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Sarah Zarmsky

@szarmsky.bsky.social
2.2K followers 451 following 506 posts

Cat mom researching international law, human rights & tech; digital harm, digital evidence & digital investigations Assistant Professor @ QUB Law Personal account, views my own pure.qub.ac.uk/en/persons/sarah-zar…

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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I finally got AI-hallucinated in a journal article today. PSA: Thomas Zarmsky does not exist!
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Finding it v concerning that if you told me I just landed in Tenerife instead of London, based on the temp I’d believe you
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
If you’re in Belfast tomorrow afternoon, please consider joining!
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Le Ca-ghoul @lecagle.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
you are *not* prepared for what this technology company is called, nothing can prepare you
wkyt.com
UK installs AI facial scanning technology at residence halls
The University of Kentucky is installing artificial intelligence facial scanning technology on several campus buildings.
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Today’s academic humiliation ritual: asking for a discount code to buy copies of your own book
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I am begging the UK grocery stores to put the Christmas crackers and food away. We are not even close to Halloween. Insanity.
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 09/09/2026
The alarms are all flashing red.
Screenshot of a thread on X by user Jacob Coxon (@hilbertspaess) detailing his resignation from Anthropic.
​The first post reads: "I resigned from Anthropic today. I spent the last three years doing pretraining research at both OpenAI and Anthropic. Neither company is acting responsibly. They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives. More thoughts below."
​The second post reads: "Do not underestimate the power of this technology. These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources. We have all witnessed the progress in each of these domains, and progress is not slowing."
​The third post reads: "The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade. This is not a marketing stunt. If anything, many executives and senior researchers will couch their phrasing in the press to sound sensible - but I hear the same people express fear privately. No other human activity poses this level of danger."Screenshot continuing the thread on X by Jacob Coxon (@hilbertspaess).
​The first post reads: "A common response is 'if they truly believe this, why are they still building it?' At OpenAI, many have not deeply internalized the civilizational stakes. At Anthropic, the stakes are well-understood, but they are locked in a race to get there first - they believe no one else will act responsibly, so they must do it themselves, despite the risk."
​The second post reads: "Accepting this race and entering the 'endgame' is a hubristic gamble that should not be launched from a private company's Slack. Attempting to speedrun alignment should require extraordinary confidence that there are no better trajectories available."
​The third post reads: "I am optimistic about the potential for coordination. Warning shots like the Hugging Face attack have made pacing agreements between U.S. labs more viable. I don’t feel like we’re on track to prevent a global race, which may require costly actions such as a temporary ban on improving model capabilities."
​The fourth post reads: "If you are a lab researcher, I urge you to consider what the next few years will actually feel like. Do you want to kick off a superintelligent RL run without a rigorous understanding of its mind? Should you put your head down because 'it’s happening anyway' - or take this moment to call for different conditions?"
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
The work of the Siracusa Institute is even more impressive given the working conditions - this is the hottest I’ve ever been in my life (but it is gorg!)
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Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Australians will be able to switch off social media algorithms under planned legislation www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Australians will be able to switch off social media algorithms under planned legislation
Firms like Meta, Google and TikTok should face "substantial" penalties if they don't give the option, minister says.
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Not the worst way to ring in one’s 30s (if I owe you an email, this is why)
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I really hate this timeline www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
The First Amendment protects an individual's right to privately possess images or videos of child sexual abuse created using artificial intelligence — if the material does not depict a real person and remains in the home, a federal appeals court judge ruled Tuesday. The decision came in a case that tested the scope of laws implemented before advances in AI made it easy to create realistic-looking fake images of children.
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Alex Zalben @azalben.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Here's the official announcement of Parton's passing from her reps, along with the request that in lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at www.imaginationlibrary.com
NASHVILLE, TN (August 25, 2026) – Global icon and humanitarian, Dolly Parton, known to the world as a beloved singer, songwriter, philanthropist, actress, playwright, and author died peacefully today in Nashville, Tennessee. She was 80 years old.

 

Dolly is preceded in death by her beloved husband of 59 years Carl Thomas Dean (1942 – 2025), her mother Avie Lee Caroline Owens (1923 – 2003), and father, Robert Lee Parton, Sr. (1921 – 2000). 

 

A rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see, Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth, and kindness that made us all feel like family. Dolly Parton’s legacy is one of love, compassion, and resilience. With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place. Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages, and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.

 

At Dolly’s request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family. Dolly’s fans and friends from around the world are encouraged to pay tribute to Dolly on social media by tagging @DollyParton or by leaving a message at www.dollyparton.com.         

