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De|Center

@thedecenter.bsky.social
231 followers 191 following 153 posts

New home of #DesignFromTheMargins methodology. We transform tech & advocate for #TechAccountability to advance justice & human rights. New to socials, not the work. Website: www.de-center.net Newsletter: the-decenter.ghost.io

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
We joined 450 organizations to condemn the latest crackdowns in Turkey.
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Schmoolecka @tansarichi.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
The US accounts for roughly 4% of the world’s population and more than 20% of the world’s prisoners.
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
The U.S is the most incarcerated country in the world. For incarcerated people, surveillance is a mandatory condition of their ability to remain connected. Learn more about how prisons function as a microcosm of techno-authoritarianism in our latest newsletter. the-decenter.ghost.io/prisons-wher...
the-decenter.ghost.io
Prisons: Where the Future of Surveillance is Tested
With a contraband phone from inside a US prison, one of our experts talks to us about the importance of staying connected. Plus, more interviews and analysis as part of our spotlight series, where we ...
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Google Earth launched an AI tool last week, letting users fabricate scenes of destruction in Iran and Gaza, and pulled it the next day. It's just the latest tool to compound the AI fog of war, argue Afsaneh Rigot and @mahsaalimardani.bsky.social in a new op-ed for @carnegieendowment.org A thread:
carnegieendowment.org
Generative AI and Atrocity Denial in War
In the fog of modern war, generative AI offers every side a simple transaction: Trade documented reality for permanent doubt.
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mahsa alimardani @mahsaalimardani.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
1/New with Afsaneh Rigot of @thedecenter.bsky.social with work from @witnessorg.bsky.social for @carnegieendowment.org: "Generative AI and Atrocity Denial in War." How AI has turned doubt itself into a weapon, from Iran to Gaza to Sudan. Thread: carnegieendowment.org/research/202...
carnegieendowment.org
Generative AI and Atrocity Denial in War
In the fog of modern war, generative AI offers every side a simple transaction: Trade documented reality for permanent doubt.
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
We are signatories to this important and timely statement. Pls read and share. These measures are arbitrary, discriminatory, and a direct violation of free expression and access to information. @alqst.bsky.social
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ALQST for Human Rights @alqst.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Major tech companies including Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms have blocked 100+ human rights accounts following orders by Saudi authorities. Read the Guardian's coverage here, featuring comments from ALQST's board member @maryamaldossari.bsky.social. www.theguardian.com/media/2026/m...
theguardian.com
Instagram, X and others blocking Saudi dissidents’ accounts
US social media firms acting on orders from Middle East kingdom accused of being ‘instruments of repression’
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mahsa alimardani @mahsaalimardani.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
This was the most devastating part of the Rights Con debacle. The loss in not having the opportunity to attend, learn and further our movement through what was going to be one of the most thoughtful and productive convenings broke my heart. Please donate to @thedecenter.bsky.social if you can.
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Just Giulio @giuliowolfe.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
I am the humanitarian guy at @accessnow.org and I call on those who can to please consider supporting @thedecenter.bsky.social and other CSOs The damage doesn't stop at @rightscon.org : the event is a catalyst bringing together a whole ecosystem, and the harm against our partners is just harrowing
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Our Design from the Margins workshop was cancelled after the Zambian government shutdown RightsCon. We moved fast because the safety of our community came first. It always will. Our loss was huge, but the work continues. See our full statement. the-decenter.ghost.io/update-the-f...
the-decenter.ghost.io
Update: The Forced Cancellation of the Design from the Margins Workshop in Lusaka
💡The cancellation of RightsCon – which was to bring 5,000 people together – mere days before it was set to begin, is itself a serious concern for the digital rights community. As we could not determin...
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WIRED @wired.com · 13/04/2026
More than 70 organizations, including the ACLU, EPIC, and Fight for the Future, say the AI smart glasses feature would endanger abuse victims, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ people. www.wired.com/story/meta-r...
wired.com
Meta Is Warned That Facial Recognition Glasses Will Arm Sexual Predators
More than 70 organizations, including the ACLU, EPIC, and Fight for the Future, say the AI smart glasses feature would endanger abuse victims, immigrants, and LGBTQ+ people.
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Important findings by @smex.org ⬇️
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FRONTLINE @frontlinepbs.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
FRONTLINE and ProPublica investigate the violence, protests and arrests stemming from the federal immigration sweeps across the country. "Caught in the Crackdown" premieres tonight on PBS and online.
