stop trusting the extinction math
The AI industry's favourite 'statistic' isn't backed by data. And it distracts from what's really going on.
021