 

In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at www.imaginationlibrary.com.
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Despite frequent errors mixing up criminal and civil law, Coyote v Acme is peak cinema
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
It is truly appalling how there are people preaching blatant anti LGBT and anti Muslim hate speech on microphones outside Belfast City Hall almost daily and the PSNI does absolutely nothing.
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 20/08/2026
In the meantime, you can access the censored Amnesty reports on gender critical groups here. Make sure they cannot erase these documents from the internet. Like a snowball. dn711306.ca.archive.org/0/items/amne... A growing threat. archive.org/download/rep...
dn711306.ca.archive.org
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Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 20/08/2026
I've never seen such an effort to censor a document as I have the Amnesty International report on gender critical groups because of JK Rowling. They removed the report from the Wayback Machine and now I got a DMCA strike on my Google Drive for having it. It was deleted and removed from my account.
A screenshot of an email viewed in dark mode with the subject line "Google DMCA Violation." The email from Google informs the recipient that they have received a notification under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that some of their materials allegedly infringe on copyrights. It explains the removal process, mentions that notice details will be posted on Lumen, warns against repeated violations, and lists one affected Google Drive URL at the bottomA nearly identical mobile browser screenshot of the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. It shows a search for the same Amnesty International UK resources URL, resulting in the same message: "This URL has been excluded from the Wayback Machine."A mobile browser screenshot of the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. A URL for an Amnesty International UK resources page is entered in the search bar, but the page displays the message: "This URL has been excluded from the Wayback Machine."
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Jess Calarco @jessicacalarco.com · 18/08/2026
This should be illegal.
Speaking in a promotional video for Compliant Technologies published in 2024, Adam Glueck, then-assistant chief of the Cape Girardeau Police Department in southeastern Missouri, explained why his officers had grown so “attached” to the devices.

“In today’s society, you know, everybody’s filming everything, everybody has a cell phone,” Glueck said, adding that the glove “looks better on camera, and it looks better to those witnesses. With a glove, there are no burn marks or scars.”

