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Antonella Napolitano

@svaroschi.bsky.social
2.1K followers 1.2K following 548 posts

Working on surveillance technology, migration, welfare. Collaborating with public interest newsrooms and human rights orgs. Bridging and connecting. Previously at Privacy International, Open Migration, TechPresident.

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Reposted by Antonella Napolitano
Jade Lindgaard @jadelindgaard.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
La Commission européenne et les États membres usent de manœuvres dilatoires pour ne pas rendre publics des indicateurs clés (eau, GES, électricité) des data centers. En cause: le secret des affaires. Enquête avec @lighthousereports.com et @tomasstatius.bsky.social www.mediapart.fr/journal/ecol...
mediapart.fr
Data centers : les pouvoirs publics esquivent leurs obligations de transparence
Ni l’administration française ni la Commission européenne ne respectent leurs obligations d’information du public sur les impacts environnementaux et les consommations énergétiques des data centers. …
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Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.blacksky.app · 30/09/2026
Friends, while they're trying to talk about fictional machine gods, don't lose sight into what they're all actually powering in real life. You can browse the the entities on the website and use the API, and learn more about it on the DAIR project site: dair-institute.org/projects/sur....
dair-institute.org
Surveillance Watch
This interactive map reveals the intricate connections between surveillance companies, their funding sources and affiliations.
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Talk is cheap, they say... Another great investigation on power and influence by Democracy for Sale and @lighthousereports.com (always very happy to support DfS and investigative journalism outlets - if you can please do the same)
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
An excellent panel with great reporters on how to investigate and keep power accountable in environmental investigations (photo by yours truly)
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International Detention Coalition @idcoalition.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
📢 We’re hiring: Europe Programme Officer – Balkans 📍 Open to candidates based in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia or Serbia 📅 Apply by 16 October 🔗 idc.bamboohr.com/careers/47?s...
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Nicola Kelly @nicolakellywrites.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I have spent weeks shadowing the RNLI and I can tell you, they do it out of nothing more than compassion. Wrote about the heroes I've met over the years in this free-to-read post. nicolakelly.substack.com/p/the-rnli-a...
nicolakelly.substack.com
The RNLI aren't traitors; they're heroes
I have spent weeks shadowing lifeboat crews. Here's what they do and what it's like.
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The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · 17/09/2026
AI firms are subject to already-existing laws, Lina Khan tells @cwarzel.bsky.social: Part of the conversation around regulating AI “seems to assume that these current developments are happening in some legal vacuum,” she adds, “and that is just false.” theatln.tc/t9IwiQTz #TAF26
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International Detention Coalition @idcoalition.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
📢 We’re hiring: Europe Programme Officer IDC is looking for an experienced professional to support our programmes, advocacy and member engagement across Europe. 📍 Remote, based in Germany, the UK, Spain or the Netherlands 📅 Apply by 18 September 2026 🔗 idc.bamboohr.com/careers/46?s...
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Timnit Gebru @timnitgebru.blacksky.app · 14/09/2026
The only person in public service who has consistently made 100% sense on issues of "AI," which is why they hate her so much.
Law enforcers already have authority to charge companies and their CEOs for creating and releasing dangerous, unvetted, or defective products. We shouldn’t let discussions about new legal regimes distract from the fact that there’s no AI exemption from laws already on the books — a point 
@FTC
 emphasized repeatedly during my tenure.

1. There is an extensive set of laws that govern dangerous and defective products. For example, releasing unvetted AI models or agents can violate consumer protection laws. Shipping flawed AI tools without implementing adequate measures to detect and stop rogue or defective AI agents can be an “unfair or deceptive” act or practice under the FTC Act (and analogous state laws). And some state AGs are already exploring holding AI firms and their CEOs criminally liable when their models participate in criminal activity.

2. Existing laws also prohibit “unfair methods of competition.” This covers instances where AI firms appropriate the competitively sensitive information of their customers, including through tracking their use of various tools. It can also cover instances where firms pursue dangerous behavior, aware that doing so may compel rivals to do the same.As the Supreme Court has noted: “A method of competition which casts upon one's competitors the burden of the loss of business unless they will descend to a practice which they are under a powerful moral compulsion not to adopt, even though it is not criminal, was thought to involve the kind of unfairness at which the [unfair methods of competition] statute was aimed."