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Ahmed Eldin must be released immediately. He has been detained under laws in Kuwait that criminalize online & offline speech. Across the region, authorities have used such laws to target online posts since the war, including increased targeting of journalism. Increasing repression & disinformation.
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Fight for the Future @fightforthefuture.org · 13/04/2026
With many newspapers closed & no clear path for local public libraries to preserve digital-only reporting, the work of safeguarding journalism’s record increasingly falls to @archive.org - and their ability to preserve knowledge for the public good is under attack www.wired.com/story/the-in...
wired.com
The Internet's Most Powerful Archiving Tool Is in Peril
As major news outlets cut off the Wayback Machine, journalists and advocacy groups are rallying to protect the Internet Archive’s vast collection of web pages.
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mahsa alimardani @mahsaalimardani.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
“Those who stared too long into the Lego abyss came out sounding completely deranged.” @sarahjeong.bsky.social continues to be one of my favourite writers and honoured my scraps of thought were featured in this alongside @azadehakbari.bsky.social and @thedecenter.bsky.social’s Afsaneh Rigot.
theverge.com
How Iran out-shitposted the White House
Tehran’s meme warfare became an uncanny mirror of American governance
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Our urgent statement on escalating rhetoric & attacks on essential systems in Iran. Under international law, both what is said and what is done carry legal consequences. Accountability must be applied consistently & forcefully — or it ceases to function the-decenter.ghost.io/urgent-state... #iran
the-decenter.ghost.io
Urgent Statement: Threats of war crimes and genocide in Iran must face accountability
The US’ rhetoric threatening essential systems in Iran raises acute legal concerns. Under international law, both what is said and what is done carry legal consequences. From the US to inside Iran to ...
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Today, over 100 international law experts warn that U.S. strikes on Iran violate the U.N. Charter and may constitute as war crimes. “Recent statements from senior U.S. government officials describ[e] the rules governing military engagement as “stupid” and prioritizing “lethality” over “legality”.”
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
US and Israeli officials are escalating threats against Iran, including infrastructure such as electricity and power. That means cutting off the very systems people depend on to access the internet and communications, and to live.
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Our hearts are with the people of Tehran, Beirut, and Gaza as they survive unprecedented violence at scale. US and Israeli warfare, powered by AI-assisted mass targeting systems, has further turned urban centers into testing grounds for algorithmic carnage. We’re seeing the results.
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mahsa alimardani @mahsaalimardani.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
My piece in @theatlantic.com on what AI is doing to the information environment during the war in Iran. 175 children buried in Minab. Every fact about their deaths has been documented, verified, and geolocated. None of it has been enough to prevent the doubt from spreading faster than the evidence.
theatlantic.com
The Fog of AI
The spread of fake imagery of the Iran war is helping make the question Is this real? all but unanswerable.
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ActivistChecklist.org @activistchecklist.org · 11/03/2026
**Can you help us do a little bsky survey by reposting this** ➡️ What checklists/guides would you like to see ActivistChecklist.org create next? Comment below! 👇 Could be anything in the realms of activist digital security, physical safety, operational security, vetting, specific tools, etc.
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Fight for the Future @fightforthefuture.org · 10/03/2026
For months we’ve watched ICE weaponize AI surveillance tools to intimidate & abduct people from communities across the country - the suppliers of these same tools are fueling U.S. attacks on Venezuela & Iran via Palantir’s Project Maven & Anthropic’s Claude AI. www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/w...
nytimes.com
A Fight About the Future of War
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Azadeh Akbari @azadehakbari.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
This is "our" Manifesto for a Free Internet. We are Iranian Women's Coalition for Internet Freedom. Happy International Women's Day! initiated by @azadehakbari.bsky.social @farzdusa.bsky.social @mahsaalimardani.bsky.social @royapak.bsky.social & Afsaneh Rigot
docs.google.com
Manifesto for a Free Internet
Manifesto for a Free Internet Iranian Women’s Coalition for Internet Freedom Today, people inside Iran are living through a near-total Internet and communications blackout imposed by the Islamic Repub...
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
Our hearts are with the people of Tehran, Beirut, and Gaza as they survive unprecedented violence at scale. US and Israeli warfare, powered by AI-assisted mass targeting systems, has further turned urban centers into testing grounds for algorithmic carnage. We’re seeing the results.
