iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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

Wartime denialism can be narrowed by treating it as a content and witnessing problem. Safe witnessing, provenance and conflict-aware safeguards must shape AI policy before release. 10/10

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Satellite imagery already has a political history. In 2003, Colin Powell used satellite photos at the UN as part of the case for Iraq’s alleged WMD activity. The claimed stockpiles were never found. 9/10

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Google Earth imagery carries the authority of a reliable view. Users have generated fabricated scenes, including a bomb crater near a Gaza hospital. Gen AI integration into satellite imagery is thus dangerous and should never happen, especially when it is so vitally important for verification. 8/10

techpolicy.press

Google Earth AI Fiasco Underscores Why Tech Firms Must Listen to Outside Experts

It's just one more parable in a long line of product releases by AI firms with potentially dangerous consequences, write shirin anlen and Sam Gregory.

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Often dismissed is the need for resilient communications, protected anonymity, privacy, and encryption (including challenging age-verification policies: Systems requiring IDs, biometrics or identity checks weaken online anonymity and create new risks for witnesses, journalists, and others). 7/10

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Victims must survive violence, document it, and prove their documentation is real. Challenging the AI fog like this requires secure storage, provenance, and conflict-aware safeguards developed before release, and distributed archives. 6/10

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

In Minab, US strikes killed around 170 people, at least 110 schoolchildren. Images of their burials were dismissed as AI. Verification took time; denial traveled immediately. As Afsaneh told The Verge: “Initial denial has happened in the psyche… The damage is done.” 5/10

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 · 04/08/2026

While surviving Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Saeed Ismail was accused of being an AI creation because of misspelled text on a blanket. Displaced and raising money to feed his family, he spent hours proving he was real. 4/10

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

We show how in Tigray, blackouts made documentation dangerous and gave denial a head start. In Sudan, AI-manipulated propaganda circulates amid violence and disrupted communications. In both, verification is slowed while denial spreads. 3/10

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

The piece examines the “liar’s dividend:” the advantage gained when authentic evidence is dismissed as AI. It draws on Iran, Sudan, Gaza, and Tigray to examine an information environment shaped by war, Gen AI, blackouts, propaganda, and state denial. 2/10

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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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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Thank you for checking, James. We’ll soon have procedures set up especially for the mutual aid fund. Definitely follow our accounts and newsletter for that (and generally for supporting and sharing our work, which is how we continue).

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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 · 04/05/2026

Thank you for the support 💫

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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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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

The human toll is rapidly expanding across the region. State actions and corporations whose technologies enable them must be held accountable. Access without safety is not access. The protection of human life is vital in the route to any rights.

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Across the country, individuals are finding ways to stay connected: sharing updates on high-risk areas, routing aid where possible, sending messages through each other, relying on low-bandwidth tools and trusted personal networks. It is a stark reflection of ingenuity under extreme constraint.

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

At the same time, enforcement by the IRI is intensifying under wartime emergency powers, with more arrests, ad hoc checkpoints, and device searches.

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

War is creating new forms of inequality. Limited connectivity options — shady VPNs, workarounds, and international calling — are prohibitively expensive. Access to satellite internet like Starlink exists, but only for a small, privileged number of people, and often with significant personal risk.

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Costs are high, and many cannot earn any income. Without internet access, they cannot simply check alerts, access news, or confirm to family members that they are still alive.

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

What we’re hearing from inside the country is consistent: exhaustion, fear, and a deep desire for safety and normalcy. People are navigating daily indiscriminate attacks and rising casualty rates. Children are among the most affected.

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Inside Iran, the situation is compounding. With internet and communications already blocked by the IRI, people are increasingly isolated: cut off from loved ones while facing ongoing bombardment and the real risk of losing energy sources altogether.

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

This after a month of tech-facilitated warfare, widespread violence, and mass civilian deaths.

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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 · 02/04/2026

At the same time, enforcement by the IRI is intensifying under wartime emergency powers, with more arrests, ad hoc checkpoints, and device searches.

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Costs are high, and many cannot earn any income. Without internet access, they cannot simply check alerts, access news, or confirm to family members that they are still alive.

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

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De|Center @thedecenter.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

This after a month of tech-facilitated warfare, widespread violence, and mass civilian deaths.

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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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