3. The highly concentrated and interconnected structure of these markets could be creating major risks and conflicts of interest. We had started investigating these partnerships and cross-investments across the stack (and released a preliminarily overview of some findings: https://ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/01/ftc-issues-staff-report-ai-partnerships-investments-study). 

Both federal and state enforcers should be scrutinizing these opaque relationships and inter-dependencies. We are already seeing how these relationships could undermine accountability. For example, OpenAI could face liability given the Hugging Face incident, but Hugging Face being bought up by Nvidia means that we’re unlikely to see it file a lawsuit over this — given Nvidia’s strong incentive to see OpenAI continue full speed ahead.4. As AI tools dramatically change the landscape of cybersecurity risks and hacks, all businesses should be doubling down on having core security protections in place. Firms that fail to invest in adequate data security measures or fix known vulnerabilities can also be breaking the law. A recent analysis showed that around 1/3 of Fortune 100 companies do not even have a way to notify them about security issues. During my 
@FTC
 tenure, we sued firms for poor data security practices and held CEOs liable when they were personally responsible.

https://this.weekinsecurity.com/dozens-of-americas-largest-companies-have-no-simple-way-to-report-security-flaws/

https://ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/10/ftc-takes-action-against-drizly-its-ceo-james-cory-rellas-security-failures-exposed-data-25-million