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Lisa Guerrero @lisaguerrero.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Lorraine Schneider 1966
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Drop Site @dropsitenews.com · 28/02/2026
⚡️ “Small Children Who Knew Nothing of Politics or Wars” A scene of devastation in Minab, Iran, as parents waited to know the fate of their young daughters after the bombing of a girls' elementary school killed over 100. Report: Mahmoud Aslan for Drop Site News www.dropsitenews.com/p/iran-minab...
dropsitenews.com
“Small Children Who Knew Nothing of Politics or Wars”
A scene of devastation in Minab, Iran, as parents waited to know the fate of their young daughters after the bombing of a girls' elementary school killed over 100.
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
A happy 1 year anniversary to one of our favourite orgs, serving the Southwest Asia and North Africa queer communities on vital digital rights and safety needs.
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LooM SWANA @loom4swana.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
45% of LGBTQI+ people in MENA have been arrested for who they are—over 1 in 5 multiple times. This is from ARTICLE 19’s 2024 report, the largest study of its kind (5,205 participants across 8 countries). Read more 👉 www.article19.org/wp-content/u...
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
A great interview with @mahsaalimardani.bsky.social to re-share on the impact of comms blackouts in Iran. Regimes today weaponize the "Liar's Dividend" + AI to dismiss real images as fake and to create false narratives. Distorting truth & eroding trust in human rights documentation worldwide.
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LooM SWANA @loom4swana.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
365 Days, 12 Months, 1 year : Weaving a safe future for LGBTIQ+ activism in SWANA ❤️✨️🌈
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
We love when news teams create organising resources! Much of it wouldn’t exist in the form they do without the decentered. It’s *international* sex workers, queer, trans folks, & other advocates whose experiences are why some of the anti-surveillance tech/methods were created. Why we center them.
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Rima I Anabtawi @rimaanabtawi.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
“Our technologies can anchor years of generational wisdom, not aid those creating the oppressive structures people need to navigate in order to survive."
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mahsa alimardani @mahsaalimardani.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Loved this read by Afsaneh Rigot of @thedecenter.bsky.social .
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Authoritarians can’t win when people refuse to be erased. In #IranProtests, people built their own internet — #MeshNetworks, email relays, smuggled access, diaspora bandwidth, stealthy features, & IRL stealth. Even in total comms blackout, every barrier met an instinctual workaround. Our new post 🔐
the-decenter.ghost.io
Unplugging a Nation: Iranian Digital Workarounds in the Face of Total Blackout
When the State plunged Iran into darkness, cutting the web, texts, and even landlines, Iranians leaned on a hard-won toolkit. Decades-old tactics are now encoded into the digital front.
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
"When the state plunged Iran into darkness, cutting the web, texts, and even landlines, people leaned on a hard-won toolkit. We saw the same decades-old tactics evolve into new ones. Hidden etched messages and 'muffled talk' of previous eras are now encoded into the digital front."
the-decenter.ghost.io
Unplugging a Nation: Iranian Digital Workarounds in the Face of Total Blackout
When the State plunged Iran into darkness, cutting the web, texts, and even landlines, Iranians leaned on a hard-won toolkit. Decades-old tactics are now encoded into the digital front.
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
Our research with @article19.bsky.social showed the risks of digital evidence & policing of queer communities in MENA: from mass arrests & torture.The need is more privacy, harm reduction & real anonymity.These policies push them off platforms & increase their risks www.article19.org/queer-resist...
article19.org
Queer resistance to digital oppression in the Middle East and North Africa  - ARTICLE 19
LGBTQI+ people in 8 countries across the Middle East and North Africa tell ARTICLE 19 how police are weaponising dating, messaging, and social media apps to persecute them – and what tech companies ca...
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Türkiye's 2025 draft law criminalizes "attitudes or behaviors contrary to biological sex” &“general morality" — targeting trans & LGBTQ lives, with up to 3 years in prison. Activists are already facing home raids over online posts. Privacy& anonymity are non-negotiable in fighting global repression
hrw.org
Türkiye: Draft Law Threatens LGBT People with Prison
A government proposal would pave the way to bring criminal charges against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Türkiye, one of the most alarming rollbacks of rights in decades, Hu...
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
Many companies including Meta and Google are over-complying/comply in advance with digital ID and age verification systems, including Meta & Google. We need to push back against the policies that shroud surveillance as safety & company over-compliance. This risks us all, esp the most marginalised.
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
These are mass #surveillance & censorship policies pushed as “child safety.” Threatening online anonymity. Back in 2021, De|Center’s Afsaneh Rigot explained why anonymity is essential to human rights work, including her own & for criminalized queer communities www.belfercenter.org/publication/...