Bob Couey of the Floyd County Sheriff’s Department recommended the glove for “anybody that’s looking for a utility they can use that is conducive to not leading to lawsuits.”
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
I am just a v stressed out Lecturer, begging the uni to pls develop some tool that lets us view our classes in calendar form as opposed to having to manually populate our own each year. It is 2026.
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
My American mind cannot comprehend seeing a President speak free from the street with no security or bulletproof vests/glass, but this was cool!
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Many in the migrants' rights sector have been warning about exactly this. AI is absolutely not suitable for being used in asylum cases. Not only because of the risk of "hallucination", but also because it is unable to deal with the nuance and complexity. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Home Office used ‘AI hallucinated’ information to refuse asylum claim, judge suggests
Upper tribunal unable to find document cited in case and claims it is ‘analogous to relying on bogus evidence’
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
The lack of mention of climate change/climate crisis from most mainstream news articles I’ve seen about the wildfires in Europe is astounding. “Heatwaves” caused the fire - ok, what caused the heatwaves? This seems like a form of disinformation at this stage.
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Serious q: Is it acceptable for me to put that I was part of a Guinness world record for the most people in bald caps on my Pure profile?
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Bec Hamilton @bechamilton.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
States have voted, overwhelmingly, to remove Karim Khan as ICC Prosecutor: www.reuters.com/world/icc-me... In a world where #metoo often still feels beyond reach, these states did the right thing. Now the hard work of institutional reform & pursuing justice for Gaza & beyond can take center stage.
reuters.com
ICC members dismiss prosecutor Karim Khan, diplomatic sources say
Member states ​of the International ‌Criminal Court on Friday voted ​to dismiss ​Karim Khan as prosecutor ⁠following allegations ​of sexual misconduct, ​two diplomatic sources told Reuters.
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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
The Assembly of States Parties of the #ICC - composed of the Court's member-states - has just voted to remove Prosecutor Karim Khan. Voting breakdown: Yes: 82 No: 13 Abstention: 15
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Mark Kersten @markkersten.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Again, Mamdani may not have legal powers to arrest Netanyahu, but this isn't just theatre. All politicians, at all levels, should oppose war crimes & genocide, and promote accountability. There'd be exactly zero issue if he was calling for the arrest of Putin. And so it should be with Netanyahu.
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Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 21/07/2026
Ooh I know this one. It's by BANNING THE PERVERT GLASSES
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
In my nearly 5 years living in the UK, I have now lived through the same amount of PMs here that I had the other 25 years of my life in US presidents
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Al Jazeera English @aljazeera.com · 18/07/2026
Mamdani had pledged to arrest Netanyahu during campaign for mayor and says he is consulting city's legal advisers.
aljazeera.com
New York's Mamdani says looking into Netanyahu arrest during city visit
Mamdani had pledged to arrest Netanyahu during campaign for mayor and says he is consulting city's legal advisers.
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Arif Hasan, but NFL🔨⚒️🛠️ @arif.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
this shot is so bleak lmao
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
This halftime show is really giving North Korea levels of “everything over here is fine!” propaganda
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
If only the ICC worked as well as Rubio thinks it does 😅
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
I’ve accepted that I’ll never understand why this is allowed to happen (& get worse) every year. Not to mention the irony of this in contrast with the “conserve water” signs we saw on the motorway yesterday, likely placed by the same govt who allow this… www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/video/firefi...
belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Firefighters battle to cool houses as bonfire collapses in south Belfast
Firefighters battle to cool houses as bonfire collapses in south Belfast
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 23/06/2026
Israel deliberately targeting Gaza children to commit genocide, UN inquiry finds
theguardian.com
Israel deliberately targeting Gaza children to commit genocide, UN inquiry finds
Report says by aiming at children Israel is undermining capacity of Palestinian people to exist Israel continues to commit genocide by deliberately targeting Palestinian children in Gaza, an ⁠independent UN inquiry has found. The report by the UN independent international commission of inquiry examined violations against Palestinian children since the start of the war in Gaza, and said about 30% of those killed by Israeli forces have been children. Continue reading...
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Me, 99% of the year as an American living in UK: this place is so much better, I’d never go back, pls don’t associate me with that awful country Me, the 1% of the year it is hot out: 🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸🦅where is the AC, this place is barbaric🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸🦅
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Starmer announces resignation as prime minister and leader of the Labour party - UK politics live www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
theguardian.com
Starmer announces resignation as prime minister and leader of the Labour party - UK politics live
The prime minister said a new leader will be in place before parliament returns in September
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Remembering the Liz Truss lettuce…
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
This also shows you likely hallucinations of your name, recommend for a good laugh
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I’m featured in The Irish News today, speaking about the impacts of social media and AI use on the recent Belfast riots: www.irishnews.com/news/norther...
irishnews.com
QUB expert warns AI tools and foreign actors may have fuelled Belfast violence
Dr Sarah Zarmsky says AI tools and foreign actors may have fuelled violence as laws struggle to keep pace
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
A career in academia, summarized: constantly feeling like you are doing too much while also constantly feeling like you are never doing enough
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
'We are clamping down on the harm caused by social media. 'Read all about it on the Nazi pogrom deepfake abuse website'
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Rachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
I'd like to see the electoral maths driving this. What are the back of the envelope maths on number of anxious parents in marginal seats that makes *this* worth a go vs the more muscular foreign policy that would be reflected in rolling out measures against X?
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
It’s obvious that social media is a terrible place for children, but a ban/curfew is completely unenforceable and raises many more questions about data privacy. Wouldn’t be surprised if not a single expert was involved in this process.
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Colin Harvey @cjharvey1.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Belfast.
 Belfast anti racism rally Belfast anti racism rally Belfast anti racism rally Belfast anti racism rally
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
The current riots in Belfast, fueled by social media, have made it clear that the OSA is failing and processes are too slow. Ofcom/law enforcement need to act sooner to remove incitement to violence, esp in times of crisis, and platforms need to be held accountable. www.reuters.com/business/med...
reuters.com
UK regulator warns online platforms of rising risks after Belfast attack
Britain's media regulator ​Ofcom on Wednesday warned online platforms ‌of possible legal consequences if their services are used to incite violence and spread hatred linked to ​recent civil unrest in ...
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Sarah Kay @k-interarma.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Link here: chuffed.org/project/1854...
chuffed.org
Support people and groups impacted by racist attacks
We are raising funds to support people who have been attacked, displaced and traumatised in racist attacks in Belfast.
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
The UK government claims they need to stay on X because thats where people get information, but when that platform encourages violence and the creation of non-consensual pornography, their presence crosses the line into complicity.
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Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
We can't look away from the images of families fleeing burning houses without calling this out as a pogrom, whipped up by influential actors who care nothing for the people of Belfast: www.irishnews.com/news/norther...
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Elaine Crory @elainecrory.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
That horrific incident in North Belfast. 1. For the love of fuck do not share (or watch) the video. Think of the victim and their family. 2. This will be used by some people to justify racist violence, give them no excuse 3. Look after yourself and your friends, especially if they're targeted.
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Sarah Zarmsky @szarmsky.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
A very dark 24 hours in Belfast, and sadly a perfect case example of how hatred on social media can spread like wildfire into violence. Hoping everyone stays safe.
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Elaine Crory @elainecrory.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
I've never heard shaky-voiced angry speeches in the chamber about these murders, let alone demands to shut down cities and international attention.
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