5. As policymakers consider new legal regimes, we should be looking to lessons from prior efforts to govern major sectors, such as banking and other networks, platforms, and utilities. Tools like structural separations, nondiscrimination, and supervision could be key, and there’s a rich history of what works and what doesn’t. But we can and must pursue any new efforts alongside enforcing existing laws.
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This media cycle on AI doomerism makes me despair. Lina Khan’s ability of cutting through the bullshit and being always on point is so welcome Full text x.com/linamkhan/st...
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Bipartisan BS accelerationism or Why the Sanders-Bannon-Coxon event is a mistake www.axios.com/2026/09/14/c... 👇
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I am a big fan of Patrick Radden Keefe so this was definitely a treat on many levels! Definitely a must-watch!
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A propos of nothing, let's re-read this seminal piece by @mariafarrell.eurosky.social conversationalist.org/2020/03/05/t...
conversationalist.org
The Prodigal Techbro
Prodigal tech bro stories skip straight from the past, when they were part of something that—surprise!—turned out to be bad, to the present, where they are now a moral authority on how to do good…
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Un decreto legislativo potrebbe ora fornire la base giuridica finora mancante. Il testo definitivo non è ancora in Gazzetta Ufficiale: non è quindi chiaro se, e con quali garanzie, il sistema potrà tornare in funzione @rositarijtano.bsky.social su @irpimedia.eu irpimedia.irpi.eu/riconoscimen...
irpimedia.irpi.eu
Il Garante ha “spento” il riconoscimento facciale dello Stadio Olimpico. Ma una legge potrebbe riattivarlo
Per quattro anni è stato usato senza un'adeguata base legale: documenti inediti rivelano che, nel 2025, il Garante per la privacy ha intimato al Viminale di sospenderne l’uso
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Exactly. Also, whatsapp and other messaging apps have the option of set disappearing messages in chats. And lists on messaging apps have been used by political staff and reporters all over the world for years. City Hall reporters don't know about this?
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
So many things about this article are baffling: singling out the use of Signal like reporters don't get info from political staffers at all level in every country on this planet, attributing paid gigs to people they did not even reach out to for comments (journalistic standards much?) And more...
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404 Media @404media.co · 26/08/2026
Garrett Langley, Flock’s CEO, told cops that a 404 Media story about cops using Flock to track someone who self-administered an abortion was "entirely false." He's lying.
404media.co
Flock’s CEO Is Lying to Cops About 404 Media's Reporting on Abortion Case
Garrett Langley, Flock’s CEO, told cops that a 404 Media story about cops using Flock to track someone who self-administered an abortion was "entirely false." He's lying.
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Tech Policy Press @techpolicypress.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
The 2027 Tech Policy Press Fellowship application is live! We’re seeking journalists, researchers, and policy professionals pursuing independent reporting and analysis that explore urgent questions at the intersection of technology and democracy. Learn more and apply by September 24.
techpolicy.press
Call for Applications: 2027 Tech Policy Press Fellowship Program
2027 Tech Policy Press fellowship applications are due on September 24, 2026.
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Thanks @linasrivastava.bsky.social for uplifting my work and that of people doing inspiring work and trying to change things. Read Lina's newsletter And this is my most recent writing on the matter: blogs.law.ox.ac.uk/border-crimi...
blogs.law.ox.ac.uk
Rethinking tech in alternatives to detention: 10 principles
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Foxglove Legal @foxglovelegal.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
"tech campaign group Foxglove, said the 'damning report' made it clear that the government and Palantir needed to 'withdraw these dodgy marketing claims and correct the record'. (1/2)
ft.com
NHS England adds caveat to pro-Palantir data after watchdog probe
Regulator urges health service to ensure communications about benefits are ‘clearly and appropriately labelled’
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
"The human cost begins with the fiction of choice. A Schengen applicant cannot bypass a visa outsourcer, just as a family in Gaza cannot bypass registration to access food aid. Coercion is an inbuilt feature of the architecture." We need to go beyond requesting tech fixes to power structures.
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Martha Dark @marthadark.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
@foxglovelegal.bsky.social is hiring! 🚨 1. Co-executive director (maternity cover) jobs.theguardian.com/job/10151645... 2. Digital campaigner jobs.theguardian.com/job/10148397... Please share far and wide! Thank you.
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Gareth Davies @garethtbij.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
@tbij.bsky.social has launched a long-term project exposing how hate is spread, who profits from it and how it impacts people and society. The crowdfunder is match funded up to £20,000 for the next six weeks. More details here www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/exposingth...
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
New w @pamherd.bsky.social: Mamdani just announced PIT Crew — an NYC tech unit that will build digital public products. Takeaway: Mamdani is reclaiming a vision of tech in govt for progressives, one not driven by consultants and which solves real problems. 🧵 donmoynihan.substack.com/p/mamdani-in...
donmoynihan.substack.com
Mamdani invests in tech capacity to “solve real problems”
What PIT Crew says about how he is governing, and tech in government
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Too often a crucial question goes unasked: is Palantir value for money for Britain? Me in the @theguardian.com on latest investigation from @lucasamin.bsky.social and I on the problems with Palantir in the UK www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
I investigated Palantir’s foothold in the British state – and what I found should worry us all | Peter Geoghegan
Paid-for political access and threadbare regulations have helped to embed the US tech firm in the NHS – and beyond. But there is a way to free ourselves, says Peter Geoghegan of Democracy for Sale
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IrpiMedia @irpimedia.eu · 08/07/2026
Oggi siamo al tribunale di Latina per seguire l'ultima udienza del processo per la morte di Satnam Singh. La procura ha chiesto per Antonello Lovato, titolare dell'azienda per cui lavorava Satnam, 22 anni di reclusione.
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Sonia L @sonial77.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
I think that the worst thing about the "refugee tax" is that the high accommodation costs are caused by the Home Office, and in particular their inability to make fast AND accurate decisions, leaving people rotting in those grim places. Refugees are effectively being fined for HO incompetence.
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Rare good news in this Supreme Court's disastrous cycle. "..the court ruled that authorities need to obtain a search warrant when asking tech companies, such as Google, for the location data of their users, including when requesting historical geofence location data." techcrunch.com/2026/06/29/i...
techcrunch.com
In major privacy win, Supreme Court rules geofence warrants are protected by privacy rights | TechCrunch
The Supreme Court's decision to limit geofence warrants is a win for privacy advocates, who called their use unconstitutional but sought an outright ban.
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Yesterday, it was about asylum decisions made by people with no adequate training. Today, it's this. This week, the Home Office is clearly signaling they still pander to Farage. Burnham can talk about devolution and decentralisation to "get people back" but this will still fuel Farage big time.
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Reposted by Antonella Napolitano
Jade-Ruyu Yan @fangsonggongzhu.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Big story from me and Aman Sethi about Palantir today. The headline should speak for itself. www.opendemocracy.net/exclusive-ho...
opendemocracy.net
Exclusive: How Palantir harvested millions in UK tax breaks
In 2024, Palantir’s effective tax rate was just 8%, far less than the usual 25%, despite £25.3m of pre-tax profits
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Performative Starmer deportation comms that fails with different audiences bsky.app/profile/sund...
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Far from me to say "only in the UK" - Italy, amirite? - but it is still quite baffling to see the media treating the change in Prime Minister like a Miss Congeniality contest. From the winter fuel allowance to the Mandelson scandal, there is no shortage of issues that might have made him unpopular
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
🧵New UN report by the Special Rapporteur on migrants rights on externalization 1. prevention of arrival; 2. extraterritorial processing of asylum claims; 3. removal to third countries. www.ohchr.org/en/documents...
ohchr.org
A/HRC/62/35: Externalization of migration governance: new trends and specific aspects - Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants
SummaryIn the present report, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Gehad Madi, addresses the phenomenon of externalization of migration governance, as a follow-up to his report to t...
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
It feels like it was inevitable Starmer would have had to go at some point before next general election but kinda crazy that: a) a newsletter's story precipitated the return of Burnham (and end of Starmer) and b) Josh Simons is set for an even bigger job *three months* after resigning in scandal 🤯
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Sorry if it's a bit 'Hitler my part in his downfall' but as Starmer seems set to resign found myself reflecting on the (very unlikely) role that my humble newsletter, Democracy for Sale, has played in the end of British prime ministership (short 🧵) democracyforsale.substack.com
democracyforsale.substack.com
Democracy for Sale | Peter Geoghegan | Substack
A newsletter dedicated to revealing how dark money and hidden influence threaten our democracy. Click to read Democracy for Sale, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.
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Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai @lorenzofb.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
NEW: I took a look at the history of using export controls to limit the proliferation of cyber capabilities. From the 1990s Crypto Wars to limit the spread of PGP, to Wassenaar to stop spyware flowing out of Europe, and now powerful AI models, I argue that this type of regulation does not work.
techcrunch.com
From PGP to Mythos: a brief history of export controls that didn't stop anyone | TechCrunch
For the last 30 years, stopping the flow of cybersecurity-related software has proven to be ineffective. It's unclear why it would work now with Anthropic’s cybersecurity model Mythos.
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
One of the biggest feature in developing research is the opportunity to speak to people affected AND have them inform potential alternatives to the status quo. For a recent report, I spoke with 160 people from every region. Some principles and experiences: blogs.law.ox.ac.uk/border-crimi...
blogs.law.ox.ac.uk
Rethinking tech in alternatives to detention: 10 principles
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Simon Cox @simonfrcox.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
European “centrists” have promised / threatened us for 30 years that more deportations will appease people to their right. Didn’t work for Obama (massively increased deportations). Didn’t work in Europe. Celebrating, promoting deportations tells people far right are correct.
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Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.blacksky.app · 18/06/2026
"an audit by Lighthouse Reports of public data on the government’s chosen AI provider shows that its tech misclassified more than a third of 16-year-olds as adults and, in some tests, was shown to give the wrong assessment in 70 per cent of cases" www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
independent.co.uk
Home Office knew AI age checks for migrants were flawed — but rolled it out anyway
Exclusive: Government advisors describe the tool as ‘hideously flawed’ amid concern facial age estimation has ‘baked-in racial bias’ — and can wrongly identify a 14-year-old as an adult
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
🧵Technosolutionism turns moral panic into moral failure. It is the case - and it's been for a very long time - for the UK Home Office, now about to roll out AI age checks for migrant children, despite knowing they are flawed and they will damage the most vulnerable. www.wired.com/story/facial...
wired.com
The UK Will Scan Asylum-Seekers’ Faces for Age Checks—Despite Knowing the Tech Is Flawed
Internal Home Office tests of age-verification technology show the risks of life-altering errors. It’s moving forward anyway.
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Lighthouse Reports @lighthousereports.com · 18/06/2026
Britain will use AI to assess ages of asylum seekers in a world-first, with other countries likely to follow suit But our investigation, based on a leaked report and our own algorithmic audit, finds the technology is deeply unreliable
lighthousereports.com
Asylum by Algorithm
The UK has turned to AI to determine the age of asylum seekers, and other countries are likely to follow suit. Our investigation finds the technology is deeply unreliable.
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May Bulman @maybulman.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
NEW: The Home Office is ploughing ahead with using AI to conduct asylum seeker age assessments despite knowing it's wildly inaccurate Its own internal report & our audit of public data find the tech often predicts kids to be adults, & performs worst on the top nationalities arriving on small boats
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Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
It seems to be the first time AI face scans are planned to be used at any border. Human rights experts fear other countries could copy the UK's approach Today more than 60 organizations, led by @foxglovelegal.bsky.social and @hrw.org, wrote to the Home Office calling for the plan to be scrapped
foxglove.org.uk
Foxglove, Human Rights Watch and 60 other organisations write open letter to Government condemning Home Office border tool aimed at asylum-seeking children
This open letter has been prepared by Foxglove and Human Rights Watch. A full list of signatories can be found at the bottom of the page.
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Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
With @lighthousereports.com and @the-independent.com, we analyzed the leaked report and data about face age estimation algorithms. We found them regularly mistaking children for adults and performing worst against Sub-Saharan Africans, one of the largest groups already subject to age assessments
lighthousereports.com
Asylum by Algorithm
The UK has turned to AI to determine the age of asylum seekers, and other countries are likely to follow suit. Our investigation finds the technology is deeply unreliable.
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Matt Burgess (WIRED) @mattburgess1.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
NEW: The UK plans to use AI face scans to determine the age of asylum seekers at the border from next year. However, a leaked report shows the government has known the tech isn’t accurate for more than a year. In some cases, the technology could predict a 13.5-year-old to be an adult
wired.com
The UK Will Scan Asylum-Seekers’ Faces for Age Checks—Despite Knowing the Tech Is Flawed
Internal Home Office tests of age-verification technology show the risks of life-altering errors. It’s moving forward anyway.
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Frederike Kaltheuner @frederike.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
From using Europeans' pensions to build frontier models, to allowing hyperscalers to build all the data centers in exchange for frontier model access - I've heard mad takes these past few days 😱 Read our AI Sovereignty in a Captured Ecosystem series ! www.techpolicy.press/europes-ai-s...
techpolicy.press
Europe’s AI Sovereignty Problem Runs Far Deeper Than Frontier Access
The series, in partnership with the AI Now Institute, highlights how Europe’s AI market is deeply entangled with the ecosystems of dominant US players.
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IrpiMedia @irpimedia.eu · 16/06/2026
[NUOVA INCHIESTA] Negli ultimi mesi, l’Unione europea ha messo in discussione l’accordo di associazione con Israele e la partecipazione di Tel Aviv ai programmi Ue per la ricerca. In realtà, già nel 2017, la Commissione Ue aveva valutato queste due possibilità 🧵
irpimedia.irpi.eu
Già nel 2017, l’Ue valutava la possibilità di sospendere l’accordo di associazione con Israele
Un documento della Commissione europea di quell'anno chiariva che, già allora, era possibile sospendere l'accordo commerciale con Tel Aviv e anche la sua partecipazione ai programmi europei per la ric...
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Foxglove Legal @foxglovelegal.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
NEW: one third of NHS trusts using the Federated Data Platform tools are seeing fewer operations than before they started using Palantir's kit. With the FT, we've been digging into the lack of evidence behind the lofty claims about FDP's benefit to hospitals. More here: www.ft.com/content/a3e9...
ft.com
Palantir NHS claims rely on just a few hospitals
Data shows some trusts have delivered fewer operations since adopting the US company’s technology
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Antonella Napolitano @svaroschi.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
There is a lot to be said on the UK social media ban for users under 16, how it came to be, how it exploits harm and leaves out the voices of people affected – while leaving tech companies off the hook But watching the debate is to an extent even more depressing for at least two major failures. 🧵
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 15/06/2026
From one of the many PR emails I'm getting about the government social media ban. Obviously this is from someone selling this technology. But stop to think about just how utterly dystopian this is: *constant* video surveillance of all online activity, for everyone.
To keep our children truly safe, technology platforms need to be installing fused biometrics - combining voice and facial signals – to be 100 per cent certain that the person using the platform is the account holder. This also continuously verifies the person throughout the session preventing any tech savvy child from being able to work around restrictions.
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