Screenshot from linked article: “Authoritarian governments, oppressive laws and regulations, or different forms of discrimination are some of the reasons why many need to work under a pseudonym. Many researchers, activists, writers and marginalized persons (who want to just exist in online and offline communities) need methods of anonymity, pseudonyms, or online personas to protect their work and themselves. Whole communities have developed norms to keep themselves safe, evolved to protect their members against the powerful, including governments, law enforcement, or corporations working closely with states. Yet, the current trajectory of some current tech and ethics discussions could imperil survival for these groups and their members.”
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Mass government surveillance treating social media as “crime scenes.” ICE/DHS agents using deception & fake accounts to patrol private groups & profiles, racially targeting immigrants.These are the exact digital entrapment tactics of abusive policing worldwide — from dating apps to WhatsApp groups🔐
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More Perfect Union @moreperfectunion.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Senior opposition leader and Gandhi family scion, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, tweeted: “The Narendra Modi government first attacked workers' rights with the Labor Code, and then, under pressure from the United States...
forbes.com
Indian Farmers And Trade Unions Protest U.S. Trade Deal With Nationwide Strike (Photos)
Farmers and trade unions argue the trade deal will damage their livelihoods, as they will be unable to compete with cheap produce from the United States.
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Electronic Frontier Foundation @eff.org · 14/02/2026
Meta adding face recognition technology to its smart glasses would violate the privacy rights of millions of people and cost the company billions of dollars in legal battles. It should abandon its plans. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
eff.org
Seven Billion Reasons for Facebook to Abandon its Face Recognition
Meta’s analysis that it can avoid scrutiny by releasing a privacy invasive product during a time of political crisis is craven and morally bankrupt. It is also dead wrong.
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
Mass government surveillance treating social media as “crime scenes.” ICE/DHS agents using deception & fake accounts to patrol private groups & profiles, racially targeting immigrants.These are the exact digital entrapment tactics of abusive policing worldwide — from dating apps to WhatsApp groups🔐
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Migration and Technology Monitor @migrationtechmonitor.com · 09/02/2026
👋 We're back! We know it's been a while, but just because we've been quiet, doesn't mean we have not been busy! Check out some of the things we have been working on over the last few months - also on our website: www.migrationtechmonitor.com
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Mattilda B Sycamore @mbsycamore.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
"Anybody knows, who studies history, what happens when you have folks who are now treating these humans as bodies, and you have no reason to believe you’re going to make it out alive from a place where they’re already calling you a body." Thank you, Aliya Rahman, for this brave testimony & analysis💥
democracynow.org
Meet Aliya Rahman, Disabled U.S. Citizen Assaulted, Jailed & Traumatized by ICE in Minneapolis
We speak with Aliya Rahman, a U.S. citizen who was violently dragged from her car by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis last month and detained at the Whipple Federal Building, which has beco...
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Users report bypassing FRT verification using VR avatars.FRT verification is not just a surveillance tool, but biased, faulty tech that further excludes Black, brown & trans people.Once again, a technology that doesn’t work, supports mass surveillance&sold as a solution that ignores the real problem
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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
These are mass #surveillance & censorship policies pushed as “child safety.” Threatening online anonymity. Back in 2021, De|Center’s Afsaneh Rigot explained why anonymity is essential to human rights work, including her own & for criminalized queer communities www.belfercenter.org/publication/...
Screenshot from linked article: “Authoritarian governments, oppressive laws and regulations, or different forms of discrimination are some of the reasons why many need to work under a pseudonym. Many researchers, activists, writers and marginalized persons (who want to just exist in online and offline communities) need methods of anonymity, pseudonyms, or online personas to protect their work and themselves. Whole communities have developed norms to keep themselves safe, evolved to protect their members against the powerful, including governments, law enforcement, or corporations working closely with states. Yet, the current trajectory of some current tech and ethics discussions could imperil survival for these groups and their members.”
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Runa Sandvik @runasand.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
The FBI has so far been unable to get into Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s iPhone because it’s using Lockdown Mode — one of my favorite iOS features. You can turn it on for iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS too! www.404media.co/fbi-couldnt-...
404media.co
FBI Couldn’t Get into WaPo Reporter’s iPhone Because It Had Lockdown Mode Enabled
Lockdown Mode is a sometimes overlooked feature of Apple devices that broadly make them harder to hack. A court record indicates the feature might be effective at stopping third parties unlocking